DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim(s) 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1).
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.
Claim(s) 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by US Publication 2010/0182795 to Blouin et al.
In regards to claims 1 and 6, Blouin discloses and shows in Figures 1-7, a composite analysis apparatus and method comprising:
a sample holder (22) on which a sample is set (par. 41, 71, 82);
an infrared light source (30) that generates infrared rays to be emitted to the sample (par. 56-58, 84-85);
a detector (40) that detects infrared rays that come from the sample as a result of irradiation with infrared rays (par. 89);
a laser light source (46) that generates laser beams to be emitted to the sample (par. 92);
a spectroscope (48) that separates emission lines generated at the sample as a result of irradiation with laser beams (par. 93); and
a control device (60, 62) (par. 43, 68, 98), wherein the control device:
obtains first analysis data and second analysis data, the first analysis data being obtained by infrared spectroscopic analysis of infrared rays that come from the sample (par. 16-17, 23, 26, 36, 75; wherein IR spectroscopy and LIBS measurements are performed on a plurality of measurement spots), the second analysis data being obtained by LIBS analysis of emission lines generated at the sample (par. 2-3, 24, 37, 75; wherein IR spectroscopy and LIBS measurements are performed on a plurality of measurement spots), and
identifies a component in the sample based on the first analysis data and the second analysis data (par. 2-3, 21, 31, 68; wherein the system is utilized to determine elemental and molecular composition of a sample), and
the control device has the sample irradiated with infrared rays before the sample is irradiated with laser beams (par. 68);
[claim 2] wherein the conducting the infrared spectroscopic analysis includes irradiating a specific position in the sample with infrared rays generated from an infrared light source, and the conducting the LIBS analysis includes irradiating the specific position with laser beams generated from a laser light source (par. 41, 54, 67-68);
[claim 3 and 7] wherein the composite analysis apparatus further includes a plurality of mirrors (36, 38, 44, 52, 56), the conducting the infrared spectroscopic analysis further includes arranging the plurality of mirrors at a first position (par. 67, 83, 91; wherein mirrors 32, 38 and 44 are arranged at a first position within the IR module 26; further any number of known optics may be utilized obtain a desired beam path),
the conducting the LIBS analysis further includes arranging the plurality of mirrors at a second position different from the first position (par. 67, 83, 93-94; wherein mirrors 52, 56 are arranged at a second position within the LIBS module 28; further any number of known optics may be utilized to obtain a desired beam path),
when the plurality of mirrors are arranged at the first position, a first optical path is formed, in the first optical path, infrared rays generated from the infrared light source are incident on the specific position and infrared rays that come from the specific position are incident on a detector (par. 67, 81, 83, 91, 96; wherein the optics of the IR module provide a first beam path; and any number of known optics may be utilized to obtain the desired path),
when the plurality of mirrors are arranged at the second position, a second optical path is formed, and in the second optical path, laser beams generated from the laser light source are incident on the specific position and emission lines generated at the specific position are incident on a spectroscope (par. 67, 81, 83, 93-94, 96; wherein the optics of the LIBS module provide a second beam path; and any number of known optics may be utilized to obtain the desired path);
[claim 4] wherein the conducting the infrared spectroscopic analysis includes conducting infrared spectroscopic analysis of reflected light from the sample or conducting infrared spectroscopic analysis of transmitted light from the sample (par. 68; wherein the measurements may be sequentially performed for each measurement spot in a reflective domain) (Figures 1a-c);
[claim 5] further comprising determining whether to perform one or both of the conducting the infrared spectroscopic analysis and the conducting the LIBS analysis based on information on a component in the sample to be analyzed (par. 68, 75; wherein the measurements may be sequentially performed for each measurement spot; the system may determine only IR spectroscopy at various locations and only perform LIBS at locations where the IR measurements indicate the presence of elements to be characterized; further, the system may perform only IR spectroscopy for all locations and subsequently all LIBS measurements for all of the locations).
Conclusion
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JONATHAN M. HANSEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2877
/JONATHAN M HANSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877