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
Information disclosure statement filed 3/20/2024 has been considered.
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.
Claim(s) 20-25, 12-19, 1, 3, 5-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. US 2014/0041212 A1 to Penumatcha et al. (hereinafter “Penumatcha”).
Regarding claim 20, Penumatcha discloses a connector (10) for connecting a cable harness having a fiber optic cable (paragraph [0031]) to a node (12) that is structurally configured to enhance feeding of the fiber optic cable through the connector, comprising: a first portion (52) structurally configured to connect to a node (12); a second portion (54) structurally configured to connect to a cable harness having a fiber optic cable; wherein the first portion and the second portion are structurally configured to allow the fiber optic cable to pass through the second portion and the first portion (e.g. see Fig. 11); wherein the second portion is structurally configured to rotate relative to the first portion between a first position and a second position (Fig. 6B, Fig. 7B, Figs. 8-10); and wherein the second portion and the first portion are structurally configured to provide access to an interior of the connector from an area outside of the connector when the first and second portions are in the first position so as to enhance feeding of the fiber optic cable through the connector (paragraph [0039]-[0040]).
Regarding claim 21, Penumatcha discloses wherein the second portion is structurally configured to include a passageway that is structurally configured to allow the fiber optic cable to pass through the second portion (Fig. 11- fiber optic cable passes through the internal passageway within 54 as shown in the figure).
Regarding claim 22, Penumatcha discloses wherein the first portion is structurally configured to include a passageway that is structurally configured to allow the fiber optic cable to pass through the first portion (Fig. 11- fiber optic cable passes through the internal passageway within 52 as shown in the figure).
Regarding claim 23, Penumatcha discloses wherein one of the first portion and the second portion includes a central area (i.e. area occupied by 22 as shown in Fig. 8), and the central area is located between the passageway in the first portion (52) and the passageway in the second portion (54).
Regarding claim 24, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the first position, a central axis of a passageway in the second portion is aligned with a central axis of a passageway in the first portion (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 25, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the second position, the central axis of the passageway in the second portion and the central axis of the passageway in the first portion form an angle less than 180 degrees (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 12, Penumatcha discloses a connector with all the claimed limitations of claim 20 as discussed above. In addition, Penumatcha discloses the second portion structurally configured to include a passageway, and the first portion structurally configured to include a passageway; wherein the passageway in the first portion and the passageway in the second portion are structurally configured to provide a path for a fiber optic cable to pass through an interior of the connector (see Fig. 5, Fig. 8, Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 13, Penumatcha discloses wherein the second portion is structurally configured to include a passageway that is structurally configured to allow the fiber optic cable to pass through the second portion (Fig. 11- fiber optic cable passes through the internal passageway within 54 as shown in the figure).
Regarding claim 14, Penumatcha discloses wherein the first portion is structurally configured to include a passageway that is structurally configured to allow the fiber optic cable to pass through the first portion (Fig. 11- fiber optic cable passes through the internal passageway within 52 as shown in the figure) into the node (12).
Regarding claim 15, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the first position, a central axis of a passageway in the second portion is aligned with a central axis of a passageway in the first portion (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 16, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the second position, the central axis of the passageway in the second portion and the central axis of the passageway in the first portion form an angle less than 180 degrees (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 17, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the second position, the central axis of the passageway in the second portion and the central axis of the passageway in the first portion form an angle or 90 degrees (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 9; paragraph [0041]-[0042]).
Regarding claim 18, Penumatcha discloses wherein the first portion comprises an attachment portion (14) that is structurally configured to connect the first portion to the node, and the attachment portion of the first portion is structurally configured as a first portion threaded portion (paragraph [0038]).
Regarding claim 19, Penumatcha discloses wherein the second portion comprises an attachment portion (30) that is structurally configured to connect the second portion to the cable harness (28), and the attachment portion of the second portion is structurally configured as a second portion threaded portion (paragraph [0034]).
Regarding claim 1, Penumatcha discloses a connector with all the claimed limitations of claim 12 as discussed above. In addition, Penumatcha discloses the first portion that structurally allows the fiber optic cable to pass through the first portion and into the node (Fig. 5, Fig. 11); wherein one of the first portion and the second portion includes a central area therein (i.e. area adjacent to 56 and 58); wherein the central area is structurally configured to allow the fiber optic cable to pass from the passageway in the second portion to the passageway in the first portion (Figs. 5, 8, 11).
Regarding claim 3, Penumatcha discloses wherein the second portion (54) is a harness-side (28) portion.
Regarding claim 5, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the first position, a central axis of the passageway in the second portion is aligned with a central axis of the passageway in the first portion (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 6, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the second position, the central axis of the passageway in the second portion and the central axis of the passageway in the first portion form an angle less than 180 degrees (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 7, Penumatcha discloses wherein in the second position, the central axis of the passageway in the second portion and the central axis of the passageway in the first portion form an angle or 90 degrees (e.g. clearly shown in Fig. 9; paragraph [0041]-[0042]).
Regarding claims 8-9, Penumatcha discloses wherein the first portion comprises an attachment portion (14) that is structurally configured to connect the first portion to the node, and the attachment portion of the first portion is structurally configured as a first portion threaded portion (paragraph [0038]).
Regarding claims 10-11, Penumatcha discloses wherein the second portion comprises an attachment portion (30) that is structurally configured to connect the second portion to the cable harness (28), and the attachment portion of the second portion is structurally configured as a second portion threaded portion (paragraph [0034]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 2, 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Penumatcha.
Penumatcha discloses a connector as discussed above regarding claim 1. However, it does not explicitly disclose the use of a cabinet connected to the node as claimed in the present application. On the other hand, the use of a telecommunication cabinet is well known and common in the art. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily recognize using a cabinet as advantageous and desirable because cabinets provide a high-capacity storage and effective environmental protection solutions for fragile telecommunications cables, yet provides easy access to field technicians. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the present application to modify the device of Penumatcha to have a cabinet connected to the node in the manner claimed in the present application.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent No. 6,419,519 B1 discloses a harness connector (Fig. 1) that provides -90 degrees to +90 degrees angular displacement between the first portion (28) and second portion (26) that are structurally configured to pass a telecommunication cable therewithin (Fig. 2).
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/SUNG H PAK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874