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 .
This Non-Final Rejection is in response to the Applicant’s amendment received on 03/24/2026, in response to the request for continued examination made on 03/24/2026.
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:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 24-27 and 29-38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah et al. (US 2019/0126537 A1) in view of Sun et al. (US 2023/0204969 A1; herein after “Sun”) in further view of Kamali et al. (US 2016/0320531 A1).
Regarding claim 24, Shah et al. teach a line-illumination temporal focusing three-dimensional nano-fabrication apparatus (see abstract) comprising:
a laser source (12) adapted to emit a laser beam (see Figs 1-2; [0034]-[0035]); a line-illumination pattern unit that forms a pre-determined pattern from a line-shaped beam (Fig. 1-2 item 18, 20, 24, 26) [0034]-[0049]); said line-illumination pattern unit having a dispersion device with a predetermined intensity (see Figs 1-3 item 26; [0034]-[0049]) to form the line-shaped beam;
a data acquisition unit that receives input signals and transmits output signals for movement synchronization of multiple devices (it is noted that applicant’s specification fails to explicitly define a data acquisition unit, thus broadly it is considered a system that receives input and transmit output signal for movement synchronization of multiple devices, [0040], 0047]-[0049] discloses various controls);
an optical imaging device configured to monitor a fabrication process in real-time (see [0034] discloses using COD cameras, which are CCD cameras); a controller unit (see Figs 1-4 item 56); and a substrate plane (Figs 1-2 stage at 50 has a substrate plane).
However, Shah et al. fail to explicitly teach the illumination pattern including a shaping lens …as claimed.
In the same field of endeavor, method and device using femtosecond laser to prepare nano-precision structure, Sun teaches the illumination pattern including a shaping lens adjacent to the dispersion device so as to form the line-shaped beam as claimed (see Fig 1, femtosecond laser device, connected to beam expansion by the concave lens L1 as the shaping lens, then first convex lens L2, M1 [0061]-[0081][0194]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time of the Applicant’s invention was made to modify the system as taught by Shah et al. with further including shaping lens, such as a concave lens (as the beam expander), as taught by Sun, for the benefit of high-precision laser nanostructure processing, thereby obtaining stable patterns, with accuracy (see [0003]).
However, Saha et al. and Sun et al. fail to teach including a concave cylindrical lens so as shape the laser beam in a single dimension so as to form the line-shaped beam and to generate a virtual line pattern optically conjugated to a focal plane.
In the same field of endeavor, pertaining to nanofabrication ([0035]), KAMALI et al. teach a concave cylindrical lens so as shape the laser beam in a single dimension so as to form the line-shaped beam and capable of generating a virtual line pattern optically conjugated to a focal plane (see Figs. 3-4 item 305, 410; [0038], [0042]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art at the time of the Applicant’s invention effectively filed to modify a line-illumination temporal focusing three-dimensional nano-fabrication apparatus as taught by Saha et al. and Sun et al., with further including concave cylindrical lens, as taught by KAMALI et al, for the benefit of providing predictable result of forming desired shaped beam to a focal plane.
As for claim 25, Shah et al. further teach wherein the multiple devices synchronized by said data acquisition unit include a sample stage and a dispersion device in said line-illumination pattern unit, wherein said data acquisition unit receives signals from the sample stage and transmits output signals to the dispersion device in said line-illumination pattern unit for movement synchronization during the fabrication process (50/130 sample stage; Fig. 1 and 3; [0047]-[0049]; [0044]-[0049], [0037]-[0040] discloses use of DMDs which are dispersion device in line including item 26, in Fig 1).
As for claim 26, Shah et al. further teach an illumination light positioned below a sample on said substrate plane for fabrication of a transparent object (Fig 1-3 item 52 is places below the moving stage 50), which can be reconfigured as desired such as opaque or transparent).
As for claim 27, it is noted that wherein said illumination light is reconfigurable so as to be epi-illuminated for an object less transparent than the transparent object (see Fig 1-2).
As for claim 29 – 30 and 31-34, Shah et al. further teaches wherein said optical imaging device is a two-dimensional imaging sensor that is a CCD camera ([0034] discloses using COD cameras which are CCD cameras), and similarly, Sun also teaches using CCD cameras (see Fig 1). Shah et al. further disclose where in the shaping lens is a concave lens (see Fig 1-3; claim 8; [0025][0048]); and including at least one objective lens and at least one collimator (see Fig 1-3 item 44; [0013]-[0015]); and wherein the sample stage is configured to move in X-Y-Z directions ([0040] discloses stage 50 is movable in x-y-z directions).
Sun further teach wherein said laser source is a femtosecond laser (see Fig. 1 which shows a femtosecond laser device). Sun further teaches a 4-f imaging system that relays the line-shaped beam and focuses the laser beam onto a focal plane of an objective lens so as to form the pre-determined line pattern on the substrate plane (see [0014] discloses a 4f system 5, including objective lens 6); wherein said shaping lens is a concave cylindrical lens, said 4-f imaging system having at least one collimator and an objective lens ([0014]- [0026]); wherein the sample stage is configured to move in X-Y-Z directions and is programmable by said control unit so as to output trigger signals for said data acquisition unit for synchronization during fabrication ([0196] discloses at least motion in two direction which can be modified to three-direction as needed); wherein the laser beam expands via a beam expander so as to fill an aperture of the dispersion device ([0197] discloses “Firstly, the femtosecond laser emitted from the laser device is subjected to light spot beam expansion by the beam expander consisting of the concave lens L1 and the first convex lens L2, then passes through the energy modulation system consisting of the first half-wave plate H1 and the first Glan prism P1, and afterwards passes through a first total-reflection mirror M1 and the polarization control system consisting of the second Glan prism P1 and the second half-wave plate H2 sequentially, such that a light beam vertically enters the galvanometer”).
As for claims 35 -37, Shah et al. further teach wherein said data acquisition unit is reprogrammable to input signals for arbitrary line structures ([0040], [0047]-[0049] discloses various controls), and Sun teaches wherein said controller unit is a computer ([0200] discloses computer as controller, see claim 6).
As for claim 38, Shah et al. further teach wherein the computer is configured to control a power shutter of said laser source and a trigger mode of the dispersion device and a loading of a sample into a memory of the dispersion device and a motion and trigger of the sample stage (see [0122], [0196],[0199] discloses use of the computer to control the stage and all the other elements of the device).
Claim(s) 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah et al. (US 2019/0126537 A1) in view of Sun et al. (US 2023/0204969 A1; herein after “Sun”) in further view of Kamali et al. (US 2016/0320531 A1) and in further view of Chen et al. (US 2022/0152924 A1).
Regarding claim 28, Shah and Sun et al. fail to teach wherein said optical imaging device is a two-dimensional imaging sensor that is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera.
In the same field of endeavor, pertaining to nanofabrication, Chen et al. teach wherein said optical imaging device is a two-dimensional imaging sensor that is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera (see [0033]). It would have been obvious to further modify Shah in view of Sun, with including metal-oxide-semiconductor camera, as suggested by Chen et al., for the benefit of monitoring the printing process via an illumination light source, thereby efficiently nanopatterning with accuracy.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 24-38 have been considered but
Is not found persuasive for Shah in view of Sun. Applicant argued that “the spatial and temporal focusing of femtosecond laser and the resulting advantages described in the present application cannot be achieved by adding a beam shaping unit to the Saha application”.
Applicant is thanked for providing explanation of the invention, however, claim 24 does not yet recite a specific type of laser “femtosecond” as argued. Claim 24 broadly includes any type of laser, any dispersion device, and any concave cylindrical lens. Claim 24 does not yet recite what dispersion device includes as provided in the specification. Applicant is urged to carefully amend claim 24 showing the distinction by specific laser, specific dispersion device, and lens in combination as argued.
Applicant argues Sun publication uses traditional concave lens which differs from concave cylindrical lens. Applicant’s argument are moot as new references applied shows that concave cylindrical lens is known in the nanofabrication process.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 2007/0152154 A1; US 2006/0219676 A1; US 2006/0215175 A1.
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NAHIDA SULTANA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1743
/NAHIDA SULTANA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743