DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 11/26/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The Examiner acknowledges the amending of claims 1, 8 and the cancellation of claim 19.
Claim Objections
Claims 2 and 3 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 2 at line 5, and claim 3 at line 3, end with a period and should instead end with a comma or semicolon.
Appropriate correction is required.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
The Examiner notes new art is cited to account for the updated language of claim 1.
Applicant's arguments filed 11/26/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Examiner first notes that the Remarks, at pg.11, state agreement was reached with the Examiner in the previous interview that the current amendments to claim 8 differentiate from the cited art. The second paragraph of the amendments to claim 8 were not presented during the interview such that no agreement had been reached as the language was not discussed.
With respect to claim 8, the Applicant has argued Lissotschenko does not teach the support member to meet the newly added claim language.
The Examiner does not agree. Lissotschenko teaches the support member #4 to be bonded via #5 to #1 and #1 to be bonded via #10 to the upper surface of the submount #9. This is an arrangement wherein the support is indirectly bonded to the upper surface of the submount as #1 is intervening between the elements. Note that the claim does not require a “direct” bonding of the identified portions.
This indirect bonding applies to the currently added “front view”, noting that the “front” has not been defined and could be the view seen in fig.1, as well as to the “coplanar” language.
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 8-11 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1/2 as being anticipated by Lissotschenko (US 2004/0258124).
With respect to claim 8, Lissotschenko discloses a laser light source (abstract) comprising: a submount (fig.1 #9) having an upper surface (fig.1 top of #9); a semiconductor laser element (fig.1 #1) located on the upper surface of the submount and having an end surface from which a laser beam is emitted (fig.1 #1 left side); a lens (fig.1 #6/7) facing the end surface of the semiconductor laser element; and a support member (fig.1 #4) bonded to (support member #4 indirectly bonded via #5 to #1 and #1 to be bonded via #10 to the upper surface of the submount #9) the upper surface of the submount and supporting the lens (fig.1 via #8), wherein: the lens comprises: a collimating portion that faces the end surface of the semiconductor laser element and is configured to collimate the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser element (fig.1 #6, [0020]); and an extension that extends from the collimating portion (fig.1 #7) in a direction that is parallel to the end surface of the semiconductor laser element; and the lens is supported via a bonding member disposed at least between the extension and the support member (fig.1 #8); wherein in a front view (not defined, can be view shown in fig.1), a portion of the support member that is located adjacent to the semiconductor laser element in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the submount is bonded to the upper surface of the submount (fig.1 lower portion of #4 adjacent to laser parallel to upper surface of #9 is indirectly bonded to #9); and a portion of the upper surface of the submount on which the semiconductor laser element is located is coplanar with a portion of the upper surface of the submount to which the support member is bonded (see annotated fig.1 below, noting the bonding is considered indirect as outlined above).
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With respect to claim 9, Lissotschenko teaches the extension extends in a direction normal to the upper surface of the submount (as seen in fig.1).
With respect to claim 10, Lissotschenko teaches the bonding member is disposed only at positions such that the bonding member is not irradiated with the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser element when the semiconductor laser element is driven (as seen in fig.1 beam #3).
With respect to claim 11, Lissotschenko teaches the collimating portion and the extension are monolithic ([0020]).
With respect to claim 18, Lissotschenko teaches the collimating portion is configured to collimate a fast axis direction of the laser beam (as seen in fig.1, [0011]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 16 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kock (US 5355323) in view of Hishida et al. (WO 2021/171865).
With respect to claim 1, Kock teaches a light source (fig.1, abstract) comprising: a submount (fig.1 #1) having an upper surface (fig.1 upward facing central portion of #1), a first lateral surface (annotated fig.1 Lat 1), and a second lateral surface (annotated fig.1 Lat 2) positioned opposite to the first lateral surface, wherein the first lateral surface and the second lateral surface face in opposite directions (each face away from center); a light emitting diode element (fig.1 #5) located on the upper surface of the submount and having an end surface from which a beam is emitted (fig.1 top of #5 towards lens); a lens (fig.1 #7) facing the end surface of the semiconductor laser element (following path of beam); and a support member (fig.1 #3 on right/left with central flange #25) located on the upper surface of the submount (fig.1 sits atop upper surface and in close proximity with upper surface) and supporting the lens (as seen in fig.1); wherein: the support member comprises: a first portion (annotated fig.1 P1) and a second portion (annotated fig.1 P2) arranged at a lateral side of the submount, wherein the first portion has a first inwardly facing lateral surface (see annotated figure below; left side of #3 on right), the second portion has a second inwardly facing lateral surface (see annotated figure below; right side of #3 on left), the first and second inwardly facing lateral surfaces face in opposite directions (each face towards center), the first inwardly facing lateral surface partially faces the first lateral surface of the submount (annotated fig.1, Lat 1 faces left side of #3 on right) and partially overlaps the first lateral surface of the submount in a direction perpendicular to the first inwardly facing lateral surface (as seen in annotated figure), the second inwardly facing lateral surface partially faces the second lateral surface of the submount (annotated fig.1, Lat 2 faces right side of #3 on left) and partially overlaps the second lateral surface of the submount in a direction perpendicular to the second inwardly facing lateral surface (as seen in annotated fig.1); and a third portion (annotated fig.1 P3) that connects the first portion and the second portion and overlaps a portion of the semiconductor laser element in a plan view (as seen in annotated fig.1); and the lens is supported by the first portion and the second portion of the support member via a bonding member interposed between the lens and each of the first portion and the second portion (fig.1 #23s). Kock further teaches the use of laser diodes (abstract, fig.2), but does not make clear #5 is a laser diode or that the lens comprises a collimating portion configured to collimate the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser element. Hishida teaches a related mount for a laser diode and lens and teaches the lens to be collimating (largest spread = fast axis: “The laser beam emitted from the LD15 diffuses as it propagates, and the beam width widens. The collimating lens 16a collimates the laser beam emitted from the LD 15 in a predetermined first direction. That is, the collimating lens 16a suppresses the expansion of the beam width in the first direction of the laser light emitted from the LD15, and parallelizes the laser light so that the beam width in the first direction becomes substantially constant. The first direction may be the direction in which the spread of the beam width is the largest.”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the instant application to adapt the emitter of Kock to be a laser diode to allow for outputting coherent light as well as to make use of a collimating lens for the lens of Kock to control the divergence of the laser light as each has been demonstrated by Hishida.
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With respect to claim 2, Kock, as modified, teaches the submount has a lower surface (fig.1 lower) on a side opposite to the upper surface; the first portion has a first bottom surface (annotated fig.1 lower portion of #3 on right), and the first bottom surface of the first portion is located below a plane of the upper surface of the submount and above a plane of the lower surface of the submount (as seen in annotated fig.1, #3 on right is between upper and lower portions of #1); and the second portion has a first bottom surface (annotated fig.1 lower portion of #3 on left), and the first bottom surface of the second portion is located below a plane of the upper surface of the submount and above a plane of the lower surface of the submount (as seen in annotated fig.1, #3 on left is between upper and lower portions of #1).
With respect to claim 3, Kock, as modified, teaches the first bottom surface of the first portion is located below a first plane that includes an optical axis of the lens (axis can be down center of fig.1 and plane can be perpendicular to axis, along submount top surface), the first plane being parallel to the first bottom surface (as defined above), and the second bottom surface of the second portion is located below a second plane that includes an optical axis of the lens (axis can be down center of fig.1 and plane can be perpendicular to axis, along submount top surface), the second plane being parallel to the second bottom surface (as defined above).
With respect to claim 5, Kock, as modified, teaches a gap is located between the first portion and the submount, and a gap is located between the second portion and the submount (fig.1 spacings between each #3s and Lat 1/2).
With respect to claim 7, Kock, as modified, teaches a size of the first portion and a size of the second portion are greater than a size of the lens in a direction normal to the upper surface of the submount (fig.1 defined P1/2 taller than lens)
With respect to claim 12, Kock, as modified, teaches the submount has a front surface (fig.1 top of #1) on a side where the lens is located; and bonding surfaces of the first portion and the second portion on which the bonding member is disposed are located on a plane of the front surface or on a lens side of the plane of the front surface (fig.1 #23s on lens side of plane of front surface).
With respect to claim 14, Kock, as modified, teaches the first portion, the second portion and the third portion are monolithic (as seen in annotated fig.1 and as P1-3 are defined).
With respect to claim 16, Kock, as modified, teaches the device outlined above, but does not teach a thermal conductivity of a material of the support member is higher than a thermal conductivity of a material of the lens and less than or equal to a thermal conductivity of a material of the submount. Hishida teaches a thermal conductivity of a material of the support member is higher than a thermal conductivity of a material of the lens and less than or equal to a thermal conductivity of a material of the submount (fig.1 #11/12/20 made of copper thus having same thermal conductivity “The first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 are, for example, copper plates.”; lens lower conductivity as made of glass “The material of the collimating lens 16a and the rotating element 16b can be, for example, quartz glass.”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing of the instant application to adjust the materials of Kock as demonstrated by Hishida such that a thermal conductivity of a material of the support member is higher than a thermal conductivity of a material of the lens and less than or equal to a thermal conductivity of a material of the submount in order to make use of materials for the support and submount which will direct heat away from the laser while making use of transparent material for the lens to emit the produced light.
With respect to claim 17, Kock, as modified, teaches the collimating portion is configured to collimate a fast axis direction of the laser beam (Hishida- largest spread = fast axis: “The laser beam emitted from the LD15 diffuses as it propagates, and the beam width widens. The collimating lens 16a collimates the laser beam emitted from the LD 15 in a predetermined first direction. That is, the collimating lens 16a suppresses the expansion of the beam width in the first direction of the laser light emitted from the LD15, and parallelizes the laser light so that the beam width in the first direction becomes substantially constant. The first direction may be the direction in which the spread of the beam width is the largest.”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6, 13 and 15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The prior art was not found to teach or suggest a device as outlined in claim 1 along with the third portion of the support being bonded to the upper surface of the submount while the first/second portions are not bonded to the submount.
Claims 6, 13 and 15 are objected to based on their dependency from claim 4.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Please see the included PTO892 form for a list of references teaching lens/supports similar to claims 1 and 8.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TOD THOMAS VAN ROY whose telephone number is (571)272-8447. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8AM-430PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MinSun Harvey can be reached at 571-272-1835. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TOD T VAN ROY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828