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 .
DETAILED ACTION
INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/14/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTER
Claims 2, 4, 9 & 11 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.
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1 & 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reference A (Rosen et al. (U.S. Publication 2021/0075947)) in view of Reference B (Rosen et al. (U.S. Patent 6,490,088))
As to claims 1 & 8, Reference A – (Rosen) discloses a single viewpoint imaging method for optically sectioning an object from a single viewpoint ([0004] discloses therefore for reconstruction of the object corresponding to different depths, a training phase is required in which the point object is shifted to various axial locations and a library of PSFs are created. The images of the object at different depths are reconstructed by a cross correlation with the appropriate PSF from the library. Another simulating feature of COACH is the fact that 3D imaging can be achieved without two wave interference. This version of COACH, without two wave interference is termed interference lee COACH and is implemented by an optical configuration as simple as a regular imaging system.)
e. generating a light beam which illuminates or passes through the object and directing the light beam that passed through or reflected from the object towards said CPM, thereby to produce TPNDBs at a sensing array; ([0018] discloses acquiring a complex object image from the scenery. Subjecting the complex object image to said CPM thereby to form a complex object random image (CORI) and conveying to said imager. [0050] discloses a complex object is imaged 52 via the same ring shaped lens 12 of Fig. 1 to form an object ring image 53, which is conveyed to the coded phased mask)
g. separately cross-correlating said recorded image with at least one point-spread function (PSF) previously acquired or calculated at a same optical arrangement with the same CPM,
([0004] discloses following the PSF generation, a complicated object is placed at the same axial location of the point object and another hologram, the object hologram is recorded with the same CPM. The image of the object is reconstructed by a cross correlation between the PSF and the object hologram. CPM 14, which is the same mask that was used during the training stage. [0050] discloses the final image is produced in step 58 by cross correlation between the PSF and the CORI A.)
each said PSF reflects a point object positioned at one specific longitudinal distance, respectively, from said array ([0004] discloses the point object is shifted to various axial locations and a library of PSFs are created. The images of the object at different depths are reconstructed by a cross correlation with the apparatus PSF from the library.);
h. storing the results of said separate cross-correlations, each such cross-correlation result relates to an image of another section, respectively, of the object; ([0027] discloses for each permutation, cross correlating between the respective PSF and the respective combined-CORI, thereby to obtain a plurality of temporary images, one temporary image for each permutation. The images of the object at different depths are reconstructed by a cross correlation with the appropriate PSF from the library).
and i. uniting all said cross-correlation results to reconstruct a final image of the object. ([0027] discloses for each permutation, cross-correlating between the respective PSF and the respective combined-CORI, thereby to obtain a plurality of temporary images, one temporary image for each permutation and (f) summing up all said temporary images, thereby to form the final image.)
Reference A is silent to providing a TPNDBs (tilted pseudo-nondiffracting beams)- type coded phase mask(CPM); Thereby to produce TPNDBs at a sensing array; f. recording an image formed at said sensing array by said TPNDBs impinged thereon;
However, Reference B discloses providing a TPNDBs (tilted pseudo-nondiffracting beams)- type coded phase mask(CPM) ([Column 1 Lines 43-50] discloses resulting beam pseudo-non-diffracting properties, which is to say that the beam does not diffract over a defined interval. (Col. 3 Lines 1-15 discloses a preferred technique of the present invention uses a special mask at the rear focal plan of the lens. This mask has a light altering function formed thereon. This function is preferably a radial harmonic function, and more preferably a phase only function e.g. radial harmonic function of the 4th order or greater. ) Thereby to produce TPNDBs at a sensing array; (Column 1 Lines 10-20 discloses the sword beam is a pseudo non-diffracting beam. Column 11 Lines 15-25 discloses the present invention also teaches how to move the position of that beam shift the beam on and off the optical axis as well as tilting the beam.)
f. recording an image formed at said sensing array by said TPNDBs impinged thereon; (Column 11 Lines 15-25 discloses the present invention also teaches how to move the position of that beam shift the beam on and off the optical axis as well as tilting the beam. Col. 12 Lines 5-30 discloses hence when the input function is shifted laterally the output beam is rotated around the focal point by angles whose tangents are directly related to the lateral shift.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify Reference A’s disclosure to include the above limitations in order to retain the separately generated digital image data for the expressly disclosed later combination operation.
Claims 3, 5, 10 & 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reference A (Rosen et al. (U.S. Publication 2021/0075947)) in view of Reference B (Rosen et al. (U.S. Patent 6,490,088)) further in view of Zhuang et al. (U.S. Publication 2017/0038574)
As to claims 3 & 10, Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B discloses everything as disclosed in claims 1 & 8 but is silent to wherein said processor further applies a nonlinear reconstruction (NLR) procedure on said final image of the object, thereby increasing the signal- to-noise ratio and producing an enhanced final image of the object.
However, Zhuang discloses wherein said processor further applies a nonlinear reconstruction (NLR) procedure on said final image of the object ([0055, 0076, 0086, 0140]), thereby increasing the signal- to-noise ratio and producing an enhanced final image of the object. ([0070, 0082, 0090])(See [0082, 0087, 0129]]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B’s disclosure to include the above limitations in order to correct image distortions, reduce noise and improve the accuracy and quality of the reconstructed image.
As to claims 5 & 12, Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B discloses everything as disclosed in claims 1 & 8 but is silent to wherein said processor further applies a nonlinear reconstruction (NLR) procedure on said final image of the object, thereby increasing the signal- to-noise ratio and producing an enhanced final image of the object.
However, Zhuang discloses wherein said processor further applies a nonlinear reconstruction (NLR) procedure on said final image of the object, thereby increasing the signal- to-noise ratio and producing an enhanced final image of the object. ([0008-0010, 0046, 0113])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B’s disclosure to include the above limitations in order to obtain three dimensional microscopic imaging over increased imaging depth
Claims 6-7 & 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reference A (Rosen et al. (U.S. Publication 2021/0075947)) in view of Reference B (Rosen et al. (U.S. Patent 6,490,088)) further in view of Pavani et al. (U.S. Publication 2011/0205339)
As to claims 6 & 13, Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B discloses everything as disclosed in claims 1 & 8 but is silent to applied as an add-on of a widefield microscope.
However, Pavani discloses applied as an add-on of a widefield microscope. ([0001, 0005, 0051,0072])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B’s disclosure to include the above limitations in order to provide three dimensional imaging over an extended depth of field while reducing or eliminating the need for focal plane scanning.
As to claims 7 & 14, Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B discloses everything as disclosed in claims 1 & 8 but is silent to wherein each of said TPNDBs impinges at a different array location, and at a different tilting angle on said sensing array.
However, Pavani discloses wherein each of said TPNDBs impinges at a different array location, and at a different tilting angle on said sensing array. ([0028, 0158, 0164, 0166])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify Reference A – (Rosen) in view of Reference B’s disclosure to include the above limitations in order to obtain different perspective projections of the object at different viewing angles for reconstruction of 3D image information.
CONCLUSION
No prior art has been found for claims 2, 4, 9 & 11 in its current form.
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Stephen P. Coleman
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2675
/STEPHEN P COLEMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2675
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