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 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 1-2 and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Keefe US 3611190, herein referred to as Keefe ‘190.
Regarding claim 1, Keefe ‘190 discloses a laser medium unit (Figures 1-3, col. 2, line 50 and col. 3, line 16) comprising: a laser medium (plate 10 in Figure 1, disc of laser glass 7 in Figure 3) having a pair of end surfaces (laser discs 7, Figures 2-3); and a holding body (Figure 2: 7b) configured to surround the laser medium when viewed from a direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces and to hold the laser medium (see fig. 2, col. 2 lines 23-31), wherein the holding body (7b) includes a deformation allowing portion that extends from the inside to the outside of the holding body when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces (holding body 7b is made of flexible silicone
rubber see e.g. col. 2, line 69, which extends within the holding body as claimed-see Figure 3 and allows deformation), wherein the laser medium and the holding body are in contact with each other (the laser glass 7 is embedded in the piece of silicone rubber 7b, see Figure 3, col. 2, lines 68, and 69), wherein a contact region of the holding body with the laser medium has a width in the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces and extends along an outer edge of the laser medium when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces (Shown in Figures 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 2, Keefe ‘190 further discloses that the laser medium (plate 10) has a plate shape with each of the pair of end surfaces as a main surface (Shown in Figure 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 12, Keefe ‘190 further discloses a laser device comprising the laser medium unit (Abstract/title, Figures 1-3).
Regarding claim 13, Keefe ‘190 further discloses a chamber (Figure 1) configured to accommodate the laser medium unit and to allow a coolant (liquid coolant 20) to flow therethrough (Col. 3, lines 8-27).
Regarding claim 14, Keefe ‘190 further discloses that the laser medium unit (10) is each of a plurality of laser medium units (Figure 1 and col. 2, line 51), and wherein each of the plurality of laser medium units is disposed with a gap through which the coolant flows (Figure 1, col. 3, lines 8-27).
Regarding claim 15, Keefe ‘190 further discloses a laser light source (col 3, lines 28-56, wherein light is pumped into the laser discs and excited through the laser medium) configured to emit laser light to be amplified by the laser medium unit (10) and an excitation light source (15) configured to emit excitation light that excites the laser medium (col. 3, lines 50-55).
Regarding claim 16, Keefe ‘190 further discloses that the excitation light source (15) is each of a first excitation light source and a second excitation light source (shown in Figure 1), wherein the first excitation light source is disposed on one side in the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces with respect to the laser medium unit (Figure 1) and wherein the second excitation light source is disposed on the other side in the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces with respect to the laser medium unit (Figures 1-2).
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Hackel US 2009059977, herein referred to as Hackel ‘977.
Regarding claim 1, Hackel ‘977 discloses a laser medium unit (Figures 2a, 2b, 3) comprising: a laser medium (crystal slab or disk 36 [0047], 86 [0060]) having a pair of end surfaces; and a holding body (Figure 2a, 2b: cladding pieces 42, [0047]-[0050], Figure 3 : frame 90, [0060]) configured to surround the laser medium when viewed from a direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces and to hold the laser medium (Figure 2a, 2b, 3), wherein the holding body includes a deformation allowing portion that extends from the inside to the outside of the holding body when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces (Figure 2a, 2b: expansion joints/gaps 58, [0058], Figure 3, Frame 90 has expansion slots (not shown) cut at the corners, [0060] similar to 58 in Figure 2b), wherein the laser medium and the holding body are in contact with each other (Figure 2b, [0058], Figure 3, [0066]), and wherein a contact region of the holding body with the laser medium has a width in the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces and extends along an outer edge of the laser medium when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces (Figure 2a, 2b, 3, [0058], [0060]-[0066]).
Regarding claim 2, Hackel ‘977 further discloses that the laser medium (36/86) has a plate shape with each of the pair of end surfaces as a main surface (Shown in Figures 2b and 3).
Regarding claim 3, Hackel ‘977 further discloses that the holding body has a main body portion including the deformation allowing portion (joints/gap/slots) and a stress relieving portion (46/88-epoxy, [0060]) provided between the laser medium and the main body portion (Figure 2A and Figure 3).
Regarding claim 4, Hackel ‘977 further discloses that the laser medium has a light amplification region and a light absorption region that surrounds the light amplification region when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces ([0004] and [0011-0019], claim 1).
Regarding claim 5, Hackel ‘977 further discloses the deformation allowing portion includes a slit (58) that extends from the inside to the outside of the holding body when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces (Figure 2b).
Regarding claim 6, Hackel ‘977 further discloses that the slit is each of a plurality of slits (multiple gaps 58), and wherein the plurality of slits are disposed at equal angular intervals when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces (Shown in Figure 2b).
Regarding claim 7, Hackel ‘977 further discloses that the comprising a first elastic member (epoxy 46/88), wherein the slit is each of a plurality of slits (openings in Figure 2a and slots not shown in Figure 3), and wherein the first elastic member is disposed in each of the plurality of slits ([0047 and 0060]).
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hackel ‘977 in view of Keefe ‘190.
Regarding claim 8, Hackel ‘977 discloses that the slit is each of a plurality of slits, but does not specifically disclose an attachment member that surrounds the holding body when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces. In the same field of endeavor, Keefe ‘190 teaches of an attachment member (11) surrounding the holding body (7b) when viewed from the direction intersecting with the pair of end surfaces (Figure 3). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of an attachment member of Keefe ‘190 with the laser device of Hackel ‘977 for the purpose of holding the discs in place for allowing coolant to pass (col. 1, line 47-col. 2, line 37).
Claims 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hackel ‘977 in view of Keefe ‘190, and further in view of Matovich US 3628172, herein after Matovich ‘172.
Regarding claim 9, Hackel ‘977 and Keefe ‘190 do not specifically disclose a second elastic member disposed between the holding body and the attachment member. In the same field of endeavor (Abstract, , Matovich ‘172 teaches of an elastic member (32, wherein the spacer member is made of stainless steel which is a resilient metal that can endure strain without breaking-col 3, lines ) disposed between a holding body (laser element holder 12 holding laser disc 13) and an attachment member (11). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of a second elastic member of Matovich ‘172 with the laser device of Hackel ‘977 and Keefe ‘190 for the purpose of holding the discs in place for allowing fluid to pass over the laser disc (col. 3, lines 38-53).
Regarding claim 10, Keefe ‘190 further teaches that a thermal expansion coefficient of the attachment member (11-glass tube) is smaller than a thermal expansion coefficient of the holding body (7b-rubber).
Regarding claim 11, Keefe ‘190 further teaches that a thermal expansion coefficient of the attachment member (11-glass tube) has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the holding body (12-pyrex) member as taught by Matovich ‘172.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited references US 20230291165, US 20080089372and 20180006423 disclose laser systems with cooling and stress reduction mechanisms with similar structure to the instant application. It is noted that at least JP2013016678 would read on at least claim 1 (as per the written opinion), but was not used in the above rejections for purposes of compact prosecution.
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/JESSICA S MANNO/SPE, Art Unit 2898