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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS's) submitted comply with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statement; please see attached forms PTO-1449.
Drawings
The drawings submitted have been reviewed and determined to facilitate understanding of the invention. The drawings are accepted as submitted.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-5 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “A large capacity sensing network with identical weak fiber Bragg gratings multiplexing,” by Zhang et al. (“Zhang”), cited in Applicant’s IDS submitted 07 November 2023.
Regarding Claim 1, Zhang describes sensor comprising:
an optical fiber comprising a plurality of Fiber Bragg Gratings (see Pg 3082 Par 4);
wherein a FWHM of the Fiber Bragg Gratings and an inter-spacing of the Fiber Bragg Gratings are configured such that primary reflections from the Fiber Bragg Gratings generate a first wavelength-dependent function, and further such that a ripple due to re-reflections between the Fiber Bragg Gratings generates a second wavelength-dependent function (see Pg 3084 Par 1-3).
Zhang does not describe a low-pass filter. Zhang describes separating the first wavelength-dependent function and the second wavelength dependent function in order to calculate the spatial position of the measurand (see Pg 3082 Par 3 and Pg 3085 Par 3-4). The use of a low-pass filter is a common method of separating combined signals to allow for further analysis/calculations. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a low-pass filter configured to pass signals satisfying the first wavelength-dependent function and to reject signals satisfying the second wavelength-dependent function in the sensor of Zhang. The motivation for doing so would have been to make use of a known technique for improving similar devices in the same way.
Regarding Claim 2, Zhang does not specifically describe the first and second wavelength dependent functions each comprise a signal spectrum as a function of wavelength change rate, the signal spectrum of the second wavelength dependent function falling within a wavelength change rate range outside and above a wavelength change rate range of the first wavelength dependent function. However, the first and second wavelength dependent functions must inherently have these characteristics in order for the optical wavelength time-domain reflection described by Zhang (see Pg 3083 Par 2-Pg 3084 Par 4).
Regarding Claim 3, Zhang describes logic to estimate from the ripple a contribution of the re-reflections to the primary reflection signal and to apply the contribution of the re-reflections to distinguish the primary reflections from the re-reflections (see Pg 3083 Par 2-3; Pg 3084 Par 2-5).
Regarding Claim 4, Zhang describes a laser configured to inject light pulses into the optical fiber (see Pg 3085 Par 2), the light pulses having a width greater than 100 ps (see pulse widths shown in Fig 7). Zhang does not specifically describe the wavelength step size of the laser light pulses. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use wavelength step size less than or equal to an eighth of the FWHM, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum workable range involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding Claim 5, Zhang describes the inter-spacing of the Fiber Bragg Gratings along the optical fiber as variable (see Pg 3084 Par 3, 5).
Regarding Claim 11, Zhang describes both of the inter-spacing of the Fiber Bragg Gratings along the optical fiber and the center wavelengths of the Fiber Bragg Gratings as varying (see Pg 3084 Par 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-22 are allowed.
Claims 6-10 are 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:
Claim 6 describes the Fiber Bragg Gratings are organized into a plurality of sets, each set comprising a same pattern of variable inter-spacing of the Fiber Bragg Gratings.
Claim 7 describes the Fiber Bragg Gratings are organized into a plurality of sets, each set comprising a fixed inter-spacing of the Fiber Bragg Gratings that differs from the fixed inter-spacing of the Fiber Bragg Gratings in other sets.
Claims 8-10 describe a center wavelength varying among of the Fiber Bragg Gratings.
Claims 12-22 describe Fiber Bragg Gratings arranged into at least two different groupings of gratings in the optical fiber, the first grouping comprising a first constant step size between the gratings therein, and the second grouping comprising a second constant step size between the gratings therein; wherein the first step size in millimeters differs from the second step size by greater than 1.1/FWHM
These limitations represent subject matter not described or reasonably suggested, in conjunction with the further limitations of the present claims, by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art cited in the attached form PTO-892 are made of record and considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art describes optical sensing systems utilizing fiber Bragg gratings.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY RAHLL whose telephone number is (571)272-2356. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/JERRY RAHLL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874