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 .
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 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.
Disposition of the Claims
Claims 1-7 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable over Menzel (US 20230258775 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Menzel teaches an optical signal switching device (Figs. 1-5) comprising: an optical branching unit (first set of switches among first stage 34) configured to receive optical signals from a plurality of light sources (22a-d), respectively, and selectively switch a destination to which each of the optical signals is output to one of output destinations of a plurality of channels (Fig. 2); a crossing unit (first set of waveguide crossings 36 in the first stage 34) configured to cross at least some optical signals (see Fig. 4, two inputs [Wingdings font/0xE0] two outputs) among the optical signals output from the optical branching unit (Fig. 2); and
output terminals (26) for each of a plurality of channels (Fig. 2), each configured to output the optical signals output from the crossing unit (¶71, “Thus, after the second stage 38, sixteen outputs are present that are supplied to sixteen irradiation points 26.”).
Regarding claim 2, Menzel discloses the optical signal switching device according to claim 1, and further discloses wherein the optical branching unit comprises: first optical switches (first among the first set of 32 proximal the light sources 22) configured to receive a first optical signal from a first light source (e.g. 22a) and selectively output the optical signal from one of output destinations of a first predetermined number of channels (by the switching); and second optical switches (second among the first set of 32 proximal the light sources 22) configured to receive a second optical signal from a second light source (e.g. 22b) and selectively output the optical signal from one of output destinations of channels of a second predetermined number (by the switching), the crossing unit crosses at least some optical signals among the first optical signal output from the first optical switches and the second optical signal output from the second optical switches (Fig. 2), and the output terminals include a number, represented by a sum of the first predetermined number and the second predetermined number, of channels (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, Menzel discloses the optical signal switching device according to claim 2, and further discloses wherein the output terminals include a plurality of sets each composed of an output terminal to which the first optical signal from the first light source is output and an output terminal to which the second optical signal from the second light source is output (Fig. 2, 40, and ¶71, “The sixteen irradiation points 26 are divided into four groups 40, wherein, in each group 40, each of the irradiation points 26 can be associated with another light source 22. The irradiation points 26 which can be associated with the first light source 22a and to which transmission light 12 of the first light source 22a can accordingly be supplied are marked by 1.x in the Figure. The irradiation points 26 that can be associated with the second light source 22b are marked by 2.x in a corresponding manner. Irradiation points of the first group 40 are designated by x.1; irradiation points of the second group are designated by x.2. The designation takes place accordingly for the further light sources 22c, 22d and the further groups 40.”).
Regarding claim 4, Menzel teaches the optical signal switching device according to claim 2, and further discloses further comprising the first predetermined number of third optical switches (among the second set of switches 32, between branching unit 34 and crossing unit 38), each configured to receive the first optical signal output from the first optical switches (first set of 32) among the optical signals output from the crossing unit (first set of 36) and selectively output the first optical signal from one of output destinations of a third predetermined number of channels (among second stage 38); and the second predetermined number of fourth optical switches (further among the second set of switches 32), each configured to receive the second optical signal output from the second optical switches among the optical signals output from the crossing unit and selectively output the second optical signal from one of output destinations of the third predetermined number of channels (Fig. 2, ¶70, “Overall, eight outputs or output paths thus result for the first stage 34 and are coupled to optical switches of a second stage 38. The outputs of the switches 32 of the second stage 38 are each connected to a total of seven waveguide intersections 36 so that the outputs of one switch 32 of the second stage 38 intersect at least one output of each other switch once” into further predetermined channels for delivery to the irradiation points 26).
Regarding claim 5, Menzel discloses the optical signal switching device according to claim 4, wherein the first optical switches, the second optical switches, the third optical switches, and the fourth optical switches are configured by combining a plurality of stages of 1×2 optical switches, respectively (Fig. 2 and 3, the latter showing that among the two stages of Fig. 2 having stages of switches 32, each of the switches 32 are 1x2).
Regarding claim 6 and 7, Menzel discloses the optical signal switching device according to claim 5, and further discloses wherein the first optical switches, the second optical switches, the third optical switches, and the fourth optical switches are configured by combining the plurality of stages of the 1×2 optical switches (by crossings 36) such that optical signals of a number, represented by a product of the sum and the third predetermined number, of channels, which selectively output from the first predetermined number of the third optical switches and the second predetermined number of the fourth optical switches are incident on different positions of projection lens, respectively (Fig. 1, the outputs at 26 are projected by projection lens 28 to partial fields of view 30 arranged vertically; for evidence that an array of spatially distributed irradiation point sources covering partial fields of view 30, i.e. laser light received from the irradiation points 26, is sampled distinctly and projected to distinct points in space by the projection lens 28, see ¶64, “From each irradiation point 26, only one partial field of view 30 can be irradiated with transmission light 12 and can thus be optically sensed.” And ¶75, “In the operation of the optical sensor 10, the four light sources 22 can first perform a rough scan, wherein, for example, the irradiation points 1.1, 2.2, 3.3, and 4.4 are used. If it is then determined based on the reflected transmission light 18 that the object 16 is located in partial fields of view 30 that belong to irradiation points 26 of the second group 40, the optical switches 32 can then be set such that all the light sources 22 simultaneously emit transmission light into the field of view 14 via the irradiation points 26 of the second group (i.e. the irradiation points 1.2, 2.2, 3.2, and 4.2). The object 16 can then be detected very quickly and very accurately.”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 12578438 B2 discloses an array of laser scanning of an object
US 20250208265 A1 discloses beam steering of branched beams
WO 2024213306 A1 discloses branching and switching of inputs and outputs
WO 2023023105 A1 discloses switching, branching, and projection to a scanning mirror
WO 2022140693 A1 discloses branching and solid state scanning of a projection lens
US 20220206357 A1 discloses branching and diffractive switching
WO 03009008 A2 discloses all optical branching and switching
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COLLIN X BEATTY whose telephone number is (571)270-1255. The examiner can normally be reached M - F, 10am - 6pm.
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/COLLIN X BEATTY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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