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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (i.e., claims 1-11, 20) in the reply filed on 4/22/26 is acknowledged.
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) 1-5, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US 20130301982).
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches an optical coupling structure (e.g., figs. 3-4), comprising: a growth substrate 10 (e.g., figs. 3-4; substrate 10 allows for growth; as a non-limiting example, placing elements 40 on the substrate 10 allows for the growth of the assembly shown in figs 3-4 in the vertical direction; the assembly shown in figs 3-4 could not easily grow in the vertical direction without the presence of substrate 10; thus, since substrate 10 allows for growth, it is appropriate to refer to substrate 10 as a “growth substrate”) having at least one first hole 28 and a second hole 22 connected in series (e.g., figs. 3-4) along a thickness direction of the growth substrate 10 (e.g., figs. 3-4), the at least one first hole 28 and the second hole 22 penetrating through the growth substrate 10 (e.g., figs. 3-4), and an aperture of each of the at least one first hole 28 being less than an aperture of the second hole 22 (e.g., figs. 3-4); and at least one optical functional layer 40/42/45 located on a side, close to the at least one first hole 28 (e.g., figs. 3-4), of the growth substrate 10; wherein the at least one first hole 28 is used to accommodate at least one end portion of at least one optical fiber core 35/37 (e.g., figs. 3-4), respectively, the second hole 22 is used to accommodate an end portion of a coating layer wrapping the at least one optical fiber {OF} core 35/37 (e.g., figs. 3-4; the darker/hatch-marked layer/coating surrounding/wrapping the core 35/37 of OF 30), and the at least one end portion of the at least one optical fiber core 35/37 protrudes axially beyond the coating layer (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 1 is met.
Regarding claim 2, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above), wherein a depth of each of the at least one first hole 28 is greater than a length of the end portion of each of the at least one optical fiber core 35/37 along the thickness direction of the growth substrate 10.
Thus claim 2 is met.
Regarding claim 3, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above), wherein a depth of the second hole 22 is greater than a length of the end portion of each of the at least one optical fiber core 35/37 along the thickness direction of the growth substrate 10.
Thus claim 3 is met.
Regarding claim 4, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above), wherein an inclined plane 24 is provided on a side, close to the second hole 22, of each of the at least one first hole 28 (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 4 is met.
Regarding claim 5, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above), further comprising an optical fiber 30/35/37 (e.g., figs. 3-4), wherein the optical fiber 30/35/37 comprises the at least one optical fiber core 35/37 and the coating layer (e.g., figs. 3-4; the darker/hatch-marked layer/coating surrounding/wrapping the core 35/37 of OF 30), the end portion of each of the at least one optical fiber core 35/37 protrudes axially beyond the coating layer (e.g., figs. 3-4), the end portion is used for transmitting an optical signal to a corresponding optical functional layer 40/42/45 (e.g., figs. 3-4), and the coating layer (e.g., figs. 3-4; the darker/hatch-marked layer/coating surrounding/wrapping the core 35/37 of OF 30) is correspondingly accommodated in the second hole 22 (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 5 is met.
Regarding claim 11, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above), wherein the at least one optical functional layer 40/42/45 comprises at least one of a light emitting functional layer 40/42/45 or a photosensitive functional layer 40/42/45 (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 11 is met.
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) 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20130301982).
Regarding claim 6, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 5 (see above 102 rejection).
Lee does not explicitly state wherein the optical fiber is a multi-core optical fiber, the at least one optical fiber core comprises N optical fiber cores, the at least one optical functional layer comprises N optical functional layers, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.
However, it was well-known to provide OF like OFs 30/35/37 in a ribbon with the coupling emd having the ribbon coating stripped so the ends of the OFs are like in figs. 3-4 . Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the optical fiber is a multi-core optical fiber, the at least one optical fiber core comprises N optical fiber cores, the at least one optical functional layer comprises N optical functional layers, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 at least for the purpose of having a means to hold the individual OF end extending from the OF at a proper spacing for easy mating to the holes (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 6 is rejected.
Regarding claim 7, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above 102 rejection).
Lee does not explicitly state wherein a material of each of the at least one optical functional layer is a group III-V semiconductor material..
However, it was well-known for elements 40 in figs. 3-4 a material of each of the at least one optical functional layer 40 to be a group III-V semiconductor material. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for elements 40 in figs. 3-4 a material of each of the at least one optical functional layer 40 to be a group III-V semiconductor material at least for the purpose providing elemnts 40 to be made of a typical material since that is what is among the most available (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 7 is rejected.
Regarding claim 8, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above 102 rejection).
Lee does not explicitly state wherein a material of the growth substrate is any one of Si, SiGe, SiC, sapphire, or a group III-V semiconductor material..
However, it was well-known for elements 10 to be made of one of Si, SiGe, SiC, sapphire, or a group III-V semiconductor material. .Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for elements 10 to be made of one of Si, SiGe, SiC, sapphire, or a group III-V semiconductor material at least for the purpose providing elements 10 to be made of a typical material since that is what is among the most available (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 8 is rejected.
Regarding claim 9, Lee teaches the optical coupling structure according to claim 1 (see above 102 rejection).
Lee does not explicitly state an aperture of each of the at least one first hole ranges from 5 m to 20 m, and/or an aperture of the second hole ranges from 100 m to 10 mm.
However, it was well-known for a typical OF (e.g., single mode) to have a core of ~ 10 µm diameter, a clad about 125 µm diameter. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for aperture of each of the at least one first hole ranges from 5 m to 20 m, and/or an aperture of the second hole ranges from 100 m to 10 mm at least for the purpose providing properly accommodating the OF in the holes (e.g., figs. 3-4).
Thus claim 9 is rejected.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-20 are allowed.
Claim 10 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mr. Michael Mooney whose telephone number is 571-272-2422. The examiner can normally be reached during weekdays, M-F.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached on 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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/MICHAEL P MOONEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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