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 § 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.
Claims 1, 4-8, 15, 17, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xiao et al (US 2024/0337823 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Xiao et al discloses a beam steering system (Fig. 1), comprising:
a beam steering element (mirror-based scanner 116) configured to steer an optical beam (incident beam B1) having a beam waist (para 103, “Gaussian laser beam” has the beam waist),
wherein the beam steering element (116) is oriented at a tilt angle relative to the optical beam (116 is tilted relative to incident beam B1); and
an optical system (retroreflector array 114), comprising
a first mirror (first reflector of retroreflector array 114 from the top, there are 8 reflectors) that faces the beam steering element (the first reflector faces 116);
a second mirror (second reflector of retroreflector array 114 from the top) that faces the first mirror (second reflector faces the first reflector of 114);
wherein the optical system (114) configured to return the optical beam (beam B5) to the beam steering element (116) to provide multiple bounces (first for B1 and second for B5, para 66, “double -pass approach”) of the optical beam on the beam steering element (116),
wherein the beam waist of the optical beam is to be maintained from inputting the optical beam (B1) to the beam steering element to outputting the optical beam (B6) from the beam steering element (para 72 “after beam B5 finally reaches the scan mirror in the mirror-based scanner 116 and is being scanned again, beam B6 will have the same angular offset with respect to the original incident beam B1; which means the beam waist is to be maintained).
Regarding claim 4, the beam steering system of claim 1, wherein the optical system further comprises a third mirror (fourth reflector of retroreflector array 114, the fourth from the top) that faces the first mirror (first reflector of 114).
Regarding claim 5, the beam steering system of claim 1, further comprising a beam steering element array that comprises the beam steering element (paras 51 and 59, MEMS mirror).
Regarding claim 6, the beam steering system of claim 1, further comprising: an optical source configured to output the optical beam (not shown optical source configured to output the optical beam B1).
Regarding claim 7, the beam steering system of claim 1, wherein the beam steering element is a micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) device, an optical phased array, or a metamaterial structure (paras 51 and 59, MEMS mirror).
Regarding claim 8, the beam steering system of claim 1, wherein an output angle of the optical beam from the beam steering element, resulting from the multiple bounces of the optical beam on the beam steering element, is approximately an integer multiple of the tilt angle (para 74).
Regarding claim 15, Xiao et al discloses a beam steering system (Fig. 1), comprising:
a beam steering element (mirror-based scanner 116) configured to steer an optical beam (incident beam B1) having a beam waist (para 103, “Gaussian laser beam” has the beam waist); and
an optical system (retroreflector array 114) configured to return the optical beam (beam B5) to the beam steering element (116) to provide multiple bounces (first for B1 and second for B5, para 66, “double -pass approach”) of the optical beam on the beam steering element (116),
wherein the beam waist of the optical beam is to be maintained from inputting the optical beam (B1) to the beam steering element to outputting the optical beam (B6) from the beam steering element (para 72 “after beam B5 finally reaches the scan mirror in the mirror-based scanner 116 and is being scanned again, beam B6 will have the same angular offset with respect to the original incident beam B1; which means the beam waist is to be maintained).
Regarding claim 17, the beam steering system of claim 15, wherein the optical system comprises:
a first mirror (first reflector of 114 from the top) that faces the beam steering element (the first reflector faces 116);
a second mirror (second reflector of 114 from the top) that faces the first mirror (second reflector faces the first reflector of 114); and
a third mirror (fourth reflector of 114 from the top) that faces the first mirror (first reflector of 114).
Regarding claim 18, the beam steering system of claim 15, wherein the beam steering element is a micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) device, an optical phased array, or a metamaterial structure (paras 51 and 59, MEMS mirror).
Regarding claim 20, the beam steering system of claim 15, wherein an output angle of the optical beam from the beam steering element, resulting from the multiple bounces of the optical beam on the beam steering element, is at least approximately twice a steering angle of the optical beam from the beam steering element resulting from a single bounce of the optical beam on the beam steering element (para 79, “the present technology produces twice the number of resolvable angles/spots compared to a tradition technique”)
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 9, 10, 14 and 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiao et al (US 2024/0337823 A1) in view of Yang et al (US 2018/0288504 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Xiao et al discloses an optical system (Fig. 1) comprising:
a first mirror (first reflector of 114 from the top) that faces the beam steering element (the first reflector faces the beam steering element 116) that is to steer an optical beam having a beam waist (para 103, “Gaussian laser beam” has the beam waist); and
a second mirror (2nd reflector of the retroreflector array 114 from the top, there are 8 reflectors) that faces the first mirror seond reflector faces the first reflector); and
wherein the optical system (114) configured to return the optical beam (beam B5) to the beam steering element (116) to provide multiple bounces (first for B1 and second for B5, para 66, “double -pass approach”) of the optical beam on the beam steering element (116).
However, Xiao et al is silent on the optical system that is configured to image the beam waist of the optical beam on the beam steering element.
Yang et al discloses the optical system (Fig. 1a) that is configured to image the beam waist of the optical beam on the beam steering element (beam waist is on the diffraction grating 106).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date to have the optical system that is configured to return the optical beam to the beam steering element such that the beam waist of the optical beam is on the beam steering element for the purpose of achieving the beam steering system to be extremely compact, ultra-thin profile, virtually no scan loss up to very large angles, no coma or high-order aberrations, and uniform illumination at every steering angle.
Regarding claim 10, the optical system of claim 9, wherein the optical system is configured to return the optical beam to the beam steering element such that the beam waist of the optical beam is on the beam steering element (Yang, see Fig. 1a, beam waist on 106).
Regarding claim14, the optical system of claim 9, wherein the optical system further comprises a third mirror (Xiao, fourth reflector of retroreflector array 114 from the top) that faces the first mirror (first reflector of 114).
Regarding claim 19, Xiao discloses the claimed invention as set forth above except the prior art is silent on the optical system is configured to return the optical beam to the beam steering element such that the beam waist of the optical beam is on the beam steering element.
Yang et al discloses the optical system (Fig. 1a) that is configured to image the beam waist of the optical beam on the beam steering element (beam waist is on the diffraction grating 106).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention before the effective filing date to have the optical system is configured to return the optical beam to the beam steering element such that the beam waist of the optical beam is on the beam steering element for the purpose of achieving the beam steering system to be extremely compact, ultra-thin profile, virtually no scan loss up to very large angles, no coma or high-order aberrations, and uniform illumination at every steering angle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 11-13 and 16 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:
Regarding claims 2 and 16, claims are allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest the lens between the first mirror, and the beam steering element and the second mirror as set forth in the claimed combination;
Regarding claim 3, claim is allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest the beam steering element and the second mirror are a same distance from the first mirror as set forth on the claimed combination; and
Regarding claims 11-13, claims are allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest the optical system further comprises a lens between the first mirror and the second mirror as set forth in the claimed combination.
Conclusion
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached at (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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12/12/2025
/EUNCHA P CHERRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872