DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1, 9-12 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7, 9-15, 17-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1).
Claim(s) 5, 8, 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103.
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 1, 9-12 and 20 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.
The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors.
Claims 1 and 12 recite the limitations: “wherein the first waveguide port is optically coupled to the first coupler port, wherein the second waveguide port is optically coupled to the fourth waveguide port, wherein the third waveguide port is optically coupled to the third coupler port, and wherein the fourth waveguide port is optically coupled to the fourth coupler port; wherein the first optical coupler is inserted anywhere in and around the first winding optical waveguide except for where the third surface is adjacent and opposite to the first surface, where the fourth surface where is adjacent and opposite to the second surface.”
However, the limitation appears to have been intended to recite:
“wherein the first waveguide port is optically coupled to the first coupler port, wherein the second waveguide port is optically coupled to the the second coupler port, wherein the third waveguide port is optically coupled to the third coupler port, and wherein the fourth waveguide port is optically coupled to the fourth coupler port; wherein the first optical coupler is inserted anywhere in and around the first winding optical waveguide except for where the third surface is adjacent and opposite to the first surface, and where the fourth surface
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 9-11, recite the limitation of “a portion” of an optical signal, and further includes the recitation of “a portion of the portion of the portion of the portion”. This language is unclear to the examiner due to the indefinite nature of the multiple claimed portions. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 20 recites the limitation “wherein the at least one optical signal consists of one optical signal whose width is greater than 1 nm”. The claimed “width” has no context within the claim, and the examiner cannot determine what parameter of the optical signal the “width” is associated with. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7, 9-15, 17-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by US Publication 2009/0244544 to Terrel et al.
In regards to claims 1-4, 6-7, 9-15, 17-18 and 20, Terrel discloses and shows in Figures 1-8, an optical gyroscope comprising:
an optical source comprising at least one laser and configured to emit at least one optical signal (par. 45);
an optical resonator (60) comprising a rotation axis around which the optical gyroscope is configured to rotate (par. 29-30, 42-44, 50, 58);
opto-electronic circuitry comprises at least one optical detector and is configured to receive the at least one optical signal, to optically couple to the optical resonator a gyroscope portion of each of the at least one optical signal, and to receive at least one gyroscope optical signal each of which is derived from the gyroscope portion (par. 29-30, 42-45, 50, 58);
wherein the opto-electronic circuitry is further configured to generate, using the at least one gyroscope optical signal, an electronic signal representative of a parameter from which a rate of rotation of the optical gyroscope around the rotation axis (par. 29-30, 42-45); and
processing circuitry electrically coupled to the opto-electronic circuitry and configured to receive the electronic signal and to determine the rate of rotation of the optical gyroscope around the rotation axis using the electronic signal (par. 29-30, 42-45);
wherein the optical resonator comprises:
a first optical waveguide (40) comprising a first input/output port (24) and a first surface (70) (par. 42-44);
a second optical waveguide (50) comprising a second input/output port (26) and a second surface (70) (par. 42-44);
a resonator coil of optical waveguide comprising a first winding optical waveguide (60a) comprising a first waveguide port (80), a second waveguide port (80), a third surface adjacent (70) and opposite to the first surface, and a fourth surface (70) adjacent and opposite to the second surface, a second winding optical waveguide (60b, 60c) comprising a third waveguide port (80) and a fourth waveguide port (80), and a first optical coupler (80) comprising a first coupler port, a second coupler port, a third coupler port, and a fourth coupler port (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein a gyroscope system includes a plurality of resonant waveguide loops (60), which are coupled to input/output optical fibers by optical couplers (70), and are coupled to each other by additional optical couplers (80); further each coupler may be a 2x2 coupler with four ports); and
wherein the second winding optical waveguide is within a first region surrounded at least in part by the first winding optical waveguide (Figures 5a-5b, 8) (par. 42-44, 50, 55, 58);
wherein the first waveguide port is optically coupled to the first coupler port, wherein the second waveguide port is optically coupled to the second coupler port, wherein the third waveguide port is optically coupled to the third coupler port, and wherein the fourth waveguide port is optically coupled to the fourth coupler port (Figures 5a, 8) (par. 42-44);
wherein the first optical coupler is configured to optically couple an optical energy between the first and the second coupler ports and between the third and the fourth coupler port (par. 42-44);
wherein the first optical coupler is inserted anywhere in and around the first winding optical waveguide except for where the third surface is adjacent and opposite to the first surface, and where the fourth surface is adjacent and opposite to the second surface (Figures 5a, 8) (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein additional optical couplers (80) are located at different locations from the input/output couplers (70));
[claims 2, 13] wherein the first optical coupler is inserted anywhere in and around the second winding optical waveguide except for where the first optical coupler would overlap another optical coupler optically connected to the second winding optical waveguide (Figures 5a, 8) (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein additional optical couplers (80) are located at different locations from the input/output couplers (70));
[claims 3, 14] wherein at least a portion of an optical signal received at the first or the second input/output port is emitted respectively from the second or the first input/output port (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
[claims 4, 15] wherein at least one of the first and the second optical waveguides and the first and the second winding optical waveguides comprises planar optical waveguide or optical fiber (par. 42-44, 50, 55);
[claims 6, 17] wherein each winding optical waveguide has an oval or an elliptical shape (Figures 5a, 8);
[claims 7, 18] further comprising:
a third winding optical waveguide (60c) comprising a seventh waveguide port (80) and an eighth waveguide port (80); a second optical coupler comprising a fifth coupler port (80), a sixth coupler port (80), a seventh coupler port (80), and an eighth coupler port (80) (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein a gyroscope system includes a plurality of resonant waveguide loops (60), which are coupled to input/output optical fibers by optical couplers (70), and are coupled to each other by additional optical couplers (80); further each coupler may be a 2x2 coupler with four ports);; and
wherein the second winding optical waveguide further comprises a fifth waveguide port (80) and a sixth waveguide port (80) (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
wherein the fifth waveguide port is optically coupled to the sixth coupler port, and the sixth waveguide port is optically coupled the seventh coupler port (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
wherein the seventh waveguide port is optical coupled to the fifth coupler port and the eighth waveguide port is optically coupled to the eighth coupler port (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
wherein the first optical coupler is configured to optically couple optical power between the fifth and the sixth coupler ports and between the seventh and the eighth coupler port(par. 42-44, 50, 58);
wherein the third winding optical waveguide is within a second region defined surrounded in at least part by the second winding optical waveguide (Figures 5a-5b, 8) (par. 42-44, 50, 55, 58);
wherein the second optical coupler is inserted anywhere around the second winding optical waveguide except where the second optical coupler would overlap the first optical coupler (Figures 5a, 8) (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein additional optical couplers (80) are located at different locations from the input/output couplers (70));
[claim 9] a method for decreasing free spectral range in an optical resonator, the method comprising:
optically coupling a portion of an optical signal to a first winding optical waveguide of a resonator coil including at least two winding optical waveguides (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
propagating the portion of the optical signal around at least a part of the first winding optical waveguide (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
optically coupling a portion of the portion of the optical signal from the first winding optical waveguide to a second winding optical waveguide of the resonator coil (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
propagating the portion of the portion of the optical signal around at least a part of the second winding optical waveguide (par. 42-44, 50, 58); and
optically coupling a portion of the portion of the portion of the optical signal from the second winding optical waveguide to the first winding optical waveguide (par. 42-44, 50, 58).
[claim 10] wherein the portion of the portion of the optical signal is provided through a series of one or more optical couplers a first of which is configured to receive the portion of the optical signal (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein a gyroscope system includes a plurality of resonant waveguide loops (60), which are coupled to input/output optical fibers by optical couplers (70), and are coupled to each other by additional optical couplers (80); further each coupler may be a 2x2 coupler with four ports);
[claim 11] further comprising:
receiving the optical signal at a first optical waveguide comprising a first surface (par. 42-44, 50, 58);
emitting a portion of the portion of the portion of the portion of the optical signal from a second optical waveguide comprising a second surface (par. 42-44, 50, 58); and wherein the first winding optical waveguide comprises a third surface and a fourth surface, wherein the third surface is adjacent and opposite to the first surface and the fourth surface is adjacent and opposite to the second surface (Figures 5a, 8)(par. 42-44, 50, 58); wherein the optical coupling is performed by an optical coupler is inserted anywhere in and around the first winding optical waveguide except for where the third surface is adjacent and opposite to the first surface, and where the fourth surface where is adjacent and opposite to the second surface (Figures 5a, 8) (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein additional optical couplers (80) are located at different locations from the input/output couplers (70));
[claim 20] wherein the at least one optical signal consists of one optical signal whose width is greater than 1 nm (par. 33-34; wherein the input laser frequency and linewidth may be selected to desired values to obtain an optimized system configuration).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 5, 8, 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Terrel, in view of US Publication 2024/0077686 to Pelc et al.
In regards to claims 5, 8, 16 and 19, Terrel discloses and shows the optical resonator further comprising:
[claims 5 and 16] wherein the first optical coupler comprises:
a first coupler optical waveguide comprising the first coupler port, the fourth coupler port, and a first coupler surface, wherein the first and the third coupler ports are opposite one another on the first coupler optical waveguide (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein a gyroscope system includes a plurality of resonant waveguide loops (60), which are coupled to input/output optical fibers by optical couplers (70), and are coupled to each other by additional optical couplers (80); further each coupler may be a 2x2 coupler with four ports);
a second coupler optical waveguide comprising the second coupler port, the third coupler port, and a second coupler surface, wherein the second and the fourth coupler ports are opposite one another on the second coupler optical waveguide (Figures 5a-5b, 8) (par. 42-44, 50, 55, 58);
[claims 8 and 19] wherein the second optical coupler comprises:
a third coupler optical waveguide comprising the fifth coupler port, the eighth coupler port, and a third coupler surface, wherein the fifth and the eighth coupler ports are opposite one another on the third coupler optical waveguide (par. 42-44, 50, 58; wherein a gyroscope system includes a plurality of resonant waveguide loops (60), which are coupled to input/output optical fibers by optical couplers (70), and are coupled to each other by additional optical couplers (80); further each coupler may be a 2x2 coupler with four ports).
Terrel differs from the limitations in that it is silent to the optical resonator further comprising:
wherein a width of the first coupler optical waveguide adiabatically tapers at or after the first coupler port and at or after the fourth coupler port and towards the first coupler surface; and
wherein a width of the second coupler optical waveguide adiabatically tapers at or after the second coupler port and at or after the third coupler port and towards the second coupler surface;
wherein the first coupler surface is adjacent to and opposite of the second coupler surface;
wherein a width of the third coupler optical waveguide adiabatically tapers at or after the fifth coupler port and at or after the eighth coupler port and towards the third coupler surface; and
wherein a width of the fourth coupler optical waveguide adiabatically tapers at or after the sixth coupler port and at or after the seventh coupler port and towards the fourth coupler surface;
wherein the third coupler surface is adjacent to and opposite of the fourth coupler surface.
However, Pelc teaches and shows in Figures 1-6, an optical coupler comprising two waveguides and four optical ports, wherein the waveguides are adiabatically tapered to attain a desired mode of light propagation and provide a compact optical coupler (par. 2, 35-40).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Terrel to include the tapered optical coupler discussed above for the advantage of providing a compact optical coupler to attain a desired mode of light propagation, with a reasonable expectation of success.
Conclusion
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JONATHAN M. HANSEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2877
/JONATHAN M HANSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877