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, 3-4, 6-8, 10-11, and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Devalla (Publication No.: US 2021/0084749 A1).
Regarding claim 1, 8, Devalla teaches A system comprising: a housing having a front panel (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4); a first substrate (reference numeral 305 in Figure 3A) that is positioned at a distance from the front panel (reference numeral 420 in Figure 4), in which a data processor (reference numeral 315 in Figure 3A) is mounted on the first substrate; a second substrate (reference numeral 325 in Figure 3A; reference numeral 330 in Figure 3B) orthogonally oriented to the first substrate; a first connector block (reference numeral 310 in Figure 3A) electrically coupled to the first substrate and capable of receiving radio frequency signals from an optical module; and a second connector block (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3B) electrically coupled to the second substrate and capable of receiving control signals and power supply signals from the optical module.
Regarding claim 2, 9, Devalla teaches The system of claim 1, wherein the first connector block comprises a first array of electrical contacts (reference numeral 310 in Figure 3A), at least a portion of the first array of electrical contacts is configured to be mated with a corresponding array of electrical contacts of the optical module (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 3H).
Regarding claim 3, 10, Devalla teaches The system of claim 1, wherein the second connector block comprises a second array of electrical contacts (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3B), at least a portion of the second array of electrical contacts is configured to be mated with a corresponding array of electrical contacts of the optical module (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 3H).
Regarding claim 4, 11, Devalla teaches The system of claim 1, wherein the second connector block is electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of wire-spring contacts (reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3C; e.g. “clips, prongs, or other types of appropriate connectors” as in paragraph [0052]) on the optical module.
Regarding claim 6, 13, Devalla teaches The system of claim 1, wherein the second substrate is oriented vertically with respect to the first substrate (e.g. “orthogonal” as in paragraph [0027] and throughout; e.g. as illustrated in Figure 3H).
Regarding claim 7, 14, Devalla teaches The system of claim 1, wherein the second substrate is oriented horizontally with respect to the first substrate (e.g. “orthogonal” as in paragraph [0027] and throughout; e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4).
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) 5 and 12, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Devalla in view of Gao (Publication No.: US 2023/0208534 A1) .
Regarding claim 5, 12, Devalla teaches The system of claim 1, but fails to specifically teach that the second connector block is electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of spring-loaded bolt contacts on the optical module. However, Gao teaches that this concept is well known in the art (reference numeral 311 in Figure 32). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to utilize a second connector block electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of spring-loaded bolt contacts on the optical module in order to allow the spring pin to rest flush with an outer end face of the center pillar of the optical module, so that the spring pin does not affect the connection between an optical fiber connector of a composite cable and the first optical connector (as in paragraph [0036] of Gao). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to utilize a second connector block electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of spring-loaded bolt contacts on the optical module as taught by Gao in Devalla.
Claim(s) 15-18, 20-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Devalla in view of BOVINGTON (Publication No.: US 2023/0161098 A1).
Regarding claim 15, Devalla teaches An apparatus comprising: a pluggable module (reference numeral 325 in Figure 3A) comprising a co-packaged optical module (e.g. “SFP” modules utilizing “optical fiber connectors” as in paragraph [0022] within reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3B), at least one first optical connector (e.g. “optical fiber connectors” as in paragraph [0022]), a first connector block (e.g. the connector block illustrated as reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3C into which “pluggable” modules are inserted and electronically coupled as in paragraph [0022]) that is configured to electrically couple to a first substrate (reference numeral 330 in Figure 3B and/or the substrate of the “pluggable” modules as in paragraph [0022]) and capable of receiving radio frequency signals from the pluggable module; and a second connector block (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3B) that is configured to electrically couple to a second substrate (reference numeral 305 in Figure 3A) and capable of receiving control signals and power supply signals from the pluggable module, wherein the co-packaged optical module (e.g. “SFP” modules utilizing “optical fiber connectors” as in paragraph [0022] within reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3B) is configured to receive optical signals from the at least one first optical connector (e.g. “optical fiber connectors” as in paragraph [0022]), and generate electronic signals based on the optical signals (e.g. via “SFP” “optical” modules as in paragraph [0022] that output electrical signals to electrical connector 310 in Figure 3A); and wherein the first connector block (e.g. the connector block illustrated as reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3C into which “pluggable” modules are inserted as in paragraph [0022]) is positioned on a first surface (reference numeral 331A in Figure 3D) of the pluggable module, the second connector block (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3B) is positioned on a second surface (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3D) of the pluggable module, and the first surface (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3D) is different from the second surface (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3D). Devalla differs from the claim invention in that it fails to specifically teach that it fails to specifically teach a first fiber optic cable that is optically coupled between the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector, and a fiber guide that is positioned between the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector and provides mechanical support for the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector. However, BOVINGTON teaches that this concept is well known in the art (reference numeral 745-X, 705 in Figure 7A, Figure 7B). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to utilize a first fiber optic cable that is optically coupled between the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector, and a fiber guide that is positioned between the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector and provides mechanical support for the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector in order to provide optical coupling between optical waveguides or other optical components formed in respective photonic dies (as in paragraph [0060] of BOVINGTON). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to utilize a first fiber optic cable that is optically coupled between the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector, and a fiber guide that is positioned between the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector and provides mechanical support for the co-packaged optical module and the first optical connector as taught by BOVINGTON in Devalla.
Regarding claim 16, the combination of references and Devalla in particular teaches The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first connector block (e.g. the connector block illustrated as reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3C into which “pluggable” modules are inserted as in paragraph [0022]) comprises a first array of electrical contacts, at least a portion of the first array of electrical contacts is configured to be mated with a corresponding first array of electrical contacts of the pluggable module (e.g. “traces” as in paragraph [0034] and throughout).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of references and Devalla in particular teaches The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second connector block (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3B) comprises a second array of electrical contacts, at least a portion of the second array of electrical contacts is configured to be mated with a corresponding second array of electrical contacts of the pluggable module (e.g. “traces” as in paragraph [0034] and throughout).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of references and Devalla in particular teaches The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second connector block (reference numeral 331B in Figure 3B) is configured to electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of wire-spring contacts on the pluggable module (reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3C; e.g. “clips, prongs, or other types of appropriate connectors” as in paragraph [0052]) .
Regarding claim 20, the combination of references and Devalla in particular teaches The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second substrate is oriented vertically with respect to the first substrate (e.g. “orthogonal” as in paragraph [0027] and throughout; e.g. as illustrated in Figure 3H).
Regarding claim 21, the combination of references and Devalla in particular teaches The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second substrate is oriented horizontally with respect to the first substrate (e.g. “orthogonal” as in paragraph [0027] and throughout; e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4).
Regarding claim 22, the combination of references and Devalla in particular teaches The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a cage (reference numeral 330A, 330B in Figure 3D) that shields at least one surface of the pluggable module, the at least one surface being different from at least one of (i) the first surface, or (ii) the second surface.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Devalla in view of BOVINGTON, as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Gao (Publication No.: US 2023/0208534 A1).
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Devalla and BOVINGTON teaches The apparatus of claim 15, but fails to specifically teach that the second connector block is configured to electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of spring-loaded bolt contacts on the pluggable module. However, Gao teaches that this concept is well known in the art (reference numeral 311 in Figure 32). One skilled in the art would have been motivated to utilize a second connector block electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of spring-loaded bolt contacts on the optical module in order to allow the spring pin to rest flush with an outer end face of the center pillar of the optical module, so that the spring pin does not affect the connection between an optical fiber connector of a composite cable and the first optical connector (as in paragraph [0036] of Gao). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one skilled in the art to utilize a second connector block electrically coupled to the second substrate by a plurality of spring-loaded bolt contacts on the optical module as taught by Gao in the combination of Devalla and BOVINGTON.
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 2635
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