DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is responsive to Applicant’s response submitted 11 February 2026.
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 § 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 (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 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) 8-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018/0031775 to Gurreri et al in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0271811 to Kawashima et al.
In regards to claim 8, Gurreri recites a female connector (Figures 10-13; 128), configured to connect to an optical/electrical hybrid male connector, wherein the female connector has a coupling interface, at least two female accommodating channels are disposed on the coupling interface, each of the at least two female accommodating channels is used to mount an optical connector, at least one female electrical connector is further disposed on the coupling interface, and wherein a female separator is formed between the two female accommodating channels and comprising an accommodating slot that accommodates the last least one female electrical connector (Figure 12; 198 has a female separator). But Gurreri fails to expressly recite the at least one female electrical connector is located between the at least two female accommodating channels. However, Gurreri does teach the female electrical connector located below the optical connectors. Furthermore, Kawashima teaches a hybrid optical-electrical connector system. Kawashima teaches the hybrid connector system to include several configurations of male and female optical/electrical connections (Figures 3-3F) including the configuration of Gurreri where the electrical connectors are located below the optical connectors. Gurreri further teaches each of the configurations to be alternative embodiments and configurations, including Applicant claimed electrical connections between the optical connections (Figure 3A). Since Gurreri and Kawashima are both from the same field of endeavor and Kawashima further teaches alternative configurations of the electrical and optical connections to provide the same connections, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have applied an alternative configuration, such as the at least one female electrical connector is located between the at least two female accommodating channels.
In regards to claim 9, Gurreri recites the female electrical connector comprises a female insertion part (198) and a female contact terminal disposed on the female insertion part.
In regards to claim 10, Gurreri recites the at least two female accommodating channels extend in a first direction, the at least two female accommodating channels are arranged in a second direction, there are two female contact terminals on the female insertion part, the female insertion part comprises a third side wall and a fourth side wall, the third side wall and the fourth side wall are oppositely disposed in a third direction, any two of the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are orthogonal to each other, a first female contact terminal of the two female contact terminals is disposed on the third side wall, and a second female contact terminal of the two female contact terminals is disposed on the fourth side wall.
In regards to claim 11, Gurreri recites a female latch (configuration of the female latch is equivalently shown in Figure 8 element 42; [0025]) is disposed on an inner wall of the female accommodating channel, and is configured to latch to the optical connector mounted on the female accommodating channel.
In regards to claim 12, Gurreri recites there are two female accommodating channels.
In regards to claim 13, Gurreri recites the female connector is an optical module.
In regards to claim 14, Gurreri recites the female connector is an optical fiber adapter, the female connector comprises a first end and a second end that are oppositely disposed, the coupling interface is disposed at both the first end and the second end, and a female accommodating channel of the first end one-to-one corresponds to and communicates with a female accommodating channel of the second end.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 15-16 and 18-20 are allowed. The prior art of record fails to disclose or reasonably suggest at least an optical/electrical hybrid male connector, comprising: a male base and at least two optical connectors, wherein the male base comprises a base body, wherein the at least two optical connectors are disposed on the base body wherein the optical/electrical hybrid male connector further comprises at least one male electrical connector disposed on the base body, and the at least one male electrical connector is located between two of the at least two optical connectors; wherein each of the at least one male electrical connector comprises a male insertion part and two male contact terminals, an insertion slot is on an end face of the male insertion part that faces away from the base body, and the male contact terminal is disposed on an inner wall of the insertion slot; and wherein the at least two optical connectors are arranged in a first direction, the inner wall of the insertion slot comprises a first side wall and a second side wall, the first side wall and the second side wall are oppositely disposed in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other, a first male contact terminal of the two male contact terminals is disposed on the first side wall, and a second male contact terminal of the two male contact terminals is disposed on the second side wall in addition to the accompanying features of the independent claims. More specifically, the particular arrangement and orientation of the male connector having a male insertion part and two male contact terminals is not disclosed or reasonably suggested.
Therefore, claims 1-2, 4-7, 15-16 and 18-20 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claim(s) 8-14 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues Gurreri fails to teach “wherein a female separator is formed between the two female accommodating channels and comprises an accommodating slot that accommodates the at least one female electrical connector”. However, the Examiner disagrees. It can be clearly seen in Figure 12 of Gurreri that element 198 has a central separator. The electrical connectors are inserted into each of the passageways of element 198, the conduits are separated by a central separator.
References Cited
The references cited made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. None of the documents cited by the Examiner discloses or reasonably suggests the allowable subject matter discussed above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 TINA M WONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2352. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:30.
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/TINA WONG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874