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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I, claims 1-12, in the reply filed on 1/6/26 is acknowledged.
Specification
3. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
6. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) 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.
7. Claims 1-2, 4 and 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Leigh et al. (US 10488604 B2) in view of Murphy et al. (US 9261654 B2).
With respect to claim 1, Leigh et al. (figures 2A-2B) disclose an optical fiber adaptor assembly comprising an adaptor body (200) having an internal side (internal side of sleeve 201, 202) and an external side (204, 205), wherein the internal side (internal side of sleeve 201, 202) is adapted to receive and retain an optical fiber ferrule assembly (column 3, lines 13-14) and the external side (204. 205) is adapted to receive and retain an optical fiber connector assembly (200b), and wherein the adaptor body (200) is adapted to be disposed through and retained in a panel (208, 221, 234, figure 2C).
With respect to claim 11, Leigh et al. (figures 2A-2B) disclose a module or circuit pack comprising an optical fiber adaptor assembly comprising an adaptor body (200) having an internal side (internal side of sleeve 201, 202) and an external side (204, 205), wherein the internal side (internal side of sleeve 201, 202) receives and retains an optical fiber ferrule assembly (column 3, lines 13-14) and the external side (204. 205) is adapted to receive and retain an optical fiber connector assembly (200b), and wherein the adaptor body (200) is disposed through and retained in the panel (208, 221, 234, figure 2C).
Leigh et al. do not explicitly disclose a panel having an internal side and an external side and defining a cut-out and the adaptor body is disposed through and retained in the cut-out defined by the panel.
However, Murphy et al. (figures 2 and 4) teach a fiber optic device including a panel (104) having an internal side and an external side (figure 4) and defining a cut-out (404) and the adaptor body (102) is disposed through and retained in the cut-out (404) defined by the panel (104) (figures 2 and 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Leigh et al. to include the above features (accordance with the teaching of Murphy) for the purpose of defining minimum physical attributes of mating connector components (column 4, line 24).
Figure 2A of Leigh et al.
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Figure 4 of Murphy et al.
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow] Internal side External side
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With respect to claim 2, Leigh et al. (figures 2A-2B) disclose the optical fiber adaptor assembly, wherein the internal side of the adaptor body (200) defines a ferrule port (201, 202) adapted to receive the optical fiber ferrule assembly (column 3, lines 13-14).
With respect to claim 4, Leigh et al. substantially disclose all the limitations of the claimed invention except the internal side of the adaptor body comprises an adaptor shoulder that is adapted to be disposed adjacent to an internal side of the panel when the adaptor body is disposed through and retained in the cut-out defined by the panel.
However, Murphy et al. (figure 14) teach a fiber optic device including the internal side of the adaptor body (1400) comprises an adaptor shoulder (1404) that is adapted to be disposed adjacent to an internal side of the panel (104) when the adaptor body is disposed through and retained in the cut-out (404) defined by the panel (104) (figures 4 and 14). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Leigh et al. to include the above features (accordance with the teaching of Murphy) for the purpose of defining minimum physical attributes of mating connector components (column 4, line 24).
With respect to claim 7, Leigh et al. substantially disclose all the limitations of the claimed invention except the internal side of the adaptor body comprises further comprises a panel gasket disposed between the adaptor shoulder and the internal side of the panel when the adaptor shoulder is disposed adjacent to the internal side of the panel when the adaptor body is disposed through and retained in the cut-out defined by the panel.
However, Murphy et al. (figure 4) teach a fiber optic device including the internal side of the adaptor body (102) comprises further comprises a panel gasket (108) disposed between the adaptor shoulder (102) and the internal side of the panel (104, figure 4) when the adaptor shoulder (102) is disposed adjacent to the internal side of the panel (104) when the adaptor body is disposed through and retained in the cut-out defined by the panel (104) (figure 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Leigh et al. to include the above features (accordance with the teaching of Murphy) for the purpose of defining minimum physical attributes of mating connector components (column 4, line 24).
With respect to claim 8, Leigh et al. (figures 2A-2B) disclose the optical fiber adaptor assembly, wherein the external side of the adaptor body defines a connector port (204, 205) adapted to receive the optical fiber connector assembly (200b).
With respect to claim 9, Leigh et al. substantially disclose all the limitations of the claimed invention except a panel retention clip coupled to the adaptor by and adapted to secure the adaptor body to the panel when the adaptor body is disposed through and retained in the cut-out defined by the panel.
However, Murphy et al. (figure 4) teach a panel retention clip (404) coupled to the adaptor (102) by and adapted to secure the adaptor body to the panel (104) when the adaptor body is disposed through and retained in the cut-out defined by the panel (104) (figure 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Leigh et al. to include the above features (accordance with the teaching of Murphy) for the purpose of defining minimum physical attributes of mating connector components (column 4, line 24).
With respect to claims 10 and 12, Leigh et al. substantially disclose all the limitations of the claimed invention except the optical fiber adaptor assembly is a duplex optical fiber adaptor assembly, the internal side is adapted to receive and retain a pair of optical fiber ferrule assemblies.
However, Murphy et al. (figure 4) teach a fiber optic device including the optical fiber adaptor assembly is a duplex optical fiber adaptor assembly (figure 4), the internal side is adapted to receive and retain a pair of optical fiber ferrule assemblies (see figure 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Leigh et al. to include the above features (accordance with the teaching of Murphy) for the purpose of defining minimum physical attributes of mating connector components (column 4, line 24).
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 3, 5 and 6 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.
The prior art of record fails to disclose the optical fiber adaptor assembly, wherein the internal side of the adaptor body comprises a ferrule gasket adapted to be disposed between a ferrule shoulder of the optical fiber ferrule assembly and the internal side of the adaptor body when the optical fiber ferrule assembly is received within the ferrule port defined by the internal side of the adaptor body as recited in claim 3 and wherein the internal side of the adaptor body further comprises a ferrule retention clip that is adapted to be coupled to the adaptor shoulder and prevent the optical fiber ferrule assembly from backing out of the ferrule port defined by the internal side of the adaptor body as recited in claim 5.
Claim 6 depends from claim 5.
Conclusion
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Gronvall et al. (US-8213761-B2) disclose a drop terminal. Lu et al. (US-7572065-B2) disclose a fiber optic connector. Bull et al. (US-6612750-B1) disclose an adapter.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jennifer Doan whose telephone number is (571) 272-2346. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 7:00am to 3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hollweg can be reached on 571-270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JENNIFER DOAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874