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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 05 February 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 6 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bartlett et al. (US 2017/0357000).
Regarding claim 1, Bartlett discloses an apparatus (see figure 1, for instance), comprising: a transmitter (101, 103) comprising: a phase light modulator (103, according to Applicant’s own Specification, with reference to paragraph [0017], “An example PLM is a digital micromirror based PLM”; Examiner therefore interprets the DMD of Bartlett according to Applicant’s definition of PLM) including moveable elements ([0039], “a DMD and light source can replace the laser 101 and rotating mirror 103”), including a first group of which are configurable to be set in a first steering pattern and a second group of which are configurable to be set in a second steering pattern ([0047], “Because the individual mirrors in the array of mirrors in the DMD can be selectively addressed and positioned…”); and a light source (101; [0039]) configurable to direct a light beam towards the phase light modulator (103), the first group of moveable elements configurable to, based on the light beam and the first steering pattern, provide a first modulated light beam in a first direction (see light beam of figure 1 directed toward target 105), and the second group of moveable elements configurable to, based on the light beam and the second steering pattern, provide a second modulated light beam in a second direction (see light beam of figure 1 directed toward target 113); and a receiver (109) comprising a light detector (111) configurable to detect a reflection (see light beam(s) from 105, 113) of the first modulated light beam from the target.
Regarding claim 2, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the phase light modulator (103) is a first phase light modulator and the receiver further comprising a second phase light modulator (309; [0033], [0043]), the second phase light modulator configurable to direct the reflection of the first modulated light beam towards the light detector (315).
Regarding claim 3, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first group of moveable elements set in the first steering pattern (of 103, directing light to 105) modulate the light beam to direct the first modulated light beam (see figure 1) toward a target (105) in a first field of view, the second group of moveable elements (of 103 toward 113) set in the second steering pattern modulate the light beam to direct the second modulated light beam toward the target (113) in a second field of view that is different from the first field of view (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 4, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a controller (911) coupled to the phase light modulator (103), the controller (911) configurable to control the first steering pattern on the phase light modulator such that the modulated light beam scans the field of view (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 5, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the moveable elements (103) comprises an array of digital micromirrors or a liquid crystal phase light modulator (see [0039]).
Regarding claim 6, Bartlett discloses an apparatus (see figure 1, for instance) comprising: a transmitter (including elements 101, 103) comprising: a phase light modulator (103, [0062], “MEMS PSLM”), including displaceable elements (see also [0062]; “A MEMS PSLM usually has an array of small mirrors that displace a distance in a direction normal to the array plane in response to an electrical signal.”); a light source (101) configurable to direct a light beam towards the phase light modulator (103), the phase light modulator (103) configurable to: position a first group of the displaceable elements in a first displacement pattern to provide a first modulated light beam in a first direction toward a target (105) responsive to the light beam (see figure 1); and position a second group of the displaceable elements in a second displacement pattern to provide a second modulated light beam in a second direction (toward target 113) responsive to the light beam; and a receiver (109, 111) comprising: a first light detector (515, DETECTOR 1) configured to detect a reflection of the first modulated light beam from the target (504), and a second light detector (517, DETECTOR 2) configurable to detect a reflection of the second modulated light beam from the second field of view (505).
Regarding claim 7, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 6, wherein the phase light modulator (103) is a first phase light modulator, the receiver further comprising a second phase light modulator (509), the second phase light modulator configurable to: direct the reflection of the first modulated light beam from the first field of view towards the first light detector (515); and direct the reflection of the second modulated light beam from the second field of view towards the second light detector (517).
Regarding claim 8, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 6, wherein the phase light modulator (103) is further configurable to: direct the reflection of the first modulated light beam towards the first light detector (515); and direct the reflection of the second modulated light beam to the second light detector (517).
Regarding claim 9, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 6, wherein the phase light modulator (103) is configurable to modulate the light beam with a first steering pattern associated with the first displacement pattern to provide the first modulated light beam (toward 105) and to modulate the light beam with a second steering pattern associated with the second displacement pattern to provide the second modulated light beam (toward 113, see figure 1).
Regarding claim 10, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 9, further including a controller (911) coupled to the phase light modulator (103), the controller (911) configured to control the steering pattern on the phase light modulator such that the first modulated light beam scans a first field of view and control the second steering pattern such that the second modulated light beam scans a second field of view (see figures 1 and 5, for instance).
Regarding claim 11, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 6, wherein the displaceable elements comprises an array of digital micromirrors or pixels of a liquid crystal phase light modulator (see [0039], [0062]).
Regarding claim 12, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a first collimating lens ([0033]) optically coupled between the light source (101) and the phase light modulator (103).
Regarding claim 13, Bartlett discloses a vehicle comprising (see figures 1-5, for instance) comprising: a LIDAR system, comprising a first phase light modulator (103, according to Applicant’s own Specification, with reference to paragraph [0017], “An example PLM is a digital micromirror based PLM”; Examiner therefore interprets the DMD of Bartlett according to Applicant’s definition of PLM); a light source (101) configurable to direct a light beam towards the phase light modulator (103), the phase light modulator (103) configurable to: provide a first modulated light beam in a first direction responsive to the light beam (toward target 105, see figure 1); provide a second modulated light beam in a second direction responsive to the light beam (toward target 113, see figure 1); a first light detector (515, DETECTOR 1); a second light detector (517, DETECTOR 2); and a second phase light modulator (509) configurable to: direct a reflection of the first modulated light beam towards the first light detector (515, see figure 5), wherein the first light detector (515) is configured configurable to detect the reflection of the first modulated light beam; and direct a reflection of the second modulated light beam towards the second light detector (517), wherein the second light detector (517) is configured configurable to detect the reflection of the second modulated light beam (see figure 5).
Regarding claim 14, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first phase light modulator (103) is configurable to modulate the light beam with a steering pattern to provide the first modulated light beam and the second modulated light beam (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 15, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 14, further including a controller (911) coupled to the first phase light modulator (103), the controller (911) configurable to control the steering pattern on the phase light modulator such that the first modulated light beam scans a first field of view and control the second steering pattern such that the second modulated light beam scans a second field of view (see figures 1 and 5, for instance).
Regarding claim 16, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 13, wherein the displaceable elements comprises an array of digital micromirrors or pixels of a liquid crystal phase light modulator (see [0039], [0062]).
Regarding claim 17, Bartlett discloses the apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a first collimating lens ([0033]) optically coupled between the light source (101) and the phase light modulator (103).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANAEL R BRIGGS whose telephone number is (571)272-8992. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/NATHANAEL R BRIGGS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
2/23/2026