Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because it recites "20 pm to 50 pm" instead of "20 µm to 50 µm".
Claim 13 is objected to because line 4 recites "pJand" instead of "pJ and".
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.
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2010/0296154 A1 (cited in a previous action).
Claim 21: '154 discloses a radiation source assembly for generating broadband radiation by spectral broadening, the radiation source assembly comprising (see mainly figs. 5 and 12):
a pump assembly configured to provide broadband input radiation, the pump assembly comprising:
a pump source 62 configured to provide first radiation at a pump wavelength (1550 nm), and
a broadband assembly (generally elements 68 / 56 / 78 of fig. 5) configured to provide second radiation comprising a continuous wavelength range ([0109]), wherein the first radiation and the second radiation form the broadband input radiation (upon combining at the second beamsplitter 58); and
an optical fibre 16 configured to receive the broadband input radiation, the optical fibre comprising a core configured along at least a part of the length of the fibre to guide the received broadband input radiation during propagation through the fibre, so as to generate broadband radiation (supercontinuum / "SC" radiation) by spectral broadening to be output by the fibre ([0109], fig. 6C, etc.); and
wherein the broadband assembly comprises an optical feedback loop (see fig. 12 variant) configured to feed back a portion of the output radiation from the optical fibre 16 to provide the second radiation ([0153]).
Response to Arguments
All rejections of the 12/1/2025 action were overcome by the 2/26/2026 response.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9, 11-12, and 14-20 are allowed. Claims 10 and 13 would be allowable if they are revised to overcome the minor objections above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Contact Information
Examiner: 571-272-2360
Examiner's direct supervisor: 571-272-2397
Official correspondence by fax: 571-273-8300
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/Michael Stahl/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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