DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the selective adjustment” should read “a selective adjustment” in line 15. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 – 17, 21 – 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schroeder et al. (U.S. PG Pub. # 2005/0031255 A1).
In Re claims 1, 9, 10 and 21, ‘255 teaches an optical device (figs. 1 or 2), comprising: a set of M (M > 1) signal inputs (right 2 of 102); a set of K (K > 1) pilot path inputs (left 2 of 102), wherein a light source (116) is coupled to a pilot path input in the set of K pilot path inputs; a set of N (N > 1) signal outputs (left 2 of 104); a set of L (L > 1) pilot path outputs (right 2 of 104), wherein a pilot path output in the set of L pilot path outputs is coupled to the pilot path input to form a pilot path (figs. 1 or 2); a set of elements (112 or 114), the set of elements being on the pilot path and on a set of signal paths formed among the set of M signal inputs and the set of N signal outputs, wherein at least one element in the set of elements is adjustable (pars. 00005, 0024) to influence coupling of optical beams among inputs and outputs of the optical device; a photodiode (128, par. 0022) coupled to the pilot path output to convert a pilot signal on the pilot path output to an electrical signal; and a controller (130) to selectively adjust one or more elements of the set of elements based on a relationship between the electrical signal and the selective adjustment (pars. 0005, 0022 – 0024), wherein the adjustment is to compensate for a difference in a current state associated with the set of elements relative to an original state associated with the set of elements (pars. 0005, 0022 – 0024).
In Re claims 2 and 11, ‘255 teaches wherein the light source is included in the optical device (figs. 1 or 2).
In Re claims 3, 12 and 22, ‘255 teaches wherein the pilot signal is provided by the light source and does not carry data (par. 0020).
In Re claims 4 and 13, ‘255 teaches wherein the set of K pilot path inputs includes multiple pilot path inputs and the set of L pilot path outputs includes multiple pilot path outputs such that the set of K pilot path inputs and the set of L pilot path outputs are configurable to form multiple pilot paths (fig. 1), and the controller is to selectively adjust the one or more elements based on pilot signals associated with the multiple pilot paths (par. 0005).
In Re claims 5 and 14, ‘255 teaches wherein the multiple pilot path inputs and the multiple pilot path outputs are configured such that the multiple pilot paths are distributed across an array of beam steering elements (par. 0004) of the optical device.
In Re claims 6, 15 and 23, ‘255 teaches wherein the selective adjustment of the one or more elements comprises an adjustment of one or more beam steering elements in an array of beam steering elements (figs. 1 or 2).
In Re claim 7, ‘255 teaches wherein the selective adjustment is to provide compensation for an impact of the difference in the current state relative to the original state on each signal path in the set of the signal paths (pars. 0005, 0022).
In Re claims 8 and 16, ‘255 teaches wherein the one or more elements include at least one of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device, a piezoelectric device, or a transducer (par. 0024).
In Re claim 17, ‘255 teaches M x N device as claimed (figs. 1 or 2 show that each array is at least a 1 x 6 array).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHAD SMITH whose telephone number is (571)270-1294. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 - 5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached at 1-571-272-2397. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHAD H SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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