DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 15 January 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Claims 3 and 13 are cancelled.
Claims 1, 4-5, 11, and 14-15 are amended.
Claims 1-2, 4-12 and 14-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 11-12, and 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pacala (US 2019/0056497), in view of Iguchi (US 2020/0137373).
Regarding Claims 1 and 11, Pacala teaches a time-of-flight circuitry and method [Abstract; 0007] configured to: apply a set of detection time intervals to at least one light detection event for determining a point of time of the at least one light detection event [0055-57; 0155; 0389], wherein the set of detection time intervals has a predetermined detection pattern encoding predetermined points of time [0055-57; 0155; 0389]. Pacala broadly teaches the photon counter being coupled to a single photon avalanche diode [0056; 0389]. Pacala does not explicitly teach apply the set of detection time intervals to a plurality of photon counters simultaneously. Iguchi teaches the photon counter being coupled to a single photon avalanche diode [0075-76; 0199]; and driving a plurality of photon counters simultaneously to apply the set of detection time intervals to a plurality… [0083; 0087; 0125; 0199]. It would have been obvious to modify the circuit of Pacala to include 1 to 1 coupling of the counters to the diodes/switches and applying the same time intervals simultaneously so that the counting error can be reduced by preventing an overlap or gap from occurring between adjacent on-time periods for the switch, and or the intensity ratio of the reflected light of the pulsed light to be detected to the background light is compared to a case where the time widths are substantially equal to the full width at half maximum.
Regarding Claims 2 and 12, Pacala also teaches wherein the predetermined detection pattern is based on a Gray Code [0057; 0155; 0389]
Regarding Claims 4 and 14, Pacala also teaches configured to apply the set of detection time intervals sequentially to the at least one light detection event [0056-57; 0389].
Regarding Claims 5 and 15, Pacala also teaches configured to apply the set of detection time intervals simultaneously to the at least one light detection event [0056-57; 0389]. Iguchi additionally teaches this limitation in [0083; 0087; 0125; 0199].
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-9, 11-12 and 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Glover (US 2018/0341010), in view of Iguchi (US 2020/0137373).
Regarding Claims 1 and 11, Glover teaches a time-of-flight circuitry and method [0006;0011; 0015; 0027] configured to: apply a set of detection time intervals to at least one light detection event for determining a point of time of the at least one light detection event [0006-08; 0027], wherein the set of detection time intervals has a predetermined detection pattern encoding predetermined points of time [0006-08; 0027; 0050; 0099]. Glover does not explicitly teach – but Iguchi does teach the photon counter being coupled to a single photon avalanche diode [0075-76; 0199]; and driving a plurality of photon counters simultaneously to apply the set of detection time intervals to a plurality… [0083; 0087; 0125; 0199]. It would have been obvious to modify the circuit of Glover to include 1 to 1 coupling of the counters to the diodes/switches and applying the same time intervals simultaneously so that the counting error can be reduced by preventing an overlap or gap from occurring between adjacent on-time periods for the switch, and or the intensity ratio of the reflected light of the pulsed light to be detected to the background light is compared to a case where the time widths are substantially equal to the full width at half maximum.
Regarding Claims 2 and 12, Glover also teaches wherein the predetermined detection pattern is based on a Gray Code [0006-08; 0027; 0050;].
Regarding Claims 6 and 16, Glover also teaches configured to: demodulate a current assisted photonic demodulator, with a set of demodulation patterns, thereby applying the set of detection time intervals[Abstract; 0006-08; 0011; 0019-22; 0027; 0035; 0041-47]
Regarding Claims 7 and 17, Glover also teaches configured to mix at least one demodulation signal including the set of demodulation patterns with a light detection signal being indicative of the at least one detection event, thereby generating a mixed signal, and wherein the mixed signal encodes the predetermined points of time [0027; 0050; 0122].
Regarding Claims 8 and 18, Glover also teaches configured to apply the set of demodulation patterns sequentially to the at least one light detection event [0011; 0019-22; 0027; 0035; 0041-47; 0050]
Regarding Claims 9 and 19, Glover also teaches configured to apply the set of demodulation patterns simultaneously to the at least one light detection event [0011; 0019-22; 0027; 0035; 0041-47; 0050]
Claim(s) 10 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Glover (US 2018/0341010) and Iguchi (US 2020/0137373), as applied to claims 6 and 16 above, and further in view of Pacala (US 2019/0056497).
Regarding Claims 10 and 20, Glover does not explicitly teach – but Pacala does teach configured to control a light source to emit light in a predetermined emission pattern based on the predetermined detection pattern [0056-57; 0155; 0389]. It would have been obvious to modify the system and method of Glover to include adjusting emission patterns based on detection patterns in order to reduce noise (e.g., from background light or from interference due to nearby LIDAR devices), thus transmit different coded pulse patterns (pulse trains) over different detection time intervals.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's remaining arguments filed 15 January 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
A broadest reasonable interpretation of independent claims 1 and 11 follows. Nondescript time of flight circuitry is present. The first step is to apply time detection intervals, which are not provided with any details other that this involved an undefined predetermined detection pattern, and fails to specify in any way what hardware drives the “applying”. The second step, appears to merely be an expansion of the first step, wherein an undefined structural element “drives” the photon counters individually (which is common to have 1 to 1 counters to SPADs) and simultaneously (obvious, if not inherent given a predetermined pattern). These limitations are sparse, if not entirely lacking, in structural limitations, and merely appears to claim a result without the necessary method steps or essential structural elements to implement these desired limitations to produce a desired (yet not unexpected) outcome.
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show non-obviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Secondary reference Iguchi points out that since there’s simultaneous intervals and counting performed by the time-of-flight system, that there’s a small chance that photons might be undercounted, but an insignificant number. Furthermore, cited, but not referenced in this rejection (Yamamoto - US 20200400547 A1) additionally teaches simultaneous intervals applied to photon counting operations.
Applicant's remaining arguments amount to a general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without specifically pointing out how the language of the claims patentably distinguishes them from the references.
Conclusion
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JAMES R. HULKA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3645
/JAMES R HULKA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645