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 § 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.
Claim(s) 9, 10 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Najafi et al (US 20200256722).
Regarding claim 9, Najafi et al teach A photon number resolving circuit, comprising: a plurality of detection circuits (narrow detection segments distributed along the superconducting wire each independently photo-sensitive), each detection circuit of the plurality of detection circuits comprising: state to a non-superconducting state in response to an incident photon ([0046]); and a reset circuit (205) coupled in parallel with the superconducting photon detector, the reset circuit comprising a resistor (R) and an inductor (L – inherent kinetic inductance of each segments’ lead) coupled together in series; a waveguide optically coupled to the plurality of detection circuits; and a readout circuit (112) electrically coupled to the plurality of detection circuits.
Regarding claim 10, Najafi et al teach ([0037]) the readout circuit is a direct readout circuit that converts a voltage (V=I*R see also figures 3) from the plurality of detection circuits into a current, wherein an amplitude of the current depends on a number of detection circuits of the plurality of detection circuits in the non-superconducting state.
Regarding claim 15, Najafi et al teach a current source (coupled to the plurality of detection circuits, the current source configured to bias each superconducting photon detector such that a single incident photon causes the superconducting photon detector to transition from the superconducting state to the non- superconducting state.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, prior art of record does not teach the reset circuit comprising a resistor (R) and an inductor (L) coupled together in series, wherein the resistor is composed of a metal layer and a layer of superconducting material.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 11-14 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TONY KO whose telephone number is (571)272-1926. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5pm.
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/TONY KO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
TK
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