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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 3-9, 11-12, 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al (CN 111922512A), with references made to attached machine translation, in view of Kayander et al (US 2017/0176672) and Gollier et al (US 2017/0189991).
Regarding claim 1, Li discloses, A system for processing a material by using ultrashort laser pulses from an ultrashort pulse laser (an industrial Bessel pulsed laser system and a manufacturing method thereof comprising an ultra-short pulse laser 7), the system comprising
an ultrashort pulse laser for producing the ultrashort laser pulses and for providing a laser beam, (the ultrashort pulsed laser 7 for generating ultrashort laser pulses and for providing a laser beam)
a
an input coupling optical unit configured to input couple the laser beam into an input of the hollow core fiber, wherein the output of the hollow core fiber is configured to output couple the laser beam from the hollow core fiber, wherein the output coupled laser beam subtends a divergence angle (an optical fiber 83, the optical fiber 83 is set up for transmitting the laser beam to an output end of the optical fiber 83, the output ends of the optical fibers are set up for, coupling the laser beam out of the optical fiber at a divergence angle, See Paragraphs [0019], [0037),
a lens device, on which the laser beam subtending the divergence angle and output coupled from the hollow core fiber is incident, (a collimator 82, equivalent to a lens device)
a beam shaping element, on which the laser beam emerging from the lens device is incident (an axicon 81 (equivalent to a beam shaping element), and
a focusing optical unit, wherein the lens device is configured to adjust the divergence angle of the output coupled laser beam for adjusting a beam diameter of the laser beam on the beam shaping element, (the out-coupled laser beam from the optical fiber impinges on the collimator 82 with the divergence angle, and the out-coupled laser beam impinges on the axicon 81, wherein the collimator 82 is set up to match the divergence angle of the out-coupled laser beam to match the beam diameter (D) of the laser beam on the axicon 81.)
Li fails to discloses, the hollow core optical fiber, wherein the beam shaping element is configured to impose upon the laser beam, upstream or downstream of the focusing optical unit, a quasi-non-diffractive beam shape with a focal zone that is elongated in the beam propagation direction, and wherein the focusing optical unit is configured to set a penetration depth of the focal zone in or on the material.
Kayander discloses, the optical fiber comprising a hollow core fiber. (See Paragraph [0034]) It would have been obvious, at the time of the invention, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to adapt Li in view of Kayander provide the hollow core fiber as this allows for better transportation of polarized light and the change in direction of the light is significantly reduced.
Gollier discloses, discloses a system and method for processing transparent materials using laser beam focal lines with adjustable length and diameter and specifically discloses the following technical feature (see, Figures 1-13): An additional collimating lens 12 is used to adjust the circular illumination of focusing lens 11 very tightly. The focal length f of the collimating lens 12 is selected in such a way that the distance zla from the axicon to the collimating lens 12 results in the desired circle diameter dr, which is equal to f. The required width br of the ring can be adjusted by the distance zlb (collimating lens 12 to focusing lens 11). As a matter of geometry, the small width of the circular illumination results in a short focal line. A minimum value may be achieved at distance f; the collimating lens 12, here also designed as a plano-convex lens (with its curvature towards the beam direction), is additionally placed centrally on one side in the beam path between axicon 10 (with its apex towards the beam direction) and plano 10 (with its apex towards the beam direction) (equivalent to being provided with focusing optics), wherein the beam shaping element is set up to, applying a quasi-non-diffracting beam shape to the laser beam in front of or behind the focusing optics, the quasi-non-diffracting beam shape having a focal zone elongated in the beam propagation direction, wherein the focusing optics is set up to tune the introduction depth of the focal zone into or onto the material. (See Paragraphs [0080]-[0090])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to adapt Li in view of Gollier to provide wherein the beam shaping element is configured to impose upon the laser beam, upstream or downstream of the focusing optical unit, a quasi-non-diffractive beam shape with a focal zone that is elongated in the beam propagation direction, and wherein the focusing optical unit is configured to set a penetration depth of the focal zone in or on the material for decreasing the number of pulses required for reaching the desired penetration depth.
Regarding claim 3, Li fails to disclose a duration of laser pulses is between 0.01 ps and 100 ps.
Gollier discloses a laser pulse on the picosecond scale. (See Paragraph [0021], [0056], [0112]) It would have been obvious to adapt Li in view of Gollier to provide laser pulses between 0.01 ps and 100 ps since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art and that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 4, Li fails to disclose the beam shaping element comprises an axicon or a diffractive optical element, wherein a length of the focal zone that is elongated in the beam propagation direction is determined by the beam diameter of the laser beam on an input of the beam shaping element.
Gollier discloses, regarding claims 4-6, the beam shaping element 6 comprises an axicon 9 with Fig 4 showing the focal zone produced to be elongated and dependent on beam diameter. The axicon produces a divergent angle of the beam (See Paragraphs [0029] and [0072], [0073]) It would have been obvious to adapt Li in view of Gollier to provide the axicon element as this is an obvious variant for forming the desired type of focal lines.
Regarding claims 7 and 12, Li disclose the lens (a collimator 82, equivalent to a lens device) which is shown as being positioned the beam shaping device 81 and the fiber 83. The collimator is fixed. Regarding claim 8, the lens is a collimator which would diverge the beam.
Regarding claim 9, Li fails to disclose a beam splitter. However, Kayander discloses a beam splitter 28. It would have been obvious to provide the beam splitter down stream to considerably increase the degree of polarization of the laser light.
Regarding claim 11, Li fails to disclose a second lens. However, Gollier discloses a second lens 11 downstream from the first lens in a beam propagation direction. (See Paragraph [0098]) It would have been obvious to adapt Li in view of Gollier to provide the second lens for further controlling the focus of the gaussian profile beam transformed into a Bessel profile.
Regarding claim 14-16, Li fails to disclose a wherein an optical path distance from the output of the hollow core fiber to the beam shaping element is adjustable and the beam diameter of the laser beam on the beam shaping element is set by setting the optical path distance, wherein the first distance is fixed, and an optical path distance from the output of the hollow core fiber to the beam shaping element is adjustable, the beam diameter of the laser beam on the beam shaping element is set by setting the optical path distance, wherein the first distance is adjustable and an optical path distance from the output of the hollow core fiber to the beam shaping element is fixed, the beam diameter of the laser beam on the beam shaping element is set by setting the first distance.
Gollier discloses adjusting the beam focal line length and beam diameter which would adjust the optical path. (See Paragraphs [0004], [0076], [0098] It would have been obvious to adapt Li in view of Gollier to provide the adjustment of the optical path as claimed for changing the focus based on the type and thickness of the material being processed.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al (CN 111922512A), with references made to attached machine translation, in view of Kayander et al (US 2017/0176672), Gollier et al (US 2017/0189991) Narayanan et al (US 2014/0204387).
The teachings of Li as modified have been discussed above. Li as modified fails to disclose, an optical path distance of the output of the hollow core fiber from the beam shaping element is adjustable in order to set an illumination of an input of the beam shaping element and hence set a length of the focal zone that is elongated in the beam propagation direction.
Narayanan discloses, an optical fiber 220 for directing a laser 120 where the optical path distance is adjustable. (See Paragraphs [0026] and [0027]. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the invention, to adapt Li in view of Narayanan to provide an optical path distance of the output of the hollow core fiber from the beam shaping element is adjustable in order to adjust the index of refraction, physical path length, or both and reduce noise fluctuations.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10, 13 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN W JENNISON whose telephone number is (571)270-5930. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9-5.
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/BRIAN W JENNISON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 3/3/2026