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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 20 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 6/8/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I in the reply filed on 6/8/2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claims 1-9 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kolodner et al (US 2010/0277721 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kolodner discloses a liquid mirror (Figs. 4a-10) comprising:
a first liquid (Fig. 5a, Fig. 6, para 46 “oil”) and a second liquid (Fig. 5a, Fig. 6, para 46 “water” or “aqueous”), wherein the first and second liquids are immiscible with each other (see Figs. 5d-5g); and
a plurality of reflective particles (Fig. 6 “particles”) configured to self-assemble at an interface
between the first and second liquids (para 45, “By way of specific example, the particles may be released into … of oil by sonication into a small cuvette, and a droplet of the particle-containing suspension may then be deposited onto the surface of water. Over the course of several minutes, the particles will disperse and sediment onto the oil-water interface and "self-assemble" into an optofluidic device, with the gold faces of the particles predominantly facing towards the oil phase due in part to the different wetting properties of the two faces of the particles”).
However, the embodiment of Fig. 6 is silent on whether the first and second liquids are ionic.
Paragraph 69 and Figs. 9a-9c show an embodiment having two liquids that are ionic (the liquids … include sufficient ionic components).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date make the first and second liquids of Fig. 6 to be ionic liquids for the purpose of providing suitable electrical conductivities (see para 69).
Regarding claim 2, the liquid mirror of claim 1, wherein the interface (Fig. 9a “930”) between the first and second ionic liquids (oil, aqueous) comprises an optically focusing shape (see the concave shape 930).
Regarding claim 3, the liquid mirror of claim 2, wherein the optically focusing shape is a paraboloidal shape (see 930).
Regarding claim 4, the liquid mirror of claim 2, wherein the optically focusing shape is formed
by accelerating and spinning the first and second ionic liquids (para 50 “spin-coated approximately 10 sec. at 4000 rpm”).
Regarding claim 5, the liquid mirror of claim 2, wherein the optically focusing shape is formed
by at least one of gravity (para 46 “gravity”) or accelerating a structure housing the liquid mirror.
Regarding claim 6, the liquid mirror of claim 1, wherein the first ionic liquid and the second ionic
liquid have at least one matched anion (para 72 “common group of ionic liquids includes nitrogen-containing organic cations and inorganic anions”).
Regarding claim 7, the liquid mirror of claim 1, wherein the first ionic liquid comprises at least one of a hydrophobic cation or a hydrophobic phosphonium cation and the second ionic liquid comprises at last one of a hydrophilic cation or a hydrophilic imidazolium cation (para 36 “one of the surfaces may be hydrophobic and the other of the surfaces may be hydrophilic”; para 72 “common group of ionic liquids includes nitrogen-containing organic cations and inorganic anions”).
Regarding claim 8, the liquid mirror of claim 1, wherein the first ionic liquid comprises a
nonpolar ionic liquid and the second ionic liquid comprises a polar ionic liquid (para 46 “Satisfactory optofluidic devices may be constructed using, e.g., water (specific gravity … 0.997) for the polar liquid phase and an aliphatic or aromatic organic liquid, e.g., an oil for the nonpolar liquid phase”).
Regarding claim 9, Kolodner discloses the claimed invention as set forth above except for wherein the liquid mirror comprises diameter of at least 5 meters and an F/# of about F/2 or less.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date to choose the claimed value, since it has been held that discovering optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art, as being motivated to procure the desired liquid mirror.
Regarding claim 15, the liquid mirror of claim 1, wherein the first and second ionic liquids are
configured to reduce a standing wave perturbation of a surface shape of the interface between the first and second ionic liquids (see Figs. 5e-5g, oil and water are immiscible with each other, thus it reduces a standing wave perturbation at interface surface).
Regarding claim 16, the liquid mirror of claim 1, wherein the liquid mirror is configured to self-
heal upon contact with debris, wherein the first and second ionic liquids comprise a non-volatile liquid (inherently met by the prior art, since when a small object/debris impact the liquid mirror surface, it creates a temporary cavity and a series of localized wave perturbations, high surface tension and hydrostatic pressure immediately force the fluid back into place, restoring the smooth parabolic shape within milliseconds) .
Regarding claim 17, Kolodner discloses the claimed invention as set forth above except for wherein the liquid mirror comprises a diameter of about 10 meters, an effective focal length of about 20 meters, a depth of curvature of about 0.3 meters, a maximum layer thickness of the first ionic liquid of less than or equal to about 2 millimeters, and a maximum layer thickness of the second ionic liquid of less than or equal to 2 millimeters.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date to choose the claimed values, since it has been held that discovering optimum values of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art, as being motivated to procure the desired liquid mirror.
Claims 10, 11, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kolodner et al (US 2010/0277721 A1) in view of Hennigan (US 2009/0067027 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Kolodner discloses the claimed invention as set forth above except for a housing configured to house the first and second ionic liquids, wherein a surface of the housing in contact with the first or second ionic liquid is configured to be heated or cooled, wherein the housing is configured to cool at least one of the first or second ionic liquids such that the first or second ionic liquid forms a non-crystalline solid.
Hennigan discloses for a housing (Fig. 34 “93”) configured to house liquid (para 42 “liquid substance 12 can have pigmentation added to it to cause it to be dark or non-transparent so that the only reflection comes off of the meniscus 14”), wherein a surface of the housing in contact with the first or second ionic liquid is configured to be heated or cooled (para 51 “cool”), wherein the housing is configured to cool at least one of the first or second ionic liquids such that the first or second ionic liquid forms a non-crystalline solid (para 51 “cool to a solid”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date to adapt the housing of Hennigan for the purpose of providing damping vibrations and surface ripples and also shielding wind and air turbulence.
Regarding claim 11, the liquid mirror of claim 2, wherein the second ionic liquid comprises a
Ferrofluid (Hennigan, para 54 “ferro liquid”), wherein the optically focusing shape is formed by applying a magnetic field to the second ionic liquid (Hennigan, para 54 “the liquid substance (12) can be a ferro liquid and the meniscus can be altered to a parabolic or hyperbolic geometry using magnetic fields”).
Regarding claim 18, Kolodner discloses a liquid mirror (Figs. 4a-10) comprising:
a first liquid (Fig. 5a, Fig. 6, para 46 “oil”) and a second liquid (Fig. 5a, Fig. 6, para 46 “water” or “aqueous”), wherein the first and second liquids are immiscible with each other (see Figs. 5d-5g); and
a plurality of reflective particles (Fig. 6 “particles”) configured to self-assemble at an interface
between the first and second liquids (para 45, “By way of specific example, the particles may be released into … of oil by sonication into a small cuvette, and a droplet of the particle-containing suspension may then be deposited onto the surface of water. Over the course of several minutes, the particles will disperse and sediment onto the oil-water interface and "self-assemble" into an optofluidic device, with the gold faces of the particles predominantly facing towards the oil phase due in part to the different wetting properties of the two faces of the particles”).
However, the embodiment of Fig. 6 is silent on whether the first and second liquids are ionic.
Paragraph 69 and Figs. 9a-9c show an embodiment having two liquids that are ionic (the liquids … include sufficient ionic components).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date make the first and second liquids of Fig. 6 to be ionic liquids for the purpose of providing suitable electrical conductivities (see para 69).
Kolodner is silent on whether the liquid mirror is used in a vehicle comprising a housing configured to couple to engine to a liquid mirror and the engine is configured to provide thrust to the housing and the liquid mirror in a thrust direction.
Hennigan discloses the liquid mirror is used in a vehicle (para 2 “space telescopes” is an uncrewed spacecraft or space vehicle) comprising:
a housing (Fig. 34 “93”) configured to couple an engine to a liquid mirror (para 42 “liquid substance 12 can have pigmentation added to it to cause it to be dark or non-transparent so that the only reflection comes off of the meniscus 14”),
the engine configured to provide thrust to the housing and liquid mirror in a thrust direction (para 58 “during a boost maneuver the dish chamber (32) can have an attitude so that when the thrust occurs the liquid substance (12) is pushed to the bottom of the dish chamber (32) and then when the thrust is stopped the thrust would be reduced slowly so that the liquid substance (12) would slowly rise along the wall of the dish chamber (32) to be stopped by the boundary line without the meniscus collapsing”; claim 1 “steady thrust”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date to adapt the housing of Hennigan for the purpose of providing damping vibrations and surface ripples and also shielding wind and air turbulence.
Regarding claim 19, in combination, the vehicle of claim 18, wherein the engine comprises and ion engine (Kolodner, paragraph 69 and Figs. 9a-9c show an embodiment having two liquids that are ionic, the liquids … include sufficient ionic components).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-14 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
claims are allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest the liquid mirror of claim further comprising:
a plurality of magnetic particles dispersed within at least one of the first ionic liquid or the second ionic liquid; and
a housing configured to house the first and second ionic liquids,
wherein the housing comprises at least one magnet configured to apply a magnetic field to the second ionic liquid, and
wherein a surface of the housing in contact with the first or second ionic liquid is configured to be heated or cooled as set forth in the claimed combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kolodner et al (US 7,525,722 B2) discloses a liquid mirror (Figs. 1, 2)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUNCHA P CHERRY whose telephone number is (571)272-2310. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 7am to 3:30pm.
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7/25/2026
/EUNCHA P CHERRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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