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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-8, and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent Application Publication 2020/0049905 A1 to Tomita and United States Patent Application Publication 2016/0274304 A1 to Bickham et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Tomita discloses a data communication cable assembly, comprising:
a first connector configured to connect to a first device, wherein the first connector includes a first coherent optical transmitter (Fig. 2, connector (100) electrically connects to communication apparatus (93) includes coherent transmitter (12)) configured to:
receive a first electrical data signal from the first device (Fig. 2, connector (100) receives MOD signal from device (93)); and
coherently modulate a first optical carrier with the first electrical data signal to generate a first optical data signal (Fig. 2, transmitter (12) modulates carrier (L2) with data (MOD) to generate optical data signal (LS1));
a second connector mechanically coupled to a second end of the cable (Fig. 2, connector (100) at other end of link), and configured to connect to a second device (connects to second communication apparatus (93)), wherein the second connector includes a first coherent optical receiver (coherent receiver (13)) configured to:
receive the first optical data signal from the first coherent optical transmitter via the at least one optical fiber (Fig. 2, connector (100) at other end receives (LS1)); and
coherently demodulate the first optical data signal using the first or a second optical carrier to regenerate the first electrical data signal for the second device (Fig. 2, receiver (13) uses carrier (L0) to regenerate electrical data (DAT) for second device (93)).
Tomita discloses the connector (100) includes a duplex LC connector for mechanically connecting to an optical fiber fairly suggesting a cable, but does not expressly disclose a cable including a first end mechanically coupled to the first connector, wherein the cable comprises at least one optical fiber.
Bickham discloses a cable including a first end mechanically coupled to the first connector, wherein the cable comprises at least one optical fiber (Fig. 1B, LC duplex cable including 2 fibers (30 and 40) with each end mechanically coupled to transceivers (20A and B) at each end).
Before the filing date of the instant application, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to use a cable including a first end mechanically coupled to the first connector, wherein the cable comprises at least one optical fiber (as disclosed by Bickham) in the system disclosed by Tomita. The suggestion from Tomita is the duplex LC connector. The motivation from Bickham is to use a fiber cable that reduces reflections and allows for dispersion compensation.
Tomita and Bickham are from the same art with respect to optical communication, and are therefore analogous art.
Regarding Claim 2, Tomita discloses wherein the first connector further comprises a first CW laser to generate the first optical carrier (Fig. 2, 14).
Regarding Claim 3, Tomita discloses wherein the second connector further comprises a second CW laser configured to generate the second optical carrier, wherein the first coherent optical receiver is configured to coherently demodulate the first optical data signal using the second optical carrier (Fig. 2, connector (100) at other end has CW laser (14) to demodulate incoming optical signal (LS1) using the local LO.)
Regarding Claim 7, Tomita discloses wherein: the second connector further comprises a second coherent optical transmitter configured to:
receive a second electrical data signal from the second device (Fig. 2, connector (100) at other end receives (MOD) from 2nd device (93)); and
coherently modulate the first or second optical carrier with the second electrical data signal to generate a second optical data signal (Fig. 2, transmitter (12) modulates carrier (L2) with data (MOD)) ; and
the first connector further comprises a second coherent optical receiver configured to:
receive the second optical data signal from the second coherent optical transmitter via the at least one optical fiber (Fig. 2, receiver (13)); and
coherently demodulate the second optical data signal using the first or second optical carrier to regenerate the second electrical data signal for the first device (Fig. 2, receiver (13) demodulates received signal (LS2) using local LO to regenerate data (DAT)).
Regarding Claim 8, Tomita discloses wherein the first coherent optical transmitter includes a quadrature modulator configured to quadrature modulate the first optical carrier to generate the first optical data signal including I- and Qi optical data signals, respectively (Fig. 12, QPSK modulator with in-phase and quadrature arms.)
Regarding Claim 11, Tomita discloses wherein the first coherent optical receiver includes a polarization splitter configured to quadrature split the first optical data signal into orthogonally polarized optical data signals, wherein the first coherent optical receiver is configured to coherently demodulate the orthogonally polarized optical data signals using the first or second optical carrier to regenerate the first electrical data signal (Fig. 5, splitter (31), splits received signal into orthogonal polarizations which are demodulated by local LO.)
Regarding Claim 12, Tomita discloses wherein the first
coherent optical receiver includes a polarization beam splitter configured to polarize the first or second optical carrier to generate first and second orthogonally polarized optical carriers, wherein the first coherent optical receiver is configured to coherently demodulate the first optical data signal using the first and second orthogonally polarized optical carriers to regenerate the first electrical data signal (Fig. 5, polarization splitter (32) splits the LO into orthogonal polarizations for demodulation by coherent receiver.)
Regarding Claim 13, Tomita discloses a polarization splitter configured to split the first optical data signal into orthogonally polarized optical data signals (Fig. 5, 31);
a polarization beam splitter configured to polarize the first or second optical carrier to generate first and second orthogonally polarized optical carriers (32);
a hybrid configured to combine the orthogonally polarized optical data signals with the first and second orthogonally polarized optical carriers to generate first orthogonally polarized I- and Q- optical data signal and second orthogonally polarized I- and Q- optical data signals (Fig. 5, I and Q hybrids (33 and 34));
an optical-to-digital-converter configured to convert the first orthogonally polarized I- and Q- optical data signal and second orthogonally polarized I- and Q- optical data signals into a set of digital signals (Fig. 5, O-Es (41-44)); and
a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to regenerate the first electrical data signal based on the set of digital signals (Fig. 5, DSP (35)).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 9-10, and 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 DANIEL G DOBSON whose telephone number is (571)272-9781. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Vanderpuye can be reached at 5712723078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DANIEL G DOBSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2634 11/01/2025