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 .
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.
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, 2, 4-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2017161831 A patent publication (‘the 831 publication, cited in IDS) in view of U.S. PGPub 2014/0321814 by Chen et al.
Regarding claim 1, the ‘831 publication discloses an optical connector (Figs. 1, 2) comprising: a first ferrule (10A) including a first end surface (right surface, Fig. 2) provided with optical fiber insertion holes (16) into which optical fibers (3a) are inserted, and with a pair of guide pin insertion holes (28a, 28b) into which a pair of guide pins (5a, 5b) are inserted; a plate-shaped lens holding member (23); and a spacer (30) provided on an opposite side (left side) of a first end surface of the lens holding member (23), wherein the lens holding member (23) includes a member main body (Fig. 3, with end faces 24, 25, 26) and GRIN lenses (collimating GRIN lens 21) provided on the member main body, wherein the spacer (30) includes a light guide portion (opening 34, Fig. 4) that allows light transmitted through the GRIN lenses to pass, and wherein the GRIN lenses are optically coupled to the optical fibers (each of the GRIN collimating lenses 21 is coupled with one the optical fibers 3a as illustrated in Fig. 2).
The ‘831 publication does not disclose whether the plate-shaped lens holding member is bonded to the first end surface of the first ferrule via a refractive index matching adhesive layer. Chen also teaches an optical connector comprising a lens plate (30), a ferrule body (11) having a first end surface (facing the lens plate 30), wherein the plate-shaped lens holding member (30) is bonded to the first end surface of the first ferrule (11) via a refractive index matching adhesive layer (medium 42 that substantially matches the refractive index of the lens plate 30 and optical fibers 51 held in the ferrule 11). The medium 42 not only converts light between the optical fiber 51 and the lens plate 30 in an efficient manner, but also functions to fix the lens plate to the ferrule body 11, and has a refractive index matching adhesive such as epoxy. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention disclosed in the ‘831 publication, by using the index-matching adhesive between the plate-shaped lens holding member (23) and the first ferrule (10A), as suggested by Chen and for the same reasons stated by Chen.
Regarding claim 2, the ‘831 publication further discloses that although the light guide part formed in the spacer 30 showed the example which is the opening 34, it is not limited to this. The light guide section may be a medium having a constant refractive index, and may be formed of a light transmissive material, e.g., glass, which is among the most commonly used light transmissive material, has a refractive index of ~1.5, and it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention disclosed in the ‘831 publication, by selecting glass as the medium for the light guide part of the spacer (30), as one of a finite number of identified, predictable solutions with reasonable expectation of success.
Regarding claim 4, the ‘831 publication further discloses the spacer (30) includes a frame body (30a), and the frame body includes two or more flow paths (recessed 35a, 35b). It is noted that the claim does not specify what’s flown in the path, materials including index-matching adhesive may be flown into the recess between the spacer and the lens holding member for the same reason as between the lens holding member and the ferrule.
Regarding claim 5, Chen further suggests that wherein the first end surface of the first ferrule and/or the member main body of the lens holding member is provided with a refractive index matching adhesive resin pool concave portion (reservoir 37, in order to improve the application of the medium 42 that fills the gap 41 between the ferrule body 11 and the lens plate 30).
Regarding claim 6, the ‘831 publication discloses an optical connector connecting structure comprising: a first ferrule (10A) including a first end surface provided with optical fiber insertion holes (16) into which optical fibers (3a) are inserted, and with a pair of guide pin insertion holes (28a, 28b) into which a pair of guide pins (5a, 5b) are inserted; a plate-shaped lens holding member (23); a second optical connector (containing a second ferrule 10B) disposed to be opposed to the first end surface of the first ferrule; and a spacer (30) including a light guide portion (34) disposed between the lens holding member (23) and the second optical connector, the light guide portion being configured to allow light to pass between the lens holding member and the second optical connector, wherein the lens holding member includes a plate-shaped member main body (defined by surface 24, 25, 26) and GRIN lenses (21) provided on the member main body, and wherein the GRIN lenses are aligned with an end surface of the optical fibers inserted into the optical fiber insertion holes (Fig. 2).
The ‘831 publication does not disclose whether the plate-shaped lens holding member is bonded to the first end surface of the first ferrule via a refractive index matching adhesive layer. Chen also teaches an optical connector comprising a lens plate (30), a ferrule body (11) having a first end surface (facing the lens plate 30), wherein the plate-shaped lens holding member (30) is bonded to the first end surface of the first ferrule (11) via a refractive index matching adhesive layer (medium 42 that substantially matches the refractive index of the lens plate 30 and optical fibers 51 held in the ferrule 11). The medium 42 not only converts light between the optical fiber 51 and the lens plate 30 in an efficient manner, but also functions to fix the lens plate to the ferrule body 11, and has a refractive index matching adhesive such as epoxy. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention disclosed in the ‘831 publication, by using the index-matching adhesive between the plate-shaped lens holding member (23) and the first ferrule (10A), as suggested by Chen and for the same reasons stated by Chen.
Regarding claim 7, the ‘831 publication further discloses the second optical connector includes a second ferrule (10B) including a second end surface (its left surface, Fig. 2), and wherein the second end surface of the second ferrule is provided with optical fiber insertion holes (16) into which optical fibers (3a) are inserted, and with a pair of guide pin insertion holes (28a, 28b) into which a pair of guide pins (5a, 5b) are inserted.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2017161831 A patent publication (‘the 831 publication, cited in IDS) in view of U.S. PGPub 2014/0321814 by Chen et al. and further in view of WO 2007046221 A1 patent publication by Hayase et al.
Regarding claim 8, the ‘831 publication discloses an optical connector comprising a first ferrule (10A) including a first end surface (right end surface, Fig. 2) provided with optical fiber insertion holes (16) into which the optical fibers (3a) are inserted, and with a pair of guide pin insertion holes (28a, 28b) into which a pair of guide pins (5a, 5b) are inserted; and a plate-shaped lens holding member (23), wherein the lens holding member includes a member main body (having surfaces 24, 25, 26) and GRIN lenses (21) provided on the member main body, and wherein the GRIN lenses are aligned with end surfaces of the optical fibers inserted into the optical fiber insertion holes (Fig. 2).
The ‘831 publication does not disclose whether the plate-shaped lens holding member is bonded to the first end surface of the first ferrule via a refractive index matching adhesive layer. Chen also teaches an optical connector comprising a lens plate (30), a ferrule body (11) having a first end surface (facing the lens plate 30), wherein the plate-shaped lens holding member (30) is bonded to the first end surface of the first ferrule (11) via a refractive index matching adhesive layer (medium 42 that substantially matches the refractive index of the lens plate 30 and optical fibers 51 held in the ferrule 11). The medium 42 not only converts light between the optical fiber 51 and the lens plate 30 in an efficient manner, but also functions to fix the lens plate to the ferrule body 11, and has a refractive index matching adhesive such as epoxy. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention disclosed in the ‘831 publication, by using the index-matching adhesive between the plate-shaped lens holding member (23) and the first ferrule (10A), as suggested by Chen and for the same reasons stated by Chen.
The ’831 publication further does not disclose using the optical fiber with a refrigerated electronic component. Hayase teaches discloses an optical packaging circuit (optoelectronic device 10) comprising: a refrigerant tank (via a shielding member 4 and a sealing gasket 1 on a PCB 3) containing refrigerant (5); and an electronic component (LSI module 91), the electronic component being immersed in the refrigerant contained in the refrigerant tank (Fig. 4b), wherein an optical connector (21) to be connected to the electronic component (via optical elements 92 and electrical connections provided by the PCB 3). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to connect the optical connector in the ‘831 publication to the optoelectronic device (10) in Hayase’s invention, since the optoelectronic device (10) is effective as a liquid-cooled electronic test device that processes an optical signal and testing the printed circuit board (3) on which the LSI module (91) and the optical element (92) which are test products are mounted, with the optical connector used as means for providing input and/or output optical signal to the optoelectronic device (10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 9 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. Prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest a modification that places a refrigerant within a light transmissive opening of a spacer for a lens holding member, when considered in view of the rest of the limitations of the claimed invention.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. JP2014191202A discloses an optical connector having a refrigerant cooling mechanism.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLIE PENG whose telephone number is (571)272-2177. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM - 6PM.
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/CHARLIE Y PENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874