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
Response to Election
1. Applicant’s election of claims 1-11, without traverse, in the reply filed on March 3, 2026, is acknowledged.
Claims 12-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on March 3, 2026, is acknowledged.
The requirement is deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The references disclosed within the information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on June 14, 2024, has been considered and initialed by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections – 35 USC § 103
3. 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 may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
4. Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carberry et al. (U.S. 2010/0218556).
Carberry discloses an apparatus for joining together pieces of low thermal expansion glass to form parts that can be used in the manufacturing of mirror blanks. The parts are then used as a basis for the fabrication, using the method described herein, of hexagon sub-assemblies that would then be joined for assembly into mirror blanks (abstract) where it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the hexagon sub-assemblies to have openings since it is known in the art hexagon assemblies to have openings. Carberry discloses laser welding of glass parts to make hexagonal sub-assemblies (paragraph 5), as in claim 1.
In claim 1, the phrase, “attached to the first plate by a first plurality of laser-welded joints, the core assembled from a plurality of glass parts” and “connected by a second plurality of laser-welded joints” introduces a process limitation to the product claim. For purposes of examination, product-by-process claims are not limited to the manipulation of the recited steps, only the structure implied by the steps. See MPEP 2113. In the present case, the recited steps imply a structure having a first plate and a core attached by laser welded joints. The reference suggests such a product because Carberry discloses an apparatus for joining together pieces of low thermal expansion glass to form parts that can be used in the manufacturing of mirror blanks. The parts are then used as a basis for the fabrication, using the method described herein, of hexagon sub-assemblies that would then be joined for assembly into mirror blanks (abstract). Carberry discloses laser welding of glass parts to make hexagonal sub-assemblies (paragraph 5).
Concerning claim 2, Carberry discloses an apparatus for joining together pieces of low thermal expansion glass to form parts that can be used in the manufacturing of mirror blanks (abstract).
Concerning claim 3, Carberry discloses the parts and sub-assemblies of the invention are made of silica-titania glass (paragraph 4).
Concerning claims 4-5, Carberry discloses the parts are hexagon sub-assemblies that would then be joined for assembly into mirror blanks (abstract) where it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the hexagon sub-assemblies to have openings since it is known in the art hexagon assemblies to have openings.
Concerning claim 6, Carberry discloses the parts and sub-assemblies of the invention are made of silica-titania glass (paragraph 4).
Concerning claim 7, Carberry discloses the parts are hexagon sub-assemblies that would then be joined for assembly into mirror blanks (abstract) where it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the hexagon sub-assemblies to have openings since it is known in the art hexagon assemblies to have openings.
Concerning claim 8, Carberry discloses laser welding of glass parts to make hexagonal sub-assemblies (paragraph 5).
Concerning claim 9, Carberry discloses the parts are hexagon sub-assemblies that would then be joined for assembly into mirror blanks (abstract) where laser welding of glass parts to make hexagonal sub-assemblies (paragraph 5) where the additional plates would be expected to include a second plate attached by additional laser welded joints.
Concerning claim 10, Carberry discloses the parts are hexagon sub-assemblies that would then be joined for assembly into mirror blanks (abstract) where laser welding of glass parts to make hexagonal sub-assemblies (paragraph 5).
Carberry does not appear to teach a line extending through an opening of the first plate intersecting a point along one of the third laser welded joints, however substantially identical materials treated in a substantially identical manner are expected to have substantially identical outcomes. In the present case the apparatus is carried out using material (glass) and process (laser welded) conditions which are substantially identical to those disclosed by applicants. Therefore the apparatus discussed above would be expected to meet the claimed line extending through an opening of the first plate intersecting a point along one of the third laser welded joints.
Concerning claim 11, Carberry discloses the parts and sub-assemblies of the invention are made of silica-titania glass (paragraph 4).
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Lawrence Ferguson whose telephone number is 571-272-1522. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday 9:00 AM – 5:30PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Frank Vineis, can be reached on 571-270-1547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LAWRENCE D FERGUSON/Examiner, Art Unit 1781