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 § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 15-20, 24, 26-27 and 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carlier et al. (US 4,039,839)(“Carlier”), and further in view of Gendotti et al. (US 2018/0024256)(“Gendotti”).
With regards to claim 15, Carlier discloses a neutron detector (Abstract; neutron flux detectors), comprising:
a photovoltaic substrate comprising a receiving surface (col. 5; lines (col. 5; lines 28-32; “…a thorium tetrabromide monocrystal 2… the surfaces of the … of the crystal 2…”)(col. 5; lines 22-28; “…it is possible thus to provide a radioisotopic microgenerator of electricity operating by radiophotovoltaic conversion of nuclear energy.”) or
(ii) a dopant material disposed in the photovoltaic substrate (col. 3; lines 24-29; “A fluorescence standard can be made by doping thorium tetrabromide with atoms of an or several elements which function as a fluorescent photoactivator mixed with one or more radioactive elements serving to excite the levels of fluorescence of the fluorescent photoactivator elements.”).
Carlier teaches that crystals of thorium tetrabromide can be used as neutron flux detectors for detecting thermal and fast neutrons and the component elements of the crystal reacts with neutrons to produce neutrons activation reactions and fission reactions (Abstract).
Carlier do not disclose;
(i) a surface coating disposed on the receiving surface wherein the surface coating or the dopant material comprises a neutron-reactive material able to generate a photon in response to interaction with a received neutron.
Gendotti discloses a neutron conversion foil utilized as a neutron detector having a substrate that is covered with at least on one of the first and second sides with a neutron conversion layer made of a neutron reactive material. The neutron conversion layer is capable of capturing neutrons and emit light due to said capture (Abstract). The neutron converter layer 12 may contain Li-6 or B-10 and 6LiF and can be coated on the surface of a substrate [0070]. Also, the reference teaches that the neutron detecting device may comprises a scintillation volume filled with a scintillating material such as a noble gas that utilizes one or more neutron conversion foils. The foils are in optical contact with the scintillating material such that neutron capture in the neutron conversion foil(s) escapes into said scintillation volume and produce light [0024].
In view of Gendotti, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill within the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply a neutron-reactive material to the surface (or as a dopant) of the neutron detector, of Carlier, wherein the neutron-reactive material is capable of capturing neutrons and generating scintillation/photons. The motivation is to utilize the neutron-reactive material that can capture neutrons and generate photons that can be received by the radiophotovoltaic substrate.
With regards to claim 16, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, discloses the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the neutron-reactive material is able to generate a photon in response to interaction with a received fast neutron. (Gendotti; [0027])
With regards to claim 17, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, discloses the neutron detector of claim 16, wherein the neutron-reactive material is able to generate a photon in response to interaction with a received neutron having an energy between 0.1 MeV to 20 MeV. (The references do not specifically disclose the neutron energy range, however, Carlier teaches of a neutron flux detector used for fast neutrons (Abstract) and Gendotti discloses a neutron energy spectrum ([0096]; Fig. 20; neutron energy spectrum 70) and the measurement and distinction of fast neutrons [0027]. One with ordinary skill within the art would have knowledge that fast neutron energy usually falls within the range of 0.1 to 20 MeVs.)
With regards to claim 18, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, discloses the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the photovoltaic substrate comprises both the surface coating on the receiving surface and the dopant material disposed in the photovoltaic substrate. (see the rejection of claim 1)
With regards to claim 19, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, discloses the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the neutron-reactive material comprises one or more of: C (Gendotti; [0005];layer of 10B OF 10B4C), F (Gendotti; [0070]; LiF), Si (Gendotti; [0071]; organo silicate compound).
With regards to claim 20, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, discloses the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the neutron-reactive material comprises of silicon. (Gendotti; [0071]; organo silicate compound)
With regards to claim 24, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, discloses the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the photovoltaic substrate comprises electrodes disposed on a rear surface 4 of the photovoltaic substrate (Carlier; output electrodes 5 and 6), the rear surface 4 opposing the receiving surface of the photovoltaic substrate 2.
With regards to claim 26, Carlier, in view of Gendotti disclose the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the photovoltaic substrate comprises a stack of photovoltaic substrates arranged along a receiving axis of the neutron detector. (Carlier, in view of Gendotti; [0049]; FIG. 5)
With regards to claim 27, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, disclose the neutron detector of claim 16, wherein each photovoltaic substrate in the stack of photovoltaic substrates comprises electrodes disposed on a rear surface of each photovoltaic substrate. (Carlier; output electrodes 5 and 6)
With regards to claim 29, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, do not disclose the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the neutron detector is adapted to provide a detector resolution of less than or equal to 125 keV, 120 keV, 115 keV, 110 keV, 105 keV, 100 keV, 95 keV, 90 keV, 85 keV, 80 keV, or 75 keV.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 30-34 are allowed.
Claims 21-23, 25 and 28 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:
With regards to claim 21, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, do not disclose the neutron detector of claim 15, wherein the neutron-reactive material comprises Si-28.
With regards to claim 22, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, do not disclose the neutron detector of claim 15, further comprising a window disposed adjacent to the receiving surface of the photovoltaic substrate, the window comprising a y-ray filter.
Claim 23 is objected due to being dependent on objected base claim 21.
With regards to claim 25, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, do not disclose the neutron detector of claim 15, further comprising supporting electronics coupled to the electrodes, wherein the supporting electronics are configured to measure a voltage drop across the photovoltaic substrate and changes in the voltage drop caused by a neutron undergoing a nuclear reaction with the neutron-reactive material.
With regards to claim 28, Carlier, in view of Gendotti, do not disclose the neutron detector of claim 27, further comprising supporting electronics coupled to the electrodes, wherein the supporting electronics are configured to measure a voltage drop across each photovoltaic substrate in the stack of photovoltaic substrates and changes in the voltage drop caused by a neutron undergoing a nuclear reaction within each photovoltaic substrate in the stack of photovoltaic substrates.
With regards to claim 30, the prior art of record fails to disclose or reasonably suggest, a method of detecting neutrons, comprising:
placing a photovoltaic substrate in a neutron flux, wherein:
the photovoltaic substrate comprises a receiving surface and (i) a surface coating disposed on the receiving surface or (ii) a dopant material disposed in the photovoltaic substrate, and
the surface coating or the dopant material comprises a neutron-reactive material able to generate a photon in response to interaction with a received neutron; and
measuring a change in a voltage across the photovoltaic substrate when a neutron of the neutron flux undergoes a reaction with the neutron-reactive material.
Claims 31-34 are allowed due to being dependent on allowed base claim 30.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Fukuta et al. (US 2018/0196146)
McGregor et al. (US 2005/0258372)
McGregor et al. (US 2006/0023828)
Kub et al. (US 2010/0213380)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUGH H MAUPIN whose telephone number is (571)270-1495. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 - 5:00 pm.
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/HUGH MAUPIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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