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 .
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) 1-5 and 7-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Terracciano et al. (US 2023/0213440).
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Terracciano shows a high altitude laser optical sensor and its operation as follows:
1. A method of measuring a quantity or characteristic of a qualified air present in an environment (Abstract), the method comprising:
allowing the qualified air to move freely into and out of an optical cavity of an open multipass cell within the environment (Para. [0023]: "a frame defining the open measurement cavity through which air to be measured may freely pass through"); and
obtaining a measurement of a quantity or a characteristic based on the qualified air in the optical cavity (Abstract: "a controller to generate one or more spectroscopy measurements of air passing through the open measurement cavity during the flight of the aircraft").
2. The method of claim 1, wherein a measurement of a quantity or a characteristic is obtained by a measurement apparatus comprising the open multipass cell (Fig. 1B, Para. [0023]: "a frame defining the open measurement cavity through which air to be measured may freely pass through") and an analyzer coupled to the multipass cell (Para. [0066]: "The controller 122 may further provide real-time analysis of the absorption measurements"), and further comprising freely placing the measurement apparatus in the environment.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the optical cavity comprises a space between a plurality of mirrors, each having a reflective surface (Para. [0060]: "the multi-pass measurement cell 112a may include a first mirror 134 a second mirror 136"); and
allowing qualified air to move freely into and out of the optical cavity comprises refraining from applying purge air onto or near the reflective surface of any of the plurality of mirrors (There is no showing that purge air is applied).
4. The method of claim 1, wherein:
each of the plurality of mirrors comprises a reflective surface (mirrors are reflective); and
allowing the qualified air within the environment to move freely into and out of the optical cavity comprises exposing an entire reflective surface of each of the plurality of mirrors to the qualified air in the optical cavity (Para. [0023]: "the open measurement cavity may be exposed to air (e.g., atmosphere) for sampling ").
5. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing qualified air to move freely into and out of the optical cavity comprises refraining from forcing the qualified air into or out of the optical cavity (There is no showing that the operator forces air into or out. The air, being atmospheric with natural motion, would flow with the aircraft stationary and also when the aircraft is in motion).
7. A system comprising:
an environment configured to contain qualified air (Para. [0023]: "the open measurement cavity may be exposed to air (e.g., atmosphere) for sampling "); and
a measurement apparatus configured for placement in the environment and to obtain a measurement of a quantity or characteristic of the qualified air, the measurement apparatus comprising:
an open multipass cell with an optical cavity (Para. [0023]: "the open measurement cavity may be exposed to air (e.g., atmosphere) for sampling ") comprising a space between a plurality of mirrors (Para. [0060]: "the multi-pass measurement cell 112a may include a first mirror 134 a second mirror 136") wherein the open multipass cell is configured to allow the qualified air to move freely into and out of the optical cavity (Fig. 1B, Para. [0023]: "a frame defining the open measurement cavity through which air to be measured may freely pass through"), and
an analyzer coupled to the open multipass cell (Para. [0066]: "The controller 122 may further provide real-time analysis of the absorption measurements").
8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of mirrors is a high reflectivity mirror (the mirrors are highly reflective since multiple reflections occur).
9. The system of claim 7, wherein:
each of the plurality of mirrors comprises a reflective surface (mirrors have reflective surfaces); and
the measurement apparatus does not include a mechanism for applying purge air onto the reflective surface of any of the plurality of mirrors (Terracciano does not show any purge system).
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the open multipass cell is configured such that a reflective surface of each of the plurality of mirrors is fully exposed to the qualified air (Fig. 1B, Para. [0023]: "a frame defining the open measurement cavity through which air to be measured may freely pass through").
11. The system of claim 7, wherein the open multipass cell further comprises a light detector (Para. [0044]:"detector 118a") and the analyzer is coupled to the light detector through a detector signal cable (Para. [0031]:"The controller 122 may be communicatively coupled to…the detectors 118").
12. The system of claim 7, wherein the open multipass cell further comprises a laser launch opto-mechanics optically coupled with one of the mirrors and configured to couple to a laser source to transmit a light beam into the optical cavity (Para. [0045]:"the HALOS 100 may include various mirrors 132 (e.g., flat and/or focusing mirrors) to direct light along any desired path. As another example, though not shown, the HALOS 100 may include various additional optical elements such as, but not limited to, polarizers, spectral filters, or spatial filters. Further, any of the beamsplitters 106,128,130 may be polarized, unpolarized, broadband, or spectrally selective to provide desired beam splitting or beam combining performance").
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.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Terracciano et al.
Terracciano shows all the steps as recited in claim 1, wherein obtaining a measurement of a quantity or a characteristic based on the qualified air in the optical cavity comprises:
directing a light beam into the optical cavity through a first mirror of a plurality of mirrors of the optical cavity (Fig. 1B; Para. [0044]: "the measurement light 108a,b propagates along a first measurement path 110a that includes the first measurement cell 112a").
Terracciano shows in Figure 1B of detecting a light beam that exits the optical cavity through the first mirror (136) of the plurality of mirrors (136, 134), but does not show that the detecting is through the second mirror.
Terracciano does not indicate any criticality that the detected light must exit the first mirror. There being only two choices, the first mirror or the second mirror and neither of which is critical, both options would be obvious and therefore, it would be obvious to arrange the system where the light exits the second mirror for nothing more than the expected result of measuring the measurement light.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Richer (US 7,925,394) shows a testing device for sensing gas with "at least first, second, third, and fourth open housing passageways extending from an environment outside the housing to the inner cavity to allow the bidirectional diffusion of gas between the environment and the housing passageways." (claim 13).
Stoft et al. (US 3,987,303) show a medical-analytical gas detector where "a sample gas admitted to the region surrounding the rotating wheel will freely flow also into this sample cell region." Column 1, lines 55-60.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hwa Andrew S Lee whose telephone number is (571)272-2419. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm.
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/Hwa Andrew Lee/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877