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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 18 January 2024 complies with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statement; please see attached forms PTO-1449.
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)(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.
Claims 1-3 and 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication 2003/0044109 to Maeda (“US1”), cited in Applicant’s IDS.
Regarding Claim 1, US1 describes an optical gateway device (see Figs 5, 6, and 15), comprising:
a first multiplexer-demultiplexer (52a) that includes a first port and a plurality of second ports, is configured to separate an optical signal input from the first port and to output separated optical signals from the plurality of second ports, and is configured to multiplex optical signals input from the plurality of second ports and to output a multiplexed optical signal from the first port;
a second multiplexer-demultiplexer (52c) that includes a third port and a plurality of fourth ports, is configured to separate an optical signal input from the third port and to output separated optical signals from the plurality of fourth ports, and is configured to multiplex optical signals input from the plurality of fourth ports and to output a multiplexed optical signal from the third port; and
an optical switch (10, 22-24) that includes a plurality of fifth ports and a plurality of sixth ports, the plurality of fifth ports are connected to the second ports and the fourth ports, the optical switch configured to perform switching of an optical signal between the plurality of fifth ports and the plurality of sixth ports, wherein
a direction in which a wavelength component of a first wavelength out of an optical signal passing through the first port travels and a direction in which the wavelength component of the first wavelength out of an optical signal passing through the third port travels are opposite to each other (see [0043]-[0047] and [0100]-[0107]).
Regarding Claim 2, US1 describes:
a wavelength component related to a first wavelength group including the first wavelength out of the optical signal passing through the first port travels in a first direction, and a wavelength component related to a remaining second wavelength group travels in a second direction opposite to the first direction (see [0043]-[0047] and [0100]-[0107]), and
a wavelength component related to the first wavelength group out of the optical signal passing through the third port travels in the second direction, and a wavelength component related to the second wavelength group travels in the first direction (see [0043]-[0047] and [0100]-[0107]).
Regarding Claim 3, US1 describes:
all wavelength components of the optical signal passing through the first port travel in a first direction (see Fig 15), and
all wavelength components of the optical signal passing through the third port travel in a second direction opposite to the first direction (see Fig 15).
Regarding Claim 5, US1 describes:
a plurality of up-down separators (53a, 53c, see Fig 15)that includes a seventh port, an eighth port, and a ninth port, is configured to output, from the eighth port, an optical signal input from the seventh port, and is configured to output, from the seventh port, an optical signal input from the ninth port, wherein
the eighth port and the ninth port of each of the plurality of up-down separators is connected to each of the plurality of sixth ports or the eighth port of each of the plurality of up-down separators is connected to each of the plurality of fourth ports and the ninth port of each of the plurality of up-down separators is connected to each of the plurality of fourth second ports, respectively (see Fig 15).
Regarding Claim 6, US1 describes:
at least one processer control device configured to allocate a wavelength to be used for an optical signal to a service device connected to the optical gateway device (see [0045]-[0046]), wherein
the at least one processer control device is configured to allocate different wavelengths to an uplink signal and a downlink signal of the service device (see [0045]-[0046]).
Regarding Claim 7, US1 describes:
plurality of up-down separators (53a, 53c) that includes a seventh port, an eighth port, and a ninth port, is configured to output, from the seventh port, an optical signal input from the eighth port, and is configured to output, from the ninth port, an optical input from the seventh port, wherein
the seventh port of each of the plurality of up-down separators is connected to each of the plurality of sixth ports, respectively (see Fig 15).
Regarding Claim 8, US1 describes:
a first up-down separator (52a) that includes a tenth port, an eleventh port, and a twelfth port, is configured to output, from the eleventh port, an optical signal input from the tenth port, and is configured to output, from the tenth port, an optical signal input from the twelfth port; and
a second up-down separator (52c) that includes a thirteenth port, a fourteenth port, and a fifteenth port, is configured to output, from the fourteenth port, an optical signal input from the thirteenth port, and is configured to output, from the thirteenth port, an optical signal input from the fifteenth port, wherein
the tenth port is connected to the first port and the thirteenth port is connected to the third port (see Fig 15).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US1 as applied above to Claim 1.
US1 describes the optical gateway device of Claim 1, as set forth above. US1 further describes:
a direction in which a wavelength component of a second wavelength out of the optical signal passing through the first port travels is a direction opposite to the direction in which the wavelength component of the first wavelength travels (see Figs 5 and 15 and [0043]-[0047] and [0100]-[0107]), and
a direction in which the wavelength component of the second wavelength out of the optical signal passing through the third port travels is a direction opposite to the direction in which the wavelength component of the first wavelength travels (see Figs 5 and 15 and [0043]-[0047] and [0100]-[0107]).
US1 does not describe the first multiplexer-demultiplexer and the second multiplexer-demultiplexer have a wavelength cyclic characteristic, or the second wavelength in a cyclic relationship with the first wavelength. US1 is silent as to the particular structure and operation of the multiplexing/demultiplexing devices.
Cyclic devices such as cyclic AWG structures are well-known in the art for use as multiplexing/demultiplexing devices.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use such well-known cyclic multiplexing/demultiplexing devices for the multiplexing/demultiplexing devices of US1. The motivation for doing so would have been to make use of a known technique for improving similar devices in the same way.
The use of such cyclic multiplexing/demultiplexing devices in US1 would result in the first multiplexer-demultiplexer and the second multiplexer-demultiplexer having a wavelength cyclic characteristic, and the second wavelength in a cyclic relationship with the first wavelength.
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 various optical networking arrangements including multiplexer-demultiplexers and/or switching arrangements.
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.
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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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/JERRY RAHLL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874