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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 4, FIG. 4, Claims 1, 2, 4-14, 16 and 17-19 in the reply filed on 03/25/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 3, 15 and 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/25/26.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: #159/161/163 in FIGS. 1-6 are not disclosed in the specification. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: the parenthesis after the word “reference” in line 4 is believed to be a typo error and should be removed. 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 1, 2, 4-14, 16 and 17 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.
Claims 1 and 17 respectively recites “demodulating the first output signal the first controller with the modulation signal and generating a second deviation signal with respect to a fixed value” (see lines 12-13 of claim 1) and “a demodulation unit configured to demodulate the first output signal of the first controller with the modulation signal and to generate a second deviation signal with respect to a fixed value” (see lines 14-16 of claim 17). However, it’s unclear how the demodulation process is performed using the first output signal, the modulation signal and the fixed value to generate the second deviation signal. Therefore, claims 1 and 17 are considered indefinite. The Examiner notes that claim 18 recites a similar step of “measuring a modulation index, in particular a frequency and/or phase modulation index, of at least one of the manipulated variables and generating a second deviation signal from a deviation of the modulation index from a fixed value” and the Examiner suggests amending claims 1 and 17 with similar language to overcome the 112-indefinteness rejections.
Claims 2, 4-14 and 16 are also rejected under 35 USC 112, second paragraph, by virtue of dependency.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18-19 are allowed.
Claims 1, 2, 4-14, 16 and 17 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
DE102018109718A1 discloses a method of generating stabilizing electromagnetic radiation comprising superimposing a reference laser radiation (9, FIG. 1) with a first electromagnetic radiation (4, FIG. 1) by a photodiode (11, FIG. 1) to generate a high-frequency electrical beat signal to input to a controller (15, FIG. 1) to generate a first manipulated signal to control a laser (1, FIG. 1).
Rice et al. (US Patent 6,687,269 B1, 05/02/23 IDS) and Nakagawa (US PG Pub 2008/01306994 A1) disclose a method for stabilizing a first electromagnetic radiation of an optical oscillator similar to the claimed invention (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 7 of Rice and FIG. 1 of Nakagawa).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUANDA ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1439. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:30 AM - 6:30 PM.
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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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/YUANDA ZHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828
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