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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “sleeve body has a non-circular cross-section corresponding to a non-circular cross-section of a region of the housing” (claims 3, 12); “sleeve body has a non-circular cross-section” (claim 17) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification - Abstract
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided. The abstract currently reads like a claim with additional punctuation.
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.
Claim(s) 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ortiz, Jr. (U.S. Patent 5,065,448, hereinafter referred to as “ORTIZ”). ORTIZ anticipates claims:
15. A connection assembly (see figures 1-6), comprising:
a sleeve body (the board 58 in conjunction with housing 10 including the extension 55 are all together interpreted as the sleeve body) defining a sleeve (these elements are interpreted as defining a sleeve);
a first electrical contact element (contact 60a of the plurality of contacts 60, see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, is interpreted as the first electrical contact element) embedded in the sleeve body (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the contact 60a is within the board 58, which is on extension 55 of housing 10, and therefore the contact 60a is interpreted as being embedded in the sleeve body; see column 5, lines 23-44);
a second electrical contact element (contact 60b of the plurality of contacts 60, see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, is interpreted as the second electrical contact element) embedded in the sleeve body (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the contact 60b is within the board 58, which is on extension 55 of housing 10, and therefore the contact 60a is interpreted as being embedded in the sleeve body, see column 5, lines 23-44),
wherein the sleeve body electrically isolates the first electrical contact element from the second electrical contact element (see column 5, lines 23-44; in order to create the electrical circuits describes, the first and second electrical contact elements must be isolated or they would fail to function as described due to a short-circuit);
a first wire (wires 72 are shown, see figure 2; the wire 72 connected to contact 60a is interpreted as the first wire) electrically connected to the first electrical contact element within the sleeve body; and
a second wire (wires 72 are shown, see figure 2; the wire 72 connected to contact 60b is interpreted as the second wire) electrically connected to the second electrical contact element within the sleeve body.
16. The connection assembly of claim 15, wherein the sleeve body is an over-molding on the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element (see figure 1; the sleeve body is interpreted as an over-molding and is on the first and second electrical contact elements).
17. The connection assembly of claim 15, wherein the sleeve body has a non-circular cross-section (see figure 1, the sleeve body is shown in this view as having a generally rectangular cross-section).
18. The connection assembly of claim 15, wherein the first wire extends through the sleeve body and protrudes from the sleeve body at an end of the sleeve body, and the second wire extends through the sleeve body and protrudes from the sleeve body at the end of the sleeve body (see figure 1; the wires run through the sleeve body via wire guides 110 and shown protruding as the claim requires).
19. The connection assembly of claim 15, wherein the first electrical contact element is a first contact ring, and the second electrical contact element is a second contact ring (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b).
20. The connection assembly of claim 15, wherein the sleeve body has an interior surface (see figures 1 and 2, the surface of the extension 55 adjacent the fiber 8 is interpreted as the interior surface) and an exterior surface (the outside surface of extension 55 is interpreted as the exterior surface),
wherein the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element are exposed at the exterior surface (see figures 1 and 2), and
wherein a region of the sleeve body is between the interior surface, and the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element (see figures 1 and 2).
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ortiz, Jr. (U.S. Patent 5,065,448, hereinafter referred to as “ORTIZ”), in view of Doi (U.S. Patent 4,730,885, hereinafter referred to as “DOI”).
With respect to claim 1, ORTIZ discloses:
A laser system (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the structures shown are interpreted as the laser system; see title, and abstract), comprising:
a laser source (generates the laser light of the system, see abstract);
a laser system output having a connector (the end of the device is interpreted as the laser system output and the casing 38 is interpreted as the connector); and
a feed fiber assembly (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b), configured to optically couple the laser source to the laser system output, comprising:
a connection assembly, configured to establish an electrical connection with the connector, comprising:
a sleeve body (the board 58 and holder 62, in conjunction with housing 10 including the extension 55 are all together interpreted as the sleeve body) defining a sleeve (these elements are interpreted as defining a sleeve);
a first electrical contact element (contact 60a of the plurality of contacts 60, see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, is interpreted as the first electrical contact element) embedded in the sleeve body (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the contact 60a is within the board 58, which is on extension 55 of housing 10, and therefore the contact 60a is interpreted as being embedded in the sleeve body; see column 5, lines 23-44);
a second electrical contact element (contact 60b of the plurality of contacts 60, see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, is interpreted as the second electrical contact element) embedded in the sleeve body (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the contact 60b is within the board 58, which is on extension 55 of housing 10, and therefore the contact 60a is interpreted as being embedded in the sleeve body, see column 5, lines 23-44),
wherein the sleeve body electrically isolates the first electrical contact element from the second electrical contact element (see column 5, lines 23-44; to create the electrical circuits describes, the first and second electrical contact elements must be isolated or they would fail to function as described due to a short-circuit).
ORTIZ is silent to the cooling assembly configured for connection to the connector; and therefore, is silent to the previously described connection assembly being mounted on the cooling assembly.
DOI is also related to optical fiber lasers and high-power lasers (see the background of DOI, column 1, lines 11-23). DOI discloses that these types of high-power lasers have a high possibility of accidents such as a fire, because of the heat generated in the laser fiber elements (see column 1, lines 24-42). DOI discloses a cooling assembly configured for connection to connectors of optical fiber lasers (see figures 1 and 2, abstract, and column 2, line 30 – column 4, line 21).
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 disclosed in ORTIZ to include a cooling assembly configured for connection to the connector, and mounted to the connection assembly, as taught by DOI (as just discussed), for the benefit of cooling the high-power laser device to reduce the risk of accidental fire.
With respect to claim 2, DOI further defines the cooling assembly, these teachings already previously incorporated with the ORTIZ device as discussed above in claim 1. DOI further discloses the laser system of claim 1, wherein the cooling assembly includes a housing (the connecting housing 16 is interpreted as the housing), a fluid inlet (nipple 21 on the top of the device as seen in figure 2, with an arrow designating it as an inlet, is interpreted as the fluid inlet) into the housing, a fluid outlet (nipple 21 on the bottom of the device as seen in figure 2, with an arrow designating it as an outlet, is interpreted as the fluid outlet) out from the housing, and a fluid path (shown by an arrow between the inlet and outlet within the housing), within the housing, between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet.
ORTIZ further discloses the limitations of claims:
3. The laser system of claim 2, wherein the sleeve body has a non-circular cross-section (see figure 1, the sleeve body is shown in this view as having a generally rectangular cross-section) corresponding to a non-circular cross-section of a region (see figure 1, the region is shown in this view as having a generally rectangular cross-section). of the housing on which the connection assembly is positioned.
4. The laser system of claim 2, wherein the sleeve body electrically isolates the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element from the housing (these elements must be isolated or they would be short circuited and wouldn’t function).
5. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the feed fiber assembly includes an optical fiber (8) that extends through the cooling assembly.
6. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the connector includes an electrically-conductive surface (ball 82 is interpreted as the electrically-conductive surface, see figure 6), and wherein connection of the cooling assembly and the connector is to complete an electrical circuit via contact of the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element with the electrically-conductive surface (see column 5, lines 23-44).
7. The laser system of claim 1, wherein the connection assembly further comprises: a first wire (wires 72 are shown, see figure 2; the wire 72 connected to contact 60a is interpreted as the first wire) electrically connected to the first electrical contact element within the sleeve body, wherein the first wire extends through the sleeve body and protrudes from the sleeve body at an end of the sleeve body (see figure 1; the wires run through the sleeve body via wire guides 110 and shown protruding as the claim requires); and
a second wire (wires 72 are shown, see figure 2; the wire 72 connected to contact 60b is interpreted as the second wire) electrically connected to the second electrical contact element within the sleeve body, wherein the second wire extends through the sleeve body and protrudes from the sleeve body at the end of the sleeve body (see figure 1; the wires run through the sleeve body via wire guides 110 and shown protruding as the claim requires).
With respect to claim 8, ORTIZ discloses:
A feed fiber assembly, comprising:
an optical fiber (8); and
a connection assembly, comprising:
a sleeve body (the board 58 and holder 62, in conjunction with housing 10 including the extension 55 are all together interpreted as the sleeve body) defining a sleeve (these elements are interpreted as defining a sleeve);
a first electrical contact element (contact 60a of the plurality of contacts 60, see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, is interpreted as the first electrical contact element) embedded in the sleeve body (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the contact 60a is within the board 58, which is on extension 55 of housing 10, and therefore the contact 60a is interpreted as being embedded in the sleeve body; see column 5, lines 23-44);
a second electrical contact element (contact 60b of the plurality of contacts 60, see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, is interpreted as the second electrical contact element) embedded in the sleeve body (see figures 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the contact 60b is within the board 58, which is on extension 55 of housing 10, and therefore the contact 60a is interpreted as being embedded in the sleeve body, see column 5, lines 23-44),
wherein the sleeve body electrically isolates the first electrical contact element from the second electrical contact element (see column 5, lines 23-44; to create the electrical circuits describes, the first and second electrical contact elements must be isolated or they would fail to function as described due to a short-circuit).
ORTIZ is silent to a cooling assembly comprising a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, wherein the optical fiber extends through the cooling assembly; wherein the fiber extends through the cooling assembly, and the connection assembly mounted on the cooling assembly
DOI is also related to optical fiber lasers and high-power lasers (see the background of DOI, column 1, lines 11-23). DOI discloses that these types of high-power lasers have a high possibility of accidents such as a fire, because of the heat generated in the laser fiber elements (see column 1, lines 24-42). DOI discloses a cooling assembly configured for connection to connectors of optical fiber lasers (see figures 1 and 2, abstract, and column 2, line 30 – column 4, line 21) wherein the cooling assembly includes a housing (the connecting housing 16 is interpreted as the housing), a fluid inlet (nipple 21 on the top of the device as seen in figure 2, with an arrow designating it as an inlet, is interpreted as the fluid inlet) into the housing, a fluid outlet (nipple 21 on the bottom of the device as seen in figure 2, with an arrow designating it as an outlet, is interpreted as the fluid outlet) out from the housing, and a fluid path (shown by an arrow between the inlet and outlet within the housing), within the housing, between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet.
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 disclosed in ORTIZ to include a cooling assembly configured for connection to the connector, and mounted to the connection assembly, as taught by DOI (as just discussed), for the benefit of cooling the high-power laser device to reduce the risk of accidental fire.
ORTIZ further discloses the limitations of claims:
9. The feed fiber assembly of claim 8, further comprising a jacket (tubing 6 and a shown but unlabeled exterior coating is interpreted as the jacket, see figure 1) that surrounds a section of the optical fiber.
10. The feed fiber assembly of claim 8, wherein the housing has a recessed region, and wherein the connection assembly is positioned in the recessed region (see the figures of the combined disclosures, the elements are all interior to the housing).
11. The feed fiber assembly of claim 8, wherein the sleeve body has an interior surface (see figures 1 and 2, the surface of the extension 55 adjacent the fiber 8 is interpreted as the interior surface) and an exterior surface (the outside surface of extension 55 is interpreted as the exterior surface),
wherein the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element are exposed at the exterior surface (see figures 1 and 2), and
wherein a region of the sleeve body is between the interior surface, and the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element (see figures 1 and 2).
12. The feed fiber assembly of claim 8, wherein the sleeve body has a non-circular cross-section (see figure 1, the sleeve body is shown in this view as having a generally rectangular cross-section) corresponding to a non-circular cross-section of a region (see figure 1, the region is shown in this view as having a generally rectangular cross-section). of the housing on which the connection assembly is positioned.
13. The feed fiber assembly of claim 8, wherein the connection assembly further comprises: a first wire (wires 72 are shown, see figure 2; the wire 72 connected to contact 60a is interpreted as the first wire) electrically connected to the first electrical contact element within the sleeve body, wherein the first wire extends through the sleeve body and protrudes from the sleeve body at an end of the sleeve body (see figure 1; the wires run through the sleeve body via wire guides 110 and shown protruding as the claim requires); and
a second wire (wires 72 are shown, see figure 2; the wire 72 connected to contact 60b is interpreted as the second wire) electrically connected to the second electrical contact element within the sleeve body, wherein the second wire extends through the sleeve body and protrudes from the sleeve body at the end of the sleeve body (see figure 1; the wires run through the sleeve body via wire guides 110 and shown protruding as the claim requires).
14. The feed fiber assembly of claim 8, wherein the sleeve body is an over-molding on the first electrical contact element and the second electrical contact element (see figure 1; the sleeve body is interpreted as an over-molding and is on the first and second electrical contact elements).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN M BEDTELYON whose telephone number is (571)270-1290. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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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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/John Bedtelyon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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