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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In regards to claim 1, the claimed subject matter “A component for building a miniaturized spectrometer comprising” should be “A component for building a miniaturized spectrometer comprising [:] ” since it is grammatically incorrect.
In regards to claim 1, where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation. There may be plural indentations to further segregate subcombinations or related steps. See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP 608.01(i)-(p).
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 & 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. In regards to claims 1-12, the claimed subject matter, “A component for building a miniaturized spectrometer comprising a substrate…an optical waveguide…first photodetector”, “mirror”, is rendered indefinite. Examiner notes it is unclear as to how a component comprises several different types of components such as waveguide, photodetector, and mirror. For, instance a component such as a camera can comprise subcomponents such as a lens. Examiner further notes a component is a part of a larger whole. Examiner suggests a “A plurality of components for building a spectrometer comprising [:]” . Clarification is required.
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20190219445, Xin Tang, “Acquisition of Hyperspectral Data with Colloidal Quantum Dots”, 2019, Andrea De, “Narrowband colloidal quantum dot photodetectors for wavelength measurement applications”, 2020, & Jie Bao, “A colloidal quantum dot spectrometer”, 2 July 2015.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-17 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As to claim 1, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious whereas “an optical waveguide is formed within the substrate along the x-direction below the top surface reaching into the top surface having two end faces at or near opposed front and back surfaces at y-z planes of the substrate , and comprising at least one first photodetector… an active area exposed to the waveguide with a length (1) smaller than the shortest wavelength to be measured whereas a first quantum dot layer is arranged between the first lower electrode and the first upper electrode having a height (h) less than 2 μm” , in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 1.
As to claim 13, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious “A method of using a component according to claim 1”, in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 13.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAURICE C SMITH whose telephone number is (571)272-2526. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kara Geisel can be reached at (571) 272-2416. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MAURICE C SMITH/Examiner, Art Unit 2877