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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group 1, claims 1-16 and 27-29 in the reply filed on June 23, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 17-26 and 30-31 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 June 23, 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-12, 14-16 and 27-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wakabayashi US 201602458219, herein after Wakabayashi ‘219.
Regarding claim 1, Wakabayashi ‘219 discloses a system comprising: an optical pulse stretcher (1500, Figures 1, 5A, [0077]) comprising: a first reflective optical element (1520); a second reflective optical element (1550); and an optical coupling system (1510), wherein a distance between the first reflective optical element and the second reflective optical element defines a separation distance in an optical cavity (the optical cavity is inherently defined by the distance between the reflective elements in a laser, see Figure 5A), and the optical coupling system is configured to bring pulses of light into the cavity (Figures 1 and 5A) and to allow pulses of light to exit the cavity ([0122-0129]); an actuation system configured to control the separation distance (controller 1700 which controls movement of actuator mirror holder 1555, actuator moves mirror 1550, which controls the distance between the mirrors); a sensor (1600) configured to produce data related to at least two pulses of light that exit the cavity ([0078], Figure 1, 1600 includes multiple sensors 1630, 1660 and thus measures at least 2 pulses of light); and a control system coupled to the actuation system (1700), wherein the control system is configured to control the actuation system and the separation distance based on the data (controller 1700 which controls movement of actuator mirror holder 1555, actuator moves mirror 1550, which controls the distance between the mirrors).
Regarding claim 2, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the control system (1700) is further configured to: analyze additional data from the sensor after controlling the actuation system (See feedback loop in Figure 1, [0087]); and determine whether to control the actuation system again based on the analyzed additional data ([0087)].
Regarding claim 3, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the control system is configured to identify at least two pulses of light in the data (([0078], Figure 1, 1600 includes multiple sensors 1630, 1660 and thus measures at least 2 pulses of light), and to determine a position of the identified pulses of light in the data ([0078]); and the control system controls the actuation system and the separation distance based on the determined positions (controller 1700 which controls movement of actuator mirror holder 1555, actuator moves mirror 1550, which controls the distance between the mirrors).
Regarding claim 4, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the sensor (1600) comprises a two-dimensional imaging sensor, and the data from the imaging sensor comprises a two-dimensional image (Shown in Figures 2A-B and 3A-B, [0097 and 0103]).
Regarding claim 5, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the determining a position of the identified pulses of light in the data comprises determining a spatial separation between at least two pulses of light identified in the data, and the control system controls the actuation system and the separation distance based on the determined spatial separation ([0096-0101], wherein the controller determines the divergence of the beams and therefore the distance between).
Regarding claim 6, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the control system controls the actuation system and the separation distance by moving one or more of the first reflective optical element and the second optical element (controller 1700 which controls movement of actuator mirror holder 1555, actuator moves mirror 1550, which controls the distance between the mirrors).
Regarding claim 7, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the control system is further configured to determine a direction to move the one or more of the first reflective optical element and the second reflective optical element based on the determined spatial separation (controller 1700 which controls movement of actuator mirror holder 1555, actuator moves mirror 1550, which controls the distance between the mirrors).
Regarding claim 8, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the control system is further configured to determine an amount to move the one or more of the first reflective optical element and the second reflective optical element based on the determined spatial separation (controller 1700 which controls movement of actuator mirror holder 1555, actuator moves mirror 1550, which controls the distance between the mirrors).
Regarding claim 9, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the determined spatial separation comprises a first determined spatial separation ([0096-0101], wherein the controller determines the divergence of the beams and therefore the distance between, measured by sensor 1630), and the control system (1700) is further configured to: analyze additional data from the sensor after controlling the actuation system (sensor 1660); identify at least one additional pulse of light in the additional data ([0102-0105]); determine a second spatial separation, the second spatial separation being a spatial separation between the at least one additional identified pulse of light and at least one other pulse of light; compare the first spatial separation and the second spatial separation; and determine whether to control the actuation system again based on the comparison (([0102-0105]).
Regarding claim 10, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the control system only controls the actuation system again if the second spatial separation is a threshold value greater than the first spatial separation ([0087-0095], wherein the controller is repeated until the characteristics fall within allowable ranges).
Regarding claim 11, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the spatial separation is between a center of each of at least two pulses of light identified in the data ([00174-0175] which describes that the center of the coordinates of the light intensity profile are used for calculations by the controller 1700).
Regarding claim 12, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the first reflective optical element comprises a first curved reflective surface; and the second reflective optical element comprises a second curved reflective surface (See Figure 5A, wherein 1550 and 1520 are curved).
Regarding claim 14, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the optical coupling system comprises a beam splitter that is separate and distinct from the first reflective optical element and the second reflective optical element (splitter 1510, Figure 5A).
Regarding claim 15, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the actuation system comprises: a first actuation module coupled to the first reflective optical element, the first activation module configured to move the first reflective optical element based on a command from the control system; and a second actuation module coupled to the second reflective optical element, the second activation module configured to move the second reflective optical element based on a command from the control system; and the control system is configured to control the actuation system by commanding one or more of the first actuation module and the second actuation module ([0077], wherein each of the curved surfaces have an actuator that is controlled by the control system).
Regarding claim 16, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses the cavity lacks a gain medium (no gain medium shown in pulse stretcher 1500).
Regarding claim 27, Wakabayashi ‘219 discloses a control system (1700) configured for use with an optical pulse stretcher (1500), the control system comprising: a data analysis module (1700, configured to: analyze data from a sensor (1630/1650), wherein the sensor is configured to sense at least a portion of two or more pulses of light that exit an optical cavity at different times, and wherein, to analyze the data, the data analysis module is configured to: determine one or more properties of at least two of the pulses of light based on the data from the sensor ([0078-0087], Figure 1, 1600 includes multiple sensors 1630, 1660 and thus measures at least 2 pulses of light); and the control system further comprises an actuation control module (1555) configured to: determine a command signal for an actuation system coupled to the optical cavity based on the one or more properties ([0081-0087]); and provide the command signal to the actuation system to adjust a length of the optical cavity (controller 1700 which controls movement of actuator mirror holder 1555, actuator moves mirror 1550, which controls the distance between the mirrors and thus the optical cavity length).
Regarding claim 28, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the determined one or more properties comprises a location of each of the at least two pulses of light in a plane perpendicular to a direction of propagation of the pulse of light (Figure 11A-B, horizontal (H) and vertical (V) in Figure 5B ([0131-0132]).
Regarding claim 29, Wakabayashi ‘219 further discloses that the determined one or more properties comprises a divergence of each of the at least two pulses of light in a plane perpendicular to a direction of propagation of the pulse of light (Figures 10A-B).
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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakabayashi ‘219 in view of Onose US 2019/103724, herein after Onose ‘724.
Regarding claim 13, Wakabayashi ‘219 does not specifically disclose that the separation distance is the distance between a center of the first curved reflective surface and a center of the second curved reflective surface. However, in the same field of endeavor, Onose ‘724 teaches wherein a separation distance is the distance between a center of the first curved reflective surface and a center of the second curved reflective surface (Figure 13, [0120-0125]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Onose ‘724 with the system of Wakabayashi ‘219 for the purpose of changing the optical path length, adjust the divergence angle and the beam waist position within an optical pulse stretcher ([0152-0153]-Onose ‘724).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA S MANNO whose telephone number is (571)272-2339. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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, Kiesha Bryant can be reached at 571-272-3606. 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.
/JESSICA S MANNO/SPE, Art Unit 2898
Prosecution Insights