DETAILED ACTION
1. This office action is in response to preliminary amendment communication filed on 04/15/2026. Claims 1-15 have been amended. Claims 16-17 have been canceled. Claims 18-20 have been added. Claims 1-15 and 18-20 are pending on this application.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 “Halmilton does not disclose: the interferometric modulator is configured such that its response to the first laser pulse train is not in phase with its response to the second laser pulse train” have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection based on Devgan et al. Pub. No. 2010/0266289 in view of Shaver et al. Pub. No. 20135597
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 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.
4. Claims 1-15 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Devgan et al. Pub. No. 2010/0266289 in view of Shaver et al. Pub. No. 20135597.
Regarding claim 1. Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. disclose a method of performing analogue to electrical conversion (Photodiode PD 380a and 380B) of an analogue input signal (RF in), the method comprising: generating a first laser pulse train (ʎ1) having a first wavelength (ʎ1 310a); generating a second laser pulse train (ʎ2 310b) having a second wavelength (ʎ2), which is different (paragraph 0013) from the first wavelength (ʎ1); modulating (MZM 303) , using an interferometric modulator (303; paragraph 0022) on the basis of the analogue input signal (RF in), wherein the interferometric modulator (MZM 303) is configured such that its response to the first laser pulse train (ʎ1) is not in phase ( 304a, 304b; also see Fig. 2) with its response to the second laser pulse train (ʎ2); determining (PD 308a, PD 308b and 309), on a basis of the modulated (304a and 304b) first laser pulse train (ʎ1), and the modulated (304a and 304b) second laser pulse train (ʎ2), a voltage (voltage of RF out 310) of the analogue input signal (RF in).
However, Devgan et al. do not disclose a method of performing analog to digital conversion of an analog input signal and generating a digital signal indicative of the determined voltage.
Fig. 4 of Shaver et al. discloses a method of performing analog to digital conversion (ADC 465) of an analog input signal (455) comprising: determining (photo detector 455), on a basis of the modulated first laser pulse train (ʎ1) and the modulated second laser pulse train (ʎ2), a voltage (voltage output of Photo Detection PD 455) of the analogue input signal (455); generating a digital signal (output digital signal of ADC 465) indicative of the determined voltage (voltage output of Photodetector 455).
Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. are common subject matter of interferometric modulator for optical sources; therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of claimed invention to one ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to incorporate of Shaver et al. into Devgan et al. for the purpose of providing digital output signals from the ADCs are supplied to a signal processing circuit, which can detect individual signals received by the broadband front-end system, characterize/classify the signals, and/or demodulate/decode them greater that the component wavelengths, the phase so detected has a reduced sensitivity, and is less susceptible to over-scaling effects (paragraph 0013 of Shaver et al.).
Regarding claim 2. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 1 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose: wherein the modulating (MZM 303) comprises operating the interferometric modulator (303) such that variation of the analogue input signal (variation of RF in) gives rise to a phase shift (phase shift of ʎ1 and ʎ2 in Fig. 2) greater than half a cycle (greater than one cycle of ʎ1 or cycle ʎ2) of one or both of the first wavelength (ʎ1) and the second wavelength (ʎ2).
Regarding claim 3. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 2 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose further disclose: wherein the variation (variation of RF in) gives rise to a phase shift (phase shift of ʎ1 and ʎ2 in Fig. 2) of greater than one cycle (greater than one cycle of ʎ1 or cycle ʎ2) of one or both of the first wavelength (ʎ1) and the second wavelength (ʎ2).
Regarding claim 4. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 3 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. and Fig. 4 of Shaver et al. further disclose: wherein the modulated (304a, 304b) first laser pulse train (ʎ1) of has a first modulation state (state of ʎ1 of 304 ), associated with the modulation (303) applied to the first laser pulse train (ʎ1) , and the modulated (304a, 304b) second laser pulse train ((ʎ1)) has a second modulation state (state of (ʎ), associated with the modulation (303) applied to the second laser pulse train (ʎ2) ; and the determining (determining by ADC 465 of Shaver et al. applied to claim 1 above) comprises evaluating (evaluating by DSP 470 in Fig. 4 of Shaver) the first modulation state (state of ʎ1) and the second modulation state (state of ʎ2).
Regarding claim 5. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 4 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose wherein at least one combination (combination of Multiplexed 305) of the first modulation state (modulation state of ʎ1) and the second modulation state (modulation state of ʎ2) is associated with a plurality of voltages (see Fig. 2) of the analogue input signal (RF in).
Regarding claim 6. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 5 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose: wherein the determining comprises identifying a voltages (see Fig. 2) in the plurality of voltage (see Fig. 2) which has caused the first modulation state and the second modulation state (modulation states of ʎ1 and ʎ2 of 304a 304b).
Regarding claim 7. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 6 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose: wherein the identifying (Fig. 2) is performed on a basis of one or more previously determined voltages (previous Vbias) of the analogue input signal (RF in).
Regarding claim 8. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 6 above, Fig. 4 of Shaver et al further disclose operating an analogue to digital converter (ADC 465) to convert the analogue input signal (RF in) into a digitized input signal (digitized input signal of DSP 470); and the identifying (Output) is performed on the basis of the digitized input signal (digitized input of DSP 470).
Regarding claim 9. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 1 above, Figs. 2 and 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose wherein the interferometric modulator (MZM) is configured such that its response to the first laser pulse train (ʎ1) is substantially in quadrature (paragraph 0004) with its response to the second laser pulse train (ʎ2).
Regarding claim 10. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 1 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose: wherein: the method further comprises comprising combining (MUX 302) the first laser pulse train (ʎ1) and second laser pulse train (ʎ2); and the modulating (MZM 303) is performed on the combined laser pulse trains (ʎ1 and ʎ2).
Regarding claim 11. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 10 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further comprising performing wavelength dependent splitting (Demux 307) of the modulated combined pulse trains (ʎ1 and ʎ2) to generate the modulated first laser pulse train (ʎ1 from 307 and the modulated second laser pulse train (ʎ2 from 307).
Regarding claim 12. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 10 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further disclose: operating a first optical detector (Photo Detector PD 5308a) to convert the modulated first laser pulse train (ʎ1) into a first modulated analogue electrical signal (output of 308); and operating a second optical detector (PD 308b) to convert the modulated second laser pulse train (ʎ2) into a second modulated analogue electrical signal (output of 308b).
Regarding claim 13. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 12 above, Fig. 4 of Shaver et al. further comprising: operating a first analogue to digital converter (first ADC) to convert the first modulated analogue electrical signal (output of first photodetector 455) into a first digital bitstream (digital stream output of first ADC); and operating a second analogue to digital converter (second ADC) to convert the second modulated analogue electrical signal (output of second photo detector 455) into a second digital bitstream (digital output stream of second ADC).
Regarding claim 14. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 13 above, Fig. 4 of Shaver et al. further comprising: the determining (determining from Photodiode 455 and DSP 470) is performed on the basis of the first digital bitstream (digital output stream of first ADC) and the second digital bitstream (digital stream output of second ADC).
Regarding claim 15. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 1 above, Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further comprising: wherein the interferometric modulator (303) comprises a Mach Zehnder modulator (MZM).
Regarding claim 18. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 1 above, Figs. 2 and 3 of Devgan et al. further comprising: wherein the modulation (MZM 303) comprises adding a bias voltage (Vbias) to the analogue input signal (RF in) and adjusting the bias voltage (High bias to Low bias in Fig. 2) to obtain a target phase relationship (phase relation ʎ1 and ʎ2 output of MUX 305) for the response by the interferometric modulator (MZM) to the first laser pulse train (ʎ1) and the second laser pulse train (ʎ2).
Regarding claim 19. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 1 above, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further comprising: controlling (305) one or more of the first wavelength (ʎ1) or the second wavelength (ʎ2) to obtain a target phase relationship (output of MUX 305; paragraph 0030) for the response by the interferometric modulator (MZM 303) to the first laser pulse train (ʎ1) and the second laser pulse train (ʎ2).
Regarding claim 20. Devgan et al. and Shaver et al. applied to claim 10 above, Fig. 3 of Devgan et al. further comprising: wherein the interferometric modulator (MZM 303) comprises a first optical path (301a) and a second optical path (301b), and wherein in the interferometric modulator (MZM 303), the combined laser pulse trains (output of MUX 302) between the first optical path (301a) and the second optical path (301b) and a relative optical phase (relative phase of ʎ1 and ʎ2) between the first optical path (301a) and the second optical path (301b) is controlled (MUX 305) to obtain a target phase relationship (target phase relationship of ʎ1 and ʎ2 output from MUX 305 ) for the response by the interferometric modulator (MZM 303) to the first laser pulse train (ʎ1) and the second laser pulse train (ʎ2) and wherein pulses split (split of 304a and 304b) between the first optical path (301a) and the second optical path (301b) are recombined (recombined by MUX 305).
Contact Information
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Linh Van Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-1810. The examiner can normally be reached from 8:30 – 5:00 Monday-Friday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mr. Dameon E. Levi can be reached at (571) 272-2105. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are (571-273-8300) for regular communications and (571-273-8300) for After Final communications.
05/23/2026
/LINH V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
Prosecution Insights