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 .
Preliminary Amendment
The amendment filed 5/29/2024 pursuant to 37 CFR 1.115 and 37 CFR 1.125 was entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted 5/29/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 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.
Claims 1-4, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 5,598,492, issued 1/28/1998 (“Hammer”), cited by the applicant.
Hammer discloses in Figs. 1a-c, 5 and the corresponding description:
Claim 1
An isolator (Figs. 1a, optical isolator 10, 2:16-57) comprising:
an optical chip (Fig. 5, non-reciprocal mode converter 84, 4:54-5:19) comprising a waveguide (92) configured to propagate an electromagnetic wave (2:45-46, TE mode light wave) in an extending direction of the waveguide (2:23-25, z-axis, the axis along which the light is flowing through the isolator 10);
a first substrate (substrate 86) on which the optical chip is mounted;
a first magnetic member (5:9-19, metallic-ferromagnetic layer 110 and permanent magnets 112) fixed at one side of the waveguide in a first direction perpendicular to the extending direction and parallel to a main surface of the first substrate (5:9-19, a separate layer 110 of a metallic-ferromagnetic material is on each side of the waveguide 92 and a plurality of permanent magnets 112 are along each metallic-ferromagnetic material layer 110), the first magnetic member including at least one magnetic body and
a second magnetic member (5:9-19, metallic-ferromagnetic layer 110 and permanent magnets 112) fixed at an other side of the waveguide in the first direction, the second magnetic member including at least one magnetic body (5:9-19).
Claim 2
wherein at least part of the waveguide coincides with the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member in a direction normal to the main surface of the first substrate (Fig. 5, metallic-ferromagnetic layer 110 and permanent magnets 112 coincides with the waveguide 92 in y-axis, normal to the main surface of substrate 86).
Claim 3
wherein the at least one magnetic body included in the first magnetic member and the at least one magnetic body included in the second magnetic member are across the waveguide from each other (5:9-19, a separate layer 110 of a metallic-ferromagnetic material is on each side of the waveguide 92 and a plurality of permanent magnets 112 are along each metallic-ferromagnetic material layer 110).
Claim 4
wherein the at least one magnetic body included in the first magnetic member comprises a plurality of magnetic bodies arranged in the extending direction, the at least one magnetic body included in the second magnetic member comprises a plurality of magnetic bodies arranged in the extending direction, and the plurality of magnetic bodies included in the first magnetic member and the plurality of magnetic bodies included in the second magnetic member are staggered in the extending direction while being located at opposite sides of the waveguide (5:9-19, plurality of permanent magnets 112 are along each metallic-ferromagnetic material layer 110 on each side of the waveguide).
Claim 11
An isolator magnetization method comprising: magnetizing the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member of the isolator according to claim 1 in the first direction (2:45-64; 5:13-19).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-10 are 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.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0208165 (“Nakajima”) discloses a waveguide type optical isolator including a substrate, a waveguide, and magnets on both sides of the waveguide (Figs. 1-3, Abstract).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTOR COLE, telephone number (571) 272-4686. The examiner can be reached Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL, can be reached at (571) 272-5918. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/VICTOR COLE/
Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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