DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-20 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.
Claims 9 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)as being anticipated by Lukac et al. (US 20170036253 A1, 2017-02-09) (hereinafter “Lukac”).
Regarding claims 9 and 16, Lukac teaches a medical laser system for treating a target with a laser beam, the system comprising: a laser for generating a laser beam comprising a plurality of pulse packets, wherein each pulse packet comprises a plurality of sub-pulses; an optical coupler configured to optically couple the laser beam to a proximal end of a medical optical fiber (e.g., [0024]); the medical optical fiber, wherein the medical optical fiber further comprises a delivery end, wherein the laser beam can be directed at a target disposed proximal to the delivery end (e.g., [0057]); a controller coupled to the laser and configured to: select first pulse parameters (e.g., [0057], wherein the first pulse parameters comprise a repetition rate, and cause the laser to generate the laser beam comprising the plurality of pulse packets based on the first pulse parameters, wherein the plurality of sub-pulses (P0, P1) of a first one or more of the plurality of pulse packets has the first pulse parameters (e.g., Figs. 9-12 and associate text) (as recited in claim 9); and controller for a medical laser system, comprising: a programmable controller coupled to a laser for generating a laser beam comprising a plurality of pulse packets, wherein each pulse packet comprises a plurality of sub-pulses, wherein the laser beam is to be optically coupled to a proximal end of a medical optical fiber, wherein the medical optical fiber further comprises a delivery end, and wherein the laser beam can be directed at a target disposed proximal to the delivery end; the programmable controller configured to: select first pulse parameters, wherein the first pulse parameters comprise a repetition rate, and cause the laser to generate the laser beam comprising the plurality of pulse packets based on the first pulse parameters, wherein the plurality of sub-pulses of a first one or more of the plurality of pulse packets has the first pulse parameters (e.g., Figs. 9-12 and associate text) (as recited in claim 16).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 are allowed.
Claims 10-15 and 17-20 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 prior art of record does not teach or suggest the claimed invention of a medical laser system for treating a target with a laser beam, the system comprising: a laser for generating a laser beam comprising a plurality of pulse packets, wherein each pulse packet comprises a plurality of sub-pulses; an optical coupler configured to optically couple the laser beam to a proximal end of a medical optical fiber, the medical optical fiber comprising the proximal end and a delivery end, wherein the laser beam can be directed at a target disposed proximal to the delivery end; a controller coupled to the laser and configured to: select first pulse parameters, wherein the first pulse parameters comprise a repetition rate, and cause the laser to generate the laser beam comprising the plurality of pulse packets based on the first pulse parameters, wherein the plurality of sub-pulses of a first one or more of the plurality of pulse packets has the first pulse parameters (as recited in claim 1); wherein the controller is configured to: select second pulse parameters different than the first pulse parameters, wherein the second pulse parameters comprise a repetition rate and wherein the repetition rate of the second pulse parameters is different than the repetition rate of the first pulse parameters, and cause the laser to generate the laser beam comprising the plurality of pulse packets based on the second pulse parameters, wherein the plurality of sub-pulses of a second one or more of the plurality of pulse packets has the second pulse parameters (as recited in claim 10); wherein the controller is configured to: select second pulse parameters different than the first pulse parameters, wherein the second pulse parameters comprise a repetition rate and wherein the repetition rate of the second pulse parameters is different than the repetition rate of the first pulse parameters, and cause the laser to generate the laser beam comprising the plurality of pulse packets based on the second pulse parameters, wherein the plurality of sub-pulses of a second one or more of the plurality of pulse packets has the second pulse parameters (as recited in claim 17).
For these reasons the claims are believed to be allowable over the art of record.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCOTT T LUAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1860. The examiner can normally be reached on 9am-5pm, M-F (generally).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Jackson, can be reached on 571-272-4697. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Scott Luan
/SCOTT LUAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3792
Prosecution Insights