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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, a scintillator fiber detector module claimed in claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, each scintillator bar comprising an optical fiber extending from a first end to a second end claimed in claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, an optical fiber of each scintillator bar is optically connected to at least one scintillator bar detector claimed in claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: scintillator fibers (120) in FIG. 5.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 20 in FIG. 5.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The Reference to Related Applications should include U. S. Patent No. 11,994,645 issued on 28 May 2024.
Page 11, bridging paragraph, line 3, --muon-- should be inserted before “sensor 14”.
Page 12, bridging paragraph, line 16, --muon-- should be inserted before “detector 10”.
Pages 15-16, bridging paragraph, line 3, --muon-- should be inserted before “sensor 114”.
Pages 15-16, bridging paragraph, line 19, --muon-- should be inserted before “detector 110”.
Pages 15-16, bridging paragraph, line 28, “detector 10” should be replaced by --muon detector 110--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Please note that paragraph numbers in a U. S. Patent Application Publication do not correspond to page numbers and line numbers in the originally-filed specification. The page numbers and line numbers mentioned above refer to the originally-filed specification.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
(Proposed Amendments) A longitudinally extending borehole muon detector, the longitudinally extending borehole muon detector comprising:
a borehole; (a positive limitation)
a plurality of scintillator fiber detector modules; (a positive limitation)
a plurality of scintillator fibers locatable in [[a]] the borehole and wound helically about a longitudinal axis to form a helical bundle of scintillator fibers of n windings around the longitudinal axis, where n is greater than one, each scintillator fiber of the plurality of scintillator fibers optically connected to a corresponding scintillator fiber detector module of the plurality of scintillator fiber detector modules, each scintillator fiber detector module optically connected to detect scintillation light propagating through the scintillator fiber and record a detection time associated with the scintillation light from the scintillator fiber; [[and,]] and
a plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars locatable in the borehole arranged circumferentially about the longitudinal axis, each scintillator bar of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars comprising an optical fiber extending from a first end of the scintillator bar to a second end of the scintillator bar,
wherein the optical fiber of each scintillator bar is optically connected to at least one scintillator bar detector at least at one of the first end and the second [[ends]] end, the at least one scintillator bar detector configured to detect scintillation light from the scintillator bar.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 2-8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
2. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 1, wherein each scintillator fiber detector module of the plurality of scintillator fiber detector modules comprises a first scintillator fiber detector and a second scintillator fiber detector, the first scintillator fiber detector optically connected to a respective first end of the corresponding scintillator fiber and the second scintillator fiber detector optically connected to a respective second end of the corresponding scintillator fiber.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 3-8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
3.(Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 2, wherein:
in response to a muon traversing at least one scintillator fiber of the plurality of scintillator fibers, [[the]] a corresponding first scintillator fiber detector is operative to detect a first scintillation light propagating through the at least one scintillator fiber and record a first detection time of the first scintillation [[light]] light, and [[the]] a corresponding second scintillator fiber detector is operative to detect a second scintillation light propagating through the at least one scintillator fiber and record a second detection time of the second scintillation light; and
the borehole muon detector further comprises a processor configured to determine an estimated location along a helical length of the at least one scintillator fiber based on the first detection time and the second detection [[times]] time.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 5-7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
5. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 4, wherein the at least one scintillator bar detector comprises scintillator bar detectors, and wherein the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars is arranged such that a muon that traverses a scintillator fiber from among the plurality of scintillator fibers also traverses a pair of scintillator bars from among the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars and wherein, in response to the muon traversing the longitudinally extending scintillator bars:
[[the]] corresponding scintillator bar detectors are operative to detect scintillation light from the pair of scintillator bars; and
the processor is further configured to determine an azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars based at least in part on Birk’s [[law]] law, which relates an amount of scintillation light produced by each of the pair of scintillator bars to [[the]] a path length (a lack of an antecedent basis) of the muon traversed through each of the pair of scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 6 and 7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
6. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 5, wherein an uncertainty in the azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars is less than a circumferential dimension of either of the pair of scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities:
7. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a location of the muon traversing the scintillator fiber from among the plurality of scintillator fibers and the pair of scintillator bars from among the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator fibers based on the estimated location along the helical length of the at least one scintillator fiber traversed by the muon and the azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities:
8. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[3]] 3, wherein at least a portion of the processor is located outside of the borehole.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 9-14 and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
9. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of opposing scintillator fiber detectors; and (a positive limitation)
a plurality of oppositely wound scintillator fibers wound helically about the longitudinal axis to form a helical bundle of oppositely wound scintillator fibers of m windings around the longitudinal axis,
each scintillator fiber of the plurality of oppositely wound scintillator fibers comprising a first end and a second end, at least one of the first end and the second end of each of the plurality of oppositely wound scintillator fibers optically connected to [[an]] a corresponding opposing scintillator fiber detector of the plurality of opposing scintillator fiber detectors,
the helical bundle of oppositely wound scintillator fibers of m windings are wound in a direction opposite to the helical bundle of scintillator fibers of n windings (a previously recited limitation in claim 1).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 10-14 and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
10. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[9]] 9, wherein:
the borehole muon detector further comprises a processor; and
in response to a muon traversing the plurality of scintillator fibers, the plurality of oppositely wound scintillator fibers, and a pair of scintillator bars from the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars,
the processor is configured to resolve an ambiguity between a number candidate crossing points at which the muon could have traversed the plurality of scintillator fibers and the plurality of oppositely wound scintillator fibers, where each of the number candidate crossing points comprises a crossing point of a fiber pair consisting of one scintillator fiber from among the plurality of scintillator fibers and one scintillator fiber from [[the]] among the plurality of oppositely wound scintillator fibers, based on a combination of:
unique azimuthal positions of the number candidate crossing points; and
an azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
11. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[10]] 10, wherein an uncertainty in the azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars is less than a distance along an azimuthal direction of the borehole muon detector between the number [[of]] candidate crossing points along the azimuthal [[axis]] direction.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
12. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[10]] 10, wherein the at least one scintillator bar detector comprises scintillator bar detectors, and wherein, in response to the muon traversing the plurality of scintillator fibers, the plurality of oppositely wound scintillator fibers, and the pair of scintillator bars from the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars:
[[the]] corresponding scintillator bar detectors are operative to detect scintillation light from the pair of scintillator bars; and
the processor is further configured to determine the azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars from the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars based at least in part on Birk’s [[law]] law, which relates an amount of scintillation light produced by each of the pair of scintillator bars to [[the]] a path length (a lack of an antecedent basis) of the muon traversed through each of the pair of scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities:
13. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[10]] 10, wherein an uncertainty in the azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars is less than a circumferential dimension of either of the pair of scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities:
14. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[10]] 10, wherein at least a portion of the processor is located outside of the borehole.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities:
19. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[10]] 10, wherein n is not an integer.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 15-17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
15. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 1, wherein each scintillator bar of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars has a triangular cross section, which includes a base and two [[sides]] sides, and the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars includes a plurality of first scintillator bars and a plurality of second scintillator bars, wherein the plurality of first scintillator bars alternate with the plurality of second scintillator bars such that [[the]] bases (a lack of an antecedent basis) of the plurality of first scintillator bars delineate an outer circumference of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars and [[the]] bases of the plurality of second scintillator bars delineate an inner circumference of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 16 and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
16. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim 15, further comprising:
a processor, and
wherein, in response to a muon traversing a pair of scintillator bars comprising one of the plurality of first scintillator bars and one of the plurality of second scintillator bars,
the processor is configured to use an output from the at least one scintillator bar detector corresponding to the one of the plurality of first scintillator bars and the at least one scintillator bar detector corresponding to the one of the plurality of second scintillator bars to determine an azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars based at least in part on Birk’s [[law]] law, which relates an amount of scintillation light produced by each of the pair of scintillator bars to [[the]] a path length (a lack of an antecedent basis) of the muon traversed through each of the pair of scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
17. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[16]] 16, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of scintillator bars of the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars by an interpolation to determine a barycenter, which has a precision that is finer than a circumferential dimension of either of the pair of the scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities:
18. (Proposed Amendments) The borehole muon detector according to claim [[1]] 1, wherein the plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars [[are]] is (refers to the plurality) arranged to form a cylinder about the longitudinal axis, the cylinder defining an inner bore therethrough.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 20-22 are objected to because of the following informalities:
20. (Proposed Amendments) A method for detecting muons in a borehole, the method comprising the steps of:
in response to a muon traversing at least one scintillator fiber of a plurality of scintillator fibers of a borehole muon detector helically wound about a longitudinal axis to form a helical bundle of scintillator fibers of n windings around the longitudinal axis, wherein n is greater than one:
detecting a first scintillation light propagating through the at least one scintillator fiber at a first end of the at least one scintillator fiber and recording a first detection time of the first scintillation light (a lack of an antecedent basis);
detecting a second scintillation light propagating through the at least one scintillator fiber at a second end of the at least one scintillator fiber and recording a second detection time of the second scintillation light; and
determining an estimated location along a helical length of the at least one scintillator fiber that was traversed by the muon based on the first detection time and the second detection [[times]] time.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 21 and 22 are objected to because of the following informalities:
21. (Proposed Amendments) The method according to claim 20, further comprising the steps of:
in response to the muon traversing the at least one scintillator fiber also traversing a pair of longitudinally extending scintillator bars of a plurality of longitudinally extending scintillator bars arranged circumferentially about the longitudinal axis:
detecting scintillation light from the pair of longitudinally extending scintillator bars; and,
determining an azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of longitudinally extending scintillator bars based at least in part on Birk’s [[law]] law, which relates an amount of scintillation light produced by each of the pair of longitudinally extending scintillator bars to [[the]] a path length (a lack of an antecedent basis) of the muon traversed through each of the pair of longitudinally extending scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 22 is objected to because of the following informalities:
22. (Proposed Amendments) The method according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of:
determining a location of the muon traversing the at least one scintillator fiber and the pair of longitudinally extending scintillator bars based on the estimated location along the helical length of the at least one scintillator fiber traversed by the muon and the azimuthal coordinate of the muon traversing the pair of longitudinally extending scintillator bars.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 recites a limitation “at least one scintillator bar detector” in line 14. However, other than photodetector elements (116), the specification does not describe a scintillator bar detector optically connected to a first end or a second end of a scintillator bar. The specification disclosed photodetector elements (116), which are attached to one end (118) of scintillator fibers (120) and one end (122) of a wavelength shifting optical fiber (176) that are embedded in scintillator bars (124), in a one-to-one relationship - one photodetector element (116) to one end (118, 122) (pages 15-16, bridging paragraph). Furthermore, photodetector elements (116) detect a light yield from scintillator bars (124) and scintillation light emitted by scintillator fibers (120) at a first end and a second end of scintillator fibers (120) (pages 15-16, bridging paragraph). There is no description of another scintillator bar detector optically connected to an optical fiber of each scintillator bar at least at one of the first end or the second end. Therefore, the claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
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 pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 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 1-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 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.
Claim 1 recites a limitation “the scintillator fiber” in line 8, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites a limitation “the scintillator fiber” in line 9, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites a limitation “the scintillator bar” in line 12, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites a limitation “the scintillator bar” in line 13, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites a limitation “the scintillator bar” in line 16, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites a limitation “the corresponding scintillator fiber” in line 4, which renders the claim indefinite.
Claim 2 recites a limitation “the corresponding scintillator fiber” in lines 5-6, which renders the claim indefinite.
Claim 20 recites a limitation “the scintillator fiber” in lines 6-7, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 20 recites a limitation “the scintillator fiber” in line 7, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 20 recites a limitation “the scintillator fiber” in lines 9-10, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 20 recites a limitation “the scintillator fiber” in line 10, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
Claim 22 recites a limitation “the scintillator fiber” in line 2, which renders the claim indefinite. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation in the claim.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS. —Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 4-7, 11, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claims 4, 6, 11, and 13 fail to set forth an additional structural limitation on the longitudinally extending borehole muon detector, as a definition of an uncertainty does not further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Schouten (U. S. Patent No. 12,007,527 B2) disclosed a drift-tube borehole muon detector system, an apparatus, and a method for muon radiography and tomography.
Schouten et al. (U. S. Patent No. 11,994,645 B2) disclosed an apparatus, a system, and a method regarding a borehole muon detector for muon radiography and tomography.
Sannie et al. (U. S. Patent No. 9,678,224 B2) disclosed a system comprising contiguous plastics scintillators and a method for detecting gamma, muon, neutron radiations.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Allen C. Ho, whose telephone number is (571) 272-2491. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10AM - 6PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David J. Makiya, can be reached at (571) 272-2273. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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Allen C. Ho, Ph.D.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2884
/Allen C. Ho/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884 Allen.Ho@uspto.gov