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
Amendment, filed on 07/30/2026, has been entered.
Claims 2, 7, 18 and 21 are cancelled.
Claims 1, 3-6, 8-17, 19, 20, 22 and 23 are pending.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/30/2026 has been entered.
Examiner’s Note
The instant application has a lengthy prosecution history and the examiner encourages the applicant to have an interview (telephonic or personal) with the examiner prior to filing a response to the instant office action. Also, prior to the interview the examiner encourages the applicant to present multiple possible claim amendments, so as to enable the examiner to identify claim amendments that will advance prosecution in a meaningful manner.
Response to Arguments/Amendments
Presented arguments have been fully considered, but they are rendered moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection necessitated by amendment(s) initiated by the applicant(s).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1 and 3 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cline et al. (“Cline”) [U.S Patent Application Pub. 2002/0093563 A1] in view of Levene et al. (“Levene”) [US 10,677,730 B1] in further view of Axelrod et al. (“Axelrod”) [US 2011/0282192 A1] in further view of Galstian et al. (“Galstian”) [US 2018/0132698 A1]
Regarding claim 1, Cline meets the claim limitations as follows:
A multimodal microscopy system comprising [Fig. 1: ‘an imaging system10’]:
an illumination module [Fig. 1. 2; para. 0029: ‘Combination Light Source 36’] configured to provide a light beam to a sample (i.e. ‘the tissue under examination’) [para. 0003-0004] under test via a delivery path (i.e. ‘a non-coherent fiber-optic illumination guide of the endoscope’ ‘38’) [Fig. 1, 2; para. 0029, 0039: ‘the combination light source 36 to an illumination guide 38’], wherein the illumination module is configured to operate (i.e. mode switch) [Fig. 1: ‘36’; para. 0015: ‘mode switch to change from white light imaging to fluorescence imaging or vice versa’] between a transmission mode (i.e. ‘fluorescence imaging’, light emitted from fluorescence target) and a reflection mode (i.e. ‘white light imaging’); and
an optical arrangement (e.g. ‘mirror 190’) [Fig. 6] configured to receive the light beam from the sample through a detection path (i.e. ‘a coherent fiber-optic imaging guide of the endoscope’) [Fig. 3, 6; para. 0003-0004] to generate a microscopy image of the sample,
wherein the optical arrangement (e.g. ‘movable mirror 186’) [Fig. 1, 6: ‘Mode switch’, ‘Mirror Controller’] comprises: an objective lens [Fig. 6: lens] configured to receive the light beam from the sample; a tunable filter [Fig. 6: filter 1, 2] optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength [Fig. 6: Δλ1; Δλ2] or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam; a tube lens [Fig. 1, 6: a tube of endoscope] optically coupled to the tunable filter; and a microscopy-adaptable camera [Fig. 6: CCD, Camera Head 44] optically coupled to the tube lens for capturing the microscopy image of the sample.
wherein the optical arrangement (e.g. ‘movable mirror 186’) [Fig. 1, 6: ‘Mode switch’, ‘Mirror Controller’] is operable to switch (e.g. ‘Proximity switches 192, 194’) [Abstract] among a plurality of imaging modalities (i.e. ‘switching between white light and fluorescence endoscopy imaging modes’) using the detection path shared by the plurality of imaging modalities, and the plurality of imaging modalities comprises
brightfield microscopy (i.e. ‘white light’ [in light of claim 4: ‘the broadband light’, ‘switched to brightfield microscopy’]) [Fig. 6; para. 0015, 0060: ‘When in the imaging system is in the white light imaging mode’],
fluorescent microscopy (i.e. ‘a broadband light with a filter or a narrowband light source’ [in light of claim 6: ‘switched to fluorescent microscopy’]) [Fig. 6: filters 1, 2; para. 0004, 0015, 0029, 0033, 0060: ‘Broadband white .. or fluorescence excitation light (typically at 437nm+10nm)’; ‘a blue fluorescence excitation light filter’; ‘When in the imaging system is in fluorescence imaging mode’], and
endoscopic microscopy (i.e. a broadband light or a narrowband light’ [in light of claim 10: ‘switched to endoscopic microscopy’]) [Fig. 6: filters 1, 2; para. 0004, 0015, 0029, 0033, 0060: ‘Broadband white .. or fluorescence excitation light (typically at 437nm+10nm)’; ‘a blue fluorescence excitation light filter’; ‘When in the imaging system is in fluorescence imaging mode’. Note: the illumination modules in fluorescent microscopy and in endoscopic microscopy have the same scope of light characteristics “broadband or narrowband light source” (in view of claims 6 and 10). Thus, the fluorescent microscopy and in endoscopic microscopy are construed to be the same type of microscopy], and
wherein, along the detection path, the objective lens, the tunable filter, the tube lens, and the microscopy-adaptable camera are optically coupled
Cline does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
wherein the illumination module is configured to operate between a transmission mode and a reflection mode;
wherein the optical arrangement comprises: an objective lens…; a tunable filter optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam; a tube lens …; and a microscopy-adaptable camera …;
wherein, along the detection path, the objective lens, the tunable filter, the tube lens, and the microscopy-adaptable camera are optically coupled in sequence.
However in the same field of endeavor Levene discloses the deficient claim as follows:
wherein the illumination module is configured to operate between a transmission mode and a reflection mode [Fig. 2; col. 8, ll. 45-50: ‘the sample can be illuminated from below … Alternatively, the sample may be illuminated from above’];
wherein the optical arrangement comprises: an objective lens [Fig. 2: ‘Scan Lens’]…, a tunable filter [Fig. 2: Dichroic A; col. 1, 45-50: ‘a series of dichroic and emission filters’; col. 8, ll. 50-60: ‘Dichroic A …, Dichroic B …, Other filters may be chosen as appropriate by one skilled in the art’] optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam; a tube lens [Fig. 2: ‘Tube Lens’]…; and a microscopy-adaptable camera [Fig. 2: Detector]…;
wherein, along the detection path, the objective lens, the tunable filter, the tube lens, and the microscopy-adaptable camera are optically coupled in sequence [Fig. 2].
Cline and Levene are combinable because they are from the same field of microscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline and Level as motivation to include two modes “inverted microscope” and upright microscope” for providing consistent signal intensity with maximized imaging speeds [Levene: Abstract].
Cline does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
wherein the optical arrangement comprises: an objective lens…; a tunable filter optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam; a tube lens …; and a microscopy-adaptable camera …;
wherein, along the detection path, the objective lens, the tunable filter, the tube lens, and the microscopy-adaptable camera are optically coupled in sequence.
However in the same field of endeavor Axelrod discloses the deficient claim as follows:
wherein the optical arrangement comprises: an objective lens…; a tunable filter [Fig. 2, 3, 6; para. 0090: ‘a tunable filter’] optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength [Fig. 2, 3, 6; para. 0093: ‘implementation of a tunable filter … to acquire images a different wavelengths’] or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam; a tube lens …; and a microscopy-adaptable camera …;
wherein, along the detection path, the objective lens, the tunable filter, the tube lens, and the microscopy-adaptable camera are optically coupled in sequence.
Cline, Levene and Axelrod are combinable because they are from the same field of multimodal endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline, Levene and Axelrod as motivation to include a tunable filter to provide real-time imaging [Cline: Abstract].
Axelrod does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
wherein the optical arrangement comprises: an objective lens…, a tunable filter optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam; a tube lens …; and a microscopy-adaptable camera …;
wherein, along the detection path, the objective lens, the tunable filter, the tube lens, and the microscopy-adaptable camera are optically coupled in sequence.
However in the same field of endeavor Galstian discloses the deficient claim as follows:
wherein the optical arrangement comprises: an objective lens…, a tunable filter optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam; a tube lens …; and a microscopy-adaptable camera …;
wherein, along the detection path, the objective lens [Fig. 6: ‘122’], the tunable filter [Fig. 6: ‘558’], the tube lens [Fig. 6: ‘560’], and the microscopy-adaptable camera [Fig. 5: ‘116’] are optically coupled in sequence [Fig. 5; para. 0054].
Cline, Levene, Axelrod and Galstian are combinable because they are from the same field of multimodal endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline, Levene, Axelrod and Galstian to configure lenses, filters and camera in the sequence by Galstian’s teaching of a tunable liquid crystal lens (TLCL) [Galstian: para. 0004-0008; Cline: Abstract].
Regarding claim 3, Cline meets the claim limitations set forth in claim 1.
Cline does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations:
The multimodal microscopy system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tunable filter is a liquid crystal tunable filter or an acousto-optic tunable filter, and the tunable filter is free from having moving parts.
However in the same field of endeavor Axelrod discloses the deficient claim as follows:
wherein the tunable filter is a liquid crystal tunable filter [para. 0011: ‘liquid-crystal tunable filters (LCTFs)’] or an acousto-optic tunable filter, and the tunable filter is free from having moving parts [para. 0030: ‘switching between modalities in real-time without remove the inserted endoscope from the body’].
a tunable filter [Fig. 2, 3, 6; para. 0090: ‘a tunable filter’] optically coupled to the objective lens, the tunable filter operable to select a wavelength [Fig. 2, 3, 6; para. 0093: ‘implementation of a tunable filter … to acquire images a different wavelengths’] or intensity or a range of wavelengths or intensities of the light beam.
Cline, Levene and Axelrod are combinable because they are from the same field of multimodal endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline, Levene and Axelrod as motivation to include a tunable filter to provide real-time imaging [Cline: Abstract].
Claims 12-14 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cline in view of Levene in further view of Axelrod in further view of Galstian et al. (“Galstian”) [US 2018/0132698 A1] in further view of Lee et al. (“Lee”) [US 2019/0383982 A1]
Regarding claim 12, Cline meets the claim limitations as follows:
The multimodal microscopy system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the illumination module (i.e. ‘36’) [Fig. 1, 2; para. 0029: ‘Broadband white illumination light’] comprises: a broadband or narrowband light source [para. 0029: ‘fluorescence excitation light (typically at 437 nm+10nm)’] for providing the light beam, the illumination module being configured to operate in a reflection mode [Fig. 6 shows ‘endoscope input’ as a reflection mode; para. 0029: ‘Reflected white light or autofluorescence light’] and to provide internal illumination (i.e. ‘36’) [Fig. 1, 2; para. 0029: ‘Broadband white illumination light’] when the plurality of imaging modalities is switched (e.g. ‘mirror 190’) [Fig. 6; para. 0003-0004] to endoscopic microscopy (i.e. a broadband light or a narrowband light’ [in light of claim 10: ‘switched to endoscopic microscopy’]) [Fig. 6: filters 1, 2; para. 0004, 0015, 0029, 0033, 0060: ‘Broadband white .. or fluorescence excitation light (typically at 437nm+10nm)’; ‘a blue fluorescence excitation light filter’; ‘When in the imaging system is in fluorescence imaging mode’. Note: the illumination modules in fluorescent microscopy and in endoscopic microscopy have the same scope of light characteristics “broadband or narrowband light source” (in view of claims 6 and 10). Thus, the fluorescent microscopy and in endoscopic microscopy are construed to be the same type of microscopy]; and
a fiber probe [Fig. 1: ‘fiberoptic endoscope’; para. 0029: ‘an illumination guide 38’] comprising at least one optical fiber having a proximal end (i.e. 40’) [para. 0029] optically coupled to the broadband or narrowband light source (i.e. ‘36’) [Fig. 1, 2; para. 0029: ‘Broadband white illumination light’], and a distal end opposite to the proximal end, the distal end having a metasurface through which the light beam is to be directed above and onto the sample.
Cline does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
a fiber probe comprising at least one optical fiber having a proximal end optically coupled to the broadband or narrowband light source, and a distal end opposite to the proximal end, the distal end having a metasurface through which the light beam is to be directed above and onto the sample.
However in the same field of endeavor Axelrod discloses the deficient claim as follows:
a fiber probe [Fig. 1, 2, 3 ] comprising at least one optical fiber [Fig. 2: ‘Fiber’] having a proximal end optically coupled to the broadband or narrowband light source, and a distal end [Fig. 1, 2, 5: Endoscopic Head ] opposite to the proximal end, the distal end having a metasurface through which the light beam is to be directed above and onto the sample.
Cline, Levene, Axelrod and Galstian are combinable because they are from the same field of multimodal endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline, Levene, Axelrod and Galstian as motivation to include a tunable filter to provide real-time imaging [Cline: Abstract].
Axelrod does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
a distal end opposite to the proximal end, the distal end having a metasurface through which the light beam is to be directed above and onto the sample.
However in the same field of endeavor Lee discloses the deficient claim as follows:
a distal end opposite to the proximal end, the distal end having a metasurface [Fig. 1; para. 0044, 0083: ‘A metasurface 8 can be formed on the optical fiber 2’] through which the light beam is to be directed above and onto the sample.
Cline, Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and Lee are combinable because they are from the same field of endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline, Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and Lee as motivation to include a metasurface on the optical fiber for practical applications in optical imaging and sensing, optical communications, high power lasers, beam steering, color filters, and other applications [Lee: Abstract].
Regarding claim 13, Cline in view of Axelrod and Lee meets the claim limitations set forth in claim 12.
Cline does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
The multimodal microscopy system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the fiber probe further comprises a collection probe having a proximal end optically coupled to the objective lens, and a distal end opposite to the proximal end, the distal end through which the light beam from the sample is to be received via the detection path.
However in the same field of endeavor Axelrod discloses the deficient claim as follows:
wherein the fiber probe further comprises a collection probe having a proximal end optically coupled to the objective lens [para. 0077, 0088: objective lens], and a distal end opposite to the proximal end, the distal end through which the light beam from the sample is to be received via the detection path.
Cline, Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and Lee are combinable because they are from the same field of endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline, Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and Lee as motivation to include a metasurface on the optical fiber for practical applications in optical imaging and sensing, optical communications, high power lasers, beam steering, color filters, and other applications [Lee: Abstract].
Regarding claim 14, Cline in view of Axelrod and Lee meets the claim limitations set forth in claim 13.
Cline does not disclose explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
The multimodal microscopy system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the distal end of the collection probe is coupled to an optical component for focusing to facilitate non-contact imaging and on-axis focusing.
However in the same field of endeavor Axelrod discloses the deficient claim as follows:
wherein the distal end [Fig. 2: ‘Endoscopic Head’] of the collection probe is coupled to an optical component [Fig. 2: ‘Variable Focus Lens’] for focusing to facilitate non-contact imaging and on-axis focusing.
Cline, Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and Lee are combinable because they are from the same field of endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline, Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and Lee as motivation to include a metasurface on the optical fiber for practical applications in optical imaging and sensing, optical communications, high power lasers, beam steering, color filters, and other applications [Lee: Abstract].
Claim 20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cline in view of Levene in further view of Axelrod in further view of Galstian et al. (“Galstian”) [US 2018/0132698 A1] in further view of MacKinnon et al. (“MacKinnon”) [US 2005/0228231 A1]
Regarding claim 20, Cline meets the claim limitations as follows:
The multimodal microscopy system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microscopy-adaptable camera is a monochrome complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera or a monochrome charged-coupled device camera [Cline: Fig. 1, 3, 6: CCD 44a, 44b; filters; para. 0014, 0029, 0040: CCD ‘44a, 44b’].
Neither Cline nor Levene nor Axelrod nor Galstian discloses explicitly the following claim limitations (emphasis added):
wherein the microscopy-adaptable camera is a monochrome complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera or a monochrome charged-coupled device camera.
However in the same field of endeavor MacKinnon discloses the deficient claim as follows:
wherein the microscopy-adaptable camera is a monochrome complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera [para. 0003-0004] or a monochrome charged-coupled device camera [para. 0033-0004, 0007: ‘a single monochrome CCD’].
Cline, Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and MacKinnon are combinable because they are from the same field of multimodal endoscope.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine teachings of Cline [Fig. 6: CCD 44a, 44b; filters], Levene, Axelrod, Galstian and MacKinnon as motivation to use a single monochrome CCD and filters [Cline: Fig. 6: CCD 44a, 44b; filters] for producing high quality images.
Allowable Subject Matter
Regarding claim 4, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 5, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 6, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 8, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 9, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 10, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 11, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 15, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 16, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 17, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 19, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 22, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 23, it is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See form 892.
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/PETER D LE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2488
Prosecution Insights