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, 3-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takahashi (Publication No.: US 2010/0158452 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Takahashi teaches An optical connector assembly, comprising: a housing (reference numeral 1001 in Figure 24) having: a mating end (reference numeral 1002 in Figure 24) shaped to receive an input connector; and an output end (reference numeral 1021 in Figure 24) opposite the mating end; a ferrule (reference numeral 1004 in Figure 23A and Figure 24) disposed within the housing; at least a portion of an optical cable (reference numeral 1012 in Figure 23A and Figure 24) secured within the ferrule; a plug body (reference numeral 1007 in Figure 23 and Figure 24) in thermal contact with the ferrule and having a plug-body front (e.g. the outer front face of ring shaped reference numeral 1007 in Figure 23 and Figure 24), the plug-body front face being configured to interface with a thermal pad (reference numeral 1014 in Figure 23A) having a thermal-pad rear face and a thermal-pad front face, wherein when in use, the thermal-pad rear face contacts the plug-body front face, the thermal-pad front face contacting the input connector when the input connector is mated to the optical connector assembly.
Regarding claim 3, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein: the ferrule is shaped as a cylinder (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 24); and the thermal pad is shaped as an annulus that encircles the ferrule (e.g. “ring shaped” as in paragraph [0194]).
Regarding claim 4, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 3, wherein: the plug body defines a channel (reference numeral 1007a in Figure 24) that extends axially inward from the plug-body front face such that a portion of the ferrule is disposed in the channel (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 23B).
Regarding claim 5, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, further comprising a spring (reference numeral 1005 in Figure 24) secured within the housing and configured to bias the plug body towards the mating end of the housing.
Regarding claim 6, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 5, wherein the plug body forms a plug-body flange (reference numeral 1008a in Figure 23A) against which the spring exerts a force to bias the plug body towards the mating end of the housing.
Regarding claim 7, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 6, the housing including a stop surface (reference numeral 1008b in Figure 23A) , wherein movement of the plug body toward the mating end of the housing is limited by the stop surface.
Regarding claim 8, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, further comprising a back body (reference numeral 1019 in Figure 22) located at the output end of the housing, wherein the optical cable passes through the back body.
Regarding claim 9, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 8, further comprising a sealing member (reference numeral 1011 in Figure 23A) located between the optical cable and the back body.
Regarding claim 10, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 8, further comprising a sealing member (reference numeral 1018b in Figure 24) located between the back body and the housing.
Regarding claim 11, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 8, further comprising: a first sealing member located between the optical cable and the back body (reference numeral 1011 in Figure 23A); and, a second sealing member located between the back body and the housing (reference numeral 1018b in Figure 24).
Regarding claim 12, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 11, one or both of the first and second sealing member being an O-ring (reference numeral 1018b in Figure 24).
Regarding claim 13, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, the plug body defining a plug-body channel (reference numeral 1007a and/or the channel through which fiber 1012 passes in Figure 23A), a first portion of the optical cable (reference numeral 1121 in Figure 23A) located within the plug-body channel bare of an outer fiber jacket surrounding at least one optical fiber (reference numeral 1121 in Figure 23A) , a second portion of the optical cable located within the plug-body channel having the outer fiber jacket (reference numeral 1024 in Figure 23A) .
Regarding claim 14, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 13, the first portion and the second portion including an inner fiber jacket (reference numeral 1123, 1022 in Figure 23A) surrounding the at least one optical fiber.
Regarding claim 15, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 14, the at least one optical fiber (reference numeral 1121 in Figure 23A) being located within the ferrule (reference numeral 1004 in Figure 23A) and bare of the outer fiber jacket and the inner fiber jacket (e.g. “bare optical fiber” as in paragraph [0197]).
Regarding claim 16, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 13, the at least one optical fiber (reference numeral 1121 in Figure 23A) being located within the ferrule and bare of the outer fiber jacket and the inner fiber jacket.
Regarding claim 17, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, the ferrule and the plug body being monolithic (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 23A).
Regarding claim 18, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, internal components of the housing being sealed to external elements external to the optical connector assembly (e.g. via reference numerals 1011, 1013c3 as illustrated in Figure 23A).
Regarding claim 19, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, the thermal pad (reference numeral 1014 in Figure 23A) being a component of the input connector.
Regarding claim 20, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, the optical cable having a core or bundle of light guiding or light emissive fibers (reference numeral 1022a in Figure 24) .
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi in view of Sauerbrier (Publication No.: US 2024/0431062 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Takahashi teaches The optical connector assembly of claim 1, but fails to specifically teach that the thermal pad comprises one or more of silicone, silicone rubber, fiberglass, and composites thereof. However, Sauerbrier teaches that this concept is well known in the art (e.g. “silicone thermal pads, gap filler, or silicone-based conductive sheets, so-called thermal pads” as in paragraph [0061]). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to utilize a thermal pad comprising one or more of silicone, silicone rubber, fiberglass, and composites thereof in order to fill air gaps and thus improve the heat conduction and therefore the dissipation of the heat which arises due to the electrical operation (e.g. as in paragraph [0061] of Sauerbrier). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to utilize a thermal pad comprising one or more of silicone, silicone rubber, fiberglass, and composites thereof as taught by Sauerbrier in Takahashi.
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 2637