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 Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: “channel” in line 2 should read “a channel”. Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious wherein at least one of the nominal top wall and the nominal bottom wall defines an inward facing internal ledge configured operatively engage a removal hook of the cap removal tool so that the removal tool can pull the cap off of the adapter housing via the removal hook. The closest relevant prior art of record, Lee et al. (U.S. PG Pub. # 2023/0003945 A1), fails to teach or suggest the op or bottom walls of the cap as claimed, having ledges as claimed.
Thus, with no teaching from the prior art, and without the benefit of applicant's teachings, there is no motivation for one of ordinary skill in the art to combine/modify the prior art of record in a manner so as to create the claimed invention.
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 – 4, 8 – 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (U.S. PG Pub. # 2023/0003945 A1).
In Re claim 1, ‘945 teaches a fiber optic adapter comprising: an adapter housing (2) having a first end portion (22) and a second end portion (23) spaced apart along a longitudinal axis, the adapter housing defining at least one connector port opening (221) through the first end portion of the adapter housing for mating with a fiber optic connector (4) in either of a first connector polarity orientation or a second connector polarity orientation; and a polarity cap (3) releasably securable to the first end portion of the adapter housing in either of a first adapter polarity orientation or a second adapter polarity orientation (pars. 00015 – 0017), wherein when the polarity cap is secured to the first end portion of the adapter housing in the first adapter polarity orientation, the polarity cap permits the fiber optic connector to mate with the connector port in the first connector polarity orientation but blocks the fiber optic connector from mating with the connector port in the second connector polarity orientation (when the fiber key 41 is opposite 312), and wherein when the polarity cap is secured to the first end portion of the adapter housing in the second adapter polarity orientation, the polarity cap permits the fiber optic connector to mate with the connector port in the second connector polarity orientation but blocks the fiber optic connector from mating with the connector port in the first connector polarity orientation (pars. 00015 – 0017).
In Re claim 2, ‘945 teaches wherein the polarity cap comprises a nominal top wall, a nominal bottom wall, and a height extending from the nominal top wall to the nominal bottom wall, the nominal top wall and the nominal bottom wall having different internal shapes thereby defining a polarity of the polarity cap (fig. 3).
In Re claim 3, ‘945 teaches wherein the nominal top wall defines a first keyway (312) for each reversible polarity connector port and the nominal bottom wall defining a second keyway (different shape than 312) for each connector port, each first keyway differing from the respective second keyway in at least one of (i) width and (ii) widthwise position (fig. 2).
In Re claim 4, ‘945 teaches wherein the polarity cap comprises opposite first and second cap side walls, each of the first and second cap side walls defining a respective latch feature (32) for latching with the adapter housing (@ 222) to secure the polarity cap to the first end portion of the adapter housing in either of the first adapter polarity orientation and the second adapter polarity orientation.
In Re claim 8, ‘945 teaches wherein the nominal top wall and the nominal bottom wall have different external shapes (34 is only on the top wall to indicate 312, par. 0014).
In Re claim 9, ‘945 teaches wherein the adapter housing comprises an adapter top wall (top of 2, fig. 3) and an adapter bottom wall (side @ 222 as reference point from one wall to another is not claimed), the adapter top wall and the adapter bottom wall having different external shapes.
In Re claim 10, ‘945 teaches wherein further comprises three connector ports arranged side-by-side in the adapter housing (223, fig. 3).
In Re claim 11, ‘945 teaches wherein the adapter housing defines at least one fixed port opening (as seen in fig. 4) through the second end portion of the adapter housing for mating with a fiber optic connector in the first connector polarity orientation.
In Re claim 12, ‘945 teaches securing the polarity cap to the first end portion of the adapter housing in the first adapter polarity orientation configures the fiber optic adapter in a first-first polarity configuration wherein the fiber optic adapter is configured to make an optical connection between a first fiber optic connector mated with each fixed polarity connector port in the first connector polarity orientation and a second fiber optic connector mated with each connector port in the first connector polarity orientation; and securing the polarity cap to the first end portion of the adapter housing in the second polarity orientation configures the fiber optic adapter in a first-second polarity configuration wherein the fiber optic adapter is configured to make an optical connection between a first fiber optic connector mated with each fixed polarity connector port in the first connector polarity orientation and a second fiber optic connector mated with each connector port in the second connector polarity orientation (pars. 0015 – 0017).
In Re claim 13, ‘945 teaches wherein the adapter housing comprises an external formation (one side has a continuous ridge as seen as the right side on the top in fig. 4) adjacent the first end portion of the adapter housing to indicate an orientation of the fixed polarity connector port, and the polarity cap comprises one or more indicator formations (par. 0018) indicating which is the nominal top wall and which is the nominal bottom wall of the polarity cap.
In Re claim 15, ‘945 teaches a method of changing polarity of a fiber optic adapter, the method comprising: removing a polarity cap (3) from a first end portion of an adapter housing (2); inverting the polarity cap to an inverted orientation in relation to the adapter housing; and installing the polarity cap on the first end portion of the adapter housing in the inverted orientation (pars. 0015 – 0017).
Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (TW M618319 U).
In Re claims 15 and 16, ‘319 teaches a method of changing polarity of a fiber optic adapter, the method comprising: removing a polarity cap (3) from a first end portion of an adapter housing (2); inverting the polarity cap to an inverted orientation in relation to the adapter housing; and installing the polarity cap on the first end portion of the adapter housing in the inverted orientation (pg. 3 of translation); wherein said removing a polarity cap comprises using a cap removal tool to unlatch the polarity cap from the adapter housing (pg. 3 of translation).
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.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (TW M618319 U) in view of Segroves et al. (U.S. PG Pub. 2004/0218885 A1).
‘319 teaches the tool of claim 16, but is silent to a hook as claimed.
‘885 teaches a connector removal tool (10) with hooks (16) to remove an optical connector (18).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a tool such as that of ‘885 where the hooks 16 of ‘885 are shaped to be able to be received into grooves 222 of ‘319 on either side of 2 so as to squeeze inward to push locking clips 32 inward thus allowing for easy release of the polarity cap without damage to the polarity cap or the adapter as a person with ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp.
Claims 5, 6 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (U.S. PG Pub. # 2023/0003945 A1).
In Re claims 5 and 6, ‘945 teaches the adapter of claim 4, and channels (inner side grooves of 2 that lead to grooves 222, fig. 3), but is silent to wherein latch features of the first and second cap side walls comprise latch recesses, the adapter housing comprising first and second adapter side walls defining resiliently bendable catches configured to snap into the latch recesses when the polarity cap is secured to the first end portion of the adapter housing in either of the first adapter polarity orientation and the second adapter polarity orientation;
wherein each of the first and second cap side walls is configured to define channel beside a respective one of the first and second adapter side walls when the polarity cap is secured to the first end portion of the adapter housing in either of the first adapter polarity orientation and the second adapter polarity orientation, each channel receiving one of the bendable catches therein, the channels being sized and arranged to accept actuation elements of a cap removal tool whereby the actuation elements resiliently bend the bendable catches to unlatch the polarity cap from the adapter housing.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to reverse the latch recesses 222 and channels as seen inf fig. 3 of adapter 2 and the resiliently bendable catches 32 of cap 3 whereby the latch recesses and channels are on the cap and the resiliently bendable catches are on the adapter so as to allow for a low profile cap whereby and 6, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
In Re claim 14, ‘945 teaches the adapter of claim 1 but is silent to wherein the polarity cap is painted with different colors to indicate the first and second adapter polarity orientations, respectively. However, it is well known in the art to use different colors to indicate a change in polarity. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cap by painting the top and bottom different colors so as to easily indicate polarity whereby just the work “key” may be hard to see in some instances.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHAD SMITH whose telephone number is (571)270-1294. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 - 5.
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/CHAD H SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874