Appeal No. 2006-0386
Application 09/460,222
dependent from claim 1, are also canceled, while claims 16 and 26,
dependent from claim 6, are canceled.
Claims 2, 4, 5 and 7-9 have been rewritten in independent form and
also amended to overcome the §112, second paragraph, rejections.
Regarding claim 4, the applicants note that the control means selects one
of a plurality of light emitting means which are associated with the
converging optical systems. By selecting one of the light emitting means,
an aberration caused by the difference of the disk substrate thickness is
minimized. Regarding claims 6 and 7 [sic; claim 7], the control means
is defined as generating a control signal which is provided to the selecting
means in accordance with the discrimination signal. Regarding the issues
raised in the Office Action concerning claim 30, it is noted that this claim
depends indirectly on claim 9, and the “N converging grating couplers” are
defined in claim 9. It is respectfully submitted that all pending claims are
now in full compliance with §112 and are in condition for allowance.
(Emphasis added.) November 17, 1992, Amendment at 9.
Following entry of this amendment, the ‘629 application issued as Patent
5,235,581 on August 10, 1993. Amended application claims 2, 4, 5, and 7-9 became
claims 1, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19, respectively, of the patent.
F. The Reissue Application
Of the three independent claims (26, 28, 34) before us, claim 26 is the broadest
(emphasis
added):
26. An optical recording/reproducing apparatus for recording,
reproducing or erasing an information signal onto/from any one of N types
(where N ≥ 2) of optical discs having first layers of different thicknesses,
each type of said optical discs having at least said first layer being
transparent and a second layer for storing information, by converging a
light flux onto said second layer through said first layer of one of said N
types of optical discs loaded in said apparatus said apparatus comprising:
a composite converging optical device comprising:
(i) a light emitting means for emitting said light flux;
12
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