Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on May 10, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
3. Claims 1-5, 8-9, 11-14, 16-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohtomo (US 6483106 B1; Ohtomo, F. et al).
In regard to claims 1-5 and 8-9, Ohtomo discloses:
[claim 1] a laser beam generating device [rotary laser irradiating system 1] comprising:
a housing [shown in Fig. 5];
a light directing element that rotates [main unit 2, including pentagonal prism 25 of rotator 3] with respect to a rotational axis [optical axis along remainder of laser beam 80b, Figs. 1 & 5] that extends through the light directing element [shown at least in Fig. 1];
a laser diode [laser diode 11] configured to emit a laser beam [laser beam 80] at the light directing element [Fig. 1]; and
a control device [control unit 9] communicatively coupled to the laser diode [control unit/control means and its operation of the laser irradiating system described at least in col. 2 line 50 - col. 3 line 26], the control device configured to control the laser diode to emit a plurality of laser pulses of the laser beam at the light directing element [at least col. 16 lines 12-18 describe the laser beam being generated in pulses; Fig. 12 shows the oscillation of light frequencies, described at least in col. 14 line 54 - col. 15 line 5], wherein the control device controls the timing of the plurality of laser pulses [control unit controls operation] so that the plurality of laser pulses produces a plurality of marked locations on a work surface after interfacing with the light directing element [Fig. 6 shows positions A-C marked with their own respective laser];
[claim 2] that the light directing element comprises a plurality of exterior flat surfaces [shown in Figs. 1-2], and wherein each pulse of a first subset of the plurality of laser pulses interfaces with a first surface of the plurality of exterior flat surfaces to produce each of the plurality of marked locations on the work surface [laser beam 80a is projected from the pentagonal prism 25; Fig. 5 shows lights projected on a plurality of surfaces];
[claim 3] that each pulse of a second subset of the plurality of laser pulses distinct from the first subset interfaces with a second surface of the plurality of exterior flat surfaces to produce each of the plurality of marked locations on the work surface [Fig. 5 shows projections on a horizontal surface perpendicular to object reflector 51, the back surface of object reflector 51, above the object reflector 51, and in another direction along laser beam 80b], wherein the first surface is not coplanar with the second surface [shown in Fig. 5];
[claim 4] that each pulse of a third subset of the plurality of laser pulses interfaces with a third surface of the plurality of exterior flat surfaces to produce each of the plurality of marked locations on the work surface, wherein the third subset of the plurality of laser pulses is distinct from each of the first subset and the second subset, and wherein the third surface is not coplanar with either the first surface or the second surface [surface in Fig. 5 that would receive projections above object reflector 51 and laser beam 80b would be different surfaces than the back of object reflector 51 and the horizontal surface shown in Fig. 5];
[claim 5] that the plurality of exterior flat surfaces circumferentially surround and face away from the rotational axis [shown in Fig. 1];
[claim 8] that the light directing element comprises a mirror [main unit 2 includes an aperture mirror 26], and wherein the plurality of laser pulses interfacing with the light directing element comprises the plurality of laser pulses reflecting off the mirror [Fig. 1 shows laser beam(s) interfacing with aperture mirror 26]; and
[claim 9] that the work surface is a ceiling [col. 10 lines 3-5 describe the surfaces as a ceiling].
In regard to claims 11-14 and 16, Ohtomo discloses:
[claim 11] a laser beam generating device [rotary laser irradiating system 1] comprising:
a housing [shown in Fig. 5];
a light directing element that rotates [main unit 2, including pentagonal prism 25 of rotator 3] with respect to a rotational axis [optical axis along remainder of laser beam 80b, Figs. 1 & 5] that extends through the light directing element [shown at least in Fig. 1], the light directing element comprising a plurality of exterior flat surfaces [shown in Fig. 2];
a laser diode [laser diode 11] configured to emit a laser beam [laser beam 80] at the light directing element [Fig. 1]; and
a control device [control unit 9] communicatively coupled to the laser diode [control unit/control means and its operation of the laser irradiating system described at least in col. 2 line 50 - col. 3 line 26], the control device configured to control the laser diode to emit a plurality of laser pulses of the laser beam at the light directing element [at least col. 16 lines 12-18 describe the laser beam being generated in pulses; Fig. 12 shows the oscillation of light frequencies, described at least in col. 14 line 54 - col. 15 line 5], wherein the control device controls the timing of the plurality of laser pulses [control unit controls operation] so that:
each pulse of a first subset of the plurality of laser pulses is projected at a different surface of the plurality of exterior flat surfaces [if the first subset is treated as the first rotation, then the pulses occurring at least at locations A-C (shown in Fig. 6) on said first rotation occur at different locations]; and
each pulse of the first subset of the plurality of laser pulses intersects a first location on a work surface after interfacing with the light directing element [col. 1 lines 30-62 describes sending a plurality of pulses to a reflection surface];
[claim 12] that the work surface is a ceiling [col. 10 lines 3-5 describe the surface as a ceiling];
[claim 13] that the first subset of the plurality of laser pulses comprises at least three laser pulses [Fig. 6 shows positions A-C marked with their own respective laser];
[claim 14] that the plurality of exterior flat surfaces circumferentially surround and face away from the rotational axis [shown in Fig. 1]; and
[claim 16] that the light directing element comprises a mirror [main unit 2 includes an aperture mirror 26], and wherein the plurality of laser pulses interfacing with the light directing element comprises the plurality of laser pulses reflecting off the mirror [Fig. 1 shows laser beam(s) interfacing with aperture mirror 26].
In regard to claims 17-18 and 20, Ohtomo discloses:
[claim 17] a laser beam generating device [rotary laser irradiating system 1] comprising:
a housing [shown in Fig. 5];
a light directing element that rotates [main unit 2, including pentagonal prism 25 of rotator 3] with respect to a rotational axis [optical axis along remainder of laser beam 80b, Figs. 1 & 5] that extends through the light directing element [shown at least in Fig. 1], the light directing element comprising a plurality of exterior flat surfaces [shown in Fig. 1];
a laser diode [laser diode 11] configured to emit a laser beam [laser beam 80] at the light directing element [Fig. 1]; and
a control device [control unit 9] communicatively coupled to the laser diode [control unit/control means and its operation of the laser irradiating system described at least in col. 2 line 50 - col. 3 line 26], the control device configured to control the laser diode to emit a plurality of laser pulses of the laser beam at a first surface of the plurality of exterior flat surfaces [at least col. 16 lines 12-18 describe the laser beam being generated in pulses; Fig. 12 shows the oscillation of light frequencies, described at least in col. 14 line 54 - col. 15 line 5], wherein the control device controls the timing of the plurality of laser pulses so that a first subset of the plurality of laser pulses interfaces with the first surface of the plurality of exterior flat surfaces [laser beam 80a is projected from the pentagonal prism 25; Fig. 5 shows lights projected on a plurality of surfaces] and thereafter each pulse of the first subset of the plurality of laser pulses intersects the same location on a work surface after interfacing with the light directing element [if the first subset of laser pulses are treated as the pulses that reach location A (Fig. 6) on different rotations of the laser beam, then the laser pulses contact the same location on a work surface];
[claim 18] that the plurality of exterior flat surfaces circumferentially surround and face away from the rotational axis [shown in Fig. 1]; and
[claim 20] that the light directing element comprises a mirror [main unit 2 includes an aperture mirror 26], and wherein the plurality of laser pulses interfacing with the light directing element comprises the plurality of laser pulses reflecting off the mirror [Fig. 1 shows laser beam(s) interfacing with aperture mirror 26].
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.
4. Claims 6-7, 10, 15, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohtomo as applied to claims 1-5, 8-9, 11-14, 16-18, and 20 above, and further in view of Yasutomo (JP S62-172778 A; Yasutomo, F. et al.).
In regard to claims 6, 15, and 19, Ohtomo teaches that the rotational axis is a horizontal axis [Figs. 4-6 show the rotation axis along laser beam 80b as a horizontal axis].
Ohtomo is not explicit that the pentagonal prism is arranged such that the exterior flat surfaces are symmetrically arranged about the rotational axis.
However, Yasutomo also teaches a laser beam generating device [page 2 para. 1] with a light directing element [polyhedral mirror 11] with exterior flat surfaces [mirror surface portions 12] that are symmetrically arranged about the rotational axis [shown in Fig. 1].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted Yasutomo’s polyhedral mirror for Ohtomo’s pentagonal prism in order to better stably generate a large volume of laser pulses, as taught by Yasutomo [page 5 para. 6].
In regard to claim 7, Ohtomo teaches that the light directing element comprises a mirror [main unit 2 includes an aperture mirror 26], and that the plurality of laser pulses interface with the light directing element [laser beams interface with pentagonal prism 25, shown in Fig. 1].
Ohtomo is not explicit that the plurality of laser pulses interfacing with the light directing element comprises the plurality of laser pulses reflecting off the plurality of exterior reflective flat surfaces.
However, Yasutomo also teaches a laser beam generating device [page 2 para. 1] with a light directing element [polyhedral mirror 11] with exterior flat surfaces [mirror surface portions 12] that are symmetrically arranged about the rotational axis [shown in Fig. 1], such that the plurality of laser pulses reflect off the plurality of exterior reflective flat surfaces [shown in Fig. 1].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted Yasutomo’s polyhedral mirror capable of reflecting a plurality of laser pulses off a plurality of exterior reflective flat surfaces for Ohtomo’s pentagonal prism in order to better stably direct a large volume of laser pulses, as taught by Yasutomo [page 5 para. 6].
In regard to claim 10, Ohtomo teaches that he light directing element comprises a plurality of exterior flat surfaces [shown in Fig. 1] and that the plurality of laser pulses interface with the exterior flat surfaces to produce each of the plurality of marked locations on the work surface [if the first subset is treated as the first rotation, then the pulses occurring at least at locations A-C (shown in Fig. 6) on said first rotation occur at different locations].
Ohtomo is not explicit that each pulse of a first subset of the plurality of laser pulses interfaces with different surfaces of the plurality of exterior flat surfaces.
However, Yasutomo also teaches a laser beam generating device [page 2 para. 1] with a light directing element [polyhedral mirror 11] with exterior flat surfaces [mirror surface portions 12] that are symmetrically arranged about the rotational axis [shown in Fig. 1], such that the plurality of laser pulses reflect off the plurality of different exterior reflective flat surfaces [shown in Fig. 1].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted Yasutomo’s polyhedral mirror capable of reflecting a plurality of laser pulses off a plurality of different exterior reflective flat surfaces for Ohtomo’s pentagonal prism in order to better stably direct a large volume of laser pulses, as taught by Yasutomo [page 5 para. 6].
Conclusion
5. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Cited prior art pertains to other rotary laser device(s).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL QUINN whose telephone number is (571)272-2690. The examiner can normally be reached T-R 07:00-19:00, F 07:00-11:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JOHN BREENE can be reached at (571)272-4107. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL M QUINN/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/JOHN E BREENE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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