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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on August 15, 2023 and November 17, 2024 are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were received on August 15, 2023. These drawings are acceptable.
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)(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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hettler et al. (US Patent ,11,862,941, hereinafter referred to as Hettler). Hettler anticipates claims:
1. A light emitter (multi-laser arrangement 1 is interpreted as the light emitter), comprising:
a substrate (base plate 4 is interpreted as the substrate) including a first surface (the top surface is interpreted as the first surface);
a first light-emitting element (laser 6) inside an element sealing area (the area containing the lasers is interpreted as the element sealing area) on the first surface;
a second light-emitting element (laser 7) inside the element sealing area;
a cladding on the first surface; a first core inside the cladding, the first core being configured to receive light from the first light-emitting element; a second core inside the cladding, the second core being configured to receive light from the second light-emitting element (see the text of claim 21 which discloses each laser has an optical fiber associated with it, and all the fibers share a common cladding; see figure 27 as an example); and
a light-receiving element (monitor diodes 19, 20 and 21 are interpreted as the light-receiving element) inside the element sealing area, the light-receiving element including a light-receiving surface to receive light from the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element (see figure 8).
2. The light emitter according to claim 1, further comprising: a lid (housing cap 3 with transparent element 14 are together interpreted as the lid), wherein the lid is on the cladding (see figure 8), the element sealing area is a space surrounded by at least the cladding and the lid, and the light-receiving surface faces the lid (see figure 8).
3. The light emitter according to claim 2, wherein the lid includes a recess (the interior of the cap is a recess, see figure 8).
4. The light emitter according to claim 3, wherein the recess includes an inner surface including a bottom (the bottom face of the interior of the cap is interpreted as the bottom) and a side (the angled portions are interpreted as the side).
5. The light emitter according to claim 3, wherein the lid includes a first reflective film (transparent element 14 is interpreted as the first reflective film) on an inner surface of the recess (see figure 4).
6. The light emitter according to claim 5, wherein the first reflective film is on a bottom and a side of the inner surface (see figure 4).
7. The light emitter according to claim 5, further comprising: a sealing metal film (see column 3, lines 14-17; the cap is made of metal or comprises metal to allow welding, this comprises metal is interpreted as a sealing metal film) on a facing portion of the cladding facing he lid (all elements of the device are interpreted as being on all the other elements), wherein the lid includes, inward from the sealing metal film on the facing portion, a second reflective film (see column 14, lines 39-43, the color filter is interpreted as a second reflective film) continuous with the first reflective film.
8. The light emitter according to claim 5, further comprising: a sealing metal film on a facing portion of the cladding facing the lid, wherein the lid overlaps the sealing metal film on the facing portion in a transparent plan view and includes a third reflective film continuous with the first reflective film (see figures 8 and 27).
9. The light emitter according to claim 2, wherein the lid is transparent (transparent element 14 is interpreted as the transparent portion of the lid), and the lid includes a fourth reflective film on an outer surface of the lid (the cap being comprised of metal is interpreted as a fourth reflective film on an outer surface of the lid).
10. The light emitter according to claim 4, wherein the recess includes the side sloping outward at a greater distance from the cladding (see figure 27).
11. The light emitter according to claim 4, wherein the inner surface of the recess is dome-shaped (see figure 27).
12. The light emitter according to claim 3, wherein the recess includes a roughened surface included in an inner surface of the recess (see figure 27).
13. The light emitter according to claim 1, wherein the light-receiving surface faces the first light-emitting element and the second light- emitting element, and the light emitter further comprises a light diffuser (transparent element 14 is interpreted as the light diffuser) between the light-receiving element and the first and second light-emitting elements (see figure 8).
14. The light emitter according to claim 1, further comprising: a seal (spherical fused glass 28 is interpreted as the seal) sealing the first light-emitting element, the second light-emitting element, and the light-receiving element, wherein the element sealing area includes the seal, and the light-receiving surface is opposite to a surface of the light-receiving element facing the first surface (see figure 27).
15. The light emitter according to claim 14, wherein the seal is surrounded by the cladding in a direction along the first surface (see figure 27).
16. The light emitter according to claim 14, wherein the seal is transparent (it’s glass), and the seal includes a fifth reflective film (transparent element 14 is interpreted as the fifth reflective film) on an outer surface of the seal.
17. The light emitter according to claim 15, wherein the seal is transparent (it’s glass), and the seal includes a sixth reflective film (transparent element 14 is interpreted as the sixth reflective film) on an outer surface of the seal.
18. The light emitter according to claim 14, wherein the seal includes a roughened surface (the outer surface is interpreted as a roughened surface) included in an outer surface of the seal.
19. The light emitter according to claim 1, further comprising: a seal (spherical fused glass 28 is interpreted as the seal) sealing the first light-emitting element, the second light-emitting element, and the light-receiving element; and a light diffuser (transparent element 14 is interpreted as the light diffuser) between the light-receiving element and the first and second light- emitting elements, wherein the element sealing area includes the seal, and the light-receiving surface faces the first light-emitting element and the second light- emitting element.
20. The light emitter according to claim 1, further comprising: a lens (see column 21, lines 37-40) on an optical path of light emitted from the first core and the second core.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN M BEDTELYON whose telephone number is (571)270-1290. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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/John Bedtelyon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874