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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on November 09, 2023 and May 13, 2025 are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because every line, number and letter is not durable, clean, sufficiently dark and dense and uniformly thick and well defined. The weight of all lines and letters is not durable enough to permit adequate reproduction, see 37 CFR 1.84(l). Every figure, specifically figures 1-10, are deficient and objected to.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as amended. If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either Replacement Sheet or New Sheet pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-20 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.
With respect to claims 1 and 11, the recitation of “the mating cavity” lacks antecedent basis and renders the claims indefinite because the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be determined because it is not clear what is being referenced. What is the mating cavity? How does one extend an opening into a mating cavity? For purposes of this office action, the examiner interprets the phrase “the mating cavity” to intend to refer to “the accommodation cavity” as no other interpretation appears to make sense. However, the examiner notes that this interpretation may not be supported by the specification so applicant should take care ensuring that whatever amendment or clarification is made does not constitute new matter. Claims 2-10 and 12-20 are rejected for the same reasons as they ultimately depend upon one of claims 1 or 11 and fail to correct the deficiency.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Droesbeke (US Patent Application Publication 2015/0125119, hereinafter referred to as “Droesbeke”). Droesbeke anticipates claims:
1. An optical port assembly (the elements shown in figures 1-13 are all interpreted as the optical port assembly), comprising:
a connector (ferrule 13 is interpreted as the connector, see figure 4), one end of which (the right end as seen in figure 4 is interpreted as the one end) is connected with an optical fiber (see figure 5, the optical fibers of cable 27 are held in the ferrule 13) along a first direction (the axial direction of the ferrule and optical fibers is interpreted as the first direction);
an adaptor (adapter 3 is interpreted as the adapter), which has an accommodation cavity (the interior space of the adapter 3 is interpreted as the accommodation cavity) extending along the first direction (see figure 1), and one end of the connector far away from the optical fiber (the left end of the ferrule 13 as seen in figures 1, 2 and 4, is interpreted as the one end of the connector far away from the optical fiber) extends into the accommodation cavity along the first direction (see figures 1 and 2);
a shield (optical cable connector 2, including latch clip 11, latch 12, and pin holder 34, see figures 7-9, are together interpreted as the shield), which has a hollow matching cavity (the space between all of these components is interpreted as the hollow matching cavity), and is provided openings in connection with the matching cavity at two opposite ends along the first direction (see figures 7-9, the openings at the front and rear of the hollow matching cavity are interpreted as the openings), wherein the adaptor is fixed by extending one of the openings into the accommodation cavity (see figures 1 and 2), and the other of the openings is used for enabling the optical fiber to be inserted (see figure 7);
wherein a size of the other of the openings is substantially the same as a section size of the optical fiber (see figure 13, the size is interpreted as being substantially the same size) along a second direction (a direction perpendicular to the first direction is interpreted as the second direction); and
the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction (by definition, see figure 5).
2. The optical port assembly of claim 1, wherein the shield comprises a first shield cover (the latch clip 11 and latches 12 are interpreted as the first shield cover) and a second shield cover (the pin holder 34 is interpreted as the second shield cover) which are detachably connected (see figures 7-9 and paragraph 0035), and the first shield cover and the second shield cover are connected to form the matching cavity (see figures 7-9).
3. The optical port assembly of claim 2, wherein the first shield cover is set with a first limit piece (openings 52 are interpreted as the first limit piece), the second shield cover is set with a second limit piece (pegs 39 are interpreted as the second limit piece), and the first limit piece abuts against the second limit piece to limit the first shield cover to offset relative to the second shield cover in the first direction (see figures 7-9 and paragraph 0035).
4. The optical port assembly of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first shielding cover and the second shield cover is set with a locating piece (the openings 52 are interpreted as the locating piece) to limit the first shield cover to offset relative to the second shield cover in a second direction (see figures 7-9).
5. The optical port assembly of claim 2, wherein the first shield cover is set with a first notch (the interior space of the first shield cover is interpreted as the first notch), the second shield cover is set with a second notch (the interior space of the second shield cover is interpreted as the second notch), and in a state where the first shield cover is connected with the second shield cover, the first notch is connected with the second notch to form the other opening of the openings (see figures 7-9).
6. The optical port assembly of claim 5, wherein the first shield cover comprises a first body (the latch section 43 is interpreted as the first body, see figure 8) and a first flanging (cam 64 is interpreted as the first flanging), the first flanging being set at a position (the position of the cam 64 is interpreted as the position) of the first body near the first notch (see figure 8; all structures shown are interpreted as being near the first notch), and the first flanging protruding from the first body along the first direction (see figure 8, they extend forward from the rest of the structures); and
the second shield cover comprises a second body (the structure of the pin holder 34 is interpreted as the second body) and a second flanging (the recesses 36 are interpreted as the second flanging), the second flanging being set at a position of the second body near the second notch (all portions of the second body are interpreted as being near the second notch), and the second flanging protruding from the second body along the first direction (see figure 7).
7. The optical port assembly of claim 2, wherein the first shield cover is set with a first groove (openings 62 are interpreted as the first groove), and the second shield cover is set with a first protrusion (pegs 39 are interpreted as the first protrusion), the first protrusion extending into the first groove to connect the first shield cover and the second shield cover (see figures 7-9 and paragraph 0035).
8. The optical port assembly of claim 1, wherein one end of the shield near the one of the openings is provided with a reed (alignments pins 16 are interpreted as the reed) which extends along the first direction, and the reed has a radian protruding to a direction far away from the matching cavity (see figures 7-9, the portion is interpreted as protruding to a direction far away from the matching cavity).
9. The optical port assembly of claim 1, wherein the shield is set with a first clamping piece (the latches 12 are interpreted as the first clamping piece), and the adaptor is set with a second clamping piece (rib 82 is interpreted as the second clamping piece, see figure 1), the first clamping piece and the second clamping piece being clamped with each other to fix the shield and the adaptor (see figure 1).
10. The optical port assembly of claim 1, wherein the adaptor is set with a first stopper (rib 82 is interpreted as the first stopper), and the connector is set with a second stopper (the cam 64 is interpreted as the second stopper), the first stopper abutting against the second stopper in the first direction (see figure 1).
11. An optical module, comprising:
an optical port assembly (the elements besides cover plate 5 and brackets 6 shown in figures 1-13 are all interpreted as the optical port assembly)
a housing (cover plate 5 and brackets 6 are interpreted as the housing), which has a hollow installation groove (the interior space of cover plate 5 and brackets 6 is interpreted as the hollow installation groove), and the optical port assembly is installed in the installation groove (see figures 1 and 2), wherein optical port assembly comprises:
a connector (ferrule 13 is interpreted as the connector, see figure 4), one end of which (the right end as seen in figure 4 is interpreted as the one end) is connected with an optical fiber (see figure 5, the optical fibers of cable 27 are held in the ferrule 13) along a first direction (the axial direction of the ferrule and optical fibers is interpreted as the first direction);
an adaptor (adapter 3 is interpreted as the adapter), which has an accommodation cavity (the interior space of the adapter 3 is interpreted as the accommodation cavity) extending along the first direction (see figure 1), and one end of the connector far away from the optical fiber (the left end of the ferrule 13 as seen in figures 1, 2 and 4, is interpreted as the one end of the connector far away from the optical fiber) extends into the accommodation cavity along the first direction (see figures 1 and 2);
a shield (optical cable connector 2, including latch clip 11, latch 12, and pin holder 34, see figures 7-9, are together interpreted as the shield), which has a hollow matching cavity (the space between all of these components is interpreted as the hollow matching cavity), and is provided openings in connection with the matching cavity at two opposite ends along the first direction (see figures 7-9, the openings at the front and rear of the hollow matching cavity are interpreted as the openings), wherein the adaptor is fixed by extending one of the openings into the accommodation cavity (see figures 1 and 2), and the other of the openings is used for enabling the optical fiber to be inserted (see figure 7);
wherein a size of the other of the openings is substantially the same as a section size of the optical fiber (see figure 13, the size is interpreted as being substantially the same size) along a second direction (a direction perpendicular to the first direction is interpreted as the second direction); and
the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction (by definition, see figure 5).
12. The optical module of claim 11, wherein the housing is set with a first fixing piece (brackets 6 are interpreted as the first fixing piece), and the optical port assembly is set with a second fixing piece (adapter 3 is interpreted as the second fixing piece), the first fixing piece being connected with the second fixing piece to fix the optical port assembly in the installation groove (see figure 1).
13. The optical module of claim 11, wherein the shield comprises a first shield cover (the latch clip 11 and latches 12 are interpreted as the first shield cover) and a second shield cover (the pin holder 34 is interpreted as the second shield cover) which are detachably connected (see figures 7-9 and paragraph 0035), and the first shield cover and the second shield cover are connected to form the matching cavity (see figures 7-9).
14. The optical module of claim 13, wherein the first shield cover is set with a first limit piece (openings 52 are interpreted as the first limit piece), the second shield cover is set with a second limit piece (pegs 39 are interpreted as the second limit piece), and the first limit piece abuts against the second limit piece to limit the first shield cover to offset relative to the second shield cover in the first direction (see figures 7-9 and paragraph 0035).
15. The optical module of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first shielding cover and the second shield cover is set with a locating piece (the openings 52 are interpreted as the locating piece) to limit the first shield cover to offset relative to the second shield cover in a second direction (see figures 7-9).
16. The optical module of claim 13, wherein the first shield cover is set with a first notch (the interior space of the first shield cover is interpreted as the first notch), the second shield cover is set with a second notch (the interior space of the second shield cover is interpreted as the second notch), and in a state where the first shield cover is connected with the second shield cover, the first notch is connected with the second notch to form the other opening of the openings (see figures 7-9).
17. The optical module of claim 16, wherein the first shield cover comprises a first body (the latch section 43 is interpreted as the first body, see figure 8) and a first flanging (cam 64 is interpreted as the first flanging), the first flanging being set at a position (the position of the cam 64 is interpreted as the position) of the first body near the first notch (see figure 8; all structures shown are interpreted as being near the first notch), and the first flanging protruding from the first body along the first direction (see figure 8, they extend forward from the rest of the structures); and
the second shield cover comprises a second body (the structure of the pin holder 34 is interpreted as the second body) and a second flanging (the recesses 36 are interpreted as the second flanging), the second flanging being set at a position of the second body near the second notch (all portions of the second body are interpreted as being near the second notch), and the second flanging protruding from the second body along the first direction (see figure 7).
18. The optical module of claim 13, wherein the first shield cover is set with a first groove (openings 62 are interpreted as the first groove), and the second shield cover is set with a first protrusion (pegs 39 are interpreted as the first protrusion), the first protrusion extending into the first groove to connect the first shield cover and the second shield cover (see figures 7-9 and paragraph 0035).
19. The optical module of claim 11, wherein one end of the shield near the one of the openings is provided with a reed (alignments pins 16 are interpreted as the reed) which extends along the first direction, and the reed has a radian protruding to a direction far away from the matching cavity (see figures 7-9, the portion is interpreted as protruding to a direction far away from the matching cavity).
20. The optical module of claim 11, wherein the shield is set with a first clamping piece (the latches 12 are interpreted as the first clamping piece), and the adaptor is set with a second clamping piece (rib 82 is interpreted as the second clamping piece, see figure 1), the first clamping piece and the second clamping piece being clamped with each other to fix the shield and the adaptor (see figure 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN M BEDTELYON whose telephone number is (571)270-1290. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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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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/John Bedtelyon/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874