Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawing Objection
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include reference number "14" which appears in the description at [0042]-[0043] and [0045]. It appears that "14" could be added to figure 4 as a brace spanning "141" and "142", similar to how "13" spans two instances of "130".
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification Objections
The specification is objected to for the following issues:
In [0041] line 9, "disponed" should be replaced with "disposed".
In [0050] line 11, "seized" should be replaced with "sized".
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because line 9 is missing "device" after "light source".
Claim 9 is objected to because line 7 recites "connect" instead of "connecting".
Claim 12 is objected to because line 2 is missing "be" after "to".
Claims 2-8 and 10-16 are technically objected to by dependence from claims 1 or 9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 10-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 10 is indefinite because it depends from itself. It appears that claim 10 should depend from claim 9.
Claims 11-12 and 16 are indefinite by dependence from claim 10.
Claim 13 is indefinite because it depends from itself. It appears that claim 13 should depend from claim 12 (because of the recitation of the waveguide device).
Claim 14 is indefinite by dependence from claim 13.
Claim 15 is indefinite because it depends from itself. It appears that claim 15 should depend from claim 14 (because of the recitation of the waveguide paths).
Claim 16 is indefinite because there is insufficient antecedent basis for "the optoelectronic device" or for "the optical coupling structure". Such elements were not mentioned in ancestor claims 9-11.
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 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2015/0236472 A1.
Claim 9: '472 discloses a light source device, adapted for use with an optoelectronic device, and comprising:
a fixed board (circuit substrate mentioned in [0048] and [0089]);
a bar substrate 10 positioned on the fixed board; and a
light unit 20' (fig. 7, [0071]-[0073]) positioned on the bar substrate ([0051]) and comprising a functional portion (e.g. layers 201-204 / 206-209), a light-emitting portion (at least active layer 205), and a plurality of electrodes 210a-210e electrically connecting the light unit to the bar substrate 10 (particularly to electrode pads 12), wherein the functional portion and the light-emitting portion are divided into a plurality of light emitters ("five LD devices", [0071]), and the electrodes 210a-210e are arranged on the light emitters, respectively.
Claim 10 (assuming it should depend from claim 9): The functional portion comprises an N-type semiconductor structure (layers 201-204) and a P-type semiconductor structure (layers 206-209), and the light-emitting portion 205 is disposed between the N-type semiconductor structure and the P-type semiconductor structure.
Claim 11: The bar substrate 10 comprises an electrical circuit (at least driver 30, figs. 1-2B) coupling with each of the light emitters and configured to provide a control signal to the light emitters ([0052]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 would be allowable if the above minor objection to claim 1 is overcome. Claims 17-20 are allowed. Claims 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 base claim 9 and all applicable intervening claims (and if the rewriting overcomes the pertinent informality objections and indefiniteness rejections above). As mentioned earlier, it is assumed that claim 13 should depend from claim 12 and claim 15 should depend from claim 14. The applied US 2015/0236472 A1 reference does not disclose or suggest at least the additional waveguide device required by claims 1, 12, or 17 in combination with all their other respective limitations.
Conclusion
US 2020/0313400 A1 is cited on the attached 892 form as another example of another light source device involving various boards / substrates and multiple emitters.
Contact Information
Examiner: 571-272-2360
Examiner's direct supervisor: 571-272-2397
Official correspondence by fax: 571-273-8300
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Should you have questions about Patent Center, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/Michael Stahl/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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