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 .
Detailed Action
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I species Figs 1-4 in response/amendment is acknowledged. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
The prior art documents submitted by Applicant(s) in the information Disclosure Statement(s) have all been considered and made of record (note the attached copy of form(s) PTO-1449).
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.
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 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.
Claim(s) is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over .
Claim(s) 1-2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by KANKE S et al., WO 2014057666 A1.
Regarding claim 1, Kanene teaches an optical receptacle 1 (se figs.1-16 and summary) configured to be disposed between a photoelectric conversion element 32 and an optical transmission member 133, the optical receptacle being configured to optically couple the photoelectric conversion element 32 with an end surface of the optical transmission member 133,
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the optical receptacle comprising: a first optical surface configured to allow light emitted from the photoelectric conversion element to be incident thereon, or configured to emit, toward the photoelectric conversion element (clearly shown in at least figs.. 1 and 10; summary), light emitted from the end surface of the optical transmission member and traveling inside the optical receptacle; and a second optical surface configured to emit the light incident on the first optical surface toward the end surface of the optical transmission member, or configured to allow the light emitted from the end surface of the optical transmission member to be incident thereon, wherein when an origin is defined as an intersection point between the first optical surface and an optical axis of the first optical surface (clearly shown in at least figs.. 1 and 10; summary),
a Z axis is defined as the optical axis of the first optical surface, an X axis is defined as an axis passing through the origin and perpendicular to the Z axis, and a Y axis is defined as an axis perpendicular to the Z axis and the X axis, the first optical surface is configured in such a way that when collimated light from an inside of the optical receptacle is incident on the first optical surface, a first focal point observed when viewed along a direction of the X axis and a second focal point observed when viewed along a direction of the Y axis are formed, the second focal point being observed closer to the first optical surface than the first focal point is (clearly shown in at least figs.. 1 and 10; see abstract or summary; also specification).
2. (Original) The optical receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the first optical surface is a convex lens surface in which a curvature on an XZ plane passing through the origin is greater than a curvature on a YZ plane passing through the origin clearly shown in at least figs..1-10; see specification; parag. 0031). .
4 (Currently amended) The optical receptacle according to claim 1, further comprising: a reflecting surface disposed between the first optical surface and the second optical surface, wherein a distance between the first focal point and the second focal point is more than 0 µ and 100 µ or less (see at least figs 10-16 and specification)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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. Claim 3 is allowable because the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious wherein a distance between the first focal point and the second focal point is 100 µm or more and 180 µm or less in combination with the rest of the limitations of the base claim.
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
Prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. In accordance with MPEP 707.05 the following references are pertinent in rejection of this application since they provide substantially the same information disclosure as this patent does. These references are:
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WO 2022057113 A1
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JP 2016115721 A
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Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEH C KIANNI whose telephone number is (571)272-2417. The examiner can normally be reached on 9-19.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hollweg can be reached on571-270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAVEH C KIANNI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874