DETAILED ACTION
This is the first office action on the merits. Claims 1, 4-9, and 11-12 are currently pending.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/04/2022 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1, 4-9 and 11-12 in the reply filed on 1/29/2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.
If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives.
Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract exceeds 150 words. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Objections
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: “anyone” on lines 3 and 5 should be “any one”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "a third non-polarizing beam splitter" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because there is no second non-polarizing beam splitter.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "a third photodetector" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because there is no second photodetector.
Claim 4 also recites the limitations “a first polarization detector, a second polarization detector.” However, it is not clarified how these detectors are implemented in the interferometry system. Therefore, it is unclear if these detectors are distinct from or correspond to the claimed photodetectors.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the second photodetector, the fourth photodetector, and the fifth photodetector" in lines 2-3, “anyone of the four photodetectors” in line 5, and “the third photodetector” in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1, 6, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Feng et al., US 20170167849 A1 (“Feng”).
Regarding claim 1, Feng discloses a system for simultaneously measuring 3DOF LGEs by a laser, wherein it comprises a measuring unit and a target mirror unit, the measuring unit includes a laser emitting module (Fig. 1-2, dual-frequency laser 101, Paragraph [0031]), a polarizing beam splitter (Fig. 2, polarization beam splitter 205, Paragraph [0035]), a fixed reflector (Fig. 2, reflector 208, Paragraph [0035]), a first photodetector (Fig. 2, photodetector 220, Paragraph [0035]) and an interference length measuring module (Fig. 2, beam splitter 210, 211, photodetectors 218, 219, Paragraph [0040]); the target mirror unit includes a reflector (Fig. 2, moving unit 3, reflector 302, Paragraph [0036]);
the laser emitting module is used to generate an emitting light L1 (Fig. 2, dual-frequency laser 101, laser exit end 201, Paragraph [0031], [0037]);
the polarizing beam splitter is used for 1) "beam splitting", which comprises splitting the emitting light L1 into a measuring light L11 and a reference light L12 (Fig. 2, polarization beam splitter 205, transmitted light 221, reflected light 222, Paragraph [0037]); the measuring light L11 is passing through or hitting on the target mirror unit, being reflected back by the target mirror unit, then returning to the measuring unit with a 3DOF LGEs signal (Fig. 2, transmitted light 221, reflector 302, Paragraph [0037]), while the reference light L12 only propagates inside the measuring unit (Fig. 2, reflected light 222, Paragraph [0038]); and 2) "beam combining", which comprises transmitting or reflecting the reference light L12 that hits on or passes through the polarizing beam splitter again and the measuring light L11 that is reflected back 180° toward its original direction by the target mirror unit according to their polarizing states, so that two beams of the measuring light L11 and the reference light L12 are superposed with each other in a spatial position, so as to form a combined light L3 (Fig. 2, polarization beam splitter 205, transmitted light 221 and reflected light 222, Paragraph [0037]);
the fixed reflector is used for backward reflecting the reference light L12 propagating only inside the measuring unit, to return the reference light L12 to the polarizing beam splitter (Fig. 2, reflected light 222, reflector 208, Paragraph [0037]);
the first photodetector is used to receive the combined light L3 including the reference light L12 and the measuring light L11, so as to realize simultaneous measurement of LGEs along X, Y and Z axes (Fig. 2, photodetector 220, Paragraph [0037]); specifically, 1) according to a spot offset of the measuring light L11 on the first photodetector, a relative straightness error between the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along Y and/or Z axes is calculated (Fig. 2, photodetector 220, Paragraph [0037]: position error Z obtained); 2) cooperating with the interference length measuring module to measure a relative position error between the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along X-axis (Fig. 2, beam splitter 210, 211, photodetectors 218, 219, Paragraph [0040]); and
the reflector in the target mirror unit is used to reflect the measuring light L11 backward (Fig. 2, transmitted light 221, reflector 302, Paragraph [0037]), and return the measuring light L11 to the polarizing beam splitter to realize that 1) changing a spatial position of the measuring light L11 in Y and/or Z directions, and an amount of the spatial position offset in Y or Z direction is twice a relative displacement between the reflector of the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along Y or Z axis, respectively (Fig. 2, polarization beam splitter 205, transmitted light 221, reflector 302, Paragraph [0037]); 2) changing an optical path and frequency of the measuring light L11, in which an amount of change of the optical path and frequency is proportional to the relative displacement between the reflector of the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along X-axis (Fig. 2, moving unit 3, reflector 302, beam splitters 210 and 211, Paragraph [0040]).
Regarding claim 6, Feng discloses the system according to claim 1, wherein the fixed reflector is any one of a pyramid prism, a cat's eye mirror, an angular cube retroreflector composed of three mutually perpendicular reflecting surfaces, a right angle prism, and a mirror set composed of two planar mirrors (Fig. 2, reflector 208, Paragraph [0044]); and the target mirror unit reflector is anyone of a pyramid prism, a cat's eye mirror, and an angular cube retroreflectors composed of three mutually perpendicular reflecting surfaces (Fig. 2, reflector 302, Paragraph [0044]).
Claims 8 and 9 are a method claim corresponding the apparatus claim 1 and is rejected for the same reasons.
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.
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.
Claims 4 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Feng in view of Feng et al., US 20190063910 A1 (“Feng ‘910”).
Regarding claim 4, Feng discloses the system according to claim 1, wherein when a dual frequency laser measurement is applied, the laser emitting module emits a dual frequency laser light, whose two frequencies are with a certain frequency difference and different polarization directions(Fig. 1, dual-frequency laser 101, Paragraph [0031]);
the interference length measuring module comprises a third non-polarizing beam splitter, a first polarization detector, a second polarization detector, and a third photodetector (Fig. 2, beam splitter 210, photodetectors 218, 219, Paragraph [0040]);
[…], the reference light L12 and the measuring light L11 interfere with each other, and an interference spot is received by the first photodetector as a measuring signal for heterodyne interferometry (Fig. 2, photodetector 220, Paragraph [0037]).
Feng does not teach: (1) the first polarizer is arranged in an emitting direction of the combined light with the reference light L12 and the measuring light L11 reflected by the target mirror unit to hit on or pass through the polarizing beam splitter; and a light transmitting axial direction of the first polarizer is adjusted, so that the combined light L3 with the light L12 and the light L11 hits on or passes through the first polarizer;
(2) the third non-polarizing beam splitter is disposed between the laser emitting module and the polarizing beam splitter, so that the light L1 emitted from the laser emitting module is split by the third non-polarizing beam splitter to form another laser beam L2;
(3) the second polarizer is arranged between the third non-polarizing beam splitter and the third photodetector; a light transmitting axial direction of the second polarizer is adjusted, so that after the laser light L2 hits on or passes through the second polarizer, the light L2 interferes, and an interference spot is received by the third photodetector as a reference signal for heterodyne interference length measurement; and
(4) a relative displacement between the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along X-axis is calculated according to the reference signal and the measuring signal.
However, Feng ‘910 teaches:
(1) a polaroid in which the combined light reflected from the target mirror and reference mirror pass through before reaching the photodetector (Fig. 4, second polaroid 223, Paragraph [0057]).
(2) a light splitting element disposed between the laser and the non-polarizing beam splitter which sends a reference light to a photodetector (Fig. 4, third light splitting element 221, Paragraph [0060]).
(3) a polaroid in front of detector used in the heterodyne interference measurement (Fig. 4, first polaroid 222, fifth photoelectric detector 224, Paragraph [0057], [0061]).
(4) Using the measurement beat frequency and the standard beat frequency to measure the linearity error along the x-axis (Fig. 4, fifth photoelectric detector 224, fourth photoelectric detector 220, Paragraph [0064] - [0065]).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Feng’s measurement system by adding a polarizers, a beam splitter, and a detector to perform an x-axis displacement measurement which is disclosed by Feng ‘910. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order improve detection efficiency, as suggested by Feng ‘910 (Paragraph [0018]).
Claim 11 is a method claim corresponding to claim 4 and is rejected for the same reasons.
Claims 5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Feng in view of Tsukihara et al., JP H1183423 A (“Tsukihara”) and Kitagawa et al., US 20220065613 A1 (“Kitagawa”).
Regarding claim 5, Feng discloses the system according to claim 1, […]; the multi wavelength laser light is the emitting light L1 (Fig. 2, dual-frequency laser 101, laser exit end 201, Paragraph [0031], [0037]); the second non- polarizing(Fig. 2, polarization beam splitter 205, transmitted light 221, reflected light 222, Paragraph [0037]), the measuring light L11 is hitting on or passing through the target mirror unit and is reflected back by the target mirror unit (Fig. 2, transmitted light 221, reflector 302, Paragraph [0037]); the light L11 carries a 3DOF LGEs signal and returns to the measuring unit as a measuring light (Fig. 2, transmitted light 221, reflector 302, Paragraph [0037]), while the reference light L12 only propagates within the measuring unit (Fig. 2, reflected light 222, Paragraph [0038]); and 2) "beam combining" comprising transmitting or reflecting the reference light L12 that hits on or passes through the second non-polarizing beam splitter again and the measuring light L11 reflected by the target mirror unit, so that the above two beams are superposed with each other in a spatial position, so as to form a combined beam L3 (Fig. 2, polarization beam splitter 205, transmitted light 221 and reflected light 222, Paragraph [0037]); […].
Feng does not teach: wherein when a multi wavelength measurement is applied, the laser emitting module comprises a multi wavelength laser light source and a heterodyne frequency generating module, the interference length measuring module comprises the 1st to the Nth band-pass filters and the 1st to the Nth phase detectors, N is a natural number greater than or equal to 3, and the polarizing beam splitter is replaced with a second non-polarizing beam splitter;
the multi wavelength laser light source emits multi wavelength laser lights λ1, λ2, λ3,… λN their frequencies are vi, v2,v3,......, vN; after hitting on or passing through the heterodyne frequency generating module, the frequencies of the multi wavelength laser becomes vi+fi, v2+f2, v3+f3,......, vN +fN;
the light L3 interferes on the first photodetector, and the obtained heterodyne interference signal spectrum only contains components fi, f2, f3,......,fN; and
after the 1st to the Nth bandpass filters separate the components fi, f2, f3,......,fN, the length measuring phase information φ1, φ2, φ3, …, φN corresponding to each wavelength is measured by the 1st to the Nth phase detectors; taking n (2 ≤ n ≤ N-1, n is a natural number) pairs to form a beat signal, and a relative displacement Δx between the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along X-axis is calculated according to n pairs of wavelength and n pairs of phase difference.
However, Tsukihara teaches the laser emitting module comprises a multi wavelength laser light source (Fig. 6, light source 214, Paragraph [0051]) and a heterodyne frequency generating module (Fig. 6, frequency separation elements 242, 246, 248, 250, Paragraph [0052]-[0053]);
the multi wavelength laser light source emits multi wavelength laser lights λ1, λ2, λ3,… λN their frequencies are vi, v2,v3,......, vN; after hitting on or passing through the heterodyne frequency generating module, the frequencies of the multi wavelength laser becomes vi+fi, v2+f2, v3+f3,......, vN +fN (Fig. 6, light source 214, frequency separation elements 242, 246, 248, 250, Paragraph [0051]-[0053])
the light L3 interferes on the first photodetector, and the obtained heterodyne interference signal spectrum only contains components fi, f2, f3,......,fN (Fig. 6, photoelectric conversion element 209, Paragraph [0058])
taking n (2 ≤ n ≤ N-1, n is a natural number) pairs to form a beat signal, and a relative displacement Δx between the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along X-axis is calculated according to n pairs of wavelength and n pairs of phase difference (Fig. 6, photoelectric conversion element 209, 213, 218, 220, Paragraph [0058], [0063]).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Feng’s measurement system by using more than two frequencies in the measurement signal, which is disclosed by Tsukihara. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to suppress the occurrence of nonlinear measurement errors, as suggested by Tsukihara (Paragraph [0065]).
In addition, Kitagawa teaches using three bandpass filters to process the signals in the detector (Fig. 1, first bandpass filter 534, second bandpass filter 535, and third bandpass filter 537, Paragraph [0129]).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Feng’s measurement system by adding a bandpass filters to the photodetector’s signal processing, which is disclosed by Kitagawa. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to transmit signals in a specific frequency band, as suggested by Kitagawa (Paragraph [0129]).
Claim 12 is a method claim corresponding to apparatus claim 5 and is rejected for the same reasons.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Feng in view of Hill, US 20060061771 A1 (“Hill”).
Regarding claim 7, Feng discloses the system according to claim 1, […]; a relative straightness error between the target mirror unit and the measuring unit along Y-axis and/or Z-axis is calculated according to a spot offset on anyone of the four photodetectors (Fig. 2, photodetector 220, Paragraph [0037]);
Feng does not teach: wherein the first photodetector, the second photodetector, the fourth photodetector, and the fifth photodetector are anyone of QD, PSD, CCD, and CMOS; and the third photodetector is anyone of QD, PSD, CCD, CMOS, and pin.
However, Hill teaches that a detector for variations in an interferometer can be a QD or a CCD (Fig. 10(a), Paragraph [0163]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to substitute Feng’s photodetector with Hill’s QD or CCD, both of which are well known detectors in the art. One of ordinary skill in the art would have known that the results of this substitution would predictably be the detection of an interference signal.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RACHEL N NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5405. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 5:30 pm ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuqing Xiao can be reached at (571) 270-3603. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/RACHEL NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/YUQING XIAO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645
Prosecution Insights