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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/23/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicant states that Danziger fails to disclose a first and second slope, where the different time periods correspond to when the movable reflection unit is radiated and is not radiated. The examiner respectfully disagrees, as Paragraph 0089 discloses a radiation period and a not radiated period, as detailed in the rejection of claim 1 below.
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.
Claims 1-2, 5, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yanai et al (US Publication No.: US 2023/0082295 A1 of record, “Yanai”) in view of Danziger (US Publication No.: US 2019/0107607 A1 of record).
Regarding Claim 1, Yanai discloses an optical device (Figure 1; Paragraph 0025) comprising:
A signal generation unit which generates a drive signal for driving a movable reflection unit which reflects beam emitted from a light-emitting element in a predetermined direction (Figure 1, signal generation unit 70, light-emitting element 60, movable reflection unit 12; Paragraphs 0027-0028 discloses a drive signal generation unit which gives instructions on the movement of the movable reflection unit 12), wherein
A predetermined first time period in which the drive signal transitions from one of a maximum value and a minimum value of the drive signal to an other one of the maximum value and minimum value (Paragraph 0037; Paragraph 0039; Figure 3C discloses a vertical drive signal according to the timing of the frame pulse; Figure 3D discloses a horizontal drive signal according to the timing of the line pulse)
Includes a time period in which the movable reflection unit is not irradiated with beams and the drive signal has a predetermined first slope (Paragraph 0041 discloses a timing when sampling is not performed), and
A time period in which the movable reflection unit is irradiated with the beams and the drive signal has a second slope different from the first slope (Figures 3C-3D; Paragraph 0040 discloses a scanning angle during a sampling time period where the reflection unit is irradiated).
Yanai fails to disclose that an absolute value of the second slope is smaller than an absolute value of the first slope.
However, Danziger discloses a similar device where an absolute value of the second slope is smaller than an absolute value of the first slope (Danziger, Figure 17, second slope 500 is smaller than first slope 400; Paragraph 0132 and Paragraph 0089 discloses a time period when the movable reflection unit is not irradiated, “lidar system 100 may not send out pulses or acquire distance data during a retrace 400”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the slopes as disclosed by Yanai to be different as disclosed by Danziger. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of achieving a uniform scan while being able to reset the scan starting point (Danziger, Paragraph 0132).
Regarding Claim 2, Yanai in view of Danziger discloses the optical device according to claim 1, wherein the drive signal further includes a second time period in which the drive signal transitions from the other of the maximum value and the minimum value of the drive signal to the other one, in addition to the predetermined first time period (Yanai, Figure 3C discloses a first time period that goes from minimum to maximum and a second time period that goes from maximum to minimum), and wherein a length of the first time period is shorter than a length of the second time period (Yanai, Figure 3C, the first time period is 40 rounds trips, whereas the second time period is 80 rounds trips).
Regarding Claim 5, Yanai in view of Danziger discloses the optical device according to claim 1, wherein the first time period and a second time period in which the drive signal transitions from the other of the maximum value and the minimum value of the drive signal to the one are alternately repeated (Yanai, Figure 3C and Figure 3D disclose alternately repeating time periods).
Regarding Claim 11, Yanai in view of Danziger discloses the optical device according to claim 1, further comprising a light-receiving element configured to receive reflected light or scattered light of the beams reflected by the movable reflection unit (Yanai, Paragraph 0026 discloses a light receiving element 14).
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yanai.
Regarding Claim 3, an optical device (Figure 1; Paragraph 0025) comprising:
A signal generation unit which generates a drive signal for driving a movable reflection unit which reflects beam emitted from a light-emitting element in a predetermined direction (Figure 1, signal generation unit 70, light-emitting element 60, movable reflection unit 12; Paragraphs 0027-0028 discloses a drive signal generation unit which gives instructions on the movement of the movable reflection unit 12), wherein
A predetermined first time period in which the drive signal transitions from one of a maximum value and a minimum value of the drive signal to an other one of the maximum value and minimum value (Paragraph 0037; Paragraph 0039; Figure 3C discloses a vertical drive signal according to the timing of the frame pulse; Figure 3D discloses a horizontal drive signal according to the timing of the line pulse)
Includes a time period in which the movable reflection unit is not irradiated with beams and the drive signal has a predetermined first slope (Paragraph 0041 discloses a timing when sampling is not performed), and
A time period in which the movable reflection unit is irradiated with the beams and the drive signal has a second slope different from the first slope (Figures 3C-3D; Paragraph 0040 discloses a scanning angle during a sampling time period where the reflection unit is irradiated), wherein
The drive signal further includes a second time period in which the drive signal transitions from the other of the maximum value and the minimum value of the drive signal to the other one, in addition to the predetermined first time period (Figure 3C discloses a first time period that goes from minimum to maximum and a second time period that goes from maximum to minimum), and wherein
A length of the first time period is shorter than a length of the second time period (Figure 3C, the first time period is 40 rounds trips, whereas the second time period is 80 rounds trips).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6, 10, 12-15 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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARIAM QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)272-4434. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Caley can be reached at 571-272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARIAM QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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