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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 1-18 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “a plurality of split beam segments”, “the plurality of split segments,” and “each beam segments.” Applicant should choose either “plurality of split beam segments” or “plurality of split segments” and maintain the wording so that the claim limitations are consistent. Then “each beam segment” should be changed accordingly to either “each split beam segments” or “each split segments.”
Claims 7-10 recites ‘The wire laser deposition head assembly.” This should be --laser wire deposition head assembly--.
Claim 9 recites Fp for focus plane, whereas everywhere else the claims use Pf.
Claim 10 recites “plurality of reflecting surfaces.” This should be –plurality of reflective surfaces--.
Claim 11 and 12 recites “The wire laser deposition assembly.” This should be –The wire laser deposition head assembly--.
Remaining claims objected due to dependency.
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 2-4, 6, 14-18 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.
The term “pyramid-like shape” in claim 3 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “pyramid-like” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
The term “generally transverse” in claim 2 and 14 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “generally” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
The term “refined placement” in claim 6 and 18 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “refined” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Claim 18 recites “the redirecting angle OR” which lacks antecedent basis. This should be changed to “a redirecting angle OR” or the dependency of claim 18 changed to depend on claim 17.
Remaining claims rejected due to dependency.
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) 1 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aubry (FR 2823688 A1).
Claim 1. Aubry discloses a laser wire deposition head assembly (laser beam fusion device, Fig. 7) comprising:
a splitting mirror (32, Fig. 7) disposed in a housing and arranged on an axis to present a plurality of reflective surfaces being distinct from one another (32 has a plurality of reflective surfaces, Fig. 5B);
a laser source (42) directing a laser beam (34) along the axis and towards said splitting mirror to reflect said laser beam off of said plurality of reflective surfaces and into a plurality of split beam segments traveling radially outwardly from said splitting mirror in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another (beam 34 hits the splitter 32 and travels radially outward, Fig. 7);
a plurality of redirecting mirrors arranged circumferentially about the axis in spaced relationship with one another and each in aligned relationship with a respective one of said plurality of split segments (plurality of reflecting surfaces 36 reflects the laser beam, Fig. 5B and Fig. 7) to redirect each respective beam segment towards a focus plane PF and into a plurality of shaped beam segments extending in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another and collectively reassembled into a ring or donut shape beam having a center at the focus plane PF (reflecting surfaces 36 reflects the laser beam into a ring shape beam which is focused and directed towards a focus position, Fig. 7, page 3); and
a wire feeding conduit sequentially feeding a material wire in between a pair of adjacent and circumferentially spaced ones of said plurality of shaped beam segments (material supply means 44 supplies a wire 22 between the laser beams, Fig. 7), along the axis and through said center of said ring or donut shaped beam for disposing said material wire perpendicular to a base substrate for processing (wire is along the same Z-axis, perpendicular to the surface, and the ring beam surrounds the wire, Fig. 3 and Fig. 7).
Claim 13. Aubry discloses a wire laser deposition method (laser beam fusion method, Fig. 7) comprising:
directing a laser beam (34, Fig. 7) along an axis and towards a splitting mirror (32, Fig. 7) presenting a plurality of reflective surfaces (32 has a plurality of reflective surfaces, Fig. 5B) each being distinct from one another to split the laser beam into a plurality of split beam segments (laser beam reflected off of a plurality of reflective wall on 32 form a plurality of beams segments, Fig. 7, wherein the broadest reasonable interpretation of beam segments can refer to the segment coming from a particular reflective wall);
directing the plurality of split beam segments radially outwardly from the splitting mirror in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another and towards a plurality of redirecting mirrors arranged circumferentially about the axis and in aligned relationship with a respective one of the plurality of split beam segments (beam 34 hits the splitter 32 and travels radially outward, Fig. 7);
re-directing each of the plurality of split beam segments with the plurality of redirecting mirrors back towards the axis (beams segments reflect off of the plurality of reflective wall on 36, Fig. 7) and into a plurality of shaped beam segments extending in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another towards a focus plane PF (reflecting surfaces 36 reflects the laser beam into a ring shape beam which is focused and directed towards a focus position, Fig. 7, page 3);
reassembling the plurality of shaped beam segments to form a ring or donut shaped beam having a center at the focus plane PF (reflecting surfaces 36 reflects the laser beam into a ring shape beam which is focused and directed towards a focus position, Fig. 7, page 3); and
feeding a material wire sequentially between a pair of adjacent and spaced ones of the plurality of shaped beam segments (material supply means 44 supplies a wire 22 between the laser beams, Fig. 7), along the axis and through the center of the ring or donut shaped beam to dispose the material wire perpendicular to a base substrate for processing (wire is along the same Z-axis, perpendicular to the surface, and the ring beam surrounds the wire, Fig. 3 and Fig. 7).
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7, and 13-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubisch (US 20210008662 A1) in view of Aubry (FR 2823688 A1)
Claim 1. Kubisch discloses a laser wire deposition head assembly (laser head for wire build-up welding, title, Fig. 1) comprising:
a splitting mirror (pyramid-shaped element 8, Fig. 2A) disposed in a housing (8 is in a housing, Fig. 2A) and arranged on an axis to present a plurality of reflective surfaces being distinct from one another (pyramid-shaped element 8 has multiple reflective surfaces 8.1 that are distinct from each other, Fig. 2A);
a laser source directing a laser beam along the axis (laser beam 6 passes along an axis, Fig. 1B) and towards said splitting mirror to reflect said laser beam off of said plurality of reflective surfaces (laser beam reflects off the surfaces 8.1, Fig. 4B) and into a plurality of split beam segments (8.1 splits the laser beam in three partial beams 6.1-6.3, par. 40, Fig. 4A-B) traveling radially outwardly from said splitting mirror in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another (the partial beams travel radially outward from 8.1 to the reflecting surfaces 8.2);
a plurality of redirecting mirrors (reflecting surfaces 8.2, Fig. 2A) arranged circumferentially about the axis in spaced relationship with one another (surfaces 8.2 circumferentially surrounds the pyramid-shaped surfaces 8.1, Fig. 2A) and each in aligned relationship with a respective one of said plurality of split segments to redirect each respective beam segment towards a focus plane PF (reflecting surfaces 8.2 directs the partial lasers towards the common plane 6.4, Fig. 1B and Fig. 4B) and into a plurality of shaped beam segments extending in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another (partial beams are spaced with respect to each other, Fig. 4A) and collectively reassembled intoF (reflecting surfaces 8.2 directs the partial lasers towards the common plane 6.4, Fig. 1B and Fig. 4B); and
a wire feeding conduit (external wire feeds 10-13, Fig. 1) sequentially feeding a material wire (wire feeds 10-13 can feed the wire 3, Fig. 4B) in between a pair of adjacent and circumferentially spaced ones of said plurality of shaped beam segments (wires are fed through the internal wire feed 2, Fig. 4B, which passes between adjacent pairs of partial beams, Fig. 4B), along the axis and through said center of
Kubisch does not disclose that the laser beams are reassembled into a ring or donut shape.
Aubry discloses a laser beam wherein the beam is split by a pyramid mirror beam splitter (32, Fig. 5B) and reshaped into a ring-shaped beam (page 6, Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch to incorporate the teachings of Aubry and have the redirecting mirrors provide a parallel ring laser beam. Doing so would have the benefit of generating a ring-shaped laser beam which fully surrounds the material being melts which ensures better efficiency (page 3, Aubry).
Claim 13. Kubisch discloses a wire laser deposition method (laser head for wire build-up welding, title, Fig. 1) comprising:
directing a laser beam along an axis (laser 6 is directed down an axis, Fig. 1B) and towards a splitting mirror (pyramid shaped element 8, Fig. 2A) presenting a plurality of reflective surfaces (plurality of splitting surfaces 8.1, see annotated drawing below, Fig. 2B) each being distinct from one another to split the laser beam into a plurality of split beam segments (surfaces 8.1 are distinct to each other, Fig. 2B);
directing the plurality of split beam segments (8.1 splits the laser beam in three partial beams 6.1-6.3, par. 40, Fig. 4A-B) radially outwardly from the splitting mirror in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another (the partial beams travel radially outward from 8.1 to the reflecting surfaces 8.2) and towards a plurality of redirecting mirrors (reflecting surfaces 8.2, Fig. 2A) arranged circumferentially about the axis (surfaces 8.2 circumferentially surrounds the pyramid-shaped surfaces 8.1, Fig. 2A) and in aligned relationship with a respective one of the plurality of split beam segments (partial laser beams reflect off of the surface 8.2, Fig. 4B);
re-directing each of the plurality of split beam segments with the plurality of redirecting mirrors back towards the axis and into a plurality of shaped beam segments extending in circumferentially spaced relationship to one another towards a focus plane PF (reflecting surfaces 8.2 directs the partial lasers towards the common plane 6.4, Fig. 1B and Fig. 4B);
reassembling the plurality of shaped beam segments to form a F (partial beams intersect at a common plane, claim 1); and
feeding a material wire sequentially between a pair of adjacent and spaced ones of the plurality of shaped beam segments (wires are fed through the internal wire feed 2, Fig. 4B, which passes between adjacent pairs of partial beams, Fig. 4B), along the axis and through the center of the ring or donut shaped beam to dispose the material wire perpendicular to a base substrate for processing (wiring passes through the center of the laser axis and exits out of the nozzle 2.1 perpendicular to the base substrate for processing, Fig. 4B and 5B).
Kubisch does not disclose that the laser beams are reassembled into a ring or donut shape.
Aubry discloses a laser beam wherein the beam is split by a pyramid mirror beam splitter (32, Fig. 5B) and reshaped into a ring-shaped beam (page 6, Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch to incorporate the teachings of Aubry and have the redirecting mirrors provide a parallel ring laser beam. Doing so would have the benefit of generating a ring-shaped laser beam which fully surrounds the material being melts which ensures better efficiency (page 3, Aubry).
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Claims 2 and 14. Kubisch in view of Aubry discloses the laser wire deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said splitting mirror presents a distal surface extending generally transverse to the axis to define a surface plane Ps (see annotated drawing above, Fig. 2B, where there is a surface distal to the splitting surface 8.1 which is transverse with respect to the laser’s axis) and said plurality of reflective surfaces collectively originate at a proximal apex disposed on the axis and are angled relative to the axis along an angle of incidence Oi extending between the proximal apex and the surface plane Ps (splitting surfaces 8.1 meet at an apex, Fig. 2A, and are angled to form an angle of incidence with respect to the proximal apex and transverse surface plane, see annotated drawing Fig. 2B).
Claims 3 and 15. Kubisch in view of Aubry discloses the laser wire deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 2, wherein said plurality of reflective surfaces are comprised of three reflective surfaces (there are three reflecting surfaces 8.1 which split the laser, Fig. 2A, par. 40) to collectively form a pyramid-like shape for said splitting mirror adjacent said proximal apex (surfaces 8.1 meet at an apex forming a pyramid-shaped element, par. 40).
Claims 4 and 16. Kubisch in view of Aubry does not disclose the laser wire deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 3, wherein said plurality of reflective surfaces each being conical shaped ().
Aubry discloses a conical shaped beam splitter (32a, Fig. 5A).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch in view of Aubry to incorporate the teachings of Aubry and make the reflecting surfaces conical. Aubry demonstrates that one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to make the surface conical based on design specifications.
Claims 5 and 17. Kubisch in view of Aubry discloses the laser wire deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of redirecting mirrors present a redirecting surface disposed in angled relationship to the axis at a redirecting angle ΘR (Fig. 4B shows the reflecting surface 8.2 directing the laser beam at an angle) for directing the plurality of shaped beam segments back towards the axis and to the focus plane PF (reflecting surface 8.2 directs the laser beams towards the common plane 6.4, Fig. 4B).
Claim 7. Kubisch in view of Aubry discloses the wire laser deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 5, wherein said plurality of redirecting mirrors are each comprised of a flat mirror (fig. 4B, 8.2 is a flat surface).
Claim(s) 6, 9, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubisch in view of Aubry as applied to claim 5 and 7 above, and further in view of Ma (US 2021/0197318 A1).
Claims 6 and 18. Kubisch in view of Aubry does not disclose the laser wire deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 5, wherein the redirecting angle OR is adjustable for refined placement of the ring or donut shaped beam at the focus plane PF.
Ma discloses a coaxial wire feed cladding head with an beam splitting unit and adjustable mirrors 3 (Fig. 3) that reflect the split beams back
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch in view of Aubry to incorporate the teachings of Ma and have adjustable mirrors. Doing so would have the benefit of ensuring precise focus position (par. 7, Ma).
Claim 9. Kubisch in view of Aubry does not disclose the wire laser deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 7, further comprising a plurality of cover glass components each disposed between a respective one of said flat mirrors and the focus plane FP and aligned with a respective one of said plurality of shaped beam segments passing therethrough.
Ma discloses a coaxial wire feed cladding head wherein the laser beam is split by a pyramid beam splitter (Fig. 3) wherein a mirror protection component 6 is used to protect each focusing mirror 5 (fig. 3, par. 43) and aligned with the multiple beams passing through (fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch in view of Aubry to incorporate the teachings of Ma and have protection lenses for the focus mirrors. Doing so would have the benefit of protecting the focus mirrors (par. 18, Ma).
Ma does not disclose that the protection lenses are made of glass, however, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to make the protection lenses from a transparent material such as glass since the split beams must reflect off of the aspheric mirrors and pass through the protection lenses (Fig. 3, Ma) in order to heat the wire.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubisch in view of Aubry as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Kotliar (US 2019/0366480 A1).
Claim 8. Kubisch in view of Aubry does not disclose the wire laser deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 5, wherein said plurality of redirecting mirrors are each comprised of a parabolic focus mirror.
Kotliar discloses a laser welding device wherein the laser beam is split by a pyramid reflector 18 into multiple beams wherein the other parabolic mirrors may be used to focus the laser beam at a common focal spot (par. 24).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch in view of Aubry to incorporate the teachings of Kotliar and have parabolic focusing mirrors. Doing so would have the benefit of focusing the laser beam (par. 24, Kotliar).
Claim(s) 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubisch in view of Aubry as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Ma (US 20210197318 A1) and Grapov (US 20160368099 A1).
Claim 10. Kubisch in view of Aubry does not disclose the wire laser deposition head assembly as set forth in Claim 7, further comprising:
a collimating lens aligned on the axis upstream from said splitting mirror; and
a focusing lens aligned on the axis and disposed between said collimating lens (laser beam is focused onto the pyramid shaped element 8, par. 48) and
said splitting mirror to converge said laser beam passing sequentially through said collimating lens and
said focusing lens into a converging section before being directed to a reflected off of said plurality of reflecting surfaces of said splitting mirror (laser beam is focused onto the pyramid shaped element 8, par. 48).
Kubisch in view of Aubry does not disclose a collimating lens aligned on the axis upstream from said splitting mirror; and a focusing lens aligned on the axis and disposed between said collimating lens said splitting mirror to converge said laser beam passing sequentially through said collimating lens and said focusing lens into a converging section.
Kubisch discloses focusing the laser beam unto the pyramid shaped element 8 (par. 48).
Ma discloses a coaxial wire feed cladding head with a beam splitting unit wherein a collimating module 13 is upstream of the beam splitting unit called the mirror cavity 18 (Fig. 5).
Grapov discloses an optical system for a laser processing machine wherein the laser beam is first collimated 120 then focused 132 (Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch in view of Aubry to incorporate the teachings of Kubisch, Ma, and Grapov and a collimator aligning the laser beam that is passed to a focusing lens, both of which are upstream of the beam splitter. Kubish already discloses focusing the beam on the pyramid shaped element and Ma teaches that the laser beam is collimated prior to being split. One of ordinary skill in the art would know that a focusing lens and collimator is necessary to collimate and focus the beam on the beam splitter. Grapov demonstrates that a collimator and focusing lens optical structure is well known and one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to design their optical system such that the laser beam passes sequentially through the collimator then the focusing lens.
Claim 11. Kubisch in view of Aubry, Ma, and Grapov does not disclose the wire laser deposition assembly as set forth in Claim 10, wherein a distance between said collimating lens and said focusing lens is adjustable to shift a focus of said donut or ring shaped beam.
Grapov further discloses that the collimating lens can be adjusted to change the size of the focused laser beam (par. 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubisch in view of Aubry, Ma, and Grapov to incorporate the teachings of Grapov and have the collimator be adjustable. Doing so would have the benefit of controlling the laser beam’s diameter (par. 18, Grapov).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record does not disclose using a negative axicon between a collimating lens and focusing lens which are upstream to a pyramid-shaped beam splitter.
Conclusion
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/SIMPSON A CHEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/ELIZABETH M KERR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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