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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 9, and 20, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Regarding Claim(s) 9, and 20; “a mesh screen provided on the printed circuit board and configured to provide cable management for cables” or “a mesh screen to provide cable management for cables connected to the receptacles” are each deemed as unclear; whereas the assertion(s) do not structurally assert how a mesh cooperates with the PCB and/or otherwise how the mesh cooperates with the cables to constitute cable management including whether the cables are inserted into apertures of the mesh or if the cables are to be disposed below the mesh etc, or alternatively directly couples the pcb or if the mesh indirectly lays atop the PCB etc. NOTE: the assertions may be deemed as allowable if directly contact the PCB and cables.
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) 1-2, 4-7, 11-12, 14-19, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by (Shearman 2022/0078532).
Regarding Claim 1; Shearman discloses a device (as constituted by a network element-100-Fig. 1—para. 0047) comprising: a printed circuit board (117-Fig. 11); an integrated circuit that is installed on the printed circuit board (whereas the optical module includes a pcb-117 having circuits is mounted on and electrically connecting a PCB, wherein the circuits define application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)—as set forth by para. 0056); a plurality of optical transceiver modules positioned on the printed circuit board (as depicted by Fig.’s 11 and 14--whereas 100 includes a module-110 includes optical transceivers defined by pluggable optics-180—as set forth by para.’s 0048 and 0065, wherein para.’s 0050 and 0053 further discloses cages 190 aligned with physical ports 114 and 116) around three or more sides of the integrated circuit, and which are to be in operable communication with the integrated circuit (as depicted by Fig.’s 11 and 14—whereas the cages disposed at three sides of the pcb defined in-part by 120, 130, and 140 and adapted to pluggably receive the transceivers and connect to the ASICs which perform some functionality—as set forth by para. 0056); and a faceplate (115) that has multiple face portions that expose receptacles for the plurality of optical transceiver modules around the integrated circuit (as already set forth and depicted by Fig.’s 11 and 14).
Regarding Claim 2; Shearman discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical transceiver modules are positioned on the printed circuit board in a circular arrangement around the integrated circuit (as depicted by Fig.’s 14, and 16-17-whereas atleast a portion of each of the transceivers disposed at 120, 130, and 140 defines a circular arrangement, whereas a circular arc may be drawn through each transceiver NOTE: the assertion does not require the faceplate or pcb etc to actually comprise a circle, and thus a circular arrangement only requires the transceivers disposed along a circular path).
Regarding Claim 4; Shearman discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the multiple face portions include front face portions and side face portions, wherein each front face portion is offset from each adjacent front face portion, and wherein a side face portion connects a front face portion to an adjacent front face portion (as depicted by Fig. 14—whereas each portion 135 connects a respective side face portion with a front face portion).
Regarding Claim 5; Shearman discloses the device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the multiple face portions are positioned at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane along a front of the device (as depicted by Fig. 14—whereas each side face is disposed at an angle relative to the front face portion at 135, and each of portions 135 connects the respective side face portion with a respective portion of the front face).
Regarding Claim 6; Shearman discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the multiple face portions include air inlet openings in a front facing wall and in a side facing wall to provide air flow to at least one of the plurality of optical transceiver modules (via air inlets-112—as depicted by Fig. 9).
Regarding Claim 7; Shearman discloses the device of claim 1, further comprising a housing assembly that includes a chassis that is configured to slide into and out of the housing assembly, wherein the printed circuit board is installed on the chassis (wherein the modules-110 includes the pcb; and as set forth by para. 0002 –where the network element includes a shelf or chassis which the modules selectively insert or plug).
Regarding Claims 11-12, and 14-16, the method steps are necessitated by the already disclosed structure of Shearman.
Regarding Claim 17; Shearman discloses a device (as constituted by a network element-100-Fig. 1—para. 0047) comprising: an integrated circuit that is installed on a printed circuit board (whereas the optical module includes a pcb-117 having circuits is mounted on and electrically connecting a PCB, wherein the circuits define application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)—as set forth by para. 0056); a plurality of optical transceiver modules positioned on the printed circuit board (as depicted by Fig.’s 11 and 14--whereas 100 includes a module-110 includes optical transceivers defined by pluggable optics-180—as set forth by para.’s 0048 and 0065, wherein para.’s 0050 and 0053 further discloses cages 190 aligned with physical ports 114 and 116), wherein the plurality of optical transceiver modules are in operable communication with the integrated circuit (as depicted by Fig.’s 11 and 14—whereas the cages disposed at three sides of the pcb defined in-part by 120, 130, and 140 and adapted to pluggably receive the transceivers and connect to the ASICs which perform some functionality—as set forth by para. 0056); and a non-linear faceplate installed around outer edges of the plurality of optical transceiver modules around the integrated circuit (as depicted by Fig. 14—whereas 120, 130, and 140 define side faces in which each side face is disposed at an angle relative to the front face portion at 135, and each of portions 135 connects the respective side face portion with a respective portion of the front face), wherein the non-linear faceplate includes openings for receptacles for the plurality of optical transceiver modules (as already set forth and depicted by Fig.’s 11 and 14—whereas the faceplate includes physical ports 114 and 116 aligned with caged for pluggably receiving the optical modules-180).
Regarding Claim 18; Shearman discloses the device of claim 17, wherein the non-linear faceplate includes a plurality of face portions, and wherein at least some of the plurality of face portions are positioned at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane along a front of the device (as already set forth--whereas Fig. 14 depicts 120, 130, and 140 define side faces in which each side face is disposed at an angle relative to the front face portion at 135, and each of portions 135 connects the respective side face portion with a respective portion of the front face).
Regarding Claim 19; Shearman discloses the device of claim 17, wherein the non-linear faceplate includes air inlet openings in a front facing wall and in a side facing wall to provide air flow to at least one of the plurality of optical transceiver modules (via airflow holes--112-Fig. 9).
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.
Claim(s) 3, 13, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (Shearman 2022/0078532) as applied to claim 1 above, in view of (Rivaud 2024/0179877).
Regarding Claim 3; Shearman discloses the device of claim 1, except, explicitly, wherein each of the plurality of optical transceiver modules is positioned at approximately a same distance from the integrated circuit. However, the plurality of optical transceiver modules is positioned at approximately a same distance from the integrated circuit (whereas Fig. 13—depicts approximately the same distance between the transceivers and the integrated circuit), and thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify approximately the same distance between the transceivers and the integrated circuit since it was known in the art that that positioning the ports closer to ASIC connections within approximately the same distance then reduced signal loss and power savings, as suggested by para.’s 0043 and 0046.
Regarding Claim 13; Shearman discloses the device of claim 11, except, explicitly, wherein each of the plurality of optical transceiver modules is positioned at approximately a same distance from the integrated circuit. However, the plurality of optical transceiver modules is positioned at approximately a same distance from the integrated circuit (whereas Fig. 13—depicts approximately the same distance between the transceivers and the integrated circuit), and thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify approximately the same distance between the transceivers and the integrated circuit since it was known in the art that that positioning the ports closer to ASIC connections within approximately the same distance then reduced signal loss and power savings, as suggested by para.’s 0043 and 0046.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, and 10, 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.
Regarding Claim 8; the device of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of liquid cooling tubes, wherein the plurality of liquid cooling tubes extend when the chassis is slid out of the housing assembly.
Regarding Claim 10; the device of claim 1, further comprising a power supply that is mounted on or into the printed circuit board on an opposite side of the printed circuit board from the integrated circuit and the plurality of optical transceiver modules.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 12455423 B2
Nagarajan; Radhakrishnan L. et al.
Fig. 1
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/COURTNEY L SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835