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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 2/03/2026 has been entered. The applicant has amended the claims 1, 7-12, 14 and 17-20, cancelled 5-6 and 15-16, and added new claims 21-24. Claims 1-4, 7-14 and 17-24 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Applicant amended claim 12 to overcome rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b). The rejection has been withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 2/03/2026 have been fully considered but are moot because the arguments directed to the newly added claimed limitations. A new ground of rejection has been made and applicant's argument is moot in view of the new ground of rejection necessitated by the amendments.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 3-4, 7-11, 14, 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sitter et al. (US 20180267299, of record) in view of Braunreiter et al. (WO 2021071559, of record), further in view of Rossbach (US 2012/0104237, of record).
Regarding claim 1, Sitter teaches a beam director system (refer to US 20180267299 A1) comprising:
a high-energy laser beam source for an HEL beam (HEL 302 produces high-power laser, [0035]; Fig. 3),
a primary mirror disposed along an optical path downstream of the HEL beam source (telescope 215 in FIG. 3 includes a focusing mechanism 310, [0039], Figs. 4 and 5 show telescope 215 that includes a primary mirror 406, [0047]);
output optics downstream of the primary mirror (window 216 allows passage of various illumination used by the imaging system. The window 216 includes any suitable structure that is substantially transparent to at least the wavelengths used by the imaging system, [0032]);
an auto-alignment system associated with the HEL beam source (auto-alignment system 202 associated with the HEL beam source 302, Fig. 3, [0035]); Sitter further teaches system 300 offers flexibility in modifying the detector integration time for the HEL imaging, detector integration time may be adaptively decreased when the HEL beam return 305 is present, [0038]; The adaptive optical WFE correction corrects for both internal optical aberrations and external wavefront errors caused by atmospheric disturbances and aero-optical effects, the deformable mirror can be used to correct for induced aberrations. An auto-alignment scheme is used to maintain pointing accuracy as the telescope is focused, [0041]; Although FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate examples of coherent imaging systems, with and without HEL capabilities, various changes may be made to FIGS. 1 through 3. For example, various components in FIGS. 1 through 3 could be combined, further subdivided, omitted, or rearranged and additional components could be added according to particular needs, [0042]; The auto-alignment illumination 218 is used to provide an indication of internal light-of-sight errors or other errors within the system. These errors can then be corrected by modifying the optical properties of one or more elements along the beam path, such as by controlling the tilt of one or more steering mirrors, [0054]. The gimbal AA subsystem 444 measures beams sent along the optical path from the digital holographic sensor 402 through the main telescope 215 and thus facilitates the correction of internal errors within the system, [0055]), detector includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode (detection method may be referred to as spatial heterodyne or digital holography (DH). Such interference imaging enables photon-noise limited detection and phase processing that also allows 3D imaging, aberration determination/correction, and vibration imaging, [0022], it is known to art that spatial heterodyne and digital holography (DH) are fundamentally related to photodiodes and attenuators);
Sitter doesn’t explicitly teach a jitter correction system downstream of the HEL beam source and upstream of the primary mirror; and a burn-through detector associated with the primary mirror, wherein the burn-through detector is disposed along a burn-through path and includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode.
Sitter and Braunreiter are related as High-energy laser (HEL) systems.
Braunreiter teaches a jitter correction system downstream of the HEL beam source and upstream of the primary mirror , wherein the detector is disposed along a path and includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode (imaging sensor 378 capture image, [0059], Fig. 3; a position sensitivity detector 376 (such as a SWIR camera), which can detect the location of the AA beam 304, [0059]; sensor 399 can be used to detect if stray laser energy presents a safety concern, [0061], [0039], [0040], [0059]), a jitter correction system (imaging sensor is used for both atmospheric jitter correction and target tracking in a high-energy laser system, [0019]; TIL-related images are used for target tracking and the TIL/BIL-related images are used for boresight correction, including atmospheric jitter correction, [0020]; high-energy laser (HEL) systems, Target dynamics, such as changes in direction or velocity of the target, can introduce tracking errors when pointing the high-energy laser beam at the target. Jitter of the high-energy laser beam can alter the location where the beam strikes the target, and the jitter going up in the atmosphere is different than the jitter going down in the atmosphere and is therefore difficult to identify based on measurements generated by a tracking sensor on the ground [0016], The controller 230 may then control one or both fast steering mirrors 218, 218 and/or the high-speed mirror 224 to compensate for predicted jitter, such as by causing the HEL beam 106 to move in the opposite direction as the predicted jitter, [0046]; As with the example shown in FIGURE 2, the laser system 102 in FIGURE 3 uses a single imaging sensor (the imaging sensor 378) to capture images that contain reflected TIL energy and images that contact reflected TIL energy and reflected BIL energy. Among other things, this allows the controller 230 to perform target tracking using the TIL-related images and to perform boresight correction (including jitter correction) using the TIL/BIL-related images, [0062], [0080], The reflected TIL energy is affected by atmospheric downlink jitter 812, and the target LOS stabilization loop 804 senses the atmospheric downlink jitter 812 and compensates for the downlink jitter 812, [0088]; One or more mirrors are controlled to substantially cancel the predicted jitter or other boresight error at step 920, [0099], Fig. 9), a path and includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the beam detector system of Sitter to include a jitter correction system downstream of the HEL beam source and upstream of the primary mirror as taught by Braunreiter for the predictable advantage of jitter correction and better target tracking, as taught by Braunreiter in [Summary, 0003].
The modified Sitter teaches a High-energy laser (HEL) system with primary mirror, but doesn’t explicitly teach a burn-through detector associated with the primary mirror.
Sitter and Rossbach are related as High-energy laser (HEL) systems.
Rossbach teaches a burn-through detector associated with the primary mirror (FIG. 1, an energy beam burn through system 10 is shown. The system 10 may have a sensor unit 12. The sensor unit 12 may be used to identify when an energy beam 14 may have deviated from a desired pathway. One or more detector units 15 may be positioned on the sensor unit 12. The detector unit 15 may be used to monitor any light signal received within the sensor unit 12. The detector unit 15 may be coupled to a response unit 16, [0015]; a resulting signal at the detector unit 15 is obtained independent of where the burn-through or high-power scatter occurs on the sensor unit 12 or the position of the detector unit 15 on the sheet 18, [0021]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include a burn through system as taught by Rossbach for the predictable advantage of detects when a high energy beam has deviated from an allowed test area, [0001].
Regarding claim 3, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1 (see above), wherein the jitter correction system is positioned adjacent to a high-speed short wave infrared sensor (This measurement can then be used to adjust one or more alignment mirrors to force the HEL, SWIR laser and SWIR sensor to be co-aligned, [0055]). Braunreiter teaches (jitter correction and target tracking in a high-energy laser system … , a single imaging sensor, such as a short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera or other sensor, is co-boresighted to an optical path of a high-energy laser beam [0019]).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 3 (see above), Braunreiter teaches, wherein the jitter correction system includes a far field position sensitive detector and a near field sensing array (position sensitivity detector 376, such as a SWIR camera, [0059]).
Regarding claim 7, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1, Rossbach further teaches, wherein the burn-through detector is configured to work at a test power level, intermediate ramp power levels, and a full power (detector unit 15 is obtained independent of where the burn-through or high power scatter occurs on the enclosure 30., [0027]).
Regarding claim 8, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1, Rossbach further teaches wherein a dynamic range of the photodiode is set by either an input power or a resistive load in readout electronics (photo diode array for monitoring beam angle and at least one photo diode array for monitoring beam position, [claim 10];
Regarding claim 9, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1, Rossbach further teaches wherein the burn-through detector is configured with a bit depth photodiode output having sufficient depth and/or dynamic range without attenuation (The attenuator setting is adjusted by feeding the energy sensor data to the stabilization controller. An algorithm on the stabilization controller adjusts the attenuator setting based on the energy sensor reading, [0073]).
Regarding claim 10, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1 (see above), Rossbach teaches, wherein the burn-through detector further includes one or more burn strips surrounding a periphery of the primary mirror. (see Fig. 1, The detector unit 15 may be used to monitor any light signal received within the sensor unit 12, [0015]; burn through 19 the one or more layer or layers of the coating 20 on the sheet 18. At that time, the operating wavelength light of the energy beam 14 is transmitted into the sheet 18 which may act like an integrating sphere and or integrating structure. [0019] An integrating sphere may be an optical component consisting of a hollow cavity with may have an interior coated for high diffuse reflectivity. Thus, once a light enters the integrating sphere, the light may tend to scatter repeatedly until the incident flux density at any location within the integrating sphere becomes nearly uniform. Thus, a light sensor located at any location within the integrating sphere would receive an average incident flux density [0018-0019], [see Fig. 2]).
Regarding claim 11, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1 (see above), wherein the HEL beam source also configured to emit an auto-alignment beam that is co-aligned with the HEL beam (Fig. 3, HEL beam source also emits an alignment illumination 218).
Regarding claim 14, Sitter teaches a method of operating a high-energy laser (HEL) weapon (refer to US 20180267299 A1), the method comprising:
sending an HEL beam of the HEL weapon through optics that are optically downstream of an HEL beam source (Fig. 3, HEL 302 produces high-power laser, [0035];) of the HEL weapon (Fig. 1 shows laser system 102 is mounted represents an armored land vehicle, [0029]); and
correcting the path of the HEL beam that has passed through the optics (telescope 215 in FIG. 3 includes a focusing mechanism 310. As described in more detail below, the focusing mechanism 310 can be used to focus the HEL illumination 303 onto the target 101 in order to create the HEL hitspot 301. Moreover, the auto-alignment system 202 operates to help compensate for line-of-sight shifts and aberrations typically created when a telescope changes its focus. Any suitable focusing mechanism 310 can be used in a telescope, [0039]; HEL beam that has passed through the optics: window 216 allows passage of various illumination used by the imaging system. The window 216 includes any suitable structure that is substantially transparent to at least the wavelengths used by the imaging system, [0032])), using an auto-alignment system associated with the HEL beam source (auto-alignment system 202 associated with the HEL beam source 302, Fig. 3, [0035]); Sitter further teaches system 300 offers flexibility in modifying the detector integration time for the HEL imaging, detector integration time may be adaptively decreased when the HEL beam return 305 is present, [0038]; various changes may be made to FIGS. 1 through 3. For example, various components in FIGS. 1 through 3 could be combined, further subdivided, omitted, or rearranged and additional components could be added according to particular needs, [0042], detector includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode (detection method may be referred to as spatial heterodyne or digital holography (DH). Such interference imaging enables photon-noise limited detection and phase processing that also allows 3D imaging, aberration determination/correction, and vibration imaging, [0022], it is known to art that spatial heterodyne and digital holography (DH) are fundamentally related to photodiodes and attenuators;
Sitter doesn’t explicitly teach a jitter correction system downstream of the HEL beam source and upstream of the primary mirror, and a burn-through detector associated with the primary mirror, wherein the burn-through detector is disposed along a burn-through path and includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode.
Sitter and Braunreiter are related as High-energy laser (HEL) systems.
Braunreiter teaches a jitter correction system downstream of the HEL beam source and upstream of the primary mirror , wherein the detector is disposed along a path and includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode (imaging sensor 378 capture image, [0059], Fig. 3; a position sensitivity detector 376 (such as a SWIR camera), which can detect the location of the AA beam 304, [0059]; sensor 399 can be used to detect if stray laser energy presents a safety concern, [0061], [0039], [0040], [0059]), a jitter correction system (imaging sensor is used for both atmospheric jitter correction and target tracking in a high-energy laser system, [0019]; TIL-related images are used for target tracking and the TIL/BIL-related images are used for boresight correction, including atmospheric jitter correction, [0020]; high-energy laser (HEL) systems, Target dynamics, such as changes in direction or velocity of the target, can introduce tracking errors when pointing the high-energy laser beam at the target. Jitter of the high-energy laser beam can alter the location where the beam strikes the target, and the jitter going up in the atmosphere is different than the jitter going down in the atmosphere and is therefore difficult to identify based on measurements generated by a tracking sensor on the ground [0016], The controller 230 may then control one or both fast steering mirrors 218, 218 and/or the high-speed mirror 224 to compensate for predicted jitter, such as by causing the HEL beam 106 to move in the opposite direction as the predicted jitter, [0046]; As with the example shown in FIGURE 2, the laser system 102 in FIGURE 3 uses a single imaging sensor (the imaging sensor 378) to capture images that contain reflected TIL energy and images that contact reflected TIL energy and reflected BIL energy. Among other things, this allows the controller 230 to perform target tracking using the TIL-related images and to perform boresight correction (including jitter correction) using the TIL/BIL-related images, [0062], [0080], The reflected TIL energy is affected by atmospheric downlink jitter 812, and the target LOS stabilization loop 804 senses the atmospheric downlink jitter 812 and compensates for the downlink jitter 812, [0088]; One or more mirrors are controlled to substantially cancel the predicted jitter or other boresight error at step 920, [0099], Fig. 9), a path and includes at least one attenuator and a photodiode. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the beam detector system of Sitter to include a jitter correction system downstream of the HEL beam source and upstream of the primary mirror as taught by Braunreiter for the predictable advantage of jitter correction and better target tracking, as taught by Braunreiter in [Summary, 0003].
The modified Sitter teaches a High-energy laser (HEL) systems with primary mirror, but doesn’t explicitly teach a burn-through detector associated with the primary mirror.
Sitter and Rossbach are related as High-energy laser (HEL) systems.
Rossbach teaches a burn-through detector associated with the primary mirror (FIG. 1, an energy beam burn through system 10 is shown. The system 10 may have a sensor unit 12. The sensor unit 12 may be used to identify when an energy beam 14 may have deviated from a desired pathway. One or more detector units 15 may be positioned on the sensor unit 12. The detector unit 15 may be used to monitor any light signal received within the sensor unit 12. The detector unit 15 may be coupled to a response unit 16, [0015]; a resulting signal at the detector unit 15 is obtained independent of where the burn-through or high-power scatter occurs on the sensor unit 12 or the position of the detector unit 15 on the sheet 18, [0021]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include a burn through system as taught by Rossbach for the predictable advantage of detects when a high energy beam has deviated from an allowed test area, [0001].
Regarding claim 17, the modified Sitter teaches the method according to claim 14 (see above), Rossbach further teaches, wherein the burn-through detector is configured to work at a test power level, intermediate ramp power levels, and at full power (detector unit 15 is obtained independent of where the burn-through or high power scatter occurs on the enclosure 30., [0027]).
Regarding claim 18, the modified Sitter teaches the method according to claim 14 (see above), Rossbach further teaches wherein a dynamic range of the photodiode is set by either the input power or a resistive load in readout electronics (photo diode array for monitoring beam angle and at least one photo diode array for monitoring beam position, [claim 10];
Regarding claim 19, the modified Sitter teaches the method according to claim 14 (see above). Rossbach further teaches wherein the burn-through detector is configured with a bit depth photodiode output having sufficient depth and/or dynamic range without attenuation (The attenuator setting is adjusted by feeding the energy sensor data to the stabilization controller. An algorithm on the stabilization controller adjusts the attenuator setting based on the energy sensor reading, [0073]).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sitter et al. in view of Braunreiter et al. and Rossbach as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Mohanty et al. (US 2021/0177649, of record).
Regarding claim 2, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1 (see above), wherein the HEL beam source includes auto-alignment beams from the HEL , [0055], [0058], but doesn’t explicitly teach, a VIS-NIR fiber circulator, and a reflective collimator.
Sitter and Mohanty are related as optical systems.
Mohanty teaches a VIS-NIR fiber circulator, and a reflective collimator (device integrating Optical coherence tomography and VIS-NIR laser micro irradiation for targeted ablation, [0140]; NIR source (1470) which is routed through a Circulator (1480) into a 2×2 Fiber coupler [0171]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include a VIS-NIR fiber circulator and a reflective collimator, as taught by Mohanty for the predictable advantage of better image-guided laser irradiation for targeted area, [0004].
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sitter et al. in view of Braunreiter et al. and Rossbach as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Lavine et al. (WO 2020226721, of record).
Regarding claim 12, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 11 (see above), further comprising a beamsplitter configured to direct light to the jitter correction system (an upstream beam splitter and a downstream beam splitter; wherein the upstream beam splitter is upstream of the downstream beam splitter; and wherein the downstream beam splitter directs part of the auto-alignment beam to the one or more beam correction sensors, [0024]) and a retroreflector associated with the primary mirror, the retroreflector configure to direct part of the auto-alignment beam back to one or more track sensors (high-energy laser weapon system has retro-reflection through part of its optical path, enabling beam aimpoint analysis in a high-speed track sensor, [0006]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include a beamsplitter configured to direct light to the jitter correction system, a retroreflector associated with the primary mirror, the retroreflector configure to direct part of the auto-alignment back to one or more track sensors, as taught by Lavine for the predictable advantage of improving acquisition and track sensor fields of view of the system (having the track sensors on the optical path the acquisition and track sensor fields of view of the system may be improved, [abstract].
Regarding claim 13, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1 (see above). The modified Sitter doesn’t explicitly teach system further comprising a beam correction system, a beam pickoff system, a high-speed track sensor, a beam correction sensor, and/or a high-speed track correction system.
Sitter and Lavine are related as HEL optical systems.
Lavine teaches system further comprising a beam correction system, a beam pickoff system, a high-speed track sensor, a beam correction sensor, and/or a high-speed track correction system (A beam director system for a high-energy laser (HEL) weapon includes correction sensors that are able detect misalignments in optical elements throughout the entire optical path traversed by the high-energy laser. The system includes beam correction sensors that sense misalignments in a first part of the optical path, and high-speed track sensors that sense misalignments in a second part of the optical path, with the first part and the second part overlapping. This allows all optics to be sensed by the beam correction sensors and/or the high-speed track sensors. Any critical optical failure is thus promptly detected. The system can accommodate a wide variety of lasers for the HEL, preferably including a co-bore sighted and aligned alignment laser. In addition, the system may include provisions that simplify a tracking algorithm, for example by driving a steering mirror or other optical correction device directly from the high-speed track sensor, [0050]; element 123 is used to pickoff the beam 36, which is then sent through pickoff optics 124, [0064]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include a beam correction system, a beam pickoff system, a high-speed track sensor, a beam correction sensor, and/or a high-speed track correction system, as taught by Lavine for the predictable advantage of improving acquisition and track sensor fields of view of the system (having the track sensors on the optical path the acquisition and track sensor fields of view of the system may be improved, [abstract].
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sitter et al. (US 20180267299, of record) in view of Braunreiter et al. (WO 2021071559, of record) and Rossbach (US 2012/0104237) and further in view of Lublin et al. (US 2003/0043876, of record) and Lavine et al. (WO 2020226721, of record).
Regarding claim 20, the modified Sitter teaches the method according to claim 17 (see above), The modified Sitter teaches wherein correcting the path of the HEL beam includes changing position of one or more fast steering mirrors of one or more beam correction elements.
Sitter and Lavine are related as HEL optical systems.
Lavine teaches the method, wherein correcting the path of the HEL beam includes changing position of one or more fast steering mirrors of one or more beam correction elements (the correcting the optics includes changing position of one or more fast steering elements of the one or more first beam correction elements, and changing position of one or more fast steering elements of the one or more second beam correction elements, [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include a beam correction system, wherein correcting the correcting the path of the HEL beam includes changing position of one or more fast steering mirrors of one or more beam correction elements, as taught by Lavine, for the predictable advantage of improving acquisition and track sensor fields of view of the system (having the track sensors on the optical path the acquisition and track sensor fields of view of the system may be improved, [abstract].
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sitter et al. in view of Braunreiter et al. and Rossbach and further in view of Fathalla et al. (US 2015/0189714).
Regarding claim 21, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 1 (see above), The modified Sitter doesn’t explicitly teach the beam director system, further comprising: at least one light emitting diode (LED) configured to generate feedback based on a condition of the burn-through detector. Sitter and Fathalla are related as optical systems.
Fathalla teaches beam director system, further comprising: at least one light emitting diode (LED) configured to generate feedback based on a condition of the burn-through detector (diode (LED) is configured to emit light along a beam path. The reference detector is configured to generate a signal characterizing an intensity of light emitted from the LED. The control unit coupled to the LED and is configured to selectively vary a driving current applied to the LED in response to the light detected by the reference detector and to maintain a substantially constant intensity of light emitted by the LED. [0003]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include the beam director system, further comprising: at least one light emitting diode (LED) configured to generate feedback based on a condition of the burn-through detector, as taught by Fathalla for the predictable advantage of more rapid stabilization and require a significantly smaller footprint, [0012].
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sitter et al. in view of Braunreiter et al., Rossbach and Fathalla et al. (US20150189714) and further in view of Lavine et al. (US 2020/0160689).
Regarding claim 23, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 21 (see above), The modified Sitter doesn’t explicitly teach the beam director system, further comprising: at least one conductive trace; wherein the at least one LED is configured to generate the feedback based on a condition of the at least one conductive trace.
Sitter and Lavine are related as laser optical systems.
Lavin teaches wherein the at least one LED is configured to generate the feedback based on a condition of the at least one conductive trace (LED or other feedback device generates feedback to indicate no laser damage has occurred. When damage occurs to the conductive trace(s) of a laser damage detection mechanism 110, its LED or other feedback device stops generating feedback to indicate that laser damage has occurred, [0031]).
Claim 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sitter et al. in view of Braunreiter et al. and Rossbach and Lavine et al. as applied to claim 13, and further in view of Rabin, Jason et al. (KR 20210144872, Examiner provided machine translation in English).
Regarding claim 24, the modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 13 (see above), The modified Sitter doesn’t explicitly teach the beam director system of claim 13, wherein the beam correction sensor is configured to measure at least one of angular and spatial beam error.
Sitter and Rabin are related as optical systems with High-Energy Laser.
Rabin teaches the beam correction sensor is configured to measure at least one of angular and spatial beam error (Block 26 indicates where the auto-alignment beam 34 is directed to the beam correction sensors 54, 56. Sensors 54 and 56 provide a measure of angular and spatial beam error, [page 3 of machine translation]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified beam detector system of Sitter to include the beam correction sensor is configured to measure at least one of angular and spatial beam error, as taught by Rabin for the predictable advantage of improvement in the field of directed energy, such as those involving high-energy lasers, and the system may also include facilities to simplify the tracking algorithm, for example, by driving a steering mirror or other optical correction device directly on the high speed tracking sensors., [page 2 in Background art; of the machine translation]
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 22 is 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: modified Sitter teaches the beam director system according to claim 21. The pertinent prior art cannot be reasonably construed as adequately teaching all elements and features, the beam director system, further comprising: a bypass mechanism configured to allow current to flow through the burn-through detector; wherein the at least one LED is configured to generate the feedback based on current flow through the burn-through detector.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAHMAN ABDUR whose telephone number is (571)270-0438. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 am to 5:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bumsuk Won can be reached at (571) 272-2713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/R.A/Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872
Prosecution Insights