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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/21/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 1/21/2026 has been entered. The Applicant amended claims 21, 24, 27 and 28; canceled 22, 25 and 36; and added claims 37-43. Claims 21, 23-24, 26-35 and 37-43 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 1/21/2026 have been fully considered but are moot because the arguments are based on new amendments. New ground of rejection has been made and the arguments do not apply to the combination of the new references being used in this current rejection.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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 21 and 24, 26 and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown et al. (US 2007/0081166, of record) in view of Nielson et al. (US 2014/0219613, of record) and further in view of Nagashima et al. (US 2015/0016791).
Regarding claim 21, Brown teaches an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging system (refer to US 2007/0081166; “optical coherence imaging devices and systems’, [0002]), comprising:
an OCT light source operable to emit an OCT light beam (Fig. 1, source 100; Figs. 1, 2 and 9, “Light enters along an optical fiber 110 from the OCT engine 100”, [0055-0056]); a beam splitter (beam splitter 200; [0066]; Fig. 9) operable to split the OCT light beam into a sample beam (Fig. 9, “the light to the sample arm optical path 220”, [0066]), and a reference beam (Fig. 9, reference beam path 221),
an OCT fiber assembly (portable probe 101 through an optical fiber 110, Fig. 9, [0066]) having a reference arm waveguide and a sample arm waveguide (Fig. 9 shows optical paths and the structures that guide the lights, a reference arm and a sample arm structure used to guide waves, microwaves, and light), the sample beam and the reference beam being respectively transferred to the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (see Fig. 9; sample arm optical path 220 and the reference are optical path 221, [0066]); wherein the reference arm waveguide includes a first core (light guide of lens sets) and the sample arm waveguide includes a second core (light guide with lens set), [Fig. 9]);
Brown doesn’t explicitly teach wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a common cladding structure disposed over the first core and the second core,
the common cladding structure coupling the first core and the second core;
wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a buffer disposed over the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide,
the buffer being concentrically disposed over the common cladding structure, wherein the buffer improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another.
Brown and Nielson are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Nielson teaches wherein the reference arm waveguide includes a first core, and the sample arm waveguide includes a second core (Fig. 6, wave guide 103, core fibers 106-1-106-5, [0048]); wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a cladding structure disposed over the first core and the second core (Fig. 6; cladding CL, outer ring encircling the core in each single-core fiber 106, [0049]), the cladding structure covers the first core and the second core; wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a buffer disposed over the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Fig. 6, buffer 107, single-core fibers 106 are held in place by epoxy 107, [0050]), the buffer being concentrically disposed over the cladding structure (Fig. 6 shows buffer 107 being concentrically disposed over the cladding structure CL), wherein the buffer improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another (Fig. 6 shows waveguides, equivalent to the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide, are coupled together using the epoxy buffer that improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of Brown wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a cladding structure disposed over the first core and the second core, the cladding structure joins the first core and the second core; wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a buffer disposed over the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide, the buffer being concentrically disposed over the cladding structure, wherein the buffer improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another as taught by Nielson for the predictable advantage of improving the system reliability, fiber optic cladding and buffer systems are crucial for enhancing signal integrity, durability, and performance. Cladding also enables total internal reflection for low-loss, while buffer coatings provide mechanical protection.
The modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach cladding is a common cladding and the common cladding structure coupling the first core and the second core.
Brown and Nagashima are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Nagashima teaches cladding is a common cladding and the common cladding structure coupling the first core and the second core (Fig. 1(a), seven cores 11, a cladding 12, cores are coated with the common cladding 12, and fiber coating 13, [0023], which is equivalent to buffer; instant application in paragraph [0038] clarified buffer as “coating or buffer”); the buffer 13 being concentrically disposed over the common cladding structure 12, [Fig. 1(a)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified imaging system of Brown wherein cladding is a common cladding and the common cladding structure coupling the first core and the second core, as taught by Nagashima for the predictable advantage of improving the performance and reliability of the cores by coupling the waveguides together by creating the cladding CL which aligns and maintains the offset distances within the cores, as well as easier to manufacture by using one common cladding, and also as Nagashima teaches plurality of multi-core optical fibers arranged parallel to one another with a common resin. Such a multi-core optical fiber ribbon is expected to allow a larger amount of information to be transmitted therethrough, [0003]).
Regarding claim 24, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21 (see above), the OCT imaging system, further comprising a probe operable to guide the sample beam onto a target and to receive a returned sample beam from the target (“In the sample arm optical path 220, the light is directed by the scanning mirrors 112, passes through a relay lens set 113, and onto the sample 114. Light scattered back by the sample 114 follows the sample arm optical path 220”, [0066)), and an imaging processor operable to generate the OCT image from an interference beam detected by an imaging detector (“OCT engine includes optics, electronics and/or software configured to acquire data used to generate OCT images of a sample”, [0017]; OCT imaging systems are typically divided into several subsystems including an optical engine, a processing unit and a scanning system, [0004]; “OCT device may further include a user interface configured to operate the display and control operation of an OCT engine in communication with the portable OCT device. The user interface may include an image acquisition trigger configured to acquire images of the sample and/or controls configured to adjust a scan pattern, a scan range, a scan rate and/or image processing option. The display may be configured to illustrate real time and/or saved images of the sample’, [0019]; “light from the sample and reference arms reach the beam splitter 200 it is recombined and passes through the collimating assembly 111 ... returns to the OCT engine [OCT Engine 100, Fig. 1] for acquisition and processing”, [0068]. “the image processing and control that typically happens in the OCT engine. .. control of the scanning mirrors and image processing and display to support the video display”, [0076]; “an image projector 402 can be used to display an image for the user 401. This image could be the OCT image from the sample 114 or information regarding the setup and state of the OCT system’, [0072]).
Regarding claim 26, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21 (see above), wherein the beam splitter is operable to generate the interference beam from the returned sample beam and a returned reference beam (“a beamsplitter configured to receive light and provide a portion of the light to an optical path of the reference arm of the portable OCT device and provide a remaining portion of the light to an optical path of the sample’, [0022]; “The beamsplitter 200 sends some of the light to the sample arm optical path 220 and the rest of the light passes on to the reference arm optical path 221. .. light will go through the sample arm optical path 220 than through the reference arm optical path 221. In the sample arm optical path 220, the light is directed by the scanning mirrors 112, passes through a relay lens set 113, and onto the sample 114. Light scattered back by the sample 114 follows the sample arm optical path 220 in reverse back to the beamsplitter 200”, see [0022] and [0066)).
Regarding claim 39, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21, (see above), Nagashima teaches wherein the common cladding structure is composed of glass (the cladding 12 are formed of silica glass, [0024]).
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown et al. in view of Nielson et al. and Nagashima et al, as applied to claim 21, and further in view of Tanaka et al. (WO 2017094560, of record).
Regarding claim 23, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21, wherein the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Fig. 6) are within the buffer such that there exists substantially equivalent physical stretching and/ or compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Nielson: Fig. 6 shows waveguides are equally spaced, single-core optical fibers 106-1 through 106-7 enter the holder 104 with core CO and cladding CL. Fiber waveguides are within the buffer such that there exists substantially equivalent physical pattern [0051]. Therefore, waveguides are within the buffer such that there exists substantially equivalent physical stretching and/ or compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide.
The modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach the waveguides are twisted within the buffer such that there exists substantially equivalent physical stretching and/ or compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide.
Brown and Tanaka are related as optical devices using waveguides. Tanaka teaches waveguides are twisted within the buffer such that there exists substantially equivalent physical stretching and/ or compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (optical fiber cable 4 shown in FIG. 7 is obtained by twisting a predetermined number of optical fiber units, [page 11, paragraph 5 of the machine translation]; fiber cable with which it is possible to prevent cracks in a connection part that occur upon repeated squeezing as an optical fiber cable and separation between a color coated optical fiber and the connection part, while maintaining the advantages of an optical fiber ribbon core-wire and without losing the cable characteristics during high density mounting [abstract]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of modified Brown to include the waveguides twisted within the buffer such that there exists substantially equivalent physical stretching and/ or compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide, as taught by Tanaka for the predictable advantage of preventing cracks that occur upon repeated squeezing, as Tanaka teaches in [abstract].
Claims 27 and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown et al. in view of Nielson et al. and Nagashima et al, as applied to claim 21, and further in view of Huber et al. (US 20150086160, of record).
Regarding claim 27, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21 (see above), the modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach the OCT imaging system of claim 21 further comprising a hollow jacket disposed over the buffer, the hollow jacket being coextensive with the buffer.
Brown and Huber are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Huber teaches a hollow jacket disposed over the buffer, the hollow jacket being coextensive with the buffer (the buffer 5a and the jacket 5b of the fiber, [0042]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified imaging system of Brown to include hollow jacket disposed over the buffer as taught by Huber for the predictable advantage of increasing the mechanical stability, [0042].
Regarding claim 38, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21, (see above), the modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the buffer is coextensive with the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide.
Brown and Huber are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Huber teaches a hollow jacket disposed over the buffer, the hollow jacket being coextensive with the buffer (the buffer 5a and the jacket 5b of the fiber, [0042]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified imaging system of Brown to include hollow jacket disposed over the buffer as taught by Huber for the predictable advantage of increasing the mechanical stability, [0042].
Claim 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown et al. in view of Nielson et al., Nagashima et al, and Huber et al. as applied to claim 27, and further in view of Kewitsch (US 20080008430, of record).
Regarding claim 28, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 27 (see above), the OCT imaging system further comprising a non-stretchable wire (adjustment mechanism 210) extending substantially parallel along the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Fig. 10, path length adjustment mechanism 210, such as a mechanical screw, [0070], Figure shows 210 extending substantially parallel along the arm waveguide), the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface and an interior surface of the hollow jacket (see Fig. 10; and wherein the non-stretchable wire is restrained on each end of the OCT fiber assembly such that stretching of the first core and the second core is minimized (motor driven adjustment mechanism, such as a mechanical screw that is driven by a knob, [0070]).
The modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket.
Brown and Kewitsch are related as optical waveguides. Kewitsch teaches non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket, (Fig. 2B, non-stretchable wire 14-2, solid wires, positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer 14-1 and an interior surface of the hollow jacket 12, [0021]; elements 14-2 are internal to the cylindrical ductile elements 14-1 and longitudinally adjacent, [0022], see Fig. 9 and [0042]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified imaging system of Brown the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket for the predictable advantage of helping to isolate the internal fiber 11 from damaging due to crushing, [0024], and implementing a bend limit [0042].
Claims 29 - 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown et al. in view of Nielson et al. as applied to claim 21, and further in view of Houghton (US 2010/0212718, of record).
Regarding claim 29, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21.
Brown doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide are twisted.
Brown and Houghton are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Houghton teaches the waveguides are twisted (The Optical Waveguides could be twisted around each other, [0053]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of modified Brown to include twisted waveguides, as taught by Houghton, for the predictable advantage of making the structure stronger (One possible benefit to having Optical Waveguides bundled in a corkscrew arrangement is a stronger structure could be assembled using this arrangement when combined with a suitable resin based bonding system, [0053]).
Regarding claim 30, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 29. Houghton further teaches, wherein the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide are twisted in a right-handed lay (see Fig. 9b). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of modified Brown to include the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide are twisted in a right-handed lay, as taught by Houghton, for the predictable advantage of making the structure stronger (Optical Waveguides bundled in a corkscrew arrangement is a stronger structure, [0053]).
Regarding claim 31, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 29. Houghton further teaches, wherein the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide are twisted in a left-handed lay (Fig. 9b shows waveguide twisted in a left-handed lay, anti-clock, when looking from top). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of modified Brown to include the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide are twisted in a left-handed lay, as taught by Houghton, for the predictable advantage of making the structure stronger (Optical Waveguides bundled in a corkscrew arrangement is a stronger structure, [0053]).
Regarding claim 32, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 29.
The modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the twists of the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide include between 0.1 and 0.25 twists/feet.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to twist the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide between 0.1 and 0.25 twists/feet, through routine experimentation, the claimed ratio in order to optimize the functionality of the device (see MPEP §2144.05). Further, the specification contains no disclosure of either the critical nature of the claimed measure or any unexpected results arising therefrom and it has been held that where patentability is said to be based upon a twisted waveguide, the Applicant must show that the chosen dimension is critical. See MPEP §2144.05.
Regarding claim 33, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 29.
The modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide include less than three twists along a length of the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to include the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide less than three twists along a length of the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide, through routine experimentation, the claimed ratio in order to optimize the functionality of the device (see MPEP §2144.05). Further, the specification contains no disclosure of either the critical nature of the claimed measure or any unexpected results arising therefrom and it has been held that where patentability is said to be based upon a twisted waveguide, the Applicant must show that the chosen length is critical. See MPEP §2144.05.
Regarding claim 34, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 29. Nielson teaches, wherein the twisting results in substantially equivalent physical stretching, compression, or stretching and compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Fig. 6 shows arms are equally spaced around a single-core fiber 106-4. All the single-core fibers 106 having the same core (CO) diameter and the same cladding (CL) diameter, [0049]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of Brown to include the twisting results in substantially equivalent physical stretching, compression, or stretching and compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide as taught by Nielson for the predictable result of coupling the waveguides together for improving the system reliability by connecting the twisting results in substantially equivalent physical stretching, compression, or stretching and compression on the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide, as Nielson teaches in Fig. 6.
Regarding claim 35, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 29, (see above) wherein the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide are substantially parallel (Fig. 9 shows the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide are substantially parallel).
Claims 37 and 40-43 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown et al. in view of Nielson et al. and Nagashima et al, as applied to claim 21, and further in view of Kewitsch (US 20080008430, of record).
Regarding claim 37, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 21 (see above), the OCT imaging system further comprising a non-stretchable wire (adjustment mechanism 210) extending substantially parallel along the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Fig. 10, path length adjustment mechanism 210, such as a mechanical screw, [0070], Figure shows 210 extending substantially parallel along the arm waveguide), the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface and an interior surface of the hollow jacket (see Fig. 10; and wherein the non-stretchable wire is restrained on each end of the OCT fiber assembly such that stretching of the first core and the second core is minimized (motor driven adjustment mechanism, such as a mechanical screw that is driven by a knob, [0070]).
The modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket.
Brown and Kewitsch are related as optical waveguides. Kewitsch teaches non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket, (Fig. 2B, non-stretchable wire 14-2, solid wires, positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer 14-1 and an interior surface of the hollow jacket 12, [0021]; elements 14-2 are internal to the cylindrical ductile elements 14-1 and longitudinally adjacent, [0022], see Fig. 9 and [0042]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified imaging system of Brown the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket for the predictable advantage of helping to isolate the internal fiber 11 from damaging due to crushing, [0024], and implementing a bend limit [0042].
Regarding claim 40, Brown teaches an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging system (refer to US 2007/0081166; “optical coherence imaging devices and systems’, [0002]), comprising: an OCT light source operable to emit an OCT light beam (Fig. 1, source 100; Figs. 1, 2 and 9, “Light enters along an optical fiber 110 from the OCT engine 100”, [0055-0056]); a beam splitter (beam splitter 200; [0066]; Fig. 9) operable to split the OCT light beam into a sample beam (Fig. 9, “the light to the sample arm optical path 220”, [0066]), and a reference beam (Fig. 9, reference beam path 221), an OCT fiber assembly having a reference arm waveguide and a sample arm waveguide (Fig. 9 shows OCT fiber assembly having a reference arm waveguide and a sample arm waveguide), the sample beam and the reference beam being respectively transferred to the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Fig. 9 shows sample beam inside sample arm and the reference beam inside reference arm being respectively transferred to the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide), wherein the reference arm waveguide includes a first core (light guide of lens sets) and the sample arm waveguide includes a second core (light guide with lens set), [Fig. 9]); Brown further teaches an OCT imaging system further comprising a non-stretchable wire (adjustment mechanism 210) extending substantially parallel along the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide (Fig. 10, path length adjustment mechanism 210, such as a mechanical screw, [0070], Figure shows 210 extending substantially parallel along the arm waveguide), the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface and an interior surface of the hollow jacket (see Fig. 10; and wherein the non-stretchable wire is restrained on each end of the OCT fiber assembly such that stretching of the first core and the second core is minimized (motor driven adjustment mechanism, such as a mechanical screw that is driven by a knob, [0070], Fig. 10 shows the screw being restrained on the end of the fiber assembly by the knob and threads such that stretching of the core is minimized).
Brown doesn’t explicitly teach wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a common cladding structure disposed over the first core and the second core, the common cladding structure coupling the first core and the second core; wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a buffer disposed over the first arm waveguide and the second arm waveguide, the buffer being concentrically disposed over the common cladding structure; wherein the fiber assembly includes a non-stretchable wire extending substantially parallel along the arms, the non-stretchable wire being restrained on each end of the OCT fiber assembly such that stretching of the first core and the second core is minimized; and wherein the buffer improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another.
Brown and Nielson are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Nielson teaches wherein the first arm waveguide includes a first core, and the second arm waveguide includes a second core (Fig. 6, wave guide 103, core fibers 106-1-106-5, [0048]); wherein the disposed over the first core and the second core (Fig. 6; cladding CL, outer ring encircling the core in each single-core fiber 106, [0049]), the cladding structure covers the first core and the second core; wherein the fiber assembly includes a buffer disposed over the first arm waveguide and the second arm waveguide (Fig. 6, buffer 107, single-core fibers 106 are held in place by epoxy 107, [0050]), the buffer being concentrically disposed over the cladding structure (Fig. 6 shows buffer 107 being concentrically disposed over the cladding structure CL, all 107 are surrounding one center), wherein the buffer improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another (Fig. 6 shows waveguides, equivalent to the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide, are coupled together using the epoxy buffer that improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of Brown wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a cladding structure disposed over the first core and the second core, the cladding structure joins the first core and the second core; wherein the OCT fiber assembly includes a buffer disposed over the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide, the buffer being concentrically disposed over the cladding structure, wherein the buffer improves a calibration of a generated OCT image by reducing axial movement of the sample arm waveguide and reference arm waveguide relative to one another as taught by Nielson for the predictable advantage of improving the system reliability, fiber optic cladding and buffer systems are crucial for enhancing signal integrity, durability, and performance. Cladding also enables total internal reflection for low-loss, while buffer coatings provide mechanical protection.
Brown and Nagashima are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Nagashima teaches cladding is a common cladding and the common cladding structure coupling the first core and the second core (Fig. 1(a), seven cores 11, a cladding 12, cores are coated with the common cladding 12, and fiber coating 13, [0023], which is equivalent to buffer; instant application in paragraph [0038] clarified buffer as “coating or buffer”; the buffer 13 being concentrically disposed over the common cladding structure 12, [Fig. 1(a)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified imaging system of Brown wherein cladding is a common cladding and the common cladding structure coupling the first core and the second core, as taught by Nagashima for the predictable advantage of improving the performance and reliability of the cores by coupling the waveguides together by creating the cladding CL which aligns and maintains the offset distances within the cores, as well as easier to manufacture by using one common cladding, and also as Nagashima teaches plurality of multi-core optical fibers arranged parallel to one another with a common resin. Such a multi-core optical fiber ribbon is expected to allow a larger amount of information to be transmitted therethrough, [0003]).
The modified Brown teaches reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide, but doesn’t explicitly teach wherein the assembly includes a non-stretchable wire extending substantially parallel along the waveguides, the non-stretchable wire being restrained on each end of the OCT fiber assembly such that stretching of the first core and the second core is minimized;
Brown and Kewitsch are related as optical waveguides.
Kewitsch teaches non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket, (Fig. 2B, non-stretchable wire 14-2, solid wires, positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer 14-1 and an interior surface of the hollow jacket 12, [0021]; elements 14-2 are internal to the cylindrical ductile elements 14-1 and longitudinally adjacent, [0022], see Fig. 9 and [0042]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified imaging system of Brown the non-stretchable wire being positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket for the predictable advantage of helping to isolate the internal fiber 11 from damaging due to crushing, [0024], and implementing a bend limit [0042].
Regarding claim 41, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 40, (see above). Kewitsch teaches, wherein the non-stretchable wire is enveloped by the common cladding structure (see Fig. 8A, non-stretchable wire 14-2 is enveloped by the common cladding structure 14-1, fiber 11).
Regarding claim 42, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 40, (see above). Kewitsch teaches further comprising: a hollow jacket disposed over and coextensive with the buffer; and wherein the non-stretchable wire is positioned between an exterior surface of the buffer and an interior surface of the hollow jacket (Fig. 8A, non-stretchable wire 14-2, cladding structure 14-1, fiber 11 and jacket 12, [0041]).
Regarding claim 43, the modified Brown teaches an OCT imaging system of claim 40.
The modified Brown doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the twists of the reference arm waveguide and the sample arm waveguide include between 0.1 and 0.25 twists/feet.
Brown and Houghton are related as optical devices using waveguides.
Houghton teaches the waveguides are twisted (The Optical Waveguides could be twisted around each other, [0053]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the imaging system of modified Brown to include twisted waveguides, as taught by Houghton, for the predictable advantage of making the structure stronger (One possible benefit to having Optical Waveguides bundled in a corkscrew arrangement is a stronger structure could be assembled using this arrangement when combined with a suitable resin based bonding system, [0053]). Although Brown doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the twists waveguides include between 0.1 and 0.25 twists/feet. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to twist the waveguides between 0.1 and 0.25 twists/feet,
Conclusion
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/R.A/Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872