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) 1-3, 5-9, 11-14, 16-18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hu (US 20190158940 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Hu teaches A method, comprising: receiving a first wave division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal at a first receive port of an optical protection switching module ([0004], “working path”; FIG. 3: 319-1); receiving a second WDM optical signal at a second receive port of the optical protection switching module ([004], “protection path”; FIG. 3: 319-2); tapping off a portion of the first WDM optical signal to obtain a tapped portion of the first WDM optical signal (FIG. 3: 319-1, 323-1); optically filtering the tapped portion of the first WDM optical signal to obtain a predetermined channel of the tapped portion of the first WDM optical signal (Id.); detecting a power level of the predetermined channel ([0004], “The OCM sweeps through each channel of the WDM signal and provides an optical power level measurement for each channel”; FIG. 3: 352; [0053]); and in response to the power level being below a predetermined threshold, causing a switch to enable the second WDM optical signal to pass through the optical protection switching module. ([0004], “if the power level measurement for the working path is lower than the power level measurement for the protection path… then the WDM switch may route the WDM signal through the protection path”; FIG. 3, 314)
Regarding Claim 2, Hu teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the optical protection switching module includes a transmit section and a receive section. (FIG. 3: 319, 301)
Regarding Claim 3, Hu teaches The method of claim 2, wherein the method is performed in the receive section of the optical protection switching module. (FIG. 3: 300)
Regarding Claim 5, Hu teaches The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the detecting with a photo detector. ([0037-0038]; FIG. 2: 216)
Regarding Claim 6, Hu teaches The method of claim 1, wherein the first receive port is one of a working receiving port (FIG. 3: 319-1) and a protection receiving port, (FIG. 3: 319-2) and the method further comprises causing the switch to enable optical connectivity between the protection receiving port and an output of the optical protection switching module. (FIG. 3: 314)
Regarding Claim 7, Hu teaches The method of claim 1, further comprising: tapping off a portion of the second WDM optical signal to obtain a tapped portion of the second WDM optical signal (FIG. 3: 319-2, 323-2); optically filtering the tapped portion of the second WDM optical signal to obtain the predetermined channel of the tapped portion of the second WDM optical signal (FIG. 3: 319-2, 323-2; [0053]); and communicating a result of the detecting to switch logic of the optical protection switching module. ([0052] (teaching a switch logic for the protection module); (FIG. 3: 318)).
Regarding Claim 8, Hu teaches The method of claim 7, further comprising causing the switch to enable the first WDM optical signal to pass through the optical protection switching module. (FIG. 3: 314)
Regarding Claim 9, Hu teaches The method of claim 7, wherein optically filtering the tapped portion of the second WDM optical signal is performed by another optical filter. (FIG. 3: 319-2)
Regarding Claim 11, Hu teaches A device comprising: a first optical receiving port (FIG. 3: 319-1); a second optical receiving port (FIG. 3: 319-2); an optical switch having respective inputs connected to the first optical receiving port and the second optical receiving port (FIG. 3: 314); an optical output port connected to an output of the optical switch (FIG. 3: 301-1); switching logic configured to control which of the first optical receiving port and the second optical receiving port is connected to the optical output port ([0052]; FIG. 3: 318); a first optical filter, tuned to a predetermined channel, in communication with the first optical receiving port (FIG. 3: 319-1); and a first photo detector in communication with an output of the first optical filter ([0037-0038]; FIG. 2: 216; FIG. 3: 323-1), wherein the switching logic, in response to an output of the first photo detector, is configured to cause the optical switch to enable one of the first optical receiving port and the second optical receiving port to be optically connected to the output of the optical switch ([0052-0053]).
Regarding Claim 12, Hu teaches The device of claim 11, wherein the device is an optical protection switching module. (FIG. 3: 300; [0004])
Regarding Claim 13, Hu teaches The device of claim 12, wherein the optical protection switching module comprises a transmit section and a receive section. (FIG. 3: 319-1, 301-1)
Regarding Claim 14, Hu teaches The device of claim 11, wherein the predetermined channel is a selected channel from a wave division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal. (FIG. 3: 319-1, 323-1; [0004] (“The OCM sweeps through each channel of the WDM signal and provides an optical power level measurement for each channel”))
Regarding Claim 16, Hu teaches The device of claim 11, further comprising: a second optical filter (FIG. 319-2:), tuned to the predetermined channel (Id.), in communication with the second optical receiving port (Id.); and a second photo detector in communication with an output of the second optical filter ([0037-0038]; FIG. 2: 216), wherein an output of the second photo detector is in communication with the switching logic. (FIG. 3: 323-2).
Regarding Claim 17, Hu teaches A system comprising: a working optical path ([0004], “working path”; FIG. 3: 319-1); a protection optical path ([004], “protection path”; FIG. 3: 319-2); and an optical protection switching module configured to enable communication via one of the working optical path and the protection optical path (FIG. 3: 300), the optical protection switching module comprising: a first optical receiving port (FIG. 3: 319-1); a second optical receiving port (FIG. 3: 319-2); an optical switch having respective inputs connected to the first optical receiving port and the second optical receiving port (FIG. 3: 314); an optical output port connected to an output of the optical switch (FIG. 3: 301-1); switching logic configured to control which of the first optical receiving port and the second optical receiving port is connected to the optical output port; ([0052]; FIG. 3: 318) a first optical filter (FIG. 3: 319-1), tuned to a predetermined channel of a wave division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal (Id.), in communication with the first optical receiving port (Id.); and a first photo detector in communication with an output of the first optical filter. ([0037-0038]; FIG. 2: 216; FIG. 3: 323-1)
Regarding Claim 18, Hu teaches The system of claim 17, wherein the switching logic, in response to an output of the first photo detector, is configured to cause the optical switch to enable one of the first optical receiving port and the second optical receiving port to be optically connected to the output of the optical switch. ([0053]; FIG. 3: 319-2)
Regarding Claim 20, Hu teaches The system of claim 17, further comprising: a second optical filter (FIG. 3: 319-2), tuned to the predetermined channel (Id.), in communication with the second optical receiving port (Id.); and a second photo detector in communication with an output of the second optical filter ([0037-0038]; FIG. 2: 216; FIG. 3: 323-2), wherein an output of the second photo detector is in communication with the switching logic. (FIG. 3: 323-2, 352, 318)
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) 4, 10, 15, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu (US 20190158940 A1) in light of Way (US 20190165877 A1).
Regarding Claim 4, Hu teaches The method of claim 1,
Hu does not teach wherein the optically filtering is performed using a tunable optical filter.
Way teaches wherein the optically filtering is performed using a tunable optical filter. ([0009])
Hu and Way both relate to using ROADMs in optical networks and are therefore analogous art to each other.
Before the filing date of the instant application, it would have obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the ROADM in Hu with the tunable ROADM taught in Way. The suggestion/motivation would have been to allow the ROADM in Hu to adjust and capture different wavelengths for monitoring — introducing greater flexibility in the protection system taught in Hu.
Regarding Claim 10, Hu teaches The method of claim 9,
Hu does not teach wherein the another optical filter is a tunable optical filter.
Way teaches wherein the another optical filter is a tunable optical filter. ([0009])
Before the filing date of the instant application, it would have obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the ROADM in Hu with the tunable ROADM taught in Way. The suggestion/motivation would have been to allow the ROADM in Hu to adjust and capture different wavelengths for monitoring — introducing greater flexibility in the protection system taught in Hu.
Regarding Claim 15, Hu teaches The device of claim 11,
Hu does not teach wherein the first optical filter is a tunable optical filter.
Way teaches wherein the first optical filter is a tunable optical filter. ([0009])
Before the filing date of the instant application, it would have obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the ROADM in Hu with the tunable ROADM taught in Way. The suggestion/motivation would have been to allow the ROADM in Hu to adjust and capture different wavelengths for monitoring — introducing greater flexibility in the protection system taught in Hu.
Regarding Claim 19, Hu teaches The system of claim 17,
Hu does not teach wherein the first optical filter is a tunable optical filter.
Way teaches wherein the first optical filter is a tunable optical filter. ([0009])
Before the filing date of the instant application, it would have obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the ROADM in Hu with the tunable ROADM taught in Way. The suggestion/motivation would have been to allow the ROADM in Hu to adjust and capture different wavelengths for monitoring — introducing greater flexibility in the protection system taught in Hu.
Conclusion
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/PAUL MORGAN BROCK/Examiner, Art Unit 2634 February 3, 2026
/KENNETH N VANDERPUYE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2634