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 submitted have been reviewed and determined to facilitate understanding of the invention. The drawings are accepted as submitted.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. US 2024/0322909 A1 to Bovington et al. (“US1”).
Regarding Claim 1 describes an optical input/output tray (240, 705) for insertion in a switch assembly (100, see [0014]-[0018]) having a front panel (110) and a co-packaged optics module (210) with an optical data signal input and a laser input, the optical input/output tray (see Figs 1-2 and 7, where pluggable module 705 is used for the module(s) 240 of device 202, see [0055]) comprising:
a housing (710) insertable in the switch assembly;
a first set of adapters (230, see [0024] [0057]) connectable to the optical data signal input and laser input of the co-packaged optics module;
a second set of adapters (741, see [0058]) connectable to the front panel;
a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) component (720, 730) converting a plurality of multi-wavelength signals from the first set of adapters to a single multiplexed signal, the single multiplexed signal coupled to the second set of adapters via, and the WDM component converting a single multiplexed signal from the second set of adapters to a plurality of multi-wavelength signals coupled to the first set of adapters (see [0058]); and
a fiber management structure (715) positioned in the housing, the fiber management structure communicating optical signals between the first set of adapters, the WDM component, and the second set of adapters (see Fig 7A).
Regarding Claim 2 describes the WDM component in proximity to the first set of adapters in the housing (see Fig 7A).
Regarding Claim 3 describes the housing having a top surface, wherein the first set of adapters are positioned on sides of the top surface (see Figs 1 and 3).
Regarding Claim 4 describes the fiber management structure contained in the center of the housing relative to the sides of the top surface (see Fig 7A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-18 are allowed.
Claims 5-8 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.
Claim 5 describes the input/output tray, when inserted in the switch assembly, positioning the sides of top surface under a high speed circuit board such that the first set of adapters are in proximity with the plurality of co-packaged optics modules.
Claim 6 describes a WDM module attached to the housing at a proximal end to the front panel, the WDM module holding the WDM component coupled to the second set of adapters, and a third set of adapters coupled to the WDM component and coupled to the fiber management structure.
Claim 9 describes a switch comprising a front panel having couplers for an external laser source and an external optical signaling device, and an optical input/output tray having a first set of adapters coupled to the optical data signal input and the laser input of the co-packaged optical module, a second set of adapters coupled to the front panel, and a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) component.
These limitations represent subject matter not described or reasonably suggested, in conjunction with the further limitations of the present claims, by the prior art of record.
Claims 7-8 depend from Claim 6 and are therefore contain at least the same allowable subject matter.
Claims 10-18 depend from Claim 9 and are therefore contain at least the same allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
The prior art cited in the attached form PTO-892 are made of record and considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art describes optical input/output trays with adapters connecting internal and external components.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY RAHLL whose telephone number is (571)272-2356. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am-5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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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/JERRY RAHLL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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