DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
In addressing the rejection ground, each claim may not have been separately discussed to the extent the claimed features are the same as or similar to the previously-discussed features; the previous discussion is construed to apply for the other claims in the same or similar way.
In the office action, “/” should be read as and/or as generally understood. For example, “A/B” means A and B, or A or B.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-9, 11-13, 15 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Voloden et al. (hereinafter Voloden, US 2015/0255943).
Regarding claim 1, Voloden discloses a device [e.g. figs. 4-6] for generating a current driver voltage [see output fig. 5/6] for a current driver of a pump diode [see at least 21/12 figs. 2-4 and paras. 0037-0038], the pump diode for pumping a fibre laser [see at least para. 0004], the device comprising: a voltage source [e.g. 11 fig. 4] for generating the current driver voltage, wherein the voltage source comprises a primary side and a secondary side [separated by transformer 35/45], wherein the secondary side is electrically isolated from the primary side, wherein the primary side comprises primary circuit breakers [e.g. 33s], and wherein the secondary side comprises an accumulator [e.g. see the capacitor symbol] for electrical charge, wherein the voltage source is configured to generate the current driver voltage at the accumulator by switching the primary circuit breakers, and a discharge circuit [e.g. 50, 52/41/48; or 51, 53/49/40 fig. 6] configured to receive a discharge trigger voltage [e.g. discharge command, or ON/OFF command] and to discharge the accumulator when the discharge trigger voltage assumes a predetermined value or a value range.
Regarding claim 2, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a driver circuit [e.g. 20/30; or 43s, 42/32] for switching the primary circuit breakers of the voltage source, wherein the driver circuit comprises a switching element [e.g. one of 30s; or switching element in the 43s, 42] configured to receive a first switching signal and to switch the primary circuit breakers of the voltage source based thereon.
Regarding claim 3, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, the discharge circuit is connected to a node [e.g. the node under 52/53] in order to receive the discharge trigger voltage, the device further comprising: a DC/DC converter [see 31-38 fig. 5, 45 fig. 6, abstract, paras. 0009, 0014-0017, 0033-0034, 0041, 0047] configured to receive a first control voltage [e.g. the input voltage; para. 0055] and to provide an output voltage at an output of the DC/DC converter based on the first control voltage, and a deactivation switch [e.g. 41/40; 52/53] configured to receive a second control voltage [e.g. command/shutdown command; paras. 0045-0046, 0055] and to switch an electrical connection between the output of the DC/DC converter and the node based on the second control voltage.
Regarding claim 4, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the deactivation switch is configured to establish an electrical connection between the output of the DC/DC converter and the node if the second control voltage has a first value or a first value range, and to disconnect the electrical connection between the output of the DC/DC converter and the node if the second control voltage has a second value or a second value range that is different from the first value or the first value range [see at least paras. 0045-0046].
Regarding claim 5, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a second deactivation switch [e.g. 40/41/48/49], a second switching element [e.g. 53/52], and a discharge resistor [e.g. 51/50], which is connected to a first connector [e,g. the top/bottom connector] of the accumulator, wherein the second deactivation switch is configured to receive the discharge trigger voltage and to switch the second switching element based on the discharge trigger voltage.
Regarding claim 6, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second deactivation switch is configured to switch on the second switching element in order to establish an electrical connection between the discharge resistor and a second connector [e,g. the bottom/top connector] of the accumulator, so that the accumulator is discharged via the discharge resistor if the discharge trigger voltage assumes the predetermined value or the value range, and/or the second deactivation switch is configured to switch off the second switching element in order to disconnect the electrical connection between the discharge resistor and the second connector of the accumulator, so that the accumulator is prevented from being discharged via the discharge resistor if the discharge trigger voltage does not assume the predetermined value or the value range and/or if the discharge trigger voltage is outside the predetermined value or the value range.
Regarding claim 7, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the discharge circuit comprises an indicator circuit [see at least paras. 0048-0052] configured to output an indicator signal with a first value or a first value range when the accumulator is discharged via the discharge resistor and to output the indicator signal with a second value or a second value range when the accumulator is not discharged via the discharge resistor [see at least paras. 0048, 0054].
Regarding claim 8, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first control voltage and/or the second control voltage are controlled by a control trigger [e.g. 40/41/48/49], wherein the control trigger is a test switch, or a door opener, or an emergency stop switch, and wherein the accumulator is discharged via the discharge circuit when the control trigger is actuated.
Regarding claim 9, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the first control voltage is interrupted in an event of a power failure or an operating fault, the accumulator is discharged via the discharge circuit [ see at least paras. 0046-0054].
Regarding claim 11, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discharge circuit is configured to discharge the accumulator up to a predetermined residual voltage [see at least para. 0038].
Regarding claim 12, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the discharge circuit is capable of being switched off in such a way that the accumulator retains a predetermined residual voltage in the range of from 0.1 V to 20 V [see at least para. 0038], during discharge.
Regarding claim 13, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accumulator is capable of being switched at a rate between 1 Hz and 100 Hz [see at least para. 0041].
Regarding claim 15, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second discharge circuit [e.g. 51, 53/50, 52 fig. 6].
Regarding claim 17, Voloden discloses a laser system for providing a laser beam, the laser system comprising at least one pump diode, a device as claimed in claim 1 [see rejection of claim 1] for generating a current driver voltage for a current driver of the at least one pump diode, and a control trigger for deactivating the laser beam, wherein the control trigger is configured to transmit a control trigger signal [e.g the signal via 57/58] to the device for deactivating the laser beam [see at least paras. 0048, 0054], and wherein the control trigger signal causes the current driver voltage to be deactivated [see at least paras. 0048, 0054].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 10, 14 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Voloden et al. (US 2015/0255943).
Regarding claim 10, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discharge circuit is configured to discharge the accumulator. Voloden does not disclose in less than 100 ms. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a first refraction section having the discharge time less than 100ms, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum of working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 14, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 1, except wherein the accumulator is a capacitor, and a capacitance of the capacitor is less than 10000 μF. However, the capacitance of a capacitor is a known range for operating a laser. The official notice of the foregoing fact is taken. For example, US 8,184,670 by Crawford et al. discloses a capacitance of a capacitor is less than 10000 μF [col. 14, lines 26-35]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a capacitance of the capacitor is less than 10000 μF.
Regarding claim 18, Voloden discloses the laser system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the device for generating the current driver voltage is configured to deactivate the current driver voltage and/or the laser beam when the control trigger signal is received. Voloden does not disclose in less than 200 ms. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a first refraction section having the time in less than 100ms, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum of working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Claim 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Voloden et al. (US 2015/0255943) in view of Eum (US 2019/0159308).
Regarding claim 16, Voloden discloses the device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a clock generator configured to receive an input clock and the discharge trigger voltage, and based on the discharge trigger voltage, to output a clocked switching signal as the first switching signal for switching the switching element. Voloden does not disclose PWM receive an input clock. However, it’s well-known that a PWM generator receives an input clock. For example, Eum discloses a PWM generator [e.g. 220 fig. 2/ , fig. 5] receives an input clock [fPWM]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device disclosed by Voloden in accordance with the teaching of Eum regarding a PWM generator in order to utilize a well-known clock signal to help generate PWM signal.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK C CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7207. The examiner can normally be reached M-F Flexible 9:00-5:30.
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/PATRICK C CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842