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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “adjacent wavebands” in line 4, and “nonadjacent wavebands” in line 5, which render the claim indefinite, since “adjacent wavebands” and “nonadjacent wavebands” lack clear boundaries, particularly in view of the specification’s statement that adjacent wavebands may be “separated apart.”
Claim 1 recites the phrase “optical signals each having a particular waveband” which renders the claim indefinite since the specification does not define “particular waveband”. Does “particular” mean specific, predetermined, individual, or simply discrete?
Claim 4 recites “[Symbol font/0x6C]1, [Symbol font/0x6C]3, …” and “[Symbol font/0x6C]2, [Symbol font/0x6C]4, …” in lines 4 and 5, respectively. These ellipses render the claim indefinite.
Claims 2-3, 5-12 are rejected because of the dependency.
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 1-6, 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Helkey et al. (US 8,639,069 B1) in view of GOTHOSKR et al. (US 20160050019 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Helkey et al. teaches an optical assembly (figs. 1-3, 5), comprising: a free-space wavelength division demultiplexer (fig. 1, 151; fig. 2, 251; column 10, lines 7-27) having a multiplexed signal input port and at least two multiplexed signal output ports (fig. 1, 101a; column 3, lines 24-34: “each fiber input propagating 40 wavelengths 150a is separated by fiber-coupled demultiplexer 151a into six fibers 101a each propagating a band of six wavelengths, …”) so that when the multiplexed signal input port receives an optical signal having a plurality of adjacent wavebands, at least one of the multiplexed signal output ports outputs an optical signal having nonadjacent wavebands (fig. 3, Column 5, line 45 – Column 6, line 3: “… Band-1 includes the first six odd numbered wavelengths. Band-2 includes the first six even-numbered wavelengths. …”); and a photonic integrated chip on which a wavelength division demultiplexer is integrated (fig. 1, 141; fig. 2, 244a; Fig. 5, 500), wherein the optical signal outputted from the at least one of the multiplexed signal output ports is divided by the wavelength division demultiplexer integrated in the photonic integrated chip into optical signals each having a particular waveband (fig. 5, beams 531-536). Helkey et al. differ from the claimed invention in that Helkey et al. the assembly is used for optical switching. However, since the received optical signal is demultiplexed to individual optical channels of 531-526 (fig. 5) which can be readily used for optical receiver, as disclosed by GOTHOSKR et al. (GOTHOSKR et al.: fig. 1 and paragraph [0021] “The demultiplexing system 100 includes an optical source 105, a mirror 120, a plurality of optical filters 115, lenses 125, and receivers 130.”). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the optical assembly of Helkey et al. for an optical receiver, as disclosed by GOTHOSKR et al., to detect each channel individually.
Regarding claim 2, in view of the above 112 issues, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. teaches the optical receiving assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiplexed signal output ports is configured to output an optical signal having nonadjacent wavebands (Helkey et al.: figs. 1-3).
Regarding claim 3, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. teaches different ones of the multiplexed signal output ports output optical signals containing the same quantity of wavebands (Helkey et al.: figs. 1-3).
Regarding claim 4, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. teaches, wherein the free-space wavelength division demultiplexer has two multiplexed signal output ports, the multiplexed signal input port receives an optical signal having adjacent wavebands λ1 through λ2n, n being a natural number greater than 1, an optical signal containing nonadjacent odd numbered wavebands λ1, λ3 . . . is outputted by one of the multiplexed signal output ports, and an optical signal containing nonadjacent even numbered wavebands λ2, λ4 . . . is outputted by another one of the multiplexed signal output ports (Helkey et al.: figs. 1-3).
Regarding claim 5, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. teaches wherein the optical receiving assembly further comprises a coupler (GOTHOSKR et al.: fig. 1, lens 125) , an optical signal outputted from each of the multiplexed signal output ports is coupled by the coupler to the photonic device (GOTHOSKR et al.: fig. 1, light receiver 130). the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. differs from the claimed invention in that the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. is not integrated on a chip. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the assembly integral, since it has been held that forming in one piece an article which has formerly been formed in two pieces and put together involves only routine skill in the art. In re Larson, 340 F.2d 965, 968, 144 USPQ 347, 349 (CCPA 1965).
Regarding claim 6, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. further discloses that the coupling member is configured to be an edge coupler, and the coupler is configured to be one or more focusing lenses (GOTHOSKR et al.: fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. further discloses that the system has disposed thereon a photodetector, each optical signal exiting from the wavelength division demultiplexer being received and converted to an electrical signal by the photodetector for output (GOTHOSKR et al.: fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. further discloses that the free-space wavelength division demultiplexer comprises at least two thin film filtering sheets disposed in a free space, each of the thin film filtering sheets constituting one of the multiplexed signal output ports, the thin film filtering sheets filtering optical signals of different wavebands, respectively (GOTHOSKR et al.: fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. further discloses that the free-space wavelength division demultiplexer comprises a transparent fixing block, the transparent fixing block has a first surface on which the multiplexed signal input port is disposed and a second surface on which the thin film filtering sheets are disposed, and the first surface and the second surface are parallel and opposite to one another; and a portion of an area of the first surface has disposed thereon a highly reflective film, an optical signal filtered out and blocked by one of the thin film filtering sheets being reflected to the highly reflective film and reflected by the highly reflective film to another one of the thin film filtering sheets (Helkey et al.: fig. 5).
Regarding claim 11, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. further discloses that the multiplexed signal input port simultaneously receives two or more beams of optical signals, and each of the beams of optical signal is divided for output by different ones of the multiplexed signal output ports; and, the beams of optical signal outputted from the multiplexed signal output ports are divided by the wavelength division demultiplexer in the photonic integrated chip into optical signals having particular wavebands, respectively (Helkey et al.: fig. 1).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Helkey et al. (US 8,639,069 B1) in view of GOTHOSKR et al. (US 20160050019 A1), further in view of Yankov et al. (20030011833 A1).
Regarding claim 7, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. differs from the claimed invention in that Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. do not specifically teach that the optical receiving assembly according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength division demultiplexer is any one of a cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) structure, an Echelle grating structure, or an inverse Bragg grating directional coupler type demultiplexer. However, using a cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) structure, an Echelle grating structure, Yankov et al. disclose a wavelength demultiplexer may use “diffraction gratings, Fiber Bragg Grating filters (FBG), thin-films interference filters, array-waveguide gratings (AWG), Mach-Zehnder interferometers, acousto-optic filters, and other devices” (paragraph 0006). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the Yankov et al. into the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. to use any available techniques to make a wavelength division demultiplexer for the system.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Helkey et al. (US 8,639,069 B1) in view of GOTHOSKR et al. (US 20160050019 A1), further in view of NAGARAJAN et al. (20130170787 A1).
Regrading claim 12, the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. differs from the claimed invention in that Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. do not specifically teach that the optical module comprising a housing. However using a housing an optical receiver is well known in the art. For example NAGARAJAN et al. disclose to housing one or more optical receivers (fig. 1, housing 140). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the housing taught by NAGARAJAN et al. into the combined system of Helkey et al. and GOTHOSKR et al. to house the optical assembly with a common sense.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KANG et al. (US 20170373783 A1) discloses an apparatus and method for detecting optical signal.
DANNENBERG et al. (US 20170131474 A1) disclose a Mux/Demux subassembly includes a stamped optical bench.
Otsubo (US 20150349911 A1) discloses an optical receiver.
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/QUAN ZHEN WANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2685