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 § 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 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) 1-2, 4, 6-9, 11, 15-17, 19, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Briant (Patent No.: US 10,104,760 B1).
Regarding claim 1, 16, Briant teaches A heat sink for an optical or optoelectronic module, comprising: a shell body (reference numeral 160, 162, 164, 170, 172, 174 in Figure 4) comprising a first metal or metal alloy (e.g. “metal materials” as in column 6 lines 13-30 and throughout), a plurality of fins (reference numeral 170 in Figure 4) integral with the shell body and comprising the first metal or metal alloy (e.g. “metal materials” as in column 6 lines 13-30 and throughout), and one or more airflow passages (reference numeral 172 in Figure 4) between adjacent ones of the plurality of fins; and a shell top (reference numeral 150, 152, 180 in Figure 4), in physical and/or thermal contact with the shell body and the plurality of fins, the shell top comprising a second metal or metal alloy (e.g. “metal materials” as in column 6 lines 13-30 and throughout) and having first and second opposing sidewalls (reference numeral 152 in Figure 6) comprising the second metal or metal alloy (e.g. “metal materials” as in column 6 lines 13-30 and throughout), wherein: the first and second opposing sidewalls are configured to secure the shell top to the shell body (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4, Figure 6) , and the plurality of fins are configured to transfer heat to air in the one or more airflow passages and to the shell top (e.g. “fins 170 transfer heat” as in column 7 lines 9-29).
Regarding claim 2, 17, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fasteners configured to secure the shell top to the shell body (e.g. “adhesive, welding, mechanical fasteners, an interference fit, or other mean” as in column 8 lines 34-47).
Regarding claim 4, 19, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 1, further comprising a thermally conductive adhesive between and in contact with both of the shell top and the shell body (e.g. “adhesive, welding, mechanical fasteners, an interference fit, or other mean” as in column 8 lines 34-47).
Regarding claim 6, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fins comprise 2-12 fins (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 6).
Regarding claim 7, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more airflow passages has a cross-section that is rectangular, square, oval, rectangular or square with rounded corners, trapezoidal or trapezoidal with rounded corners (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 6).
Regarding claim 8, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of fins have a cross-section that is rectangular, rectangular with flared end (e.g., uppermost and/or lowermost) sections, trapezoidal or trapezoidal with flared end sections (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 6).
Regarding claim 9, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of fins has a cross-sectional shape that is complementary to a cross-sectional shape of an adjacent one of the one or more airflow passages (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 6).
Regarding claim 11, 20, Briant teaches An optical or optoelectronic transceiver module, comprising:
a transmitter optical subassembly (e.g. inherent in the transceiver and/or SFP/QSFP/SFP+ of as in column 3 lines 30-40); a receiver optical subassembly (e.g. inherent in the transceiver of as in column 3 lines 30-40); an electrical interface (reference numeral 138 in Figure 2) in communication with each of the transmitter optical subassembly and the receiver optical subassembly; an optical interface (reference numeral 136 in Figure 2) in communication with each of the transmitter optical subassembly and the receiver optical subassembly; a circuit board (reference numeral 138 in Figure 2) with at least one integrated circuit thereon, the at least one integrated circuit being in communication with at least one of the transmitter optical subassembly, the receiver optical subassembly, the electrical interface and the optical interface; the heat sink of claim 1 (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4, 6, and 7), in thermal proximity or thermal communication with the at least one integrated circuit.
Regarding claim 15, Briant teaches The optical transceiver module of claim 11, further comprising a handle (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 2 to the left of reference numeral 136) adjacent to the optical interface.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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) 3, 5, 10, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Briant in view of Chen (Patent No.: US 11,073,336 B2).
Regarding claim 3, 18, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 2, but fails to specifically teach that each of the plurality of fasteners comprises a bolt or a screw, one of the shell top and the shell body further comprises a corresponding plurality of pass-through holes having dimensions allowing the plurality of fasteners to pass therethrough, and the other of the shell top and the shell body further comprises a corresponding plurality of receiver holes configured to receive the plurality of fasteners. However, Briant appears to illustrate a fastener in the form of a screw or bolt near the front end of optoelectronic module (e.g. to the right of reference numeral 147 in Figure 2) thereby suggesting the use of such fasteners and holes. Furthermore, Chen teaches explicitly teaches that this concept is well known in the art (e.g. screws on top plate 10 as illustrated in Figure 1 shown penetrating housing as in Figure 3). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to utilize a plurality of fasteners comprising a bolt or a screw, one of the shell top and the shell body further comprises a corresponding plurality of pass-through holes having dimensions allowing the plurality of fasteners to pass therethrough, and the other of the shell top and the shell body further comprises a corresponding plurality of receiver holes configured to receive the plurality of fasteners in order to secure the shell pieces together thereby securing the air cooling element therein. Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to utilize a plurality of fasteners comprising a bolt or a screw, one of the shell top and the shell body further comprises a corresponding plurality of pass-through holes having dimensions allowing the plurality of fasteners to pass therethrough, and the other of the shell top and the shell body further comprises a corresponding plurality of receiver holes configured to receive the plurality of fasteners.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of references and Chen in particular teaches The heat sink of claim 1, wherein each of the first metal or metal alloy and the second metal or metal alloy independently comprises zinc, a zinc alloy, copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, iron, steel, titanium or nichrome (e.g. “of aluminum or aluminum alloy” as in column 2 lines 20-38).
Regarding claim 10, Briant teaches The heat sink of claim 1, wherein the shell body further comprises (i) first and second shell body sidewalls on opposing sides of the shell body (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4 where the shell body 160, 162, 164, 170, 172, 174 has sidewalls in contact with sidewalls 160, 162 of the shell top), but fails to specifically teach (i) first and second tabs on the opposing sides of the shell body, the first and second shell body sidewalls contacting the opposing sidewalls of the shell top, and the tabs being configured to contact or mate with sidewalls of a base of the optical module. However, Chen teaches that this concept is well known in the art (reference numeral 22, 13 in Figure 4 and Figure 5). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to include first and second tabs on the opposing sides of the shell body, the first and second shell body sidewalls contacting the opposing sidewalls of the shell top, and the tabs being configured to contact or mate with sidewalls of a base of the optical module in order to keep all airflow channels communicating with each other at the recess portions of the heat sink fins (e.g. as in column 2 lines 52-67 of Chen). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to include first and second tabs on the opposing sides of the shell body, the first and second shell body sidewalls contacting the opposing sidewalls of the shell top, and the tabs being configured to contact or mate with sidewalls of a base of the optical module as taught by Chen in Briant.
Claim(s) 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Briant in view of LIN (Publication No.: US 2022/0045478 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Briant teaches the optical transceiver module of claim 11, but fails to specifically teach that the at least one integrated circuit comprises: a plurality of laser diodes, each configured to receive a driver signal and output a first optical signal; a plurality of optical modulators corresponding to the plurality of laser diodes, each of the plurality of optical modulators being configured to modulate a corresponding first optical signal; and a plurality of photodiodes, each configured to receive a second optical signal and output an electrical signal. However, LIN teaches that these concepts are well known in the art (e.g. “plurality of laser assemblies 110” “Each of the plurality of laser assemblies 110 include…… an EML” as in paragraph [0041]; e.g. “photodiode (PD) array 128” as in paragraph [0048]). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to utilize the configuration claimed in order to form multi-channel subassemblies configured to send and receive, respectively, N channel wavelengths and achieve overall transmission speeds of at least 40 Gigabits per second (Gb/s)) (as in paragraph [0038] of LIN). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to utilize an integrated circuit comprising: a plurality of laser diodes, each configured to receive a driver signal and output a first optical signal; a plurality of optical modulators corresponding to the plurality of laser diodes, each of the plurality of optical modulators being configured to modulate a corresponding first optical signal; and a plurality of photodiodes, each configured to receive a second optical signal and output an electrical signal in Briant as taught by LIN.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of references and LIN in particular teaches The optical transceiver module of claim 12, wherein the at least one integrated circuit further comprises: a plurality of laser drivers (reference numeral 117 in Figure 1) corresponding to the plurality of laser diodes, each of the plurality of laser drivers being configured to provide a corresponding driver signal to a corresponding one of the plurality of laser diodes; a bias control circuit (reference numeral 912 in Figure 9A) , configured to provide one or more bias control signals to the plurality of laser diodes; and a plurality of amplifiers (reference numeral 130 in Figure 1), each configured to amplify a unique electrical signal from the plurality of photodiodes.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of references and LIN in particular teaches The optical transceiver module of claim 13, wherein the at least one integrated circuit further comprises a microprocessor or a microcontroller (e.g. “temperature control device” as in paragraph [0022] and throughout) , configured to control the plurality of laser diodes, the plurality of optical modulators, the plurality of laser drivers, the bias control circuit, and the plurality of amplifiers.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AGUSTIN BELLO whose telephone number is (571)272-3026. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM.
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/AGUSTIN BELLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2635
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