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 .
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.
Response to Amendment
The examiner acknowledges the Preliminary Amendment, amending claims 2 – 21 and canceling claims 1 and 22 – 55 by the Preliminary Amendment submitted by the applicant(s) filed on November 21, 2023. Claims 2 – 21 are pending in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited in the Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) submitted on April 11, 2023 and April 27, 2023. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered and accepted by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawing submitted on April 11, 2023, has been considered and accepted by the examiner.
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.
Claims 2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 14 – 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (CN203645129).
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Regarding claim 2, Li disclose a device for generating a UV laser, the device comprising:
a source of light (see Annotation Figure 1, character 100’ (which include (LD pump (101) and shaping focusing system (102) and paragraph [0023]);
a combination structure (see Annotation Figure 1, character 200’) comprising:
two or more mirrors (see Annotation Figure 1, characters 103 and 104 and paragraph [0023], the reference called front cavity mirror (103) and cavity mirror (104));
a gain media (see Annotation Figure 1, character 105 and paragraph [0023], the reference called “pumping Pr3 + ion laser crystal”);
a non-linear crystal (see Annotation Figure 1, character 106 and paragraph [0023], the reference called “ultraviolet frequency doubling crystal”) disposed to be a secondary harmonic generator (SHG) (the fundamental light enters an ultraviolet frequency doubling crystal to achieve ultraviolet frequency doubling conversion. Therefore the non-linear crystal acting as a second harmonic generator (SHG)) to effect ultraviolet frequency doubling conversion);
a UV extractor (see Annotation Figure 1, characters 107 and paragraph [0023], the reference called “right-angle prism ultraviolet birefringent crystal”);
the combination structure (see Annotation Figure 1, character 200’) being disposed that the light from the source of light (see Annotation Figure 1, character 100’) enters at a first mirror (see Annotation Figure 1, character 103) of the two or more mirrors, passes through the gain media (see Annotation Figure 1, character 105), then passes through the non-linear crystal (see Annotation Figure 1, character 106) and the second of the two or more mirrors (see Annotation Figure 1, character 104) to and through the UV extractor (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107) to produce UV light (see Annotation Figure 1, character 2ω).
Regarding claim 4, Li disclose the two or mirrors (see Annotation Figure 1, characters 103 and 104), the gain media (see Annotation Figure 1, character 105), the non-linear crystal (see Annotation Figure 1, character 106) and the UV extractor (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107) forming a combination structure having a length (L) (the combination structure length is the distance between front cavity mirror (see Annotation Figure 1, character 103) to the cavity mirror (see Annotation Figure 1, character 104)).
Regarding claim 6, Li disclose the non-linear crystal (see Annotation Figure 1, character 106) comprising a material from lithium triborate oxide (LBO) for second harmonic generation (see paragraphs 0010 and 0024]).
Regarding claim 7, Li disclose the light source (see Annotation Figure 1, character 100’) further comprising a pump source (see Annotation Figure 1, character 101 and paragraph [0023]).
Regarding claim 11, Li disclose the UV extractor (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107) being a α-Barium Borate Oxide birefringent crystal (see paragraphs [0011 and 0024]).
Regarding claim 12, Li disclose the UV extractor being a polarizer prism (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107) for separating UV light from the light source (see Annotation Figure 1).
Regarding claim 14, Li disclose one or both of
a waveplate prism (see Annotation Figure 1, character 108 and paragraph [0023], the reference called “double-wave plate”); and
a α-Barium Borate Oxide birefringent crystal prism (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107).
Regarding claim 15, Li disclose the non-linear crystal made of lithium triborate oxide (LBO).
Regarding claim 16, Li disclose one or both of
a waveplate prism (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107 and paragraph [0023]); and
the UV extractor (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107) including a α-Barium Borate Oxide birefringent crystal (see paragraphs [0011 and 0024]).
Regarding claim 17, Li disclose α-Barium Borate Oxide birefringent crystal (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107 and paragraphs [0011 and 0024]).
Regarding claim 18, Li disclose an air gap (see Annotation Figure 1, character 300’) between the first mirror (see Annotation Figure 1, character 105) and the gain media (see Annotation Figure 1, character 105).
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.
Claims 3 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (CN203645129) in view of Uto et al. (US 2004/0240493).
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Regarding claim 3, Li disclose the UV extractor being: a birefringent crystal (see Annotation Figure 1, character 107), the UV extractor separating the UV light from the source light (see Annotation Figure 1, character 100’ and paragraph [0023]).
Li discloses the claimed invention except for a polarization controller and UV separator. Uto teaches a polarization controller (see Figure 1, character 10) and UV separator (see Figure 1. Character 9, the reference called “polarization light splitter”). However, it is well known in the art to apply the polarization controller as discloses by Uto in (see Figure 1 and paragraph [0090]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the polarization controller and UV separator as suggested to the device of Li, the UV separator (polarization light splitter )has a function of reflecting the laser ray when the polarization direction thereof is in parallel with the reflection surface, while penetrating it when that is perpendicular thereto. The polarizer elements (polarization controller), controlling the laser illumination ray and the reflection light, has a function of adjusting the rate of polarization in the illumination light, so that the reflection light does not reach upon the image sensor accompanying with unevenness in brightness due to the shapes of the patterns and the difference in density thereof.
Regarding claim 10, Li discloses the claimed invention except for a polarization controller and UV separator. Uto teaches a polarization controller (see Figure 1, character 10) and UV separator (see Figure 1. Character 9, the reference called “polarization light splitter”). However, it is well known in the art to apply the polarization controller as discloses by Uto in (see Figure 1 and paragraph [0090]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the polarization controller and UV separator as suggested to the device of Li, the UV separator (polarization light splitter )has a function of reflecting the laser ray when the polarization direction thereof is in parallel with the reflection surface, while penetrating it when that is perpendicular thereto. The polarizer elements (polarization controller), controlling the laser illumination ray and the reflection light, has a function of adjusting the rate of polarization in the illumination light, so that the reflection light does not reach upon the image sensor accompanying with unevenness in brightness due to the shapes of the patterns and the difference in density thereof.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (CN203645129) in view of Luo et al. (US 20090201952).
Regarding claim 5, Li discloses the claimed invention except for the gain media comprising Pr:YLF. Lou teaches a the gain media comprising Pr:YLF. However, it is well known in the art to modify the gain media comprising Pr:YLF as discloses by Luo in (see paragraph [0058]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to modify the gain media comprising Pr:YLF as suggested to the device of Li, the Pr:YLF material has a high absorption in the blue spectra region. The material features excellent thermal conductivity, which is beneficial for high-power operations, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Claims 8, 9 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (CN203645129) in view of Yanli et al. (CN 204349202).
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Regarding claim 8, Li disclose the pump source having one or more of: a diode pumped laser, a first lens, a volume Bragg grating, and a second lens. Yanli teaches a laser pumping system (see Figure 1, character 1) comprises a semiconductor laser (see Figure 1, character 11, equivalent to a diode laser) and an optical coupling system (see Figure 1, character 12), a volume grating (see Figure 1, character 13, i.e. A volume Bragg grating) and a focusing optical system (see Figure 1, character 14, i.e. A second lens) arranged in sequence with the optical axis of the pump light emitted by the semiconductor laser (see Figure 1, character 11). However, it is well known in the art to apply and/or modify the laser pumping system comprises a semiconductor laser and an optical coupling system, a volume grating and a focusing optical system as discloses by Yanli in (see Figure 1. Abstract and paragraphs [0025 and 0028]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the laser pumping system comprises a semiconductor laser and an optical coupling system, a volume grating and a focusing optical system as suggested to the device of Li, the diode pumped laser could be used to provided energy efficiency, these lasers, which convert electrical energy into highly coherent optical output, are essential for high-precision applications such as micro-machining and material processing. The lenses could be used to focusing the light beam. The Volume Bragg grating could be used to stabilize the output spectrum of laser, particularly laser diode. They are utilized for dispersive pulser compression in ultrafast laser system. The Bragg grating can lock the output wavelength of a semiconductor laser, the output spectrum of the laser pumping system remains essentially unchanged with temperature, thus obtaining a stable spectral output. This spectral output is locked at the peak absorption wavelength of the laser gain medium crystal and has a compressed linewidth, thereby improving the stability of the absorption depth of the pump light within the laser gain medium crystal. This improves the longitudinal mode stability within the laser resonant cavity and further expands the low-noise temperature range.
Regarding claim 9, Li and Yanli discloses the claimed invention except for the pump source further comprising a 444nm diode laser. Li disclose that the LD pump source outputs a pump laser with a wavelength of 450 nm (see paragraph [0023]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the pump source further comprising a 444nm diode laser to the device of Li and Yanli, in order to produce a visible light beam (e.g. between indigo (blue- purple) and violet).
Regarding claim 19, Li discloses the claimed invention except for the gain media and birefringent crystal having anti-reflection coatings on the surfaces exposed to the air gap. Yanli teaches a gain media (see Figure 1, character 21) and birefringent crystal (see Figure 1, character 23) having anti-reflection coatings. However, it is well known in the art to apply and/or modify the gain media and birefringent crystal having anti-reflection coatings as discloses by Yanli in (see Figure 1 and paragraph [0017]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the gain media and birefringent crystal having anti-reflection coatings as suggested to the device of Li, to reduce reflections and/or enhance light transmission.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (CN203645129) in view of Hellström et al. (US 20160111848).
Regarding claim 13, Li discloses the claimed invention except for the non-linear crystal made of periodically-poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN). Hellström teaches a non-linear crystal made of periodically-poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN). However, it is well known in the art to apply and/or modify the non-linear crystal made of periodically-poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) as discloses by Hellström in (see paragraphs [0010, 0030, 0039 and 0043]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the non-linear crystal made of periodically-poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) as suggested to the device of Li, the PPLN material is highly efficient for nonlinear wavelength conversion processes and ability to operate across a wide range of wavelength, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Claims 20 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (CN203645129).
Regarding claims 20 and 21, Li discloses the claimed invention except for the birefringent being of a larger dimension than the body of the combination structure and the birefringent crystal extending beyond the body of the combination structure. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the birefringent being of a larger dimension than the body of the combination structure and the birefringent crystal extending beyond the body of the combination structure to the device of Li it would have been an obvious matter of design choice bounded by well-known manufacturing constraints and ascertainable by routine experimentation and optimization to choose these particular dimensions because applicant has not disclosed that the dimensions are for a particular unobvious purpose, produce an unexpected result, or are otherwise critical, and it appears prima facie that the process would possess utility using another dimension. Indeed, it has been held that mere dimensional limitations are prima facie obvious absent a disclosure that the limitations are for a particular unobvious purpose, produce an unexpected result, or are otherwise critical. See, for example, In re Rose, 220 F.2d 459, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955); In re Rinehart, 531 F.2d 1048, 189 USPQ 143 (CCPA 1976); Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984); In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references CN105071214 disclose a method for producing deep ultraviolet laser light through visible laser direct frequency conversion and an all-solid-state deep ultraviolet laser. According to the method, a pumping source pumps a gain medium to directly produce visible light, ultraviolet light is obtained through a double-frequency crystal according to the visible light, and laser light in a deep ultraviolet band is obtained through a triple-frequency crystal. The all-solid-state deep ultraviolet laser comprises a pumping source, a focusing system, an input mirror, a laser gain medium, a double frequency crystal, a plane-concave output mirror, a triple-frequency crystal, and a reflective mirror. The device has the advantages of compact structure, simple operation, small size, and easy integration. The method for acquiring deep ultraviolet laser light has the characteristics of concise process and high conversion efficiency.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Delma R. Forde whose telephone number is (571)272-1940. The examiner can normally be reached M - TH 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
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/Delma R Forde/
Examiner, Art Unit 2828
/TOD T VAN ROY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828