DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on October 10, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-28 are under consideration.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 12 is dependent on claim 1 and claim 26 is dependent on claim 15. Both claims 1 and 15 recite “a guide hole array block”. Dependent claims 12 and 26 recite “a guide hole array block”. It is unclear if the guide hole array block of claims 12 and 26 are the same guide hole array block from their respective independent claim, or if this is an additional guide hole array block.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-2, 5-9, 11-12, 15-16, 19-23, and 25-26, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Filipowicz et al. (US 9,846,280 B2, herein “Filipowicz”).
Regarding claims 1 and 15, Filipowicz discloses an optical fiber array device (30 in Fig. 3), said optical fiber array device comprising: a fiber base (flange 38), enabled to hold an integrated positioning sheet (precision output element 34);
said integrated positioning sheet (precision output element 34) comprising a plurality of channels (apertures 36), each of said channels formed by at least a positioning hole (vias 58) and a tapered hole (lead-in openings 58-O), wherein each tapered hole has an entry diameter larger than the corresponding positioning hole and narrows toward the positioning hole to guide and seat a fiber;
a plurality of fibers (100) or fiber bundles, each of said fibers or fiber bundles fixed in one of said positioning hole of said integrated positioning sheet;
a guide hole array block (fiber guide block 32) disposed adjacent to said integrated positioning sheet (precision output element 34), wherein the guide hole array block (fiber guide block 32) comprises a plurality of tapered entry holes (entrance 33-0) larger than the tapered holes (58-O) of the integrated positioning sheet, to facilitate fiber insertion and alignment.
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However, Filipowicz does not explicitly disclose a lens array comprising a plurality of lenses, each lens of said lens array aligned with one channel of said plurality of channels.
In discussing the state of the art, Filipowicz teaches prior arts using lens array (16) comprising a plurality of lenses (28), each lens of said lens array aligned with one channel (24) of said plurality of channels (via the back side of the array substrate 26) providing collimated output signals that are thereafter directed toward a receiving device such as MEMS array (Col. 5, lines 23-44).
It would have been obvious to one having skills in the art to recognize the prefabricated lens array having predetermined pitched matching the channels of the of the positioning sheet can be made interchangeably with the individually polished fiber terminations of Filipowicz’s invention. One would be motivated to interchange the lens array with the individually polished fiber termination to increase manufacturing efficiency where precision has a lower tolerance.
The examiner notes, the method steps of claims 15-28 are not patentably distinct from the product claims 1-14, as the steps such as fixing, forming, aligning are necessary in assembling the function device. As such, the method claims are rejected in the similar manner as the product claims.
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Claims 2 and 16. Filipowicz discloses the integrated positioning sheet (precision output element 34) is made from silicon (Col. 3, lines 29-45).
Claims 5 and 19. Filipowicz discloses the fiber base flange is made from a material (stainless steel, Col. 6, lines 36-38) with a low thermal expansion coefficient.
Claims 6 and 20. Filipowicz discloses each one of said plurality of channels (36) comprises a hole (60) located between said positioning hole (58) and said tapered hole (56), such that said hole has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the positioning hole and larger than the smallest diameter of said tapered hole.
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Claims 7 and 21. The device according to claim 1, wherein said integrated positioning sheet comprises MxN channels arranged in an MxN array (Fig. 7).
Claims 8 and 22. The device according to claim 1, wherein said positioning hole and/or said tapered hole are made using an etching process (Col. 7, lines 53-63).
Claims 9 and 23. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of said fibers or fiber bundles is fixed in one of said positioning holes with glue (Step 180 in Fig. 14).
Claims 11 and 25. The device according to claim 1, wherein the fiber base flange is enabled to hold said lens array. By modifying the shoulder (44) of the flange (38) to recess deeper into the interior of the flange during the machining process such that the flange would be capable of holding the lens array.
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Claims 12 and 26. The device according to claim 1, wherein the fiber base flange is enabled to hold a guide hole array block (34). See Fig. 4 above.
Claims 3-4, 10, 14, 17-18, 24, and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Filipowicz in view of Suzuki et al. (US 2003/0142909 A1, herein “Suzuki”).
Regarding claims 3-4 and 17-18, Filipowicz discloses the optical fiber array device of claim 1 wherein the integrated positioning sheet is made from silicon and further teaches the precision output element (34) is formed as a multilayer silicon-based element such that they would have similar coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) (Col. 7, line 64 to Col. 8, line 14).
However, Filipowicz is silent to the material of the lens array.
Suzuki teaches an optical fiber array with lenses wherein the collimator lens 82 constitute a microlens array 80 in which the surfaces of the plates made of silicon or glass then curved to form microlenses (Para [0032]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to exchange the individually polished fiber terminations with a silicon lens array to match the material the integrated positioning sheet (34) such that the CTE of the lens array and the integrated positioning sheet would have matching CTE for thermal stability. One motivation for having matching material or matching CTE is to prevent the lens array from thermal expansion and contraction which may cause misalignment.
Regarding claims 10, 14, 24, and 28, Filipowicz discloses the invention of claim 1 and claim 15, but Filipowicz does not teach the lens array is bonded directly onto said integrated positioning sheet.
Suzuki teaches an optical fiber array with lenses wherein a refraction index matching agent acting as an adhesive between the wall of the tapered through-hole (55) and the optical fiber (90) and between the tip surface of the optical fiber (90) and the collimator lens (82) (Figs. 1-4). Note, base plate (21) is considered the “positioning sheet” in Suzuki’s invention.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to recognize the lens array is bonded directly to said integrated positioning sheet, as shown by Suzuki would have been modifiable to the invention of Filipowicz since index matching resin can be cured to function as an adhesive as taught by Suzuki. One would be motivated to bond the lens directly to the positioning sheet to couple light efficiently from the fiber terminus to the collimating lens array.
Claims 13 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Filipowicz in view of Nakama et al. (US 6,766,076 B2, herein “Nakama”).
Filipowicz discloses the invention of claim 1, but does not disclose a spacer between the lens arrays and said integrated positioning sheet.
Nakama teaches and shown in Fig. 2, an optical fiber array wherein the fiber bundle (4) is inserted into the holes (5) positioning sheet (3) such that a spacer (2) is provided between the positioning sheet and the lens array (1). Nakama further teaches the spacer (2) is selected for having a thickness and refractive index which satisfies the relationship 2 x fL x nh > th > fL x nh. This relationship allows the image output from the lens to have an increasing magnification at an image plane (Col. 5, lines 12-21).
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It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to recognize the fiber array embodiment as taught by Nakama is used in magnifying the projecting image. One would be motivated project a magnified image in applications such as a mobile phone display.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-28 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. The interpretation of prior art to Filipowicz has been modified to correspond to the amended claims 1 and 15. In particular, the reinterpretation of the
“guide hole array block (fiber guide block 32) disposed adjacent to said integrated positioning sheet (precision output element 34), wherein the guide hole array block comprises a plurality of tapered entry holes (entrance 330-0) larger than the tapered holes (58-0) of the integrated positioning sheet, to facilitate fiber insertion and alignment”
reads on to the amended limitations.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Erin D Chiem whose telephone number is (571)272-3102. The examiner can normally be reached 10 am - 6 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas A. Hollweg can be reached at (571) 270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIN D CHIEM/Examiner, Art Unit 2874
/THOMAS A HOLLWEG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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