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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/14/2023, 09/13/2023 and 11/18/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the application on 07/10/2023. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 10 lines 1 and 7-8 recite, “a switching apparatus,” and “a second interface,” claim should be amended to recite –the switching apparatus-- and –the second interface--.
Claim 12 lines 1-2 recite, “a switching apparatus,” claim should be amended to recite –the switching apparatus--. Claims 16 and 17 line 1 has the same issue.
Claim 14 lines 1 and 4 recite, “a switching apparatus,” and “a second interface,” claim should be amended to recite –the switching apparatus-- and –the second interface--.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 10 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bains et al. [US 2020/0195450].
Regarding claim 1, Bains discloses a switching apparatus for providing a single pair Ethernet (SPE/T1-Ethernet) connection, having a first (fig. 3; interface between 25 and 26) and second interface (fig. 3; 28, see Par [0036] Ln 1-5; in accordance with the disclosed standard, 28 can operate in SPE 10BASE-TS1 mode with 1-3 connectors), wherein the first interface (25 to 26) is a multi-pole and in particular an MII or RMII interface (fig. 3; MII interface between 26 and 26), and the second interface (28) is a two-pole (SPE consist of a single pair which is two poles) SPE/T1-specific interface (28 is a PMA for SPE master 30), and wherein the switching apparatus (30) additionally has first electronics suitable for 100Base-T1 operation and/or second electronics suitable for 10Base-T1L operation and/or third electronics suitable for 10Base-T1S operation (SPE master 30 operates under an IEEE standard that permits 10BASE-TS1) of the second interface (28).
Regarding claim 10, Bains discloses a switch (fig. 1; 10) having a switching apparatus (30) as claimed in claim 1 configured for providing an SPE/T1 Ethernet connection (27 determines the mode of operation i.e. SPE mode) of at least two devices (devices that would be plugged into PMA 28), wherein the switch has a multiplicity of first, second and third terminals, or has a multiplicity of switchable ports (28 has two bidirectional ports, see fig. 3 and Par [0036] Ln 1-7), each of which is provided by means of a second interface (28) of the switching apparatus (30).
Regarding claim 12, Bains discloses an SPE/T1- development board (see Par [0031] Ln 4-8 and Par [0034] Ln. 1-2; disclosure suggest that 30 is an example architecture for 12 which is configured to be on physical board) comprising a switching apparatus (30) as claimed in claim 1.
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) 9, 14 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bains et al. [US 2020/0195450] in view of Bains et al. [US 2020/0235780] (Bains 2).
Bains discloses all of the claim limitations except wherein Power over Data Line (PoDL) is provided by the switching apparatus.
However, Bains 2 teaches wherein Power over Data Line (PoDL) (Par [0027] Ln 10-12; PoDL) is provided by the switching apparatus (fig. 1; 10).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to incorporate Power over Data Line (PoDL) being provided by the switching apparatus as suggested by Bains 2 for the benefit of providing improved cost effective SPE systems that can drastically scale down circuitry hardware and optimize data transmissions.
Regarding claim 14, Bains modified by Baines 2 has been discussed above. Bains discloses a switch (10) having a switching apparatus (30) as claimed in claim 9 configured for providing an SPE/T1 Ethernet connection (27 determines the mode of operation i.e. SPE mode) of at least two devices (devices that would be plugged into PMA 28), wherein the switch has a multiplicity of first, second and third terminals, or has a multiplicity of switchable ports (28 has two bidirectional ports, see fig. 3 and Par [0036] Ln 1-7), each of which is provided by means of a second interface (28) of the switching apparatus (10).
Regarding claim 17, Bains modified by Baines 2 has been discussed above. Bains discloses an SPE/T1- development board (see Par [0031] Ln 4-8 and Par [0034] Ln. 1-2; disclosure suggest that 30 is an example architecture for 12 which is configured to be on physical board) comprising a switching apparatus (30) as claimed in claim 9.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8, 11, 13, 15 and 16 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCUS E HARCUM whose telephone number is (571)272-9986. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri. 8am-5pm.
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/MARCUS E HARCUM/ Examiner, Art Unit 2831