Attorney Docket No. :ZON-016CN2
`
`PATENT
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`APPLICANT:
`
`Chistyakov
`
`SERIAL NO.:
`
`11/465,574
`
`GROUP NO.:
`
`2821
`
`FILING DATE:
`
`August 18, 2006
`
`EXAMINER:
`
`Tung X. Le
`
`TITLE:
`
`METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STRONGLY-
`
`IONIZED PLASMAS WITH IONIZATIONAL INSTABILITIES
`
`Commissioner for Patents
`
`PO. Box 1450
`
`Alexandria, Virginia 223 13- 1450
`
`AMENDMENT AND RESPONSE
`
`Sir:
`
`The following remarks are responsive to the Office Action mailed on December 8, 2009
`
`in the above-identified patent application. Consideration of the following remarks, and
`
`allowance of the claims, as presented, is respectfully requested. A Petition for a three-month
`
`extension of time, up to and including June 8, 2010 is submitted herewith. Authorization to
`
`charge Attomey’s charge card for the extension fee, Statutory Disclaimer fee and any other
`
`proper fees is given in the EFS-Web filing submission papers.
`
`Amendments to the claims begin on page 2 of this paper.
`
`Remarks begin on page 7 of this paper.
`
`INTEL 1110
`
`INTEL 1110
`
`1
`
`
`
`PATENT
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`APPLICANT:
`
`Chistyakov
`
`SERIAL NO.:
`
`11/465,574
`
`GROUP NO.:
`
`2821
`
`FILING DATE:
`
`August 18, 2006
`
`EXAMINER:
`
`Tung X. Le
`
`TITLE:
`
`METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STRONGLY-
`
`IONIZED PLASMAS WITH IONIZATIONAL INSTABILITIES
`
`Commissioner for Patents
`
`PO. Box 1450
`
`Alexandria, Virginia 223 13- 1450
`
`AMENDMENT AND RESPONSE
`
`Sir:
`
`The following remarks are responsive to the Office Action mailed on December 8, 2009
`
`in the above-identified patent application. Consideration of the following remarks, and
`
`allowance of the claims, as presented, is respectfully requested. A Petition for a three-month
`
`extension of time, up to and including June 8, 2010 is submitted herewith. Authorization to
`
`charge Attomey’s charge card for the extension fee, Statutory Disclaimer fee and any other
`
`proper fees is given in the EFS-Web filing submission papers.
`
`Amendments to the claims begin on page 2 of this paper.
`
`Remarks begin on page 7 of this paper.
`
`INTEL 1110
`
`INTEL 1110
`
`1
`
`
`
`In the Claims:
`
`Please cancel claims 48-63 and 84-86 as follows.
`
`Claims 1-47 (cancelled)
`
`48
`
`Cancelled.
`
`49
`
`Cancelled.
`
`50
`
`Cancelled.
`
`5 l
`
`Cancelled.
`
`52
`
`Cancelled.
`
`53
`
`Cancelled.
`
`54
`
`Cancelled.
`
`55
`
`Cancelled.
`
`56
`
`Cancelled.
`
`57
`
`Cancelled.
`
`5 8
`
`Cancelled.
`
`59
`
`Cancelled.
`
`60
`
`Cancelled.
`
`6l
`
`Cancelled.
`
`62
`
`Cancelled.
`
`2
`
`
`
`63
`
`Cancelled.
`
`64
`
`(Original) A method of generating a strongly-ionized plasma, the method comprising:
`
`a)
`
`supplying feed gas proximate to an anode and a cathode assembly; and
`
`b)
`
`generating a voltage pulse between the anode and the cathode assembly, the
`
`voltage pulse having at least one of a controlled amplitude and a controlled rise
`
`time that increases an ionization rate so that a rapid increase in electron density
`
`and a formation of a strongly-ionized plasma occurs without forming an are
`
`between the anode and the cathode assembly.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 filrther comprising applying a magnetic field
`
`proximate to the cathode assembly.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 65 filrther comprising moving the magnetic field.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 filrther comprising generating an electron Hall
`
`current from an electric field generated by the voltage pulse and from the magnetic field,
`
`the electron Hall current raising the temperature of the electrons in the weakly-ionized
`
`plasma to a temperature that enhances the increase in electron density and the formation
`
`of the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 wherein the voltage pulse comprise a multi-stage
`
`voltage pulse.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 filrther comprising applying a voltage between the
`
`anode and the cathode assembly that sustains the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`65
`
`66
`
`67
`
`68
`
`69
`
`3
`
`
`
`70
`
`71
`
`72
`
`73
`
`74
`
`75
`
`76
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 wherein a lifetime of the strongly-ionized plasma is
`
`greater than 200usec.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 fiarther comprising discharging energy from an
`
`energy storage device into the plasma to enhance the rapid increase in electron density
`
`and the formation of the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 wherein an amplitude of the voltage pulse is
`
`sufficient to generate ionizational instabilities that enhance the ionization rate so as to
`
`cause a rapid increase in electron density and the formation of the strongly-ionized
`
`plasma.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 64 wherein at least some of the ionizational instabilities
`
`comprise diocotron instabilities.
`
`(Original) A method of generating a strongly-ionized plasma, the method comprising:
`
`a)
`
`supplying feed gas proximate to an anode and a cathode assembly; and
`
`b)
`
`generating a voltage pulse between the anode and the cathode assembly, the
`
`voltage pulse having at least one of a controlled amplitude and a controlled rise
`
`time that shifts an electron energy distribution in the plasma to higher energies
`
`that increase an ionization rate so as to result in a rapid increase in electron
`
`density and a formation of a strongly-ionized plasma without forming an are
`
`between the anode and the cathode assembly.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 74 fiarther comprising applying a magnetic field
`
`proximate to the cathode assembly.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 75 filrther comprising moving the magnetic field.
`4
`
`4
`
`
`
`77
`
`(Original) The method of claim 75 filrther comprising generating an electron Hall
`
`current from an electric field generated by the voltage pulse and from the magnetic field,
`
`the electron Hall current raising the temperature of the electrons in the weakly-ionized
`
`plasma to a temperature that enhances the increase in electron density and the formation
`
`of the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`78
`
`79
`
`80
`
`81
`
`82
`
`83
`
`(Original) The method of claim 74 wherein the voltage pulse comprise a multi-stage
`
`voltage pulse.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 74 filrther comprising applying a voltage between the
`
`anode and the cathode assembly that sustains the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 74 wherein a lifetime of the strongly-ionized plasma is
`
`greater than 200usec.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 74 filrther comprising discharging energy from an
`
`energy storage device into the plasma to enhance the rapid increase in electron density
`
`and the formation of the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 74 wherein an amplitude of the voltage pulse is
`
`sufficient to generate ionizational instabilities that enhance the ionization rate resulting in
`
`a rapid increase in electron density and the formation of the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 74 wherein the ionizational instabilities comprise at least
`
`some diocotron instabilities.
`
`84
`
`Cancelled.
`
`85
`
`Cancelled.
`
`5
`
`
`
`86
`
`Cancelled.
`
`6
`
`
`
`REMARKS
`
`Pending Claims:
`
`Claims 64-83 are currently pending in the present application. Claims 48-63 and 84-86
`
`are herein cancelled in order to expedite prosecution. The Applicant respectfully requests
`
`reconsideration of the pending claims in light of the terminal disclaimers and arguments
`
`presented in this Amendment and Response.
`
`Double Patenting Rejections
`
`Claims 64-83 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double
`
`patenting as being unpatentable over claims 21-26, 28-33, 38-43 and 46 of US. Patent No.
`
`7,095,179 to Chistyakov in view ofU.S. Patent No. 5,476,693 to Lee. US. Patent No. 7,095,179
`
`is assigned to the assignee of the present application. The Office Action states that although the
`
`conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other.
`
`The Applicant is submitting herewith a Terminal Disclaimer to obviate the double
`
`patenting rejection of claims 64-83 in compliance with 37 C.F.R. 1.321 as suggested by the
`
`Examiner in the Office Action. The Terminal Disclaimer was signed by Dr. Roman Chistyakov,
`
`the President of Zond, Inc., who is also the sole inventor of the present application. The
`
`Applicant is also submitting a Statement Under 37 CFR 3.73(b) which states that Zond, Inc. is
`
`the assignee of the entire right, title, and interest of US. Patent No. 7,095,179. A fee transmittal
`
`authorizing the US. Patent Office to charge the $70.00 for Statutory Disclaimer as set forth in 37
`
`CFR § 1.20(d) to the Applicant’s attomey’s charge card is enclosed.
`
`CONCLUSION
`
`If, in the Examiner’s opinion, a telephonic interview would expedite prosecution of the
`
`present application, the undersigned attorney would welcome the opportunity to discuss any
`7
`
`7
`
`
`
`outstanding issues, and to work with the Examiner toward placing the application in condition
`
`for allowance.
`
`
`Date: June 3 2010
`
`Tel. No.: (781) 271-1503
`Fax No.: (781) 271-1527
`Doc. 4121v1
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`/Kurt Rauschenbach/
`
`Kurt Rauschenbach, PhD.
`
`Reg No. 40,137
`Attorney for Applicants
`Rauschenbach Patent Law Group, LLC
`Post Office Box 387
`Bedford, MA 01730
`
`8
`
`
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