Appeal No. 98-2187
Application 08/051,033
appellant’s independent claims 62, 79 and 90 on appeal. As
for the examiner’s calculations on page 6 of the answer, which
the examiner purports show energy densities in the claimed
range, we note that such calculations have not accounted for
the effects of the wavelength variation indicated in column 9,
lines 17-21, of Bille and have entirely disregarded the
duration of the pulses that would be necessary to actually
cause ablation of tissue in a focal spot that is 70 microns in
diameter (see, for example, Bille, Col. 7, lines 13-17). In
our opinion, a laser pulse applied to a 70 micron diameter
focal spot at an energy density of 0.2599FJ/100Fm² (as
calculated by the examiner) and for a duration of less than 1
picosecond would not cause ablation of organic material, but
would require a much longer pulse duration to cause ablation,
if at all. Likewise, the examiner has not convinced us that
the calculated energy density of 0.2FJ/100Fm² applied for a
duration of less than 1 picosecond would be capable of being
useful for tissue ablation, as is required in each of the
claims before us on appeal.
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