DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 4/6/2026 fails to comply with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98 and MPEP § 609 because the crossed out references have already been considered in a previously filed IDS. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered as to the merits. Applicant is advised that the date of any re-submission of any item of information contained in this information disclosure statement or the submission of any missing element(s) will be the date of submission for purposes of determining compliance with the requirements based on the time of filing the statement, including all certification requirements for statements under 37 CFR 1.97(e). See MPEP § 609.05(a).
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 31-51 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-21 of U.S. Patent No. 12,144,072, provided in an IDS filed 1/16/2025, hereinafter ‘072. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they claim the same or identical invention with the same limitations as shown in the table below.
Claims of the instant application
Claims of ‘072
31. An electrodeless laser-driven light source comprising:
a) a continuous wave (CW) laser source that generates a CW light beam;
b) a pump laser that generates a pump light beam;
c) an optical beam combiner positioned to receive the CW light beam at one input and to receive the pump light beam at another input, the optical beam combiner combining the CW light beam and the pump light beam into a combined CW and pump light beam at an output;
d) a Q-switched laser crystal positioned in an optical path of the combined CW and pump light beam, the Q-switched laser crystal generating a Q-switched pulsed light beam at an output in response to the pump light beam; and
e) a gas-filled bulb positioned in a path of the combined CW and pump light beam and in a path of the Q-switched pulsed light beam so that the Q-switched pulsed light beam ignites a pulse plasma in a breakdown region of the gas-filled bulb and the CW light beam sustains a CW plasma in the gas-filled bulb, wherein the CW plasma emits light from the gas-filled bulb and the CW plasma absorbs the pump light beam, thereby quenching the pulsed light beam generated by the Q-switched laser crystal.
1. An electrodeless laser-driven light source comprising:
a) a sustaining laser source that generates a continuous wave (CW) sustaining light at an output;
b) a pump laser that generates a pump light at an output;
c) an optical beam combiner having a first input that is optically coupled to the output of the sustaining laser source and a second input that is optically coupled to the output of the pump laser, the optical beam combiner combining the CW sustaining light and the pump light at an output such that the CW sustaining light and the pump light propagate co-linearly;
d) a Q-switched laser crystal having a pump input optically coupled to the output of the pump laser and configured such that the Q-switched laser crystal generates pulsed light at an output in response to the pump light; and
e) a gas-filled bulb optically coupled to the output of the sustaining laser and optically coupled to the output of the Q-switched laser crystal such that the pulsed light ignites a pulse plasma in a breakdown region of the gas bulb and the sustaining light sustains a CW plasma in a CW plasma region of the gas bulb, thereby emitting a high brightness light from the gas bulb, wherein the gas-filled bulb is positioned between the output of the pump laser and the pump input of the Q-switched laser crystal such that the CW plasma absorbs the pump light, thereby quenching the pulsed light generated by the Q-switched laser crystal.
32. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the CW laser source and the pump laser comprise a same laser.
2. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the sustaining laser source and the pump laser comprise a same laser.
33. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the CW laser source and the pump laser are configured in one laser housing.
3. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the sustaining laser source and the pump laser are configured in one laser housing.
34. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the optical combiner comprises a dichroic beam splitter.
4. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the optical combiner comprises a dichroic beam splitter.
35. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the optical combiner comprises a fiber coupler.
5. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the optical combiner comprises a fiber coupler.
36. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse repetition rate of the Q-switched pulsed light beam is in a range of 1 kHz to 20 kHz.
6. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse repetition rate of the pulse laser light is in a range of 1 kHz to 20 kHz.
37. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse repetition rate of the Q-switched pulsed light beam is in a range less than or equal to 1 kHz.
7. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse repetition rate of the pulse laser light is in a range less than or equal to 1 kHz.
38. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse energy of the Q-switched pulsed light beam is in a range of 350 μJoules to 50 mJoules.
8. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse energy of the pulsed laser light is in a range of 350 μJoules to 50 mJoules.
39. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse duration of the Q-switched pulsed light beam is in a range of 0.1 ns to 10 ns.
9. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal is configured so that a pulse duration of the pulse laser light is in a range of 0.1 ns to 10 ns.
40. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the CW laser source is configured so that a power of the CW light beam is in a range of 5 W to 50 W.
10. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the laser source is configured so that a power of the CW sustaining light is in a range of 5 W to 50 W.
41. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the laser source is configured so that a power of the CW light beam is in a range of 5 W to 1500 W.
11. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the laser source is configured so that a power of the CW sustaining light is in a range of 5 W to 1500 W.
42. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises a gain section and a saturable absorber section.
12. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises a gain section and a saturable absorber section.
43. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises at least one of a glass host, an yttrium aluminum garnet host, and a spinel host.
13. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises at least one of a glass host, an yttrium aluminum garnet host, and a spinel host.
44. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises at least one of a chromium dopant, a cobalt dopant, and a vanadium dopant.
14. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises at least one of a chromium dopant, a cobalt dopant, and a vanadium dopant.
45. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises a narrow-band filter.
15. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the Q-switched laser crystal comprises a narrow-band filter.
46. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 45, wherein the narrow-band filter reflects at least some of the light emitted from the CW plasma in the gas-filled bulb.
16. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 15 wherein the narrow-band filter reflects at least some of the plasma light.
47. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 45, wherein the narrow-band filter blocks wavelengths in the Xenon gas spectrum.
17. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 15 wherein the narrow-band filter blocks wavelengths in the Xenon spectrum.
48. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the gas-filled bulb comprises Xenon gas.
18. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the gas-filled bulb comprises Xenon gas.
49. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the gas-filled bulb comprises a noble gas.
19. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the gas-filled bulb comprises a noble gas.
50. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein the gas-filled bulb is formed in a spherical shape.
20. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein the gas-filled bulb is formed in a spherical shape.
51. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 31, wherein a pressure in the gas-filled bulb is in a range of 20 atm. to 50 atm.
21. The electrodeless laser-driven light source of claim 1 wherein a pressure in the gas-filled bulb is in a range of 20 atm. to 50 atm.
As shown in the mapping above, claims 1-21 of ‘072 includes all the limitations of claims 31-51 of the instant application while also reciting further limitations. As such, the claims of the instant application are not patentable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HANWAY CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5766. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM EST.
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Hanway Chang
/HC/Examiner, Art Unit 2878
/GEORGIA Y EPPS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2878
