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 .
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.
Claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 12, 13, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by SABERT H ET AL ("PULSE GENERATION IN FIBER LASERS WITH FREQUENCY SHIFTED FEEDBACK", JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY, IEEE, USA, vol. 12, no. 8, 1 August 1994 (1994-08-01), pages 1360 - 1368, XP000484310, ISSN: 0733-8724, DOI: 10.1109/50.317522) (01/15/24 IDS).
Regarding claim 1, SABERT discloses a fiber laser (Figs. 1, 2, and 12b), comprising:
an active optical fiber (gs, n2 or doped fiber, Fig. 1 or Fig. 12b, pages 1360, 1366) configured to amplify an optical signal (Initial pulse spectrum, Fig. 2 (1), page 1361);
a frequency shifter (F or AOM1/AOM2, Fig. 1 or Fig. 12b, pages 1360, 1366) optically coupled to the active optical fiber, wherein the frequency shifter is configured to cause a frequency shift to the optical signal in a first direction (the frequency shifter Δf up-shifts the Initial pulse spectrum, Figs. 1 and 2 (2), pages 1360-1361); and
a bandpass filter (F or FPI1/FPI2, Fig. 1 or Fig. 12b, pages 1360, 1366) optically coupled to the frequency shifter, wherein the bandpass filter and the active optical fiber are configured to induce a reverse frequency shift to the optical signal in a second direction opposite to the first direction (the up-shifted pulse spectrum is then down-shifted by the bandpass filter F and the active optical fiber gs, Figs. 1 and 2 (3), page 1361).
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Regarding claim 2, SABERT discloses a resonant cavity (a ring resonant cavity, Fig. 12b, page 1366) comprising the active optical fiber, the frequency shifter, and the bandpass filter.
Regarding claim 6, SABERT discloses the frequency shift in the first direction is 10-1000 MHz (80 MHz, Fig. 12b, page 1366).
Regarding claim 7, SABERT discloses the frequency shift in the first direction is approximately 80 MHz (Fig. 12b, page 1366).
Regarding claims 12, 13, 17, and 18, same rejections as applied to claims 1, 2, 6, and 7 are maintained since the method claims 12, 13, 17, and 18 contain substantially the same limitations as the product claims 1, 2, 6, and 7.
Claims 1-7 and 12-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by KOROBKO DMITRY A ET AL ("Stable harmonic mode locking in soliton fiber laser with frequency shift: theory and experiment", PROCEEDINGS OF SPIE, SPIE, 1000 20TH ST. BELLINGHAM WA 98225-6705 USA, vol. 11770, 18 April 2021 (2021-04-18), pages 117701N - 117701N, XP060143131, ISSN: 0277-786X, ISBN: 978-1-5106-4548-6, DOI: 10.1117/12.2589124) (01/15/24 IDS).
Regarding claim 1, KOROBKO discloses a fiber laser (Figs. 3 and 5), comprising:
an active optical fiber (Gain fiber or EDF150, Fig. 3 or Fig. 15, pages 117701N-5, 117701N-8) configured to amplify an optical signal (Initial conditions, Fig. 3, page 117701N-5);
a frequency shifter (Frequency shifter or AOM, Fig. 3 or Fig. 5, pages 117701N-5, 117701N-8) optically coupled to the active optical fiber, wherein the frequency shifter is configured to cause a frequency shift to the optical signal in a first direction (the frequency shifter up-shifts the optical signal, Fig. 3, page 117701N-5); and
a bandpass filter (Filter or TOF, Fig. 3 or Fig. 5, pages 117701N-5, 117701N-8) optically coupled to the frequency shifter, wherein the bandpass filter and the active optical fiber are configured to induce a reverse frequency shift to the optical signal in a second direction opposite to the first direction (the up-shifted pulse spectrum is then down-shifted by the F and Gain fiber, Fig. 3, page 117701N-5).
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Regarding claim 2, KOROBKO discloses a resonant cavity (a ring resonant cavity, Fig. 5, page 117701N-8) comprising the active optical fiber, the frequency shifter, and the bandpass filter.
Regarding claim 3, KOROBKO discloses the resonant cavity further comprises a saturable absorber (Fast SA, Fig. 3, page 117701N-5).
Regarding claim 4, KOROBKO discloses the bandpass filter has a fixed center frequency (TOF has a fixed center frequency of 1550 nm, first paragraph, page 117701N-9).
Regarding claim 5, KOROBKO discloses the active optical fiber is configured to provide a maximum gain substantially at the fixed center frequency of the bandpass filter (first and second paragraphs, page 117701N-9).
Regarding claim 6, KOROBKO discloses the frequency shift in the first direction is 10-1000 MHz (“a shifter with the frequency up-shift [Symbol font/0x6E] [Symbol font/0x44] [Symbol font/0x3D] 80 MHz,” paragraph under 4. EXPERIMENT, page 117701N-8).
Regarding claim 7, KOROBKO discloses the frequency shift in the first direction is approximately 80 MHz (“a shifter with the frequency up-shift [Symbol font/0x6E] [Symbol font/0x44] [Symbol font/0x3D] 80 MHz,” paragraph under 4. EXPERIMENT, page 117701N-8).
Regarding claims 12-18, same rejections as applied to claims 1-7 are maintained since the method claims 12-18 contain substantially the same limitations as the product claims 1-7.
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.
Claims 8-11 and 19-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SABERT et al. or KOROBKO et al. in view of Wise et al. (US PG Pub 2012/0327960 A1).
Regarding claims 8 and 9, SABERT or KOROBKO has disclosed the bandpass filter outlined in the rejection to claim 1 above except a width of the bandpass filter is 2-5 nm or the bandpass filter has a substantially Gaussian or super Gaussian frequency response. Wise discloses a mode-locked fiber laser (FIG. 1) based on narrowband optical spectral filtering comprising a Gaussian filter with a 3-nm bandwidth ([0062]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the bandpass filter of SABERT or KOROBKO with the Gaussian filter with a 3-nm bandwidth as taught by Wise in order to obtain desired narrowband optical output.
Regarding claims 19 and 20, same rejections as applied to claims 8 and 9 are maintained since the method claims 19 and 20 contain substantially the same limitations as the product claims 8 and 9.
Regarding claims 10 and 11, SABERT or KOROBKO has disclosed the fiber laser outlined in the rejection to claim 1 above except the optical signal comprises a similariton pulse or the fiber laser is configured for chirped pulse amplification of the optical signal. Wise discloses “a mode-locked fiber lasers based on fiber laser cavity designs that produce self-similar pulses ("similaritons") with parabolic pulse profiles with respect to time at the output of the fiber gain media to effectuate the desired mode locking operation,” (see abstract) and “the narrow Gaussian spectrum produced by the filter broadens and develops the structure characteristic of a chirped parabolic pulse (FIG. 12, middle row),” ([0063]). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the fiber laser of SABERT or KOROBKO with configuration so that the optical signal comprises a similariton pulse and chirped pulse amplification of the optical signal is achieved as taught by Wise in order to obtain desired mode locking operation.
Regarding claims 21 and 22, same rejections as applied to claims 10 and 11 are maintained since the method claims 21 and 22 contain substantially the same limitations as the product claims 10 and 11.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nicholson (US PG Pub 2010/0296527 A1) discloses a passively mode locked fiber laser comprising a carbon nanotube saturable absorber similar to the claimed invention (see FIG. 1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUANDA ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1439. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:30 AM - 6:30 PM.
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/YUANDA ZHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828
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