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
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) 1-4 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 10,641,981 B1 Sahoo et al. (herein “Sahoo” cited on the attached PTO-892).
Regarding claim 1, Sahoo discloses in Figs. 1 and 2, an optical fiber cable (100), comprising:
an optical fiber core wire (104);
a sheath (118) covering the optical fiber core wire (104);
three or more anti-tension members (116, four are shown) inside the sheath (118), arranged along a longitudinal axis (102) of the optical fiber core wire (104); and
a tear string (120) having an outer periphery a part of which is located outside outer circumscribed lines (202) of outer peripheries of the three or more anti-tension members in certain cross-sections perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the sheath (118), and
a part of which comes in contact with an inner periphery of the sheath (118 – 120 shown in contact with 118 in Fig. 1) or is located inside the inner periphery of the sheath (118) in a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (102) of the sheath (118).
Regarding claim 2, Sahoo discloses in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer circumscribed lines of the three or more anti-tension members (116) are peripheral to the inner periphery of the sheath (118) (col. 12, lines 28-30).
Regarding claim 3, Sahoo discloses in Figs. 1 and 2, the tear string (120) is composed of a plurality of strings (col. 12, lines 41-42).
Regarding claim 4, Sahoo discloses in Figs. 1 and 2, the tear string (120) has a structure in which the plurality of strings are twisted together (col. 12, lines 41-42).
Regarding claim 8, Sahoo discloses in Figs. 1 and 2, a sheath (118) thickness of a part in which the tear string (120) is arranged is thinner than a sheath thickness of a part in which the tear string is not arranged (shown in Fig. 1).
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) 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 10,641,981 B1 Sahoo et al. (herein “Sahoo” cited on the attached PTO-892).
Regarding claim 5, Sahoo discloses in Figs. 1 and 2, the tear string (120) has a structure in which the plurality of strings are twisted together but is silent as to the strings being braided together. However, Sahoo discloses many variations of the ways the strings can be arranged (col. 12, lines 41-61). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to braid the strings, as braiding is simply a specialized form of twisting, generally used for three or more strands.
Regarding claim 6, Sahoo is silent as to the tear string has a structure in which the plurality of strings are bonded. However, Sahoo discloses many variations of the ways the strings can be arranged (col. 12, lines 41-61). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to bond the strings, so as to prevent them from unraveling when the tear string is being pulled.
Regarding claim 7, Sahoo is silent as to specifically the tear string has a structure in which at least one string is linearly arranged, and at least one string is arranged in a wave shape repeating contact with and separation from the string linearly arranged (hereinafter, being abbreviated as "linear string"), and the string arranged in the wave shape has a part, in contact with the linear string, adhered or welded, and located inside the outer circumscribed lines, and a part, separating from the linear string, located outside the outer circumscribed lines. However, Sahoo discloses the tear strings are twisted (which would create a repeating wave shape, aka a helical twist), and Sahoo discloses the tear strings can be arranged in any suitable pattern (col. 12, lines 38-40). A person of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention would understand that a suitable pattern would be to helically wind one string around another, thus creating a wave shape repeating contact with and separation from the string linearly arranged. This would require only routine skill in the art and would lead to predictable results.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARY A EL-SHAMMAA whose telephone number is (571)272-2469. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm (flexible schedule).
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/MARY A EL-SHAMMAA/Examiner, Art Unit 2874
/THOMAS A HOLLWEG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2874