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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “controller is configured”, “a detector” in claim 1, “the controller is configured” in claims 7,8.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3-4, 7, 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, 15, the phrase "optionally" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d)
Claim 11 is rejected based on rejection of claim 10.
Claims 13-15 are also rejected based on rejection of claim 12.
For purpose examination, Examiner interprets the limitations of following the phrase “optionally” is not required by the claim language.
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.
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.
1. Claims 1-2, 4-5, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of Black et al., IDS, U.S Patent No. 10672428 (“Black”) further in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”)
Regarding independent claim 1, Anderson teaches a read head (see Figure 2, section 4. Voxel Reading”) for reading a multi-layered optical data storage medium, the multi-layered optical data storage medium comprising a transparent substrate having layers of voxels embedded therein (see Figure 1 and section Storing Data in Glass “A recent breakthrough at the University of Southampton [21, 17, 20] has made it possible to store data in fused silica (i.e., quartz glass). When the beam from a femtosecond laser is focused inside a block of fused silica, a permanent small 3D nanostructure (which we will call a “voxel”) forms in the silica. In contrast to holographic storage, writing a voxel in glass involves inducing a permanent, long-term stable change to the physical structure of the fused silica material. Viewed from the top, the voxel has a grating structure (a nanograting) and is circular, with a diameter of approximately the wavelength of the light used to create it, and has a depth of a few microns into the glass. In contrast to conventional optical disc storage, many layers of voxels (i.e., over 100) can be written in glass, as the transmittance of fused silica is much larger than that of opaque thin films used in conventional optical discs, allowing light to penetrate much deeper into the material, for both writing and reading. Each voxel has a property called form birefringence, whereby the nanostructure has different physical properties than the surrounding silica material. The voxel exhibits a different refractive index for light with a different polarization (i.e., light that has its electric field oscillating in a particular direction). As a result, when polarized light interacts with the voxel, a shift of several nanometers between the components of its electric field is introduced. The range of this shift is known as the voxel’s “retardance”. This shift also induces a change in the polarization angle of incoming light. Retardance and angle change can be used to encode multiple bits per voxel. When writing into glass, modulating the polarization of the laser beam, energy, and the number of pulses makes it possible to deterministically affect these two properties of the created voxel. This allows specific values to be encoded into each voxel. Reading the data stored amounts to measuring these two properties of the voxels”), which read head comprises:
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an imaging system, for capturing images of groups of voxels(see Figure 2, see section 4. Voxel Reading), wherein the read head is configured to bring the imaging system into focus on variable depths in a multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least section 4. Voxel Reading “… We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, (a) Retardance (in nm) (b) Angle change (in deg.) Figure 3: Computed measures of birefringence they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass…”.),identifying depth positions of voxels in the multi-layered optical data storage medium by sampling an area in the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least section Storing Data in Glass “….By focusing the laser beam at different positions across an XY plane, we can write voxels side-by-side to form a 2D layer. By changing the focus depth of the laser beam, we can write many layers across the depth of the silica block. Figure 1c shows a side view of 8 layers of voxels”; see 4. Voxel Reading “….Traditionally, the set of images are combined and processed to determine the retardance and polarization angle change across voxels. Figure 3 shows the two output images for a widely used Four-Frame Algorithm [18]. Figure 3(a) shows retardance and (b) shows polarization angle change for a field of view that contains ∼ 840 voxels. This algorithm requires four measurement images, plus an additional four background images that quantify any baseline retardance in the block of silica, independent of voxels. Decoding the data value of each voxel then requires sampling the voxel positions in the two output images and thresholding the sampled values into fixed ranges corresponding to multi-bit values..”)
determine, a depth position of a group of voxels in the multi- layered optical data storage medium (see at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass , right column , second paragraph “By focusing the laser beam at different positions across an XY plane, we can write voxels side-by-side to form a 2D layer. By changing the focus depth of the laser beam, we can write many layers across the depth of the silica block. Figure 1c shows a side view of 8 layers of voxels”.); and
the imaging system to capture an image of the group of voxels (see at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass “…..There are multiple challenges to using glass as a media. The most obvious is building a storage system that is able to exploit the glass media properties, particularly the lifetime. Further, different technologies are used for writing and reading. The write path uses a femtosecond pulse laser to generate the pulses necessary to create the voxel nanostructures in the glass. This is a different type of laser than diode lasers used in DVD and BluRay drives, and due to its form factor, power and cooling needs, it will be the size of a 2U server. The voxels can be read from the glass using microscopy (e.g. a camera along with optical components akin to a microscope). It should be noted that the multiple voxels can be imaged concurrently, provided they are on the same layer. The methods used to decode the data stored by the voxels will be discussed in Section 4.”; see at least section 4. Voxel Reading “…..We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, (a) Retardance (in nm) (b) Angle change (in deg.) Figure 3: Computed measures of birefringence they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass”) Anderson is understood to be silent on the remaining limitation of claim 1.
In the same field of endeavor, Black teaches read head comprises: a controller (see at least Fig.1A, items 22/92); an imaging system operably linked to the controller (see at least col.10, lines 50-67 “FIG. 10 shows aspects of an example read head 90. The read head includes a polarized optical probe 100 and an analyzer camera 102. The polarized optical probe may include a low-power diode laser or other polarized light source. Read controller 92 is coupled operatively to the polarized optical probe and configured to control the angle of the polarization plane of emission of the polarized optical probe. Analyzer camera 102 may include a high-resolution/high frame-rate CMOS or other suitable photodetector array. The analyzer camera is configured to image light from polarized optical probe 100, after such light has interacted with the voxels of substrate 12A. In other examples, one or more discrete photodiodes or other detectors may be used in lieu of the analyzer camera. Although FIG. 10 shows transmission of polarized light rays through the medium and on to the camera, the light rays may, in alternative configurations, reach the camera by reflection from the medium., for capturing images of groups of voxels,), wherein the read head is configured to bring the imaging system into focus on variable depths in a multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least col.9, lines 41-61 “In some implementations, the array of pixel positions of LCSLM 86B may be grouped into a plurality of non-overlapping or marginally overlapping holographic zones, which are exposed sequentially to the wavefront of laser 26. Each holographic zone may be a two-dimensional area of any desired shape—e.g., rectangular, wedge-shaped, ring-shaped, etc. Accordingly, LCSLM 86B may be coupled mechanically to a scanning stage configured to change the relative positioning of the LCSLM versus the laser. In this manner, each of the holographic zones of the LCSLM may be irradiated in sequence. The scanning stage may be translational and/or rotational, and may be advanced a plurality of times (4, 9, 16 times, etc.) for each time that the LCSLM is addressed. This approach effectively multiplies the temporal bandwidth of the LCSLM beyond its maximum refresh rate. Nevertheless, the laser, LCSLM, PM, and substrate may be fixed in position in some examples. In examples in which data is to be written to a plurality of depth layers of substrate 12, adjustable objective focal system 32 is configured to focus the irradiance of the write beams from the LCSLM to any selected depth layer of the substrate.”) and wherein the controller is configured to: the imaging system to capture an image of the group of voxels (see at least col.11, lines 1-17 “Each image frame acquired by analyzer camera 102 may include a plurality of component images captured simultaneously or in rapid succession. The analyzer camera may resolve, in corresponding pixel arrays of the component images, localized intensity in different polarization planes. To this end, the analyzer camera may include switchable or tunable polarization control in the form of a liquid-crystal retarder or Pockels cell, for example. In one particular example, four images of each target portion of substrate 12 are acquired in sequence by the analyzer camera as the polarized optical probe 100 is rotated through four different polarization angles. This process is akin to measuring basis vectors of a multi-dimensional vector, where here the ‘vector’ captures the birefringent properties of the voxels of the imaged target portion. In some examples, a background image is also acquired, which captures the distribution of sample-independent polarization noise in the component images”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson with includes a controller in the system as seen in Black because this modification would control the angle of the polarization plane of emission of the polarized optical probe (col.10, lines 50-67 of Black). Both Anderson and Black are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 1.
In the same field of endeavor, PINI teaches an autofocus system operably linked to the controller, for identifying depth positions of voxels in the multi-layered optical data storage medium by sampling an area in the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least [0036] To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators.”); wherein the autofocus system comprises: a light source for illuminating the area; and a detector for detecting light from the light source transmitted through the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least [0036] To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators”);the imaging system capture an image of the group of voxels (see at least [0037] Software-based autofocusing systems capture several images of the sample at different relative distances between the sample and the optical head; the capture of images can be performed with the same optical detector that is used for the optical analysis of the sample, or with a dedicated one. The different captured images are analyzed with dedicated algorithms that calculate the contrast of each image and can quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position. The best position is finally recovered with one or more motorized stages able to change the relative distance between the sample and the optical head of the scanner.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson and Black with including autofocus system as seen in PINI because this modification would quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position (([0036] of PINI). Anderson, Black and PINI are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 1.
In the same field of endeavor, Taveniku teaches an autofocus system operably linked to the controller (Fig.4, controller 120 and autofocus system 160), for identifying depth positions by sampling an area(see at least [0081] The optical system 101 can include an autofocus system 160. For example, the autofocus system 160 can use phase detection, image contrast detection, or laser distance detection, or any other suitable technique, to provide information for determining how to drive the focal length of the liquid lens 104. The controller 120 can receive information and can determine how to drive the liquid lens 104 to achieve an appropriate focal length. By way of example, an autofocus system 160 can determine that the image target is 5 meters away from the optical system 101. The controller 120 can use this information to determine how to drive the liquid lens 104 so that the optical system 101 achieves a focal length of 5 meters. For example, the controller 120 can use a lookup table or a formula to determine voltages to be applied to the electrodes of the liquid lens 104 to achieve an appropriate focal length for the liquid lens 104. The controller 120 can use the liquid lens 104 to simultaneously control the focal length (e.g., for autofocus) and the focal direction (e.g., for optical image stabilization). The optical system 101 can include a power supply 170 for providing electrical power to the components of the optical system 101, such as the controller 120, the liquid lens 104, the sensors, etc. The power supply 170 can be a battery, in some embodiments.) wherein the controller is configured to:
determine, using the autofocus system, a depth position of a group of voxels in the multi- layered optical data storage medium (see at least [0064] In general, the optical system 101 may include a lens stack 102 having a liquid lens 104 and one or more lens elements 108 enclosed in a housing 110. The optical system 101 may further include an image sensor 106 and a controller 120 that is communicatively coupled to the image sensor 106 and the liquid lens 104. The optical system 101 may further include a user interface 130, memory 140, a motion sensor 150, an autofocus system 160, a power supply 170, and a digital signal processor 180, communicatively coupled to each other and other components of the optical system 101 via communication paths 115.”; [0083] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in operation, the controller 120 of the optical system 101, described in detail with respect to at least FIG. 4, is configured to transition (e.g., oscillate or controllably ramp) the liquid lens 104 and/or the lens stack 102 between a minimum focus distance 310 and a maximum focus distance 320 as depicted in FIG. 6A. By transitioning the liquid lens 104 through various focus lengths (i.e., focus distances), multiple focal planes 311-313 are generated. The image sensor 106 may further be configured to capture image data at a predetermined frame rate such that image data is captured at one or more focal planes 311-313 as the liquid lens 104 oscillates between or controllably ramps from the minimum focus distance 310 and the maximum focus distance 320. In some embodiments, the image sensor 106 may be controlled to capture image data when at predetermined intervals where the liquid lens 104 is configured to be at a predetermined focal length defining a focal plane within the object space.”; [0109] In another embodiment, a mode of operation may include distance assisted extended DOF or multi-point extended DOF operation where a camera is assisted by external means to determine where objects of interest in the scene are located. For example, one or more other sensor such as sonar, LIDAR, RADAR or other system, may assist the camera. The camera software may setup a focus stack scheme to capture images of the objects of interest in focus based on sensor distance and position data from one or more other sensor. This may result in high-resolution capture close to the vehicle, or sharp images in environments where objects at multiple different ranges need to be in focus at the same time. In some embodiments, camera distance measurements may be assisted by built in autofocus systems or by an initial scan using the lens. That is, the autofocus system can provide a rough depth map of the image and give the focus stack subsystem indications on where objects are in the image. The image processing system may calculate the appropriate focal plane distances for N number of images that will result in the desired level of detail in the image. Based on the focus distance provided by the sensor or user, the camera software may setup up focus stacks of images to generate the desired composite image); and
in response to the determination, cause the imaging system to capture an image of the group of voxels (see at least [0079] Additionally, the memory 140 may be configured to store lens control logic 142, sensor control logic 144, focus stack logic 146, and system logic 148 (each of which may be embodied as a computer program, firmware, or hardware, as an example). The lens control logic 142 may include instructions for controlling the power (e.g., electronic signals) to the liquid lens 104. By controlling the power to the liquid lens 104 the focal length may be driven in a loop between a maximum focus distance to a minimum focus distance or between any first and second focus distance therebetween. The lens control logic 142 may be configured to control the liquid lens to a sequence of fixed positions or through a controlled ramp. The sensor control logic 144 may include instructions for synchronizing one or more sensors such as a motion sensor 150, a distance or depth sensor, a focusing sensor or the like with the focal lengths of the liquid lens so that images may be captured at desired times and desired focus distances .The focus stack logic 146 may include instructions for combining multiple sequential images taken at different focal lengths (i.e., at different focal planes) to generate a composite image having a desired depth of focus and resolution. In some embodiments, one or more of the machine-readable instruction sets may be implemented through machine leaming models employing a trained neural network. For example, a neural network may be trained to automatically synchronize a desired focal plane with a power control signal for driving the liquid lens to the desired focal plane (i.e., focal length). In some embodiments, the optical system 101 may include a focus stack controller configured to combine the multiple images to generate the composite, stacked image. The focus stack controller may execute the focus stack logic 146. The system logic 148 may include an operating system and/or other software”; [0083] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in operation, the controller 120 of the optical system 101, described in detail with respect to at least FIG. 4, is configured to transition (e.g., oscillate or controllably ramp) the liquid lens 104 and/or the lens stack 102 between a minimum focus distance 310 and a maximum focus distance 320 as depicted in FIG. 6A. By transitioning the liquid lens 104 through various focus lengths (i.e., focus distances), multiple focal planes 311-313 are generated. The image sensor 106 may further be configured to capture image data at a predetermined frame rate such that image data is captured at one or more focal planes 311-313 as the liquid lens 104 oscillates between or controllably ramps from the minimum focus distance 310 and the maximum focus distance 320. In some embodiments, the image sensor 106 may be controlled to capture image data when at predetermined intervals where the liquid lens 104 is configured to be at a predetermined focal length defining a focal plane within the object space.”; [0109] In another embodiment, a mode of operation may include distance assisted extended DOF or multi-point extended DOF operation where a camera is assisted by external means to determine where objects of interest in the scene are located. For example, one or more other sensor such as sonar, LIDAR, RADAR or other system, may assist the camera. The camera software may setup a focus stack scheme to capture images of the objects of interest in focus based on sensor distance and position data from one or more other sensor. This may result in high-resolution capture close to the vehicle, or sharp images in environments where objects at multiple different ranges need to be in focus at the same time. In some embodiments, camera distance measurements may be assisted by built in autofocus systems or by an initial scan using the lens. That is, the autofocus system can provide a rough depth map of the image and give the focus stack subsystem indications on where objects are in the image. The image processing system may calculate the appropriate focal plane distances for N number of images that will result in the desired level of detail in the image. Based on the focus distance provided by the sensor or user, the camera software may setup up focus stacks of images to generate the desired composite image)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, Black and including autofocus system of PINI with determining depth position using autofocus system as seen in Taveniku because this modification would provide information for determining how to drive the focal length of the liquid lens ([0081] of Taveniku).
Thus, the combination of Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teaches a read head for reading a multi-layered optical data storage medium, the multi-layered optical data storage medium comprising a transparent substrate having layers of voxels embedded therein, which read head comprises: a controller; an imaging system operably linked to the controller, for capturing images of groups of voxels, wherein the read head is configured to bring the imaging system into focus on variable depths in a multi-layered optical data storage medium; and an autofocus system operably linked to the controller, for identifying depth positions of voxels in the multi-layered optical data storage medium by sampling an area in the multi-layered optical data storage medium; wherein the autofocus system comprises: a light source for illuminating the area; and a detector for detecting light from the light source transmitted through the multi-layered optical data storage medium; and wherein the controller is configured to: determine, using the autofocus system, a depth position of a group of voxels in the multi- layered optical data storage medium; and in response to the determination, cause the imaging system to capture an image of the group of voxels.
Regarding claim 2, Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teach the read head according to claim 1, wherein: i) the autofocus system further comprises variable focus optics for varying a focal depth of the autofocus system ; and/or ii) the autofocus system further comprises a polarizer for polarising light from the light source ; and/or iii) the autofocus system further comprises scanning optics for moving the area sampled by the autofocus system; and/or iv) the imaging system includes variable focus optics for varying a focal depth of the imaging system (“and/or” is interpreted as “or”; see at least: section 4. Voxel Reading as shown in Figure 2. of Anderson, “To make glass into a usable storage media we need to efficiently retrieve the stored data. This has two challenges; (i) encode as many bits as possible per voxel, and (ii) read voxels through 100s of layers. Recall that data is encoded in glass based on the interaction between a polarized light wave and the birefringent voxels. A voxel has two physical properties that affect a polarized light wave: retardance, and change in polarization angle. Fortunately, measuring and quantifying birefringence in materials is well-studied. Many crystals, plastic materials (particularly under stress), and biological materials exhibit birefringence. Figure 2 diagrammatically shows the key components required to measure birefringence in glass. It has a light source in an illumination arm, the glass sample, and then an imaging arm with a camera. Both arms have tunable polarization control (e.g., liquid crystal polarizers), which allows you to arbitrarily change the polarization of light passing through each arm. To read birefringence, you need to probe the glass with different kinds of polarized light and measure the observed changes in polarization induced by the voxels. We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass.”; Figure.2 (PM is a non-imaging active optic) of Black; col.10, lines 50-53 of Black “ FIG. 10 shows aspects of an example read head 90. The read head includes a polarized optical probe 100 and an analyzer camera 102. The polarized optical probe may include a low-power diode laser or other polarized light source. Read controller 92 is coupled operatively to the polarized optical probe and configured to control the angle of the polarization plane of emission of the polarized optical probe.”; [0036] of PINI “To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators”, [0064],[0109] of Taveniku) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 1.
Regarding claim 4, Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teach the read head according to claim 1, further comprising at least one actuator configured to cause relative movement between the multi- layered optical data storage medium and the imaging system and/or autofocus system (col.4,lines 57-67-col.5, lines 1-11of Black “Returning briefly to FIG. 1A, substrate 12A is supported by stage 24, which is coupled mechanically to actuator 36. By moving the substrate in one or more directions, the actuator varies the relative position of locus 34 with respect to the substrate. In effect, the actuator imparts a relative velocity to the locus even as the polarization angle of the write beam is being modulated. Naturally, an analogous effect may also be achieved by rotating the substrate relative to the write head (as shown in FIG. 1B), by moving the write head while the substrate remains fixed, or by moving concurrently both the substrate and the write head. In some examples, write head 20 may include sensory componentry (not shown in the drawings) configured to sense the relative displacement between the write head and the substrate. The relative displacement may be sensed in the X, Y, and/or Z directions. In some examples, the relative displacement may be furnished as output data to encoder 18 and/or write controller 22 and used to control actuator 36 and/or focal system 32 in a closed-loop manner. The overall displacement-control scheme may employ predetermined trajectories and set-points, so as to accurately control the movement of the locus within the substrate and achieve the desired function.”; col.11, lines 1-17 of Black “Each image frame acquired by analyzer camera 102 may include a plurality of component images captured simultaneously or in rapid succession. The analyzer camera may resolve, in corresponding pixel arrays of the component images, localized intensity in different polarization planes. To this end, the analyzer camera may include switchable or tunable polarization control in the form of a liquid-crystal retarder or Pockels cell, for example. In one particular example, four images of each target portion of substrate 12 are acquired in sequence by the analyzer camera as the polarized optical probe 100 is rotated through four different polarization angles. This process is akin to measuring basis vectors of a multi-dimensional vector, where here the ‘vector’ captures the birefringent properties of the voxels of the imaged target portion. In some examples, a background image is also acquired, which captures the distribution of sample-independent polarization noise in the component images”; [0036] of PINI “To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators.), optionally wherein the at least one actuator is configured to cause relative movement between the multi-layered optical data storage medium and the imaging system and/or the autofocus system in a vertical direction so as to vary the focus of the imaging system and/or the autofocus system (the limitations of following the phrase “optionally” is not required by the claim language so it is automatically satisfied by the prior art) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 1.
Regarding claim 5, Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teach the read head according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system includes: second light source and polarizing optics for illuminating a field of view of the imaging system with polarized light; and at least one image sensor for capturing polarized light from the second light source transmitted through the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least section 4. Voxel Reading as shown in Fig.2 of Anderson “…Figure 2 diagrammatically shows the key components required to measure birefringence in glass. It has a light source in an illumination arm, the glass sample, and then an imaging arm with a camera. Both arms have tunable polarization control (e.g., liquid crystal polarizers), which allows you to arbitrarily change the polarization of light passing through each arm. To read birefringence, you need to probe the glass with different kinds of polarized light and measure the observed changes in polarization induced by the voxels. We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass.” col.10, lines 50-67of Black “ FIG. 10 shows aspects of an example read head 90. The read head includes a polarized optical probe 100 and an analyzer camera 102. The polarized optical probe may include a low-power diode laser or other polarized light source. Read controller 92 is coupled operatively to the polarized optical probe and configured to control the angle of the polarization plane of emission of the polarized optical probe. Analyzer camera 102 may include a high-resolution/high frame-rate CMOS or other suitable photodetector array. The analyzer camera is configured to image light from polarized optical probe 100, after such light has interacted with the voxels of substrate 12A. In other examples, one or more discrete photodiodes or other detectors may be used in lieu of the analyzer camera. Although FIG. 10 shows transmission of polarized light rays through the medium and on to the camera, the light rays may, in alternative configurations, reach the camera by reflection from the medium.”; [0036] of PINI “To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators” [0068] of Taveniku “ In some embodiments, the liquid lens 104 (or other variable focus lens) can direct light to the image sensor 106 to produce an image”) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 1.
Regarding claim 8, Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teach the read head according to claim 1, wherein the read head includes at least one actuator (col.4,lines 57-67-col.5, lines 1-11of Black “Returning briefly to FIG. 1A, substrate 12A is supported by stage 24, which is coupled mechanically to actuator 36. By moving the substrate in one or more directions, the actuator varies the relative position of locus 34 with respect to the substrate. In effect, the actuator imparts a relative velocity to the locus even as the polarization angle of the write beam is being modulated. Naturally, an analogous effect may also be achieved by rotating the substrate relative to the write head (as shown in FIG. 1B), by moving the write head while the substrate remains fixed, or by moving concurrently both the substrate and the write head. In some examples, write head 20 may include sensory componentry (not shown in the drawings) configured to sense the relative displacement between the write head and the substrate. The relative displacement may be sensed in the X, Y, and/or Z directions. In some examples, the relative displacement may be furnished as output data to encoder 18 and/or write controller 22 and used to control actuator 36 and/or focal system 32 in a closed-loop manner. The overall displacement-control scheme may employ predetermined trajectories and set-points, so as to accurately control the movement of the locus within the substrate and achieve the desired function.”; [0036] of PINI “To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators.”), and
wherein the controller is configured to cause the imaging system to capture images of each layer of voxels in a region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see Fig.2, section 3. Storing Data in Glass, last paragraph “There are multiple challenges to using glass as a media. The most obvious is building a storage system that is able to exploit the glass media properties, particularly the lifetime. Further, different technologies are used for writing and reading. The write path uses a femtosecond pulse laser to generate the pulses necessary to create the voxel nanostructures in the glass. This is a different type of laser than diode lasers used in DVD and BluRay drives, and due to its form factor, power and cooling needs, it will be the size of a 2U server. The voxels can be read from the glass using microscopy (e.g. a camera along with optical components akin to a microscope). It should be noted that the multiple voxels can be imaged concurrently, provided they are on the same layer. The methods used to decode the data stored by the voxels will be discussed in Section 4.”; see section 4. Voxel Reading , paragraph fourth “We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, (a) Retardance (in nm) (b) Angle change (in deg.) Figure 3: Computed measures of birefringence they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass”; col.11,lines 1-29 of Black “ Each image frame acquired by analyzer camera 102 may include a plurality of component images captured simultaneously or in rapid succession. The analyzer camera may resolve, in corresponding pixel arrays of the component images, localized intensity in different polarization planes. To this end, the analyzer camera may include switchable or tunable polarization control in the form of a liquid-crystal retarder or Pockels cell, for example. In one particular example, four images of each target portion of substrate 12 are acquired in sequence by the analyzer camera as the polarized optical probe 100 is rotated through four different polarization angles. This process is akin to measuring basis vectors of a multi-dimensional vector, where here the ‘vector’ captures the birefringent properties of the voxels of the imaged target portion. In some examples, a background image is also acquired, which captures the distribution of sample-independent polarization noise in the component images. In examples in which data is to be read from a plurality of layers of substrate 12, read head 90 may include an adjustable collection focal system 104. The adjustable collection focal system may collect light rays diffracted from a selected depth layer of the optical storage medium, and reject other light rays. In other implementations, lensless imaging based on interferometry may be employed. In still other implementations, the distance between the read head and the substrate may be varied so as to select the depth layer of the substrate imaged by the analyzer camera or other detector.”; [0109]of Taveniku ), and then subsequently to control the at least one actuator to align the read head with a different region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see section 4. Voxel Reading , paragraph fourth “We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, (a) Retardance (in nm) (b) Angle change (in deg.) Figure 3: Computed measures of birefringence they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass; col.2, lines 40-50 of Black “By dividing the continuous space of achievable slow-axis orientations and retardances into discrete intervals, multi-bit data values may be encoded into each voxel—viz., by independently coercing the birefringence of that voxel to be within one of the discrete intervals. In this manner, each voxel may encode one of R≥1 different retardance states at each of Q≥1 different polarization angles. In some examples, many parallel layers of voxel structures may be written to the same substrate by focusing the laser irradiance to specified depths below the irradiated surface of the substrate. This mode of data storage is referred to as ‘5D optical storage’.”; col.9, lines 41-61 “In some implementations, the array of pixel positions of LCSLM 26A may be grouped into a plurality of non-overlapping or marginally overlapping holographic zones, which are exposed sequentially to the wavefront of laser 24. Each holographic zone may be a two-dimensional area of any desired shape—e.g., rectangular, wedge-shaped, ring-shaped, etc. Accordingly, LCSLM 26A of system 10 may be coupled mechanically to a scanning stage 30, configured to change the relative positioning of the LCSLM versus the laser. In this manner, each of the holographic zones of the LCSLM may be irradiated in sequence. The scanning stage may be translational and/or rotational, and may be advanced a plurality of times (4, 9, 16 times, etc.) for each time that the LCSLM is addressed. This approach effectively multiplies the temporal bandwidth of the LCSLM beyond its maximum refresh rate. Nevertheless, the laser, LCSLM, PM, and substrate may be fixed in position in some examples. In examples in which data is to be written to a plurality of depth layers of substrate 12, write head 20A may include an adjustable objective lens system 32 configured to focus the irradiance of the write beams from the LCSLM to any selected depth layer of the substrate.”; [0036] of PINI “To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators. [0072] of Taveniku A housing 110 can position the liquid lens 104 and/or the one or more lens elements 108 relative to the image sensor 106. The housing 110 can be an enclosed structure, or any other suitable support structure that is configured to position the elements of the optical system 101. An optical axis 112 of the one or more lens elements 108 can align with the structural axis 111 of the liquid lens 104, which can also align with the optical axis 113 of the liquid lens 104 when no optical tilt is applied to the liquid lens 104. When an optical tilt angle 114 is applied to the liquid lens 104, the optical axis 113 of the liquid lens 104 can be angled relative to the optical axis 112 of the one or more lens elements 108. The optical axis 112 can intersect the image sensor 106, such as at a center region thereof In some embodiments, one or more reflective optical elements (e.g., mirrors) can be used to redirect light in the optical system 101, such as between the liquid lens 104 and the image sensor 106.”) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 1.
2. Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of Black et al., IDS, U.S Patent No. 10672428 (“Black”) further in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”) further in view of Chong U.S Patent Application Publication No.20190137255 (“Chong”)
Regarding claim 3, Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teach the read head according to claim 1, wherein: i) the read head is for reading a multi-layered optical data storage medium in which the voxels are arranged in sectors of a predetermined size and the imaging system is for capturing images of a field of view having an area greater than or equal to the predetermined size , and/or ii) the autofocus system is configured to sample an area having a size which is less than or equal to 10%, optionally less than or equal to 1 %, of a size of a field of view of the imaging system( “and/or” is interpreted as “or”, see Section 5 of Anderson “ Volumetric storage The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead.”; col.5, lines 57-67-col.1, lines 1-4 of Black “Continuing in FIG. 3, at 50 the polarization angle of the coherent optical pulsetrain is modulated to provide the predetermined azimuth angle of the birefringence for the voxel to be written within the current locus, as the locus continues to move through the substrate at the relative velocity. Graph 52 of FIG. 3 represents the polarization angle as controlled by PM 30, and graph 54 represents the retardance magnitude of the birefringence encoded into the substrate at the current locus. In this method, all of the pulses directed to a given locus-sized volume of the substrate have the same polarization angle. That results in the writing of three distinct voxels 44A, 44B, and 44C, with different symbols. In this method, each voxel is wider in the scan direction than locus 34, because each voxel is a superposition of two or more locus-sized volumes.”;col.11,lines 1-29 “ Each image frame acquired by analyzer camera 102 may include a plurality of component images captured simultaneously or in rapid succession. The analyzer camera may resolve, in corresponding pixel arrays of the component images, localized intensity in different polarization planes. To this end, the analyzer camera may include switchable or tunable polarization control in the form of a liquid-crystal retarder or Pockels cell, for example. In one particular example, four images of each target portion of substrate 12 are acquired in sequence by the analyzer camera as the polarized optical probe 100 is rotated through four different polarization angles. This process is akin to measuring basis vectors of a multi-dimensional vector, where here the ‘vector’ captures the birefringent properties of the voxels of the imaged target portion. In some examples, a background image is also acquired, which captures the distribution of sample-independent polarization noise in the component images. In examples in which data is to be read from a plurality of layers of substrate 12, read head 90 may include an adjustable collection focal system 104. The adjustable collection focal system may collect light rays diffracted from a selected depth layer of the optical storage medium, and reject other light rays. In other implementations, lensless imaging based on interferometry may be employed. In still other implementations, the distance between the read head and the substrate may be varied so as to select the depth layer of the substrate imaged by the analyzer camera or other detector.”; [0055] of Taveniku “ FIG. 2 depicts an example embodiment of an optical system described herein having a FOV (a) of the optical system. The FOV (a) of an optical system is the geometric relationship between the edge of an image sensor 10 and the center of the lens 20. The field of view is that part of the scene that is visible through the camera (i.e., visible to the image sensor) at a particular position and orientation in space; objects outside the FOV when an image is taken are not recorded in the image/video data. FOV is often expressed as the angular size of the view cone, specifically as an angle of view. For a normal lens, the diagonal field of view can be calculated as a=2*arctan(d/(2*sd)), where “sd” is focal length and “d” is the image sensor size. The size of the field of view and the size of the image sensor may directly affect the image resolution. The FOV can also be expressed as the triangle formed by the focal point and the image plane, although for a variable power lens the distance is not a fixed value.) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 1. Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku are silent on the remaining limitations of claim 3.
In the same field of endeavor, Chong teaches the imaging system is for capturing images of a field of view having an area greater than or equal to the predetermined size ([0055] In an operation 508, it is determined whether a field of view adjustment is necessary. For example, once the focal length of the adjustable lens system is initially adjusted based on the desired imaging distance, the computing device may calculate the FOV of the imaging system based on the focal length and an angular range of the scanner. The FOV may then be compared to the desired sample size and further adjustments may be made if necessary. In an operation 510, the adjustable lens system is adjusted to produce a desired FOV. For example, if a larger FOV is needed, the focal length of the adjustable lens system may be increased to have a minimum FOV necessary to image the entire sample size. In some embodiments, if the current FOV is greater than what is necessary, the current state of the adjustable lens system is maintained. In alternative embodiments, if the imaging system has a greater FOV than necessary, the focal length of the adjustable lens system is adjusted downward to produce the minimum FOV needed. Such a configuration enables a minimal spot size to be achieved with limited adjustments to the beam size via the adjustable beam expander.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku with adjusting a field of view as seen in Chong because this modification would image the entire sample size ([0055] of Chong)
Thus, the combination of Anderson, Black, PINI, Taveniku and Chong teaches wherein: i) the read head is for reading a multi-layered optical data storage medium in which the voxels are arranged in sectors of a predetermined size and the imaging system is for capturing images of a field of view having an area greater than or equal to the predetermined size , and/or ii) the autofocus system is configured to sample an area having a size which is less than or equal to 10%, optionally less than or equal to 1 %, of a size of a field of view of the imaging system.
3. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of Black et al., IDS, U.S Patent No. 10672428 (“Black”) further in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”) further in view of Liang et al, U.S Patent Application Publication No.20090181339 (“Liang”)
Regarding claim 6, Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teach the read head according to claim 5, wherein the second light source and polarizing optics are configured to provide light having a plurality of different polarizations and the imaging system includes a plurality of imaging sensors for capturing light of respective ones of the plurality of different polarizations (see at least 4 Voxel Reading as shown in Fig.2 of Anderson, “To make glass into a usable storage media we need to efficiently retrieve the stored data. This has two challenges; (i) encode as many bits as possible per voxel, and (ii) read voxels through 100s of layers. Recall that data is encoded in glass based on the interaction between a polarized light wave and the birefringent voxels. A voxel has two physical properties that affect a polarized light wave: retardance, and change in polarization angle. Fortunately, measuring and quantifying birefringence in materials is well-studied. Many crystals, plastic materials (particularly under stress), and biological materials exhibit birefringence. Figure 2 diagrammatically shows the key components required to measure birefringence in glass. It has a light source in an illumination arm, the glass sample, and then an imaging arm with a camera. Both arms have tunable polarization control (e.g., liquid crystal polarizers), which allows you to arbitrarily change the polarization of light passing through each arm. To read birefringence, you need to probe the glass with different kinds of polarized light and measure the observed changes in polarization induced by the voxels. We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass.”; col.10, lines 3-29 of Black “ The array of pixel elements of LCSLM 86C of FIG. 9 is configured to modulate the phase and polarization of different portions of the wavefront by different amounts, and to diffract light from the different portions to a substrate with writeable optical properties. In particular, the LCSLM is configured to modulate the different portions of the wavefront to different near-field polarizations and to image the light to an array of substrate voxels at different far-field polarizations. To this end, the encoder logic is configured to receive data and to control modulation of the phase and polarization such that the light diffracted from the imaging optic writes the data to the substrate. Such data may include inequivalent first and second data values written simultaneously by the light diffracted from the imaging optic. Control of two different parameters may be effected independently or with correlation.”;[0108-0109] of Taveniku “In a first embodiment, the liquid lens may be oscillated with a fast image sensor using fixed near and far focus distances. Software such as the lens control logic may set the near and far limits of the DOF and the camera produces extended DOF images or video by transitioning the lens between the near and far locations while taking images at set locations during the sweep. Applications of such an embodiment may include: (i) mobile microscopy applications with deep DOF on mobile phones or fixed applications, (ii) mobile enlargement applications for everything from inspecting currency, looking at small machine structures, reading applications, assisting in fine tasks such as soldering, assembling small items, inspection of printed circuit boards or surfaces, or the like. Other applications may include (i) microscopy applications with large aperture and deep DOF, reducing diffraction effects, increasing light sensitivity, and provide real time video, (ii) skin scanning application where accurate distance and high-resolution imagery could produce diagnostic tools by off the shelf cell phones where the DOF and resolution could be set to image under skin surface or skin structure and other features in the single to tens of micro-meter range could be imaged with a cell phone. Some automotive based applications may include extending DOF for surround-, front-, rear-, and internal cabin-camera since it may be important that image sensors have high-resolution and a focus range of 0.3 m to 50 m or any value therebetween for advanced driver-assistance systems (“ADAS”) and/or autonomous driving (“AD”) modules.) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 1. Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 6.
In the same field of endeavor, Liang teaches imaging system includes a plurality of imaging sensors for capturing light of respective ones of the plurality of different polarizations ([0066] FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 are alternative embodiments of probe 100 using more than one sensor. There are some benefits with more than one sensor, especially for an apparatus with diagnostic and cosmetic application modes. In FIG. 10, there are two sensors, 68a and 68b. A polarization beamsplitter 65 divides the light returned from the tooth into two parts having different polarizations. The light with orthogonal polarization goes to sensor 68a, while the light with the same polarization state goes to sensor 68b. A long pass filter 56 is placed in front of the sensor 68b to block the excitation light from illumination apparatus 12b. In diagnostic imaging mode, sensor 68b captures a fluorescence image and sensor 68a captures polarized white light image. In cosmetic imaging mode, the data from sensor 68b, which has the same polarization state as the illumination beam, can be used to determine the surface roughness. The data from sensor 68a is used to calculate the color shade and translucency.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku with including a plurality of image sensors as seen in Liang because this modification would capture light with different polarizations ([0066] of Liang)
Thus, the combination of Anderson, Black, PINI, Taveniku and Liang teaches wherein the second light source and polarizing optics are configured to provide light having a plurality of different polarizations and the imaging system includes a plurality of imaging sensors for capturing light of respective ones of the plurality of different polarizations.
4. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of Black et al., IDS, U.S Patent No. 10672428 (“Black”) further in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”) further in view of VINK et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No. 20190075247 (“VINK”)
Regarding claim 7, Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku teach the read head according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured such that:
determining the depth position of the group of voxels comprises scanning a range of focal depths using the autofocus system (see at least 4 Voxel Reading as shown in Fig.2 of Anderson; [0036] of PINI “To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators”; [0083],[0109] of Taveniku “Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in operation, the controller 120 of the optical system 101, described in detail with respect to at least FIG. 4, is configured to transition (e.g., oscillate or controllably ramp) the liquid lens 104 and/or the lens stack 102 between a minimum focus distance 310 and a maximum focus distance 320 as depicted in FIG. 6A. By transitioning the liquid lens 104 through various focus lengths (i.e., focus distances), multiple focal planes 311-313 are generated. The image sensor 106 may further be configured to capture image data at a predetermined frame rate such that image data is captured at one or more focal planes 311-313 as the liquid lens 104 oscillates between or controllably ramps from the minimum focus distance 310 and the maximum focus distance 320. In some embodiments, the image sensor 106 may be controlled to capture image data when at predetermined intervals where the liquid lens 104 is configured to be at a predetermined focal length defining a focal plane within the object space.”); and wherein the controller is configured to cause the read head to:
scan a focal depth of the imaging system over the range of focal depths; and capture an image selectively when the focal depth of the imaging system corresponds to the depth position of the group of voxels(see at least 4 Voxel Reading as shown in Fig.2, Section 5 of Anderson ; col.9, lines 41-61 Black “In some implementations, the array of pixel positions of LCSLM 86B may be grouped into a plurality of non-overlapping or marginally overlapping holographic zones, which are exposed sequentially to the wavefront of laser 26. Each holographic zone may be a two-dimensional area of any desired shape—e.g., rectangular, wedge-shaped, ring-shaped, etc. Accordingly, LCSLM 86B may be coupled mechanically to a scanning stage configured to change the relative positioning of the LCSLM versus the laser. In this manner, each of the holographic zones of the LCSLM may be irradiated in sequence. The scanning stage may be translational and/or rotational, and may be advanced a plurality of times (4, 9, 16 times, etc.) for each time that the LCSLM is addressed. This approach effectively multiplies the temporal bandwidth of the LCSLM beyond its maximum refresh rate. Nevertheless, the laser, LCSLM, PM, and substrate may be fixed in position in some examples. In examples in which data is to be written to a plurality of depth layers of substrate 12, adjustable objective focal system 32 is configured to focus the irradiance of the write beams from the LCSLM to any selected depth layer of the substrate”; col.11, lines 1-17 “Each image frame acquired by analyzer camera 102 may include a plurality of component images captured simultaneously or in rapid succession. The analyzer camera may resolve, in corresponding pixel arrays of the component images, localized intensity in different polarization planes. To this end, the analyzer camera may include switchable or tunable polarization control in the form of a liquid-crystal retarder or Pockels cell, for example. In one particular example, four images of each target portion of substrate 12 are acquired in sequence by the analyzer camera as the polarized optical probe 100 is rotated through four different polarization angles. This process is akin to measuring basis vectors of a multi-dimensional vector, where here the ‘vector’ captures the birefringent properties of the voxels of the imaged target portion. In some examples, a background image is also acquired, which captures the distribution of sample-independent polarization noise in the component images”; [0083] of Taveniku “Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in operation, the controller 120 of the optical system 101, described in detail with respect to at least FIG. 4, is configured to transition (e.g., oscillate or controllably ramp) the liquid lens 104 and/or the lens stack 102 between a minimum focus distance 310 and a maximum focus distance 320 as depicted in FIG. 6A. By transitioning the liquid lens 104 through various focus lengths (i.e., focus distances), multiple focal planes 311-313 are generated. The image sensor 106 may further be configured to capture image data at a predetermined frame rate such that image data is captured at one or more focal planes 311-313 as the liquid lens 104 oscillates between or controllably ramps from the minimum focus distance 310 and the maximum focus distance 320. In some embodiments, the image sensor 106 may be controlled to capture image data when at predetermined intervals where the liquid lens 104 is configured to be at a predetermined focal length defining a focal plane within the object space.”); optionally wherein the controller is configured such that the scan performed by the autofocus system and the scan performed by the imaging system have different phases, the phases being selected such that focal depths in the range are scanned by the autofocus system before the imaging system ( the limitations of following the term “optionally” is not required by the claim language so it is automatically satisfied by the prior art) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 1. Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 7.
In the same field of endeavor, VINK teaches determining the depth position of the group of voxels comprises scanning a range of focal depths using the autofocus system; scan a focal depth of the imaging system over the range of focal depths ([0077] In an example, the detector comprises three or more active regions, each configured to acquire image data at a different depth in a sample, wherein the depth at which one active region images a part of the sample is different to the depth at which an adjacent active region images a part of the sample, where this difference is depth is at least equal to a depth of focus of the microscope. In other words, as the detector is scanned laterally each of the active areas sweeps out a “layer” within which features will be in focus as this layer has a depth equal to the depth of focus of the microscope and the active region acquires data of this layer. For example, 8 layers could be swept out across the sample, the 8 layers then extending in depth by a distance at least equal to 8 times the depth of focus of the detector. In other words, as the detector begins to scan laterally, for the simple case where the detector does not also scan vertically (i.e. the lens or sample does not move in the depth direction), then at a particular x position initially two images acquired by active areas 1 and 2 (with the section of the detector having moved laterally between image acquisitions) at different but adjacent depths are compared, with the best image from 1 or 2 forming the working image. The section of the detector moves laterally, and now the image acquired by active area 3 at position x and at an adjacent but different depth to that for image 2 is compared to the working image and the working image either remains as it is, or becomes image 3 if image 3 is in better focus that the working image (thus the working image can now be any one of images 1, 2, or 3). The section of the detector again moves laterally, and the image acquired by active area 4 at position x, but again at a different adjacent depth is compared to the working image. Thus after the image acquired by the eighth active region is compared to the working image, and the working image either becomes the eighth image data or stays as the working image, then at position x, whichever of images 1-8 that was in best focus forms the working image, which is now in focus. In the above, the active areas could be separated by more than the depth of focus of the microscope or there could be many more than 8 active regions. In this manner, a feature can be imaged in one scan of the detector where the depth of that feature in the sample varies by more than the depth of focus of the sample, and where a 2D image with enhanced depth of focus is provided without having to save each of the “layer” images, rather only saving a working image and comparing this to image data now being acquired, such that the enhanced image is acquired on the fly. In an example, the system comprises an autofocus system whereby the section (the projection of the detector at the sample) moves vertically as well as horizontally, in order for example to follow a sample that is itself varying in the z direction—for example a tissue sample could be held within microscope slides that are bowed, such that the centre part of the slides is bowed vertically towards the detector in comparison to the periphery of the slides.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, Black, PINI and Taveniku with autofocus system moves vertically as well as horizontally as seen in VINK because this modification would follow a sample that is itself varying in the z direction ([0077] of VINK)
Thus, the combination of Anderson, Black, PINI, Taveniku and VINK teaches wherein the controller is configured such that: determining the depth position of the group of voxels comprises scanning a range of focal depths using the autofocus system; and wherein the controller is configured to cause the read head to: scan a focal depth of the imaging system over the range of focal depths; and capture an image selectively when the focal depth of the imaging system corresponds to the depth position of the group of voxels; optionally wherein the controller is configured such that the scan performed by the autofocus system and the scan performed by the imaging system have different phases, the phases being selected such that focal depths in the range are scanned by the autofocus system before the imaging system.
5. Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”)
Regarding independent claim 9, Anderson teaches a method of reading data from a multi-layered optical data storage medium (see Figure 2, section 4. Voxel Reading”) the multi-layered optical data storage medium comprising a transparent substrate having layers of voxels embedded therein(see Figure 1 and section Storing Data in Glass “A recent breakthrough at the University of Southampton [21, 17, 20] has made it possible to store data in fused silica (i.e., quartz glass). When the beam from a femtosecond laser is focused inside a block of fused silica, a permanent small 3D nanostructure (which we will call a “voxel”) forms in the silica. In contrast to holographic storage, writing a voxel in glass involves inducing a permanent, long-term stable change to the physical structure of the fused silica material. Viewed from the top, the voxel has a grating structure (a nanograting) and is circular, with a diameter of approximately the wavelength of the light used to create it, and has a depth of a few microns into the glass. In contrast to conventional optical disc storage, many layers of voxels (i.e., over 100) can be written in glass, as the transmittance of fused silica is much larger than that of opaque thin films used in conventional optical discs, allowing light to penetrate much deeper into the material, for both writing and reading. Each voxel has a property called form birefringence, whereby the nanostructure has different physical properties than the surrounding silica material. The voxel exhibits a different refractive index for light with a different polarization (i.e., light that has its electric field oscillating in a particular direction). As a result, when polarized light interacts with the voxel, a shift of several nanometers between the components of its electric field is introduced. The range of this shift is known as the voxel’s “retardance”. This shift also induces a change in the polarization angle of incoming light. Retardance and angle change can be used to encode multiple bits per voxel. When writing into glass, modulating the polarization of the laser beam, energy, and the number of pulses makes it possible to deterministically affect these two properties of the created voxel. This allows specific values to be encoded into each voxel. Reading the data stored amounts to measuring these two properties of the voxels”), which method comprises:
determining a depth position of a group of voxels in the multi-layered optical data storage medium by sampling the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass , right column, second paragraph “By focusing the laser beam at different positions across an XY plane, we can write voxels side-by-side to form a 2D layer. By changing the focus depth of the laser beam, we can write many layers across the depth of the silica block. Figure 1c shows a side view of 8 layers of voxels”; see 4. Voxel Reading “….Traditionally, the set of images are combined and processed to determine the retardance and polarization angle change across voxels. Figure 3 shows the two output images for a widely used Four-Frame Algorithm [18]. Figure 3(a) shows retardance and (b) shows polarization angle change for a field of view that contains ∼ 840 voxels. This algorithm requires four measurement images, plus an additional four background images that quantify any baseline retardance in the block of silica, independent of voxels. Decoding the data value of each voxel then requires sampling the voxel positions in the two output images and thresholding the sampled values into fixed ranges corresponding to multi-bit values..”); and
capturing an image of the group of voxels using an imaging system having a focal depth corresponding to the depth position(see at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass, last paragraph “There are multiple challenges to using glass as a media. The most obvious is building a storage system that is able to exploit the glass media properties, particularly the lifetime. Further, different technologies are used for writing and reading. The write path uses a femtosecond pulse laser to generate the pulses necessary to create the voxel nanostructures in the glass. This is a different type of laser than diode lasers used in DVD and BluRay drives, and due to its form factor, power and cooling needs, it will be the size of a 2U server. The voxels can be read from the glass using microscopy (e.g. a camera along with optical components akin to a microscope). It should be noted that the multiple voxels can be imaged concurrently, provided they are on the same layer. The methods used to decode the data stored by the voxels will be discussed in Section 4.”; Figure.2 and section 4. Voxel Reading, paragraph fourth “We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, (a) Retardance (in nm) (b) Angle change (in deg.) Figure 3: Computed measures of birefringence they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass”);
a light source for illuminating an area on the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see 4. Voxel Reading, “…Figure 2 diagrammatically shows the key components required to measure birefringence in glass. It has a light source in an illumination arm, the glass sample, and then an imaging arm with a camera. Both arms have tunable polarization control (e.g., liquid crystal polarizers), which allows you to arbitrarily change the polarization of light passing through each arm. To read birefringence, you need to probe the glass with different kinds of polarized light and measure the observed changes in polarization induced by the voxels.”);
a detector for detecting light from the light source transmitted through the multi-layered optical data storage medium(see section 4. Voxel Reading , fourth paragraph “We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, (a) Retardance (in nm) (b) Angle change (in deg.) Figure 3: Computed measures of birefringence they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass”). Anderson is understood to be silent on the remaining limitation of claim 9.
In the same field of endeavor, PINI teaches determining a depth position of a group of voxels in the multi-layered optical data storage medium by sampling the multi-layered optical data storage medium using an autofocus system ([0036] To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators.”; and capturing an image of the group of voxels using an imaging system having a focal depth corresponding to the depth position ([0037] Software-based autofocusing systems capture several images of the sample at different relative distances between the sample and the optical head; the capture of images can be performed with the same optical detector that is used for the optical analysis of the sample, or with a dedicated one. The different captured images are analyzed with dedicated algorithms that calculate the contrast of each image and can quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position. The best position is finally recovered with one or more motorized stages able to change the relative distance between the sample and the optical head of the scanner.”) ;
wherein the autofocus system comprises: a light source for illuminating an area on the multi-layered optical data storage medium; a detector for detecting light from the light source transmitted through the multi-layered optical data storage medium ([0036] To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson with including autofocus system as seen in PINI because this modification would quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position (([0036] of PINI) Both Anderson and PINI are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 9.
In the same field of endeavor, Taveniku teaches determining a depth position in the multi-layered optical data storage medium by sampling the multi-layered optical data storage medium using an autofocus system ([0081] The optical system 101 can include an autofocus system 160. For example, the autofocus system 160 can use phase detection, image contrast detection, or laser distance detection, or any other suitable technique, to provide information for determining how to drive the focal length of the liquid lens 104. The controller 120 can receive information and can determine how to drive the liquid lens 104 to achieve an appropriate focal length. By way of example, an autofocus system 160 can determine that the image target is 5 meters away from the optical system 101. The controller 120 can use this information to determine how to drive the liquid lens 104 so that the optical system 101 achieves a focal length of 5 meters. For example, the controller 120 can use a lookup table or a formula to determine voltages to be applied to the electrodes of the liquid lens 104 to achieve an appropriate focal length for the liquid lens 104. The controller 120 can use the liquid lens 104 to simultaneously control the focal length (e.g., for autofocus) and the focal direction (e.g., for optical image stabilization). The optical system 101 can include a power supply 170 for providing electrical power to the components of the optical system 101, such as the controller 120, the liquid lens 104, the sensors, etc. The power supply 170 can be a battery, in some embodiments.”;
and capturing an image of the group of voxels using an imaging system having a focal depth corresponding to the depth position ([0079] Additionally, the memory 140 may be configured to store lens control logic 142, sensor control logic 144, focus stack logic 146, and system logic 148 (each of which may be embodied as a computer program, firmware, or hardware, as an example). The lens control logic 142 may include instructions for controlling the power (e.g., electronic signals) to the liquid lens 104. By controlling the power to the liquid lens 104 the focal length may be driven in a loop between a maximum focus distance to a minimum focus distance or between any first and second focus distance therebetween. The lens control logic 142 may be configured to control the liquid lens to a sequence of fixed positions or through a controlled ramp. The sensor control logic 144 may include instructions for synchronizing one or more sensors such as a motion sensor 150, a distance or depth sensor, a focusing sensor or the like with the focal lengths of the liquid lens so that images may be captured at desired times and desired focus distances .The focus stack logic 146 may include instructions for combining multiple sequential images taken at different focal lengths (i.e., at different focal planes) to generate a composite image having a desired depth of focus and resolution. In some embodiments, one or more of the machine-readable instruction sets may be implemented through machine leaming models employing a trained neural network. For example, a neural network may be trained to automatically synchronize a desired focal plane with a power control signal for driving the liquid lens to the desired focal plane (i.e., focal length). In some embodiments, the optical system 101 may include a focus stack controller configured to combine the multiple images to generate the composite, stacked image. The focus stack controller may execute the focus stack logic 146. The system logic 148 may include an operating system and/or other software”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson and including autofocus system of PINI with determining depth position using autofocus system as seen in Taveniku because this modification would provide information for determining how to drive the focal length of the liquid lens ([0081] of Taveniku).
Thus, the combination of Anderson, PINI and Taveniku teaches a method of reading data from a multi-layered optical data storage medium, the multi-layered optical data storage medium comprising a transparent substrate having layers of voxels embedded therein, which method comprises: determining a depth position of a group of voxels in the multi-layered optical data storage medium by sampling the multi-layered optical data storage medium using an autofocus system; and capturing an image of the group of voxels using an imaging system having a focal depth corresponding to the depth position; wherein the autofocus system comprises: a light source for illuminating an area on the multi-layered optical data storage medium; a detector for detecting light from the light source transmitted through the multi-layered optical data storage medium.
5. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”) ”) further in view of VINK et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No. 20190075247 (“VINK”)
Regarding claim 10, Anderson, PINI and Taveniku teach the method according to claim 9, wherein determining the depth position of the group of voxels includes performing a scan of a range of depths using the autofocus system (see at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass of Anderson “….By focusing the laser beam at different positions across an XY plane, we can write voxels side-by-side to form a 2D layer. By changing the focus depth of the laser beam, we can write many layers across the depth of the silica block. Figure 1c shows a side view of 8 layers of voxels”; see 4. Voxel Reading “….Traditionally, the set of images are combined and processed to determine the retardance and polarization angle change across voxels. Figure 3 shows the two output images for a widely used Four-Frame Algorithm [18]. Figure 3(a) shows retardance and (b) shows polarization angle change for a field of view that contains ∼ 840 voxels. This algorithm requires four measurement images, plus an additional four background images that quantify any baseline retardance in the block of silica, independent of voxels. Decoding the data value of each voxel then requires sampling the voxel positions in the two output images and thresholding the sampled values into fixed ranges corresponding to multi-bit values..”; [0036] of PINI “ To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators.”; [0081] of Taveniku “The optical system 101 can include an autofocus system 160. For example, the autofocus system 160 can use phase detection, image contrast detection, or laser distance detection, or any other suitable technique, to provide information for determining how to drive the focal length of the liquid lens 104. The controller 120 can receive information and can determine how to drive the liquid lens 104 to achieve an appropriate focal length. By way of example, an autofocus system 160 can determine that the image target is 5 meters away from the optical system 101. The controller 120 can use this information to determine how to drive the liquid lens 104 so that the optical system 101 achieves a focal length of 5 meters. For example, the controller 120 can use a lookup table or a formula to determine voltages to be applied to the electrodes of the liquid lens 104 to achieve an appropriate focal length for the liquid lens 104. The controller 120 can use the liquid lens 104 to simultaneously control the focal length (e.g., for autofocus) and the focal direction (e.g., for optical image stabilization). The optical system 101 can include a power supply 170 for providing electrical power to the components of the optical system 101, such as the controller 120, the liquid lens 104, the sensors, etc. The power supply 170 can be a battery, in some embodiments.”);
wherein the imaging system performs a scan of a range of focal depths, and wherein the imaging system selectively captures an image when the focal depth of the imaging system corresponds to a depth position of a group of voxels( see at least 4 Voxel Reading as shown in Fig.2, Section 5 of Anderson see at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass of Anderson “….By focusing the laser beam at different positions across an XY plane, we can write voxels side-by-side to form a 2D layer. By changing the focus depth of the laser beam, we can write many layers across the depth of the silica block. Figure 1c shows a side view of 8 layers of voxels”; see 4. Voxel Reading “….Traditionally, the set of images are combined and processed to determine the retardance and polarization angle change across voxels. Figure 3 shows the two output images for a widely used Four-Frame Algorithm [18]. Figure 3(a) shows retardance and (b) shows polarization angle change for a field of view that contains ∼ 840 voxels. This algorithm requires four measurement images, plus an additional four background images that quantify any baseline retardance in the block of silica, independent of voxels. Decoding the data value of each voxel then requires sampling the voxel positions in the two output images and thresholding the sampled values into fixed ranges corresponding to multi-bit values ; [0090] of Taveniku “Turning now to FIG. 8, a method of capturing, processing, and generating a composite image having desired depths of focus in real-time will now be described with reference to the process flow diagram 400 depicted herein. The method may include, at block 410, the acquisition of images. As described herein, a controller may configure the liquid lens of the optical system to oscillate or controllably ramp between a first focus distance and a second focus distance. The controller may further cause the image sensor to capture a sequence of images taken in succession at different focus distances. For example, the liquid lens may be driven from a first focus distance (e.g., close to the imaging device) to a far focus (e.g., far from the imaging device) while the image sensor takes a sequence of multiple images (e.g., 10 images) in even or uneven intervals of time. In some embodiments, the image sensor may be configured to capture images at 300 fps. The image sensor may capture 10 images as the liquid lens oscillates such that each image corresponds to a unique focus distance and the images form a stack of images.); optionally wherein the scan performed by the imaging system and the scan performed by the autofocus system have respective phases which differ by a phase difference, the phase difference being selected such that each focal depth in the range is scanned by the autofocus system before the imaging system ( the limitations of following the term “optionally” is not required by the claim language so it is automatically satisfied by the prior art) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 9. Anderson, PINI and Taveniku are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 10
In the same field of endeavor, VINK teaches wherein determining the depth position of the group of voxels includes performing a scan of a range of depths using the autofocus system, wherein the imaging system performs a scan of a range of focal depths (see at least [0077] In an example, the detector comprises three or more active regions, each configured to acquire image data at a different depth in a sample, wherein the depth at which one active region images a part of the sample is different to the depth at which an adjacent active region images a part of the sample, where this difference is depth is at least equal to a depth of focus of the microscope. In other words, as the detector is scanned laterally each of the active areas sweeps out a “layer” within which features will be in focus as this layer has a depth equal to the depth of focus of the microscope and the active region acquires data of this layer. For example, 8 layers could be swept out across the sample, the 8 layers then extending in depth by a distance at least equal to 8 times the depth of focus of the detector. In other words, as the detector begins to scan laterally, for the simple case where the detector does not also scan vertically (i.e. the lens or sample does not move in the depth direction), then at a particular x position initially two images acquired by active areas 1 and 2 (with the section of the detector having moved laterally between image acquisitions) at different but adjacent depths are compared, with the best image from 1 or 2 forming the working image. The section of the detector moves laterally, and now the image acquired by active area 3 at position x and at an adjacent but different depth to that for image 2 is compared to the working image and the working image either remains as it is, or becomes image 3 if image 3 is in better focus that the working image (thus the working image can now be any one of images 1, 2, or 3). The section of the detector again moves laterally, and the image acquired by active area 4 at position x, but again at a different adjacent depth is compared to the working image. Thus after the image acquired by the eighth active region is compared to the working image, and the working image either becomes the eighth image data or stays as the working image, then at position x, whichever of images 1-8 that was in best focus forms the working image, which is now in focus. In the above, the active areas could be separated by more than the depth of focus of the microscope or there could be many more than 8 active regions. In this manner, a feature can be imaged in one scan of the detector where the depth of that feature in the sample varies by more than the depth of focus of the sample, and where a 2D image with enhanced depth of focus is provided without having to save each of the “layer” images, rather only saving a working image and comparing this to image data now being acquired, such that the enhanced image is acquired on the fly. In an example, the system comprises an autofocus system whereby the section (the projection of the detector at the sample) moves vertically as well as horizontally, in order for example to follow a sample that is itself varying in the z direction—for example a tissue sample could be held within microscope slides that are bowed, such that the centre part of the slides is bowed vertically towards the detector in comparison to the periphery of the slides.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, PINI and Taveniku with autofocus system moves vertically as well as horizontally as seen in VINK because this modification would follow a sample that is itself varying in the z direction ([0077] of VINK)
Thus, the combination of Anderson, PINI, Taveniku and VINK teaches wherein determining the depth position of the group of voxels includes performing a scan of a range of depths using the autofocus system; wherein the imaging system performs a scan of a range of focal depths, and wherein the imaging system selectively captures an image when the focal depth of the imaging system corresponds to a depth position of a group of voxels; optionally wherein the scan performed by the imaging system and the scan performed by the autofocus system have respective phases which differ by a phase difference, the phase difference being selected such that each focal depth in the range is scanned by the autofocus system before the imaging system.
7. Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”) further in view of VINK et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No. 20190075247 (“VINK”) further in view of BEAUCHAMP et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.20180201994 (“BEAUCHAMP”)
Regarding claim 11, Anderson, PINI, Taveniku and VINK teach the method according to claim 10, comprising: capturing, sequentially in a first depth direction, images of layers of voxels in a region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass “…..There are multiple challenges to using glass as a media. The most obvious is building a storage system that is able to exploit the glass media properties, particularly the lifetime. Further, different technologies are used for writing and reading. The write path uses a femtosecond pulse laser to generate the pulses necessary to create the voxel nanostructures in the glass. This is a different type of laser than diode lasers used in DVD and BluRay drives, and due to its form factor, power and cooling needs, it will be the size of a 2U server. The voxels can be read from the glass using microscopy (e.g. a camera along with optical components akin to a microscope). It should be noted that the multiple voxels can be imaged concurrently, provided they are on the same layer. The methods used to decode the data stored by the voxels will be discussed in Section 4.”; see at least section 4. Voxel Reading as shown in Figure.2 “…..We sequentially take a set of images of the same field of view. The illumination arm creates a beam of light polarized to one angle. As light passes through the voxels, (a) Retardance (in nm) (b) Angle change (in deg.) Figure 3: Computed measures of birefringence they change the polarization of the beam. The tunable polarization control and camera in the imaging arm are used to detect those changes. A different set of configurations is used for each image. Conceptually, this is analogous to measuring the projections of a vector onto the bases of the vector space it occupies. To read different layers, the optics focus on a different depth in the glass”; [0090] [0109]of Taveniku; [0077]of VINK);
subsequently aligning the imaging system with a further region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see whole paper, at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass, section 4. Voxel Reading of Anderson; [0036] of PINI “To focus the sample surface in a fast and automatic way, the optical system is equipped with an autofocus system (AF); the automatic focusing of the sample can be achieved either via hardware or via software schemes. Hardware-based autofocusing systems, commonly known in literature as active autofocusing systems, are commonly obtained by projecting laser light onto the sample (the laser being part of the AF) and collecting the laser light reflected from the sample with a differential photodetector. By measuring the position of the reflected light on the photodetector, it is possible to quantify the distance of the sample surface from the best focusing position; the optimum position is therefore recovered with one or more motorized stages able to modify the relative distance between the sample and the head of the optical scanner by moving the biosensor, the optical system or part of it, or both hardware components. To precisely focus the sample surface, the typical resolution of the movement needs to be far below the depth of field of a high-resolution optical objective (which typically could reach down to 200 nm for a 100× optical objective). Many different technological solutions can be implemented, such as stepper or DC motors or piezoelectric actuators. [0072] of Taveniku A housing 110 can position the liquid lens 104 and/or the one or more lens elements 108 relative to the image sensor 106. The housing 110 can be an enclosed structure, or any other suitable support structure that is configured to position the elements of the optical system 101. An optical axis 112 of the one or more lens elements 108 can align with the structural axis 111 of the liquid lens 104, which can also align with the optical axis 113 of the liquid lens 104 when no optical tilt is applied to the liquid lens 104. When an optical tilt angle 114 is applied to the liquid lens 104, the optical axis 113 of the liquid lens 104 can be angled relative to the optical axis 112 of the one or more lens elements 108. The optical axis 112 can intersect the image sensor 106, such as at a center region thereof In some embodiments, one or more reflective optical elements (e.g., mirrors) can be used to redirect light in the optical system 101, such as between the liquid lens 104 and the image sensor 106.”);
capturing, sequentially in a second depth direction opposite the first depth direction, images of layers of voxels in the further region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium (see whole paper, at least section 3. Storing Data in Glass, section 4. Voxel Reading of Anderson; [0083][0109] of Taveniku; [0077] of VINK) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 10. Anderson, PINI, Taveniku and VINK are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 11.
In the same field of endeavor, BEAUCHAMP teaches capturing, sequentially in a second depth direction opposite the first depth direction (see at least [0133] When the region of interest is enriched by extending the capture probes in the capture probe library, the sequencing depth (which may be a normalized sequencing read depth or a read depth corrected for GC bias or mappability) attributable to each capture probe at contiguous loci generally decreases (with some noise and variation) as a function of locus distance from the capture probe. Although the general trend is for decreased sequencing depth for loci more distant from the capture probe, for some sequencing probes the sequencing depth may increase before decreasing (or the sequencing depth may be relatively flat) as function of distance from the capture probe. A schematic of the sequencing depth attributable to several capture probes is shown in FIG. 1. The capture probe 102 was extended using a nucleic acid molecule from the sequencing library that hybridized to the capture probe. The region of interest 104 includes a plurality of contiguous loci 106 (small rectangles with only a portion of the individual loci being labeled). Capture probe 102 hybridizes to the region of interest 104 and is extended in the direction of the arrow. The sequencing depth in the example illustrated in FIG. 1A is high at the locus 106a most proximal to the capture probe 102, but decreases to a sequencing depth of about zero at locus 106b. The sequencing depth attributable to capture probe 102 is determined for each locus, and the sequencing depth profile 108 is plotted above. The determined sequencing depth for loci very distant or upstream of the capture probe 102 can be literally determined or assumed to be zero. A second capture probe 110 can be included in the capture probe library, which binds to a region of interest 104 at a location different from capture probe 102. The second capture probe 110 can be extended in the direction of the arrow and sequence, resulting in a second sequencing depth profile 112 attributable to capture probe 110. The second sequencing depth profile 112 can be different from the first sequencing depth profile 108. In some embodiments, the capture probe library can include a third capture probe 114, which can be a probe that binds the opposite strand of the region of interest as capture probe 102 and capture probe 110 and therefore extends in the opposite direction. A third sequencing depth profile 116 can be attributed to the third capture probe 114. A sequencing depth for one or more of the contiguous loci 106 can be determined that is attributable to each capture probe (i.e., capture probe 102, capture probe 110, and capture probe 114) as well as the capture probe library (i.e., the sum of the sequencing depth attributable to each of capture probe 102, capture probe 110, and capture probe 114).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, PINI and Taveniku and autofocus system moves vertically as well as horizontally of VINK with capturing, sequentially in a second depth direction opposite the first depth direction as seen in BEAUCHAMP because this modification would extend the capture probes in opposite direction ([0133] of BEAUCHAMP)
Thus, the combination of Anderson, PINI, Taveniku, VINK and BEAUCHAMP teaches comprising: capturing, sequentially in a first depth direction, images of layers of voxels in a region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium; subsequently aligning the imaging system with a further region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium; capturing, sequentially in a second depth direction opposite the first depth direction, images of layers of voxels in the further region of the multi-layered optical data storage medium.
8. Claims 12, 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”) further in view of SERGEI et at., IDS, WO01/41131,(“SERGEI”)
Regarding claim 12, Anderson, PINI, Taveniku teach the method according to claim 9, wherein:
the voxels are arranged in sectors ( see Fig. 3 and section 4. Voxel Reading) and the sectors are arranged in vertical tracks (see section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage “ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.”); the capturing comprises capturing, using the imaging system (see Figure.2), images of sectors in a first track (see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage “ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.” [0083][0109] of Taveniku); the multi-layered optical data storage medium and imaging system are held at fixed lateral positions during the capture of the images (Figure 2, see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage “ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.” [0083][0109] of Taveniku);
the images are captured selectively at the determined vertical positions (Figure 2, see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage “ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.”; [0083][0109] of Taveniku); and optionally wherein capturing the images of the sectors comprising capturing a plurality of images of the sectors using light of different polarizations( the limitations of following the term “optionally” is not required by the claim language so it is automatically satisfied by the prior art) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 9. Anderson, PINI and Taveniku are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 12.
In the same field of endeavor, SERGIE teaches the voxels are arranged in sectors and the sectors are arranged in vertical tracks, the determining comprises determining vertical positions of sectors in a first track the multi-layered optical data storage medium and imaging system are held at fixed lateral positions during the capture of the images; the images are captured selectively at the determined vertical positions(see at least page 4, lines 20-25-page 5, lines 1-18 “Fig. 1 demonstrates the principle of reading information stored in the multilayer optical card 101 by several readout heads 103 under the control of stepmovers 105, each of which can move along the X and Y axes. In order to provide a high data rate, one of the readout heads 103 reads page by page from a certain column. The time of moving from layer to layer is much shorter than the time of latcral moving from column to column. During the reading of the certain column,other heads 103 are moving laterally to the next columns. Let us consider a numericalexample. The card has 50 layers with size 16x16 cm2. The distance between layers is20 u. The bit size is 0.4x0.4 p~. Hence the data density is 80 MB/cm~. The page size is400x400 The page has 1000x1000 bits. There are two optical heads 103; one isactive, and one is positioning. The time to move from layer to layer is 0.6 ms. Thetime to move from column to column is 50 ms. The average access time (time ofpositioning) is 50 ms. The light wavelength is 0.5 u. The laser power is 10 mW. Thenumerical aperture of the imaging objective is NA = 0.5. The photosensitive CCDmatrix has 2000x2000 pixels, and the frame rate is 1000 frames/s. The number of photoelectrons per pixel is 10, 000. The oversampling is 4 pixels per pit. The lightintegration time is 0.4 ms. The matching of the image is obtained by software. It is easy to calculate that this device has an information capacity of I TB and a readout data rate of 1 Gb/s. Indeed, the reading of one page takes 0.4 ms. During the next 0.6 ms, a head 103 moves to the next layer. Hence, to read one page with an information capacity of I Mb takes 1 ms, so that the readout rate is 1 Gb/s. After reading of the 50"'page, the head 103 moves to the next column ; meanwhile, the other head 103 starts to read a different column.”, page 9,lines 5- page11, line 2)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, PINI and Taveniku with reading page by page from a certain column as seen SERGEI in because this modification would provide a high data rate (page 4, lines 20-25 of SERGEI)
Thus, the combination of Anderson, PINI, Taveniku, and SERGEI teaches wherein: the voxels are arranged in sectors and the sectors are arranged in vertical tracks, the determining comprises determining vertical positions of sectors in a first track; the capturing comprises capturing, using the imaging system, images of sectors in a first track; the multi-layered optical data storage medium and imaging system are held at fixed lateral positions during the capture of the images; the images are captured selectively at the determined vertical positions; and optionally wherein capturing the images of the sectors comprising capturing a plurality of images of the sectors using light of different polarizations.
Regarding claim 14, Anderson, PINI, Taveniku, and SERGEI teach the method according to claim 12, further comprising inferring, based at least in part on the vertical positions of sectors in one track, vertical positions of sectors in another track ( Figure.2, see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage of Anderson“ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.” ;see at least page 4, lines 20-25-page 5, lines 1-18 of SERGEI “Fig. 1 demonstrates the principle of reading information stored in the multilayer optical card 101 by several readout heads 103 under the control of stepmovers 105, each of which can move along the X and Y axes. In order to provide a high data rate, one of the readout heads 103 reads page by page from a certain column. The time of moving from layer to layer is much shorter than the time of latcral moving from column to column. During the reading of the certain column,other heads 103 are moving laterally to the next columns. Let us consider a numericalexample. The card has 50 layers with size 16x16 cm2. The distance between layers is20 u. The bit size is 0.4x0.4 p~. Hence the data density is 80 MB/cm~. The page size is400x400 The page has 1000x1000 bits. There are two optical heads 103; one isactive, and one is positioning. The time to move from layer to layer is 0.6 ms. Thetime to move from column to column is 50 ms. The average access time (time ofpositioning) is 50 ms. The light wavelength is 0.5 u. The laser power is 10 mW. Thenumerical aperture of the imaging objective is NA = 0.5. The photosensitive CCDmatrix has 2000x2000 pixels, and the frame rate is 1000 frames/s. The number of photoelectrons per pixel is 10, 000. The oversampling is 4 pixels per pit. The lightintegration time is 0.4 ms. The matching of the image is obtained by software. It is easy to calculate that this device has an information capacity of I TB and a readout data rate of 1 Gb/s. Indeed, the reading of one page takes 0.4 ms. During the next 0.6 ms, a head 103 moves to the next layer. Hence, to read one page with an information capacity of I Mb takes 1 ms, so that the readout rate is 1 Gb/s. After reading of the 50"'page, the head 103 moves to the next column ; meanwhile, the other head 103 starts to read a different column.”) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 12.
Regarding claim 15, Anderson, PINI, Taveniku, Anderson and SERGEI teach the method according to claim 14, wherein determining the vertical positions of the sectors comprises: detecting a vertical position of a feature of the multi-layered optical data storage medium( see whole paper, at least Figure.2, see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage of Anderson“ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.”; see at least page 4, lines 20-25-page 5, lines 1-18 of SERGEI); and
inferring the vertical positions of the sectors based on the vertical position of the feature and a predetermined optical data storage medium geometry (see at least Figure.2, see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage of Anderson“ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.”; page 2, lines 4-17 of SERGIE “An object of the present invention is to provide an optical information medium having high capacity. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of reading information at a high data rate. Another object of the present invention is to provide principles of optimal design of optics and media geometry in order to obtain a high capacity for a standard size of recording medium. The first object of the present invention can be attained by a fluorescent multilayer optical medium, which is realized in the form of an optical card or disk having dozens of information layers. In the case of an optical card, the information field in each layer has a plurality of individual pages or tracks which include information pits. The size of each individual information pit is a tradeoff between the 2-D data density and the number of layers. This optimum is closely related to the optimal numerical aperture of the objective, providing maximal information capacity.”; see at least page 4, lines 20-25-page 5, lines 1-18 of SERGEI); optionally wherein the feature is selected from a surface of the multi-layered optical data storage medium; a marker on a surface of the multi-layered optical data storage medium; a marker embedded in the optical data storage medium and one or more voxels in the optical data storage medium (the limitations of following the term “optionally” is not required by the claim language so it is automatically satisfied by the prior art) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 12.
9. Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ANDERSON, et al., IDS, "Glass: A new media for a new era?", 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage 18), 2018 (“Anderson”) in view of PINI et al. U.S Patent Application Publication No.2020/0319085 (“PINI”) further in view of Taveniku et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.2022/0187509 (“Taveniku”) further in view of SERGEI et at., IDS, WO01/41131,(“SERGEI”) further in view of BEAUCHAMP et al., U.S Patent Application Publication No.20180201994 (“BEAUCHAMP”)
Regarding claim 13, Anderson, PINI, Taveniku and SERGEI teach the method according to claim 12, further comprising: after capturing the images, aligning the imaging system with a further track by moving the imaging system and/or multi-layered optical data storage medium laterally (see at least Figure.2, see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage of Anderson“ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.”;[0083][0109] of Taveniku; whole papers, page 4- page 7 of SERGEI “…Another embodiment of reading from a continuously rotating multilayer disk uses a high-speed CCD matrix. As shown in Fig. 4, in the disk 401 having multiple layers 403. the information is stored in the form of a plurality of pages 405 written along spiral tracks. The pages 405 on neighboring layers 403 are shifted relative to one another. The reading is realized by scanning in the depth. The exciting sources produce pulses synchronized with the sequence of frames in the CCD matrix. After emitting an exciting pulse for reading of the next page, the readout head movesrelative the disk simultaneously in vertical and horizontal directions, and the next exciting pulse is emitted when the readout head is positioned above the pages of the neighboring layer. After reading of the last layer, the integral lateral shift due to rotating of the disk is equal to the distance between neighboring columns of pages. he process repeats with the reading of the next column. Let us consider a numerical example. The CCD matrix has 2000x2000 pixels, and the frame rate is 2 kHz. The oversampling is 4 pixels per pit. Refocusing from layer to layer takes 0.5 ms. The disk has 300 mm diameter and 30 layers. The size of a page is 400 u. Reading of 30 layers takes 30 ms. During this time, the lateral shift due to rotation is 400, so that the linear rotating speed is 1.3 cm/s. Thus, the average date rate is 1 Gb/s.”)
reversing a direction of change of focus of the imaging system; and capturing images of sectors in the further track sequentially in the reversed direction (see at least Figure.2, see section 4 and section 5. Towards a glass-based storage system, particular Volumetric storage of Anderson“ The glass is a three-dimensional media. The read process concurrently images many voxels in the same XY-plane, and can subsequently image many layers in the Z-dimension. Existing storage technologies (even optical discs with multiple layers) lay out data and read sequentially in a single XY-plane, and do not leverage the third dimension. Because scanning in the Z-dimension for glass storage is fast, we can lay out data in the Z-plane, minimizing XY-seek overhead. Density In the first system we anticipate that in a volume equivalent to a DVD-disk we can write about 1 TB. The technology can potentially get to 360 TB [21]. The motivation to increase density is not driven by media cost per se, as in most storage technologies, as the cost of the media is negligible. Increasing density improves read performance because of the volume of data in the field of view when reading.”; whole papers, particular page 6, lines 8-page 7, lines 18 of SERGEI “….Another embodiment of reading from a continuously rotating multilayer disk uses a high-speed CCD matrix. As shown in Fig. 4, in the disk 401 having multiplelayers 403. the information is stored in the form of a plurality of pages 405 writtenalong spiral tracks. The pages 405 on neighboring layers 403 are shifted relative toone another. The reading is realized by scanning in the depth. The exciting sourcesproduce pulses synchronized with the sequence of frames in the CCD matrix. Afteremitting an exciting pulse for reading of the next page, the readout head movesrelative the disk simultaneously in vertical and horizontal directions, and the next exciting pulse is emitted when the readout head is positioned above the pages of the neighboring layer. After reading of the last layer, the integral lateral shift due to rotating of the disk is equal to the distance between neighboring columns of pages.) In addition, the same motivation is used as the rejection for claim 12. Anderson, PINI, Taveniku and SERGEI are understood to be silent on the remaining limitations of claim 13.
In the same field of endeavor, In the same field of endeavor, BEAUCHAMP teaches capturing images in the further track sequentially in the reversed direction (see at least [0133] When the region of interest is enriched by extending the capture probes in the capture probe library, the sequencing depth (which may be a normalized sequencing read depth or a read depth corrected for GC bias or mappability) attributable to each capture probe at contiguous loci generally decreases (with some noise and variation) as a function of locus distance from the capture probe. Although the general trend is for decreased sequencing depth for loci more distant from the capture probe, for some sequencing probes the sequencing depth may increase before decreasing (or the sequencing depth may be relatively flat) as function of distance from the capture probe. A schematic of the sequencing depth attributable to several capture probes is shown in FIG. 1. The capture probe 102 was extended using a nucleic acid molecule from the sequencing library that hybridized to the capture probe. The region of interest 104 includes a plurality of contiguous loci 106 (small rectangles with only a portion of the individual loci being labeled). Capture probe 102 hybridizes to the region of interest 104 and is extended in the direction of the arrow. The sequencing depth in the example illustrated in FIG. 1A is high at the locus 106a most proximal to the capture probe 102, but decreases to a sequencing depth of about zero at locus 106b. The sequencing depth attributable to capture probe 102 is determined for each locus, and the sequencing depth profile 108 is plotted above. The determined sequencing depth for loci very distant or upstream of the capture probe 102 can be literally determined or assumed to be zero. A second capture probe 110 can be included in the capture probe library, which binds to a region of interest 104 at a location different from capture probe 102. The second capture probe 110 can be extended in the direction of the arrow and sequence, resulting in a second sequencing depth profile 112 attributable to capture probe 110. The second sequencing depth profile 112 can be different from the first sequencing depth profile 108. In some embodiments, the capture probe library can include a third capture probe 114, which can be a probe that binds the opposite strand of the region of interest as capture probe 102 and capture probe 110 and therefore extends in the opposite direction. A third sequencing depth profile 116 can be attributed to the third capture probe 114. A sequencing depth for one or more of the contiguous loci 106 can be determined that is attributable to each capture probe (i.e., capture probe 102, capture probe 110, and capture probe 114) as well as the capture probe library (i.e., the sum of the sequencing depth attributable to each of capture probe 102, capture probe 110, and capture probe 114).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of read head for reading and writing in glass of Anderson, PINI ,Taveniku and SERGEI with capturing, sequentially in a second depth direction opposite the first depth direction as seen in BEAUCHAMP because this modification would extend the capture probes in opposite direction ([0133] of BEAUCHAMP)
Thus, the combination of Anderson, PINI, Taveniku , SERGEI and BEAUCHAMP teaches further comprising: after capturing the images, aligning the imaging system with a further track by moving the imaging system and/or multi-layered optical data storage medium laterally; reversing a direction of change of focus of the imaging system; and capturing images of sectors in the further track sequentially in the reversed direction.
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/SARAH LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2614