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 § 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) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2004/0237331 to Sarfaty et al. (S1) in view of US 12,280,467 to Watson (W1), US 5,806,124 to Schneider (S2) and US 2,075,369 to Stetler(S2) .
In Re Claim 1:
S1 teaches:
A method for polishing fibers comprising: [Page 9, ¶211-213 notes work-pieces may be cylindrical elements, and specifically in 213, an optical fiber. The Abstract notes the device is for polishing said work-pieces, and further notes polishing photonics elements. ¶3 on Page 1 lists other fiber optical bearing elements for polishing, such as wave-guides, filters, and fiber optics connectors.]
Manipulating a disk (Fig. 5, 480); [Page 8, ¶202 notes controlling and utilize a polishing disk. ¶203 notes additional machined disk 536 these may be operated, i.e. manipulated. Page 11, ¶230 notes an additional polishing disk (Fig. 24, 180) which may be coupled, decoupled, and replaced, i.e. further manipulation.]
Spraying water at a first pressure, [Pages 11-12, ¶233 and Figs. 26-27, are for a rinsing and drying units, which utilizes jets of clean water and preheated filtered, dry air for cleaning. A jet of water is water at a first pressure. A jet of air is air at an air pressure. It is noted the intensity of said jets can be adjusted for removing particulate.]
Spraying air using an air pressure, [Pages 11-12, ¶233 and Figs. 26-27, are for a rinsing and drying units, which utilizes jets of clean water and preheated filtered, dry air for cleaning. A jet of water is water at a first pressure. A jet of air is air at an air pressure. It is noted the intensity of said jets can be adjusted for removing particulate. ¶228 notes an air pressure delivery unit(78) in Fig. 22.]
Using water in a second manner, [Page 11, ¶231 notes other water uses such as deionized water and other cleaning solutions for use in a separate device in Fig. 25, and further the polishing unit in ¶230 and Fig. 24 applies cooling fluids and polishing fluids into the basin but does not explicitly state water.]
Manipulating a handle (Fig. 5, 504.), [Page 8, ¶202 notes manipulating(operation of) a handle (504) to incline polishing units.]
Manipulating latches and locks. [Pages 8-9, ¶208-215 disclose various lock/gripping elements and in particular latching elements.]
S1 is silent as to:
Explicit recitation the second manner of water is misting low pressure water using a second water pressure, and the manipulating of latches or locks includes manipulating dogs, specifically. [Instant Application ¶24 notes the dogs are for locking/securing purposes.]
Examiner’s note:
While it is not pertinent to the claims as they are broadly construed now, it is noted Figure 23 shows the polishing system which includes a cover(94) referenced on Page 11, ¶228 which would be suitable for handle and locks(dogs) which for compact prosecution, Examiner felt Applicant should be notified of when considering amendments.]
W1 teaches:
When polishing fiber optic bundles [Abstract, Title]
It is desirable to utilize a spray of fine mist(Fig. 1, 110) with a spray nozzle onto the polishing surface as the lubricant with a particular array of angles, and distances and nozzle arrays. [Col. 4, line 31 – Col. 2, line 24.] This system of unique nozzle angle and distance utilized by W1, permits avoiding dry spots during the polishing and ensures a thin water coating along the entire surface, which reduces the risk of damaging scratches and variable coefficient of friction which can reduce uniform polishing. [Col. 5, ll. 24-57.]
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 invention of S1 which uses jets of water and air during a rinse/dry process, and an unspecified lubricant during polishing, to utilize the fine mist during polishing as taught by W1, with the expectation of providing a known in the art alternative lubricant system which would operate with an expectation of successfully reducing dry spots during polishing and reducing scratching and ensuring a more uniform polish. [Col. 5, ll. 24-57.] This would yield a pressure for fine misting step to the method of S1.
S1 as modified does not explicitly teach:
That a misting pressure is lower than the jet pressure, manipulating of latches or locks includes manipulating dogs, specifically. [Instant Application ¶24 notes the dogs are for locking/securing purposes.]
S2 teaches:
When using a cleaning and polishing system (Col. 1, ll. 23-45] when one wants to spread a spray across a material one uses low pressure mist. [Examiner notes, W1 is concerned with dispensing the mist for polishing, and very much does not want to push particulate for use in the polishing away from the material, or waste water off surface] and one uses a high pressure stream (jet) of fluid for cleaning the polishing apparatus and device after. [Examiner notes S1 utilizes water jets and air jets for the cleaning apparatus and rinse and drying apparatus, which wants to remove remaining particular rather than entrap it for polishing.]
It would have been obvious to modify S1 and W1, which are silent as to the water pressures other than one requiring a jet of water for cleaning and removing, and the other for applying a fine mist for lubricating and avoiding wasted water or removing polishing particulate, to utilize a high pressure water for the cleaning jet, and a low pressure water for the fine mist, as taught by S2, with the expectation of successfully providing for both sufficient pressure for a cleaning water jet, and sufficiently low pressure for a misting which doesn’t waste water or remove too much particulate for the polish, [See citations of S1 and W1 above as well as S2, Col. 1, ll. 23-45.] This would yield the jet of cleaning is a higher pressure water source than the fine mist lubricant.
S1 as modified does not teach:
Manipulating of latches or locks includes manipulating dogs, specifically. [Instant Application ¶24 notes the dogs are for locking/securing purposes.]
S3 teaches:
In the polishing arts, it is well-known to utilize dogs or latches (Fig. 6) to be operated to release latching disks and permit lowering of polishing elements, and to permit forward and reverse movement of the elements in a controlled manner. [Page 2, Col. 4, ll. 27-51.]
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 invention of S1, to utilize latches/dogs for the control of polishing disks, and gripping structures, manipulated through for example, solenoids, as taught by S3, as a recognized in the art alternative securing/latching method used by polishing devices, and which further would be expected to operate in a successful manner while permitting enhanced control of for example polishing disk elements direction and movement. [Page 2, Col. 4, ll. 27-51.]
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2011/0209729 to Beaduet et al. teaches the general principle that in automated cleaning with spray nozzles, jets are a high pressure spray, and mist is a low-pressure spray. [Page 3, ¶30.] US 4,538,383 to Le Marer teaches a grinding machine for optical fibers (abstract) manipulating through two nozzles compressed air water spray devices. [Col. 8, ll. 6-34.] US 1,883,861 to Baker teaches the use of dogs in a locking system (Fig. 7-8, elements 26, 27, 28) for securing elements for a polishing phase. [Page 3, ll. 72-111.] US 6,309,284 to Chou et al. teaches a manipulatable system with handles/arms, locking devices, and water spray for fiber optical polishing. [Col. 4, ll. 35-68, and Col. 6, line 1 – Col. 7, line 35.]
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSHUA R BEEBE whose telephone number is (571)272-9968. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6.
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/JOSHUA R BEEBE/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745