Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claims 10 and 18 are objected to because each claim recites1 "adaptor adapter". The term "adaptor" should be deleted from both claims.
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.
Claims 1-5, 7, 9-13, 15-23, and 25-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 11513305 B2 (applied in a previous action).
Claim 1: '305 discloses a cable adapter tray 10 configured to provide enhanced access to an adapter, comprising (see mainly figs. 1-6):
an adapter mounting portion that is configured to receive an optical fiber cable adapter 22 that is configured to receive a cable connector 20 attached to a cable 7 (or 9);
a perimeter portion (including side walls 16) that extends around the adapter mounting portion;
a support portion 13 that is configured to extend from the adapter mounting portion to the perimeter portion (support portion 13 joins side wall 16 at first side 24 of termination region 18, near where the arrow from 13 points in fig. 1);
a hinge portion 56 configured to be pivotally coupled with a receiving portion 19 (fig. 3) of a base structure 58 such that the cable adapter tray is configured to pivot between an open position (e.g. fig. 4) and a closed position (e.g. fig. 3);
wherein the cable adapter tray comprises a first side (near 24) and a second side (near 56) opposite to the first side;
wherein the adapter mounting portion is configured to receive the optical fiber cable adapter 22 in a direction (generally parallel to axis 55) parallel to the first side of the cable adapter tray; and
wherein the support portion, the adapter mounting portion, and the perimeter portion are configured to define an open area inside the perimeter portion that is structurally configured to permit access to a first side of a cable connector 20 that faces a same direction as the first side of the cable adapter tray (i.e., outwardly toward the upper instance of 5 as oriented in fig. 1) and a second side of the cable connector that faces a same direction as the second side of the cable adapter tray (i.e., outwardly toward the lower instance of 5 as oriented in fig. 1) so as to facilitate connecting the cable connector to, and disconnecting the cable connector from, the adapter mounting portion.
Claim 2: The open area is configured to provide access to a majority of the first side of the cable connector 20 and a majority of the second side of the cable connector (fig. 1).
Claim 3: The cable adapter tray is configured such that the open area is a majority of an area inside of the perimeter portion (fig. 1).
Claim 4: The perimeter portion is configured as a perimeter wall (including side walls 16), and the perimeter wall surrounds the open area.
Claim 5: The adapter mounting portion is configured so that the optical fiber cable adapter 22 extends from the adapter mounting portion toward the perimeter portion.
Claim 7: The perimeter portion comprises a cable channel (for example a channel bordered in part by cable management elements 28, or a channel bordered by a guide wall 11 and having an entrance 49, see routing in fig. 1) configured to receive the cable.
Claim 9: '305 discloses an adapter management device configured to provide enhanced access to an adapter, comprising (see above with regard to claim 1 for repeated limitations):
an adapter receiving portion (that receives adapters 22);
a perimeter portion;
a support portion that is configured to connect the adapter receiving portion to the perimeter portion;
a hinge portion configured to be pivotally coupled with a base structure such that the adapter management device is configured to pivot between an open position and a closed position;
wherein the adapter management device comprises a first side and a second side opposite to the first side; and
wherein the support portion, the adapter receiving portion, and the perimeter portion are configured to define an open area inside the perimeter portion that is structurally configured to permit access to a first side of a cable connector that faces a same direction as the first side of the adapter management device and a second side of the cable connector that faces a same direction as the second side of the adapter management device so as to facilitate connecting the cable connector to, and disconnecting the cable connector from, the adapter receiving portion.
Claim 10: The adapter receiving portion is configured to receive an optical fiber cable adapter 22.
Claim 11: The optical fiber cable adapter 22 is configured to receive a cable connector 20 that is attached to a cable 7 (or 9).
Claim 12: The open area is configured to provide access to a majority of the first side of the cable connector and a majority of the second side of the cable connector (see above with regard to claim 2).
Claim 13: The adapter receiving portion is configured so that the optical fiber cable adapter extends from the adapter receiving portion toward the perimeter portion (see above with regard to claim 5).
Claim 15: The adapter management device is configured such that the open area is a majority of an area inside of the perimeter portion (see above with regard to claim 3).
Claim 16: The perimeter portion is configured as a perimeter wall, and the perimeter wall surrounds the open area (see above with regard to claim 4).
Claim 17: '305 discloses an adapter management device comprising (see above with regard to claims 1 or 9 for repeated limitations):
an adapter receiving portion;
a perimeter portion;
wherein the adapter management device comprises a first side and a second side opposite to the first side; and
wherein the adapter receiving portion and the perimeter portion are configured to define an open area inside the perimeter portion that is structurally configured to permit access to a first side of a cable connector that faces a same direction as the first side of the adapter management device and a second side of the cable connector that faces a same direction as the second side of the adapter management device so as to facilitate connecting the cable connector to, and disconnecting the cable connector from, the adapter receiving portion.
Claim 18: The adapter receiving portion is configured to receive an optical fiber cable adapter (see above with regard to claim 10):
Claim 19: The optical fiber cable adapter is configured to receive a cable connector that is attached to a cable (see above with regard to claim 11).
Claim 20: The adapter management device further comprises a support portion that is configured to connect the adapter receiving portion to the perimeter portion (see above with regard to claim 1).
Claim 21: The adapter management device further comprises a hinge portion that is structurally configured to be pivotally coupled with a base structure such that the adapter management device is configured to pivot between an open position and a closed position by rotating the hinge portion relative to the base structure (see above with regard to claim 1).
Claim 22: The open area is configured to provide access to a majority of the first side of the cable connector and a majority of the second side of the cable connector (see above with regard to claim 2).
Claim 23: The adapter receiving portion is configured so that the optical fiber cable adapter extends from the adapter receiving portion toward the perimeter portion (see above with regard to claim 5).
Claim 25: The adapter management device is configured such that the open area is a majority of an area inside of the perimeter portion (see above with regard to claim 3).
Claim 26: The perimeter portion is configured as a perimeter wall, and the perimeter wall surrounds the open area (see above with regard to claim 4).
Response to Arguments
The remarks at p. 10 state that the previous action relies on the tray openings 30 in the '305 / Cornelissen reference to meet the recited open-area access arrangement. However, the rejection does not mention or rely upon those openings. The "open area inside the perimeter portion that is structurally configured to permit access..." in '305 is at least by virtue of its perimeter portion being sufficiently separated from its adapter mounting (or receiving) portion that there is room to access the respective sides of the cable connectors as designated in the rejection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 27-29 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 their respective base claims (and for claim 8, the limitations of intervening claim 7). The remarks at pp. 10-11 persuasively explain how those claims distinguish over the applied reference.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mike Stahl at 571-272-2360. 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.
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/Michael Stahl/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
1 As presented in the 8/12/2026 claim listing. Both claims were apparently amended but they do not include amendment markings.
