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 .
Response to Amendment
This action is responsive to the amendment and remarks received May 19, 2026. Claim 1 is amended. Claim 8 is canceled. Claims 26 and 27 are newly added. Claims 1-7 and 9-27 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claims 9 and 10 objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 9 and 10 depend upon claim 8 which has been canceled. Claim 8 previously depended upon claim 1, so the examiner interprets claims 9 and 10 to intend to depend on claim 1. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 19-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Borsuk et al. (US Patent 4,666,238, hereinafter referred to as Borsuk). Borsuk anticipates claims:
1. An optical fiber support structure (see figure 6) comprising:
a first portion (the bottom half of external eyelet 78 is interpreted as the first portion) configured to support an optical fiber (see figure 6) including a core wire (optical fiber 34 is interpreted as the core wire) and a covering (sheath 72 and buffer 74 are interpreted as the covering of the core wire) surrounding the core wire, the core wire including a core and a cladding (as an optical fiber it includes a core and a lower index cladding to guide light via total internal reflection);
a second portion (the top half of external eyelet 78 is interpreted as the second portion) attached to the first portion (see figure 6); and
a relaxing portion (fiber alignment and retention device 10 is interpreted as the relaxing portion) that is connected to an end portion of the core wire (see figure 6) and that is positioned between the first portion and the second portion (see figure 6), the relaxing portion having a light receiving surface (curved lens surface 32 is interpreted as the light receiving surface) configured to receive light input from a space, an area of the light receiving surface being larger than an area of the end portion of the core wire, wherein the relaxing portion includes a columnar portion (the lens 12 is interpreted as the columnar portion) and a protruding portion (the rearward extension 16 is interpreted as the protruding portion), the second portion is provided with an opening (inspection hole 80 is interpreted as the opening) through which a connecting portion between the end portion of the core wire and the protruding portion of the relaxing portion is exposed to a side opposite to the first portion (see figure 6), and the opening faces a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the optical fiber to allow to check a connection state of the connecting portion from the direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the optical fiber (see figure 6).
2. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the relaxing portion is in contact with or attached to each of the first portion and the second portion (see figure 6).
3. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the relaxing portion is supported by the first portion at one or more positions and the second portion at one or more positions, and is supported by both of the first portion and the second portion at three or more positions in total (see figure 6, the relaxing portion is supported by the first, second and both the first and second portions at an infinite number of points).
4. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 3, wherein the relaxing portion is supported by the first portion at two or more positions and the second portion at two or more positions (see figure 6, the relaxing portion is supported by the first, second and both the first and second portions at an infinite number of points).
5. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the relaxing portion is attached to one of the first portion and the second portion, and a gap is provided between the relaxing portion and a remaining one of the first portion and the second portion (see figure 6, the relaxing portion is attached to the first portion and there’s a gap between the relaxing portion and the second portion above extension 16).
6. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 5, wherein the gap is configured to be secured at -20 [0C] or higher and 120 [0C] or lower (this gap could be secured at any temperature).
9. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 8, wherein the opening is a through-hole (see figure 6, the opening is interpreted as a through-hole).
10. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 8, wherein the opening is a cutout (see figure 6, the opening is interpreted as a cutout).
15. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the core wire and the relaxing portion are fusion-bonded to each other (see figure 6, the adhesive 54 fuses and bonds the relaxing portion and core wire together creating a fusion-bonded connection).
16. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the relaxing portion is supported by at least one of the first portion and the second portion via an adhesive (54).
19. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the relaxing portion is supported by at least one of the first portion and the second portion via an adhesive (54), and the at least one of the first portion and the second portion includes a first covering portion (the entire device is interpreted as the first covering portion) configured to cover the adhesive on a side opposite to the end portion of the core wire with respect to the light receiving surface (see figure 6).
20. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first portion and the second portion includes a second covering portion (the entire device is interpreted as the second covering portion) configured to cover a portion away from a light receiving region of the light receiving surface (see figure 6).
21. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, further comprising a fixture configured to fix the first portion and the second portion (internal eyelet 76 is interpreted as the fixture).
22. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the first portion and the second portion are coupled to each other via a snap-fit mechanism (see figure 6, they’re coupled to each other by internal eyelet 76 which is interpreted as a snap-fit mechanism).
23. The optical fiber support structure according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber includes a stripped end portion in which the covering is removed in a predetermined section from the end portion of the core wire such that the core wire is exposed, and the optical fiber support structure further comprises a treatment material (adhesive 54 is interpreted as treatment material) that is housed in a housing chamber provided in the first portion to be present around the stripped end portion, the treatment material being configured to transmit or scatter light leaked from the stripped end portion (see figure 6).
24 and 25. A semiconductor laser module comprising: the optical fiber support structure according to claim 1; a plurality of semiconductor laser element (the fiber and sheath in element 38 is interpreted as a plurality of semiconductor laser element as it could be a fiber used to transmit light of a semiconductor laser); and an optical system (the lens of element 38 is interpreted as the optical system) configured to guide a laser beam output from the semiconductor laser element to the relaxing portion and couple the laser beam to the end portion of the core wire via the relaxing portion (see figure 6).
Claim 26. An optical fiber support structure (see figure 6) comprising:
a first portion (the bottom half of external eyelet 78 is interpreted as the first portion) configured to support an optical fiber including a core wire (optical fiber 34 is interpreted as the core wire) and a covering (sheath 72 and buffer 74 are interpreted as the covering of the core wire) surrounding the core wire, the core wire including a core and a cladding (as an optical fiber it includes a core and a lower index cladding to guide light via total internal reflection);
a second portion (the top half of external eyelet 78 is interpreted as the second portion) attached to the first portion;
a relaxing portion (fiber alignment and retention device 10 is interpreted as the relaxing portion) that is connected to an end portion of the core wire and that is positioned between the first portion and the second portion (see figure 6), the relaxing portion having a light receiving surface (curved lens surface 32 is interpreted as the light receiving surface) configured to receive light input from a space, an area of the light receiving surface being larger than an area of the end portion of the core wire (see figure 6); and
a scattering portion (rearward portion 52 is interpreted as the scattering portion) that is provided at the first portion and that is positioned on a side opposite to the light receiving surface of the relaxing portion with respect to the end portion of the core (see figure 3), the scattering portion scattering light that has not been coupled to the core of the optical fiber (see figure 3, the scattering portion would reflect light that hits it that isn’t coupled to the core).
Claim 27. An optical fiber support structure (see figure 6) comprising:
a first portion (the bottom half of external eyelet 78 is interpreted as the first portion) configured to support an optical fiber including a core wire (optical fiber 34 is interpreted as the core wire) and a covering (sheath 72 and buffer 74 are interpreted as the covering of the core wire) surrounding the core wire, the core wire including a core and a cladding (as an optical fiber it includes a core and a lower index cladding to guide light via total internal reflection);
a second portion (the top half of external eyelet 78 is interpreted as the second portion) attached to the first portion;
a relaxing portion (fiber alignment and retention device 10 is interpreted as the relaxing portion) that is connected to an end portion of the core wire and that is positioned between the first portion and the second portion (see figure 6), the relaxing portion having a light receiving surface (curved lens surface 32 is interpreted as the light receiving surface) configured to receive light input from a space, an area of the light receiving surface being larger than an area of the end portion of the core wire (see figure 6); and
the relaxing portion being attached to the first portion and provided with a gap (the space between the second portion and 16 is interpreted as the gap) between the relaxing portion and the second portion.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 7, 11-14, 17 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Borsuk.
With respect to claim 7, Borsuk discloses the limitations of claim 5 as previously stated. Borsuk is silent to the range of the gap. However, motivated by a desire to appropriately size the structures of the device, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the device such that the gap is greater than or equal to 0.05 [mm] and less than or equal to 0.6 [mm] at -20, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art (In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233) and since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component; a change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955)).
With respect to claims 11-14, 17 and 18, Borsuk discloses the limitations of claim 1 as previously stated. Borsuk is silent to:
wherein the second portion is made of an invar material that shrinks more than a normal temperature at a temperature higher than the normal temperature;
wherein the relaxing portion is a transparent material having a transmittance of 99% or more with respect to the light input to the light receiving surface;
wherein the relaxing portion is made of a material having a same refractive index as a refractive index of the core of the core wire;
wherein the relaxing portion is made of a silica-based glass material;
wherein an elastic modulus of the adhesive in a cured state is smaller than an elastic modulus of the at least one of the first portion and the second portion;
wherein the adhesive is an organic adhesive.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form these structures from the materials meeting the limitations of claims, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims 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.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN M BEDTELYON whose telephone number is (571)270-1290. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached at 571-272-2397. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/John Bedtelyon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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