BDETAILED 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 statements (IDS's) submitted comply with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statement; please see attached forms PTO-1449.
Drawings
The drawings submitted have been reviewed and determined to facilitate understanding of the invention. The drawings are accepted as submitted.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 3-4, 6, 8-11, 13-14, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication 2006/0171639 to Dye (“US1”).
Regarding Claim 1, US1 describes an optical fiber connector subassembly (see Figs 2-4b) configured to reduce signal transmission losses in an optical fiber connector, comprising:
a ferrule assembly having a ferrule (44) and a holding portion (84) structurally configured to fixedly hold the ferrule;
a receiving portion (92) configured to be rotationally fixed to a fiber cable;
a biasing portion (54) configured to be disposed between the holding portion and the receiving portion;
wherein the receiving portion includes a first receiving portion (at 94) and a second receiving portion (at 56);
wherein the holding portion includes a tuning portion (90);
wherein the second receiving portion includes a tuning portion receiving portion (see [0028]-[0029], [0033] “hexagonal cavity”) structurally configured to receive the tuning portion such that the holding portion is rotationally fixed with the second receiving portion;
wherein the biasing portion is structurally configured to bias the ferrule assembly toward a front abutment surface (94) portion of the first receiving portion along a connector axis;
wherein the tuning portion receiving portion comprises a hexagonal bore portion (see [0028]-[0029], [0033] “hexagonal cavity”), and the tuning portion comprises a hexagonal outer surface portion configured to be received by the hexagonal bore portion in any one of six relative rotational positions between the tuning portion and the tuning portion receiving portion (see [0028]-[0029]); and
wherein the holding portion is configured to be moved toward the biasing portion so as to compress the biasing portion and remove the tuning portion from the tuning portion receiving portion such that the holding portion is configured to be rotated relative to the second receiving portion so as to arrange the hexagonal outer surface portion and the hexagonal bore portion in one of the six relative rotational positions between the tuning portion and the tuning portion receiving portion that optimizes eccentricity of the ferrule and a fiber terminated by the ferrule relative to the tuning portion receiving portion so as to minimize signal transmission loss when the ferrule abuts a mating ferrule (see [0026], [0028]-[0029]).
Regarding Claim 3, US1 describes the holding portion comprising a forward end portion and an extension portion extending from the forward end portion and configured to extend through the biasing portion (see Figs 2-3).
Regarding Claim 4, US1 describes an optical fiber connector (10) for achieving reduced signal transmission losses between mating ferrules, comprising:
the connector subassembly of claim 1 (see above); and
a housing portion (102) configured to receive the connector subassembly.
Regarding Claim 6, US1 describes an optical fiber connector subassembly (see Figs 2-4b) configured to reduce signal transmission losses in an optical fiber connector, comprising:
a tuning portion (90) fixedly coupled with a ferrule (44);
a receiving portion (92) configured to be slidingly moved relative to the tuning portion along an axis;
a biasing portion (54) configured to be disposed between the tuning portion and the receiving portion;
wherein the receiving portion is structurally configured to receive the tuning portion such that the tuning portion is rotationally fixed with the receiving portion (see Fig 2, [0028], [0030]);
wherein the receiving portion comprises a polygonal bore portion having N sides (“hexagonal cavity”, see [0033]), and the tuning portion includes a polygonal outer surface portion configured to be received by the polygonal bore portion in any one of N relative rotational positions between the tuning portion and the receiving portion (see [0028]-[0029]); and
wherein the tuning portion is configured to be slidingly moved so as to compress the biasing portion and remove the tuning portion from the receiving portion such that the tuning portion is configured to be rotated relative to the receiving portion so as to arrange the polygonal outer surface portion and the polygonal bore portion in one of the N relative rotational positions between the tuning portion and the receiving portion that optimizes eccentricity of the ferrule and a fiber terminated by the ferrule relative to the tuning portion receiving portion so as to minimize signal transmission loss when the ferrule abuts a mating ferrule (see [0026], [0028]-[0029]).
Regarding Claim 8, US1 describes the tuning portion comprises a holding portion structurally configured to hold a ferrule and an extension portion extending from the holding portion to the polygonal outer surface portion; and wherein the extension portion is configured to extend through the biasing portion (see Figs 2-3).
Regarding Claim 9, US1 describes the polygonal outer surface portion comprising a hexagonal outer surface portion, and the polygonal bore portion comprises a hexagonal bore portion (see [0028]-[0029]).
Regarding Claim 10, US1 describes the biasing portion structurally configured to bias the tuning portion toward a front abutment surface portion of the receiving portion (see [0028]-[0029]).
Regarding Claim 11, US1 describes an optical fiber connector (10) for achieving reduced signal transmission losses between mating ferrules, comprising:
the connector subassembly of claim 6 (see above); and
a housing portion (102) configured to receive the connector subassembly.
Regarding Claim 13, US1 describes an optical fiber connector subassembly (see Figs 2-4b) configured to reduce signal transmission losses in an optical fiber connector, comprising:
a tuning portion (84/90) configured to hold a ferrule (44);
a receiving portion (92) configured to be slidingly coupled with the tuning portion and structurally configured to receive the tuning portion such that the tuning portion is rotationally fixed with the receiving portion (see Figs 2-3 and [0028]-[0029], [0033]);
wherein the receiving portion comprises a bore portion having a number N of sides (“hexagonal cavity” see [0033]), and the tuning portion comprises an outer surface portion having N sides configured to be received by the bore portion in any one of N relative rotational positions between the tuning portion and the receiving portion (see [0028]-[0029]); and
wherein the tuning portion is configured to be removed from the receiving portion such that the tuning portion is configured to be rotated relative to the receiving portion so as to arrange the outer surface and the bore in one of the N relative rotational positions between the tuning portion and the receiving portion that optimizes eccentricity of the ferrule and a fiber terminated by the ferrule relative to the receiving portion so as to minimize signal transmission loss when the ferrule abuts a mating ferrule (see [0026], [0028]-[0029]).
Regarding Claim 14, US1 describes a biasing portion (54) configured to be disposed between the tuning portion and the receiving portion.
Regarding Claim 16, US1 describes the tuning portion comprising a holding portion structurally configured to hold a ferrule and an extension portion extending from the holding portion to the polygonal outer surface portion (see [0028]-[0029]); and wherein the extension portion is configured to extend through the biasing portion (see Figs 2-3).
Regarding Claim 17, US1 describes the biasing portion structurally configured to bias the tuning portion toward a front abutment surface portion (94) of the receiving portion.
Regarding Claim 18, US1 describes the tuning portion configured to be slidingly moved so as to compress the biasing portion and remove the tuning portion from the receiving portion such that the tuning portion is configured to be rotated relative to the receiving portion (see Figs 2-3 and [0028]-[0029])
Regarding Claim 19, US1 describes the outer surface portion comprising a hexagonal outer surface portion (see [0028]), and the bore portion comprises a hexagonal bore portion (“hexagonal cavity” see [0033]).
Regarding Claim 20, US1 describes an optical fiber connector (10) for achieving reduced signal transmission losses between mating ferrules, comprising:
the connector subassembly of claim 13 (see above); and
a housing portion (120) configured to receive the connector subassembly.
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.
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.
Claims 5, 12, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US1 as applied to Claims 4, 11, and 20 above.
US1 describes an optical fiber connector as set forth above (see above regarding Claims 4, 11, 20). US1 further describes an outer housing portion (12) configured to receive the housing portion and the connector subassembly (see Fig 1 and [0027], [0030]). US1 does not describe the connector comprising a subscriber (SC) connector. SC connectors are well-known in the art to commonly utilize housing structures with an internal fiber assembly. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the subassembly of US1 in an SC connector structure. The motivation for doing so would have to been provide eccentricity compensation to reduce optical losses (see US1 at [0015]-[0017]) in a commonly known and used form factor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 7, and 15 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.
Claims 2 describes a front end of the biasing portion configured to abut a rearward facing surface of the holding portion.
Claims 7 and 15 each describe a front end of the biasing portion configured to abut a rearward facing surface of the holding portion.
These limitations represent subject matter not described or reasonably suggested, in conjunction with the further limitations of the present claims, by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art cited in the attached form PTO-892 are made of record and considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art described optical connector subassemblies including tuning portions and/or biasing portions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY RAHLL whose telephone number is (571)272-2356. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am-5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached at 571-272-2397. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JERRY RAHLL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874