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 Objections
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim includes erroneous reference information. Appropriate correction is required.
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 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) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CHANG (Publication No.: 2020/0018909).
Regarding claim 1, CHANG teaches An optoelectronic module for use with fiber optic cables, the optoelectronic module comprising: a housing (reference numeral 280 in Figure 2) extending along a longitudinal axis between first and second opposite ends, the housing including a first sidewall and second sidewall opposite the first sidewall (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 3A, Figure 3B), the housing having a housing surface (reference numeral 380b in Figure 3A, Figure 3B) between and connecting the first sidewall and the second sidewall, wherein the housing surface comprises one or more apertures (reference numeral 380d in Figure 3A, Figure 3B) recessed relative to the housing surface, the one or more apertures at least partially extending through the housing surface; a receiving member (reference numeral 320 in Figure 3A) disposed in the housing first end and including ports (reference numeral 950a in Figure 7) each port configured to receive a portion of a respective one of the fiber optic cables; one or more retaining members (reference numeral 919a in Figure 7 and/or reference numeral 740 in Figure 9-Figure 10) disposed on the receiving member and being deformable, the retaining members each having a distal end extending toward the first end, the distal ends of the one or more retaining members positioned within the one or more apertures (e.g. “inserted into widthwise slot” as in paragraph [0040]; as illustrated in Figure 3B) and being configured to limit movement, with respect to the housing, of the receiving member toward the first end; and an optoelectronic device (reference numerals 211-214 in Figure 2) positioned within the housing and being configured to optically connect with the fiber optic cables.
Regarding claim 2, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein the receiving member comprises engagement members (reference numeral 918a in Figure 7) disposed on the receiving member and being deflectable, the engagement members being configured to engage distal ends of the fiber optic cables.
Regarding claim 3, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, further comprising a partition surface (reference numeral 740a, 740b in Figure 9, Figure 10) and a biasing member (reference numeral 741 in Figure 12) positioned between the partition surface and the receiving member, the biasing member being configured to bias the receiving member toward the first end.
Regarding claim 4, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 3, wherein the biasing member is formed of a material having electromagnetic interference (EMI) attenuating properties (e.g. “deployed to reduce electro-magnetic field interference or EMI” as in paragraph [0037]).
Regarding claim 5, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein the receiving member comprises one or more tabs (reference numeral 718a in Figure 6) disposed on the receiving member and a plate (reference numeral 287a in Figure 5B) disposed on the receiving member, the plate including the retaining members (reference numeral 919 in Figure 7) connected thereto, the retaining members including one or more openings (reference numeral 919a.1 in Figure 7) sized to, respectively receive the tabs, the openings being respectively engaged with the tabs (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 7).
Regarding claim 6, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 3, wherein the partition surface comprises optical receptacles (reference numeral 950a in Figure 7 and as illustrated in Figure 11; reference numeral 911a in Figure 12) disposed in spaced apart openings defined in the partition surface, each of the optical receptacles being optically coupled with the optoelectronic device, each of the optical receptacles extending in the ports of the receiving member and being configured to receive a portion of a respective one of the fiber optic cables.
Regarding claim 7, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 6, further comprising a receptacle retaining member (reference numeral 740a, 740b in Figure 12) positioned between the housing and the optical receptacles, wherein the receptacle retaining member engages against a number of the optical receptacles.
Regarding claim 8, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 6, wherein each of the optical receptacles comprises a flange (reference numeral 211a.1 in Figure 16) positioned between the partition surface and the receiving member.
Regarding claim 9, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein the optoelectronic device comprises: a printed circuit board (“PCB”) (reference numeral 214 in Figure 2) positioned within the housing; a transmitter positioned inside of the housing and electrically coupled to the PCB; and a receiver positioned inside of the housing and electrically coupled to the PCB (e.g. “transceiver assembly” as in paragraph [0039] and throughout).
Regarding claim 10, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein the one or more apertures is at least one of: a plurality of apertures; and (b) an elongated slot (e.g. “widthwise slot” as in paragraph [0040]).
Regarding claim 11, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein the receiving member comprises a pair of oppositely positioned first elongated recessed portions (reference numeral 410a in Figure 4); and wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall each include oppositely positioned second elongated recessed portions each, respectively, cooperating with the first recessed portions of the receiving member to define a pair of receptacles (reference numeral 850 in Figure 8), and wherein a pair of elongated retaining members (reference numeral 911a in Figure 12) is positioned in the pair of receptacles.
Regarding claim 12, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 11, wherein the pair of elongated retaining members positioned in the pair of receptacles is adapted to prevent movement (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 12), with respect to the housing, of the receiving member along the longitudinal axis toward the first end.
Regarding claim 13, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim Error! Reference source not found, wherein the housing includes a first portion cooperating with a second portion; and wherein: one or more fasteners extend through the first portion and the receptacle retaining member and engage with the second portion to couple the first portion with the second portion (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4).
Regarding claim 14, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein the one or more apertures define a step and the step comprises a bearing surface, the distal ends, respectively, abutting the bearing surface (e.g. “widthwise slot” as in paragraph [0040]).
Regarding claim 15, CHANG teaches (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 4) The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the housing surface form part of a first portion of the housing and the housing further comprises a second portion releasably connected to the first portion, wherein the second portion further comprises a second housing surface opposite the housing surface of the first portion and the second housing surface comprises one or more additional apertures at least partially extending through the second housing surface, the one or more additional apertures defining one or more additional bearing surfaces, wherein the distal ends of one more of the retaining members are positioned within the one or more additional apertures and abutting the one or more additional bearing surfaces.
Regarding claim 16, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 1, wherein the one or more apertures fully extends through the housing surface (reference numeral 919a in Figure 11).
Regarding claim 17, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 2, wherein the housing surface further comprises one or more additional apertures spaced apart, and toward the first end, from the one or more apertures (reference numeral 380d in Figure 3A) .
Regarding claim 18, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 17, wherein the one or more additional apertures are aligned with a respective portion of the engagement members (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 3B).
Regarding claim 19, CHANG teaches The optoelectronic module of claim 18, wherein the one or more additional apertures are configured to provide for clearance for a deflection of the respective portion of the engagement (e.g. as illustrated in Figure 3B).
Conclusion
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/AGUSTIN BELLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2635