DETAILED ACTION
This is the first office action on the merits. Claims 1-16 are currently pending. Claims 3, 12-13 and 15-16 are withdrawn from consideration. Therefore, claims 1-2, 4-11, and 14 will be addressed below.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/26/2023 and 4/16/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 4 is rejected because it does specify to which claim it depends. Applicant may cancel the claim, amend the claim to place the claim in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim complies with the statutory requirements.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-9, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Seo et al., US 20060126161 A1 (“Seo”).
Regarding claim 1, Seo discloses an optical fiber amplifier that amplifies a plurality of wavelength bands (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, Paragraph [0034]), the optical fiber amplifier comprises a rare-earth-doped optical fiber (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, Paragraph [0033], [0035]), wherein a cross-section of the rare-earth-doped optical fiber comprises a main propagation region for signal light (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10 Paragraph [0033]), and a doped region doped with rare-earth ions, and the doped region exists other than the propagation region (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, cladding 20 Paragraph [0033]).
Regarding claim 2, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the rare- earth-doped optical fiber is divided into a plurality of sections (Fig. 8, optical fiber 200, optical fiber 210, optical fiber 220, Paragraph [0067]), and an arrangement of the doped region is different for each of the sections (Fig. 8, optical fiber 200, optical fiber 210, optical fiber 220, Paragraph [0067]-[0068]).
Regarding claim 4, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim, wherein the rare-earth-doped optical fiber has a doping concentration of the rare-earth ions in at least one of the doped regions different from a doping concentration of the rare-earth ions in other of the doped regions (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033], [0036]).
Regarding claim 5, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the rare-earth-doped optical fiber has a population inversion state formed for each of the doped regions (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033], Paragraph [0037]: pump beam excites erbium ions; See also: [0052]), and the population inversion state used for each of the wavelength bands is different (Paragraph [0037], [0052]: erbium ions used to amplify C-band signal while remaining pump beam not used to excite erbium ions used to amplify S-band).
Regarding claim 6, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 2, wherein the rare- earth-doped optical fiber, within a cross-section of an optical fiber, has a central core in the propagation region and a core region concentrically arranged with respect to the central core (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033], [0038]), and in at least one of the sections, the core region is the doped region (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033]; Fig. 8, optical fiber 200, optical fiber 210, Paragraph [0067]-[0068]).
Regarding claim 7, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 2, wherein the rare- earth-doped optical fiber has a central core in the propagation region within a cross- section of an optical fiber (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033]), and in at least one of the sections, the doped region is concentrically arranged with respect to the central core (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033], [0038]; Fig. 8, optical fiber 200, optical fiber 210, Paragraph [0067]-[0068]).
Regarding claim 8, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 2, wherein the rare-earth-doped optical fiber, within a cross-section of an optical fiber, has a central core in the propagation region and a core region concentrically arranged with respect to the central core, and the doped region has the central core and the core region (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033], [0038]).
Regarding claim 9, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 2, wherein the rare-earth-doped optical fiber has a central core that is the propagation region, within a cross-section of the optical fiber, and the doped region is arranged at a position of the central core and arranged concentrically with respect to the central core (Fig. 1, optical fiber 1, core 10, cladding 20, Paragraph [0033], [0038]).
Regarding claim 11, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to any one of claim 1, wherein the rare-earth-doped optical fiber has a plurality of sets of the propagation region and the doped region within a cross-section of the optical fiber (Fig. 8, optical fiber 200, optical fiber 210, optical fiber 220, Paragraph [0067]-[0068]), and the sets are non-correlated with each other in amplification of the wavelength band (Paragraph [0067]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 10 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo in view of Nishihara et al., US 20080013904 A1 (“Nishihara”).
Regarding claim 10, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 8.
Seo does not teach: wherein the doped region located at the position of the central core and the doped region arranged concentrically with respect to the central core have different doping concentrations of the rare-earth ions.
However, Nishihara teaches an erbium doped fiber with a first and second core portion that are doped with different concentration of erbium ions (Figs. 6-7, Er ion concentrations Nt1 in first core portion 1, Er ion concentrations Nt2 in second core portion 2, Paragraph [0095], [0129]).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Seo’s optical fiber by using different rare earth doping concentrations between to core and cladding, which is disclosed by Nishihara. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to “suppress an occurrence of the FWM by reducing the length of the fiber as an interaction length of action of the FWM while maintaining an amplification gain, thereby improving an amplification performance of the fiber as a whole”, as suggested by Nishihara (Paragraph [0030]).
Regarding claim 14, Seo discloses the optical fiber amplifier according to claim 9.
Seo does not teach: wherein the doped region located at the position of the central core and the doped region arranged concentrically with respect to the central core have different doping concentrations of the rare-earth ions.
However, Nishihara teaches an erbium doped fiber with a first and second core portion that are doped with different concentration of erbium ions (Figs. 6-7, Er ion concentrations Nt1 in first core portion 1, Er ion concentrations Nt2 in second core portion 2, Paragraph [0095], [0129]).
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Seo’s optical fiber by using different rare earth doping concentrations between to core and outer core, which is disclosed by Nishihara. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to “suppress an occurrence of the FWM by reducing the length of the fiber as an interaction length of action of the FWM while maintaining an amplification gain, thereby improving an amplification performance of the fiber as a whole”, as suggested by Nishihara (Paragraph [0030]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Leplingard et al., US 6687046 B2 discloses an optical fiber amplifier with a double-clad doped structure in series with a ring doped structure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RACHEL N NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5405. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 5:30 pm ET.
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/RACHEL NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/YUQING XIAO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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