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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/5/24; 12/4/24; 12/12/25 have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 6, 8, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by WO 2019/113617.
Regarding claim 1, ‘617 discloses an ion source (Abstract) comprising a reservoir (2) for a propellant, a heater (An inherent feature since the propellant metals, cesium, indium, gallium require liquification to flow and become liquid), an emitter (4) in fluid communication with the reservoir, an extractor accelerating emitted ions (5, in Fig. 2A), and at least one baffle (20) arranged upstream an emitter between the reservoir and the emitter.
Regarding claim 6, ‘617 discloses baffles 20 and shown in Fig. 4 are mounted on an annular wall surrounding an emitter channel and are mounted on spaced pins as illustrated in Fig. 4.
Regarding claim 8, ‘617 discloses that the baffles are mounted in a channel between the emitter and reservoir, the baffles protruding into the channel. Note page 18 of ‘617.
Regarding claim 10, the channel in ‘617 is depicted as circular, note the central wettable feed tube (21).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 7, and 9 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 2-3, the annular arrangement of baffles 20 in the prior art cannot produce a “meandering stream” since they are symmetrically distributed about the flow axis as shown.
Regarding claim 4, the baffles in the prior art are not a frustrum, but are uniform fins.
Regarding claim 5, ‘617 has disclosed baffles 20 are not taught to be a cage but rather linear fins.
Regarding claim 7, ‘617 does not teach or suggest at least one baffle mounted on a rod extending from an emitter towards a reservoir.
Regarding claim 9, ‘617 does not teach a tapered a channel which tapers towards an emitter but does disclose a uniform diameter central wettable tube 21.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID A VANORE whose telephone number is (571)272-2483. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 7AM to 6 PM.
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DAVID A. VANORE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2881
/DAVID A VANORE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
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