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 [1] is objected to because of the following informalities: in line [8], “ the “respective power variation” is meant to be the respective temporal power variation”, to be consistent with preceding limitation; and also in line [10] “ the signal samples” is meant to be “ the respective signal samples” to be consistent with preceding limitation. Appropriate correction is required.
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3. Claim [10] is objected to because of the following informalities: in lines [10 and 12], “ the signal samples” is meant to be the respective signal samples”, to be consistent with preceding limitation; Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) [1, 6-12,16-17 and 19-20] is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Applicant’s Admitted Prior Art (AAPA) in view of Holmes (US. 6, 707, 594).
Reclaim [1], AAPA discloses method for managing optical connections in a network (see AAPA fig. 1) , at a node of the network (see AAPA 101 fig.1) , the node having a first set of ports and a second set of ports (see AAPA 103 and ¶0038), the method comprising: receiving, at each port of the first set of ports, a respective optical signal encoded with respective connection information defined by a respective temporal power variation of the respective optical signal (see AAPA, ¶0038, each port 103 of the OXC 100 may either receive optical signals from or transmit optical signals to the network device 102 of the respective communication channel 104, [ by the virtue of receiving optical signal, which obviously has temporal power variation, at each port]),
AAPA doesn’t seem to explicitly disclose the respective connection information, for each optical signal, identifying which port of the second set of ports is to be connected to the respective port of the first set of ports; tapping each optical signal to obtain a respective signal sample having the respective power variation of the respective optical signal; imaging, by a same sensor unit, the signal samples to obtain a spatiotemporal power distribution depending from the respective temporal power variation of each optical signal, each of the signal samples providing a respective spatial contribution to the spatiotemporal power distribution; decoding the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain the respective connection information encoded in each optical signal; and configuring one or more optical connections to couple each port of the first set of ports to a respective port of the second set of ports in accordance with the respective connection information.
Nonetheless in the same field of endeavor Holmes discloses an optical system as AAPA (see Holmes fig. 7). Holmes further discloses the respective connection information, for each optical signal, identifying which port of the second set of ports is to be connected to the respective port of the first set of ports (see col. 11 lines 8-10, As described above, each optical signal may be provided with a header that allows controller 382 to determine the destination of the signal); tapping each optical signal to obtain a respective signal sample having the respective power variation of the respective optical signal (see col. 9 lines 20-22, A beam splitter 357 may be provided in the path of incoming light 352 to reflect a portion of the incoming light to a detector array 388); imaging, by a same sensor unit (see 388 fig. 7), the signal samples to obtain a spatiotemporal power distribution depending from the respective temporal power variation of each optical signal (see col. 9 lines 22-24, , Detector array 388 is adapted to convert the light signal to electrical signals and transmit the signals to controller 382), each of the signal samples providing a respective spatial contribution to the spatiotemporal power distribution (see col. 9, lines 29-31, each optical signal may be provided with a header that allows controller 382 to determine the destination of the signal, [the information in the header of the optical signal is equated to the claimed spatiotemporal power distribution, by the virtue of holding a destination information]); decoding the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain the respective connection information encoded in each optical signal (see col. 9 lines 29-31, each optical signal may be provided with a header that allows controller 382 to determine the destination of the signal, [the controller by decoding the information in the header of the signal from the detector 388); and configuring one or more optical connections to couple each port of the first set of ports to a respective port of the second set of ports in accordance with the respective connection information (see col. 9 lines 30-34, A time gap may be provided between the header and the rest of the signal to provide sufficient time for controller 382 to determine the destination and drive particular MEMs in MEM arrays 366 and 370 to their desired angular positions).
Hence it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have been motivated to modify AAPA before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, for example by reconfiguring the optical system of AAPA (fig. 1) as taught in Holmes since this would allow to switch signals at highspeed, and thereby enhance usability, (see col. 2 line 28).
Reclaim [6] AAPA as modified further discloses wherein the same sensor unit is a two-dimensional array of photodetector pixels (see Holmes 388 fig. , and col. 11 line 2, Detector array 388).
Reclaim [7], AAPA as modified further discloses wherein configuring the one or more optical connections to couple each port of the first set of ports to the respective port of the second set of ports in accordance with the respective connection information includes configuring a plurality of mirror arrays, each mirror array including a plurality of microelectromechanical mirrors (see Holmes col. 9, lines 30-34, . A time gap may be provided between the header and the rest of the signal to provide sufficient time for controller 382 to determine the destination and drive particular MEMs in MEM arrays 366 and 370 to their desired angular positions.)
Reclaim [8], AAPA as modified further discloses wherein: for one mirror array of the plurality of mirror arrays, each microelectromechanical mirror corresponds to a respective port of the first set of ports, and for one other mirror array of the plurality of mirror arrays, each microelectromechanical mirror corresponds to a respective port of the second set of ports. ( see Holmes col. 9 lines 33-34, drive particular MEMs in MEM arrays 366 and 370 to their desired angular positions).
Reclaim [9], AAPA as modified further discloses further comprising: directing each signal sample to the same sensor unit by one or more optical components (see Holmes 357 fig. 7).
Reclaim [10] AAPA discloses, A network switch (see AAPA fig. 1) comprising: a plurality of ports each configured to receive a respective optical signal (see AAPA 103, fig. 1), each optical signal encoded with respective connection information defined by a respective temporal power variation of the respective optical signal (see AAPA, ¶0038, each port 103 of the OXC 100 may either receive optical signals from or transmit optical signals to the network device 102 of the respective communication channel 104, [ by the virtue of receiving optical signal, which obviously has temporal power variation, at each port]),
AAPA doesn’t seem to explicitly disclose, the respective connection information, for each optical signal, identifying a respective other port of the plurality of ports to be connected to the port receiving the respective optical signal, each port having a respective tap configured to obtain a respective signal sample from the respective optical signal, each signal sample having the temporal power variation of the respective optical signal; a sensor unit configured to image the signal samples to obtain a spatiotemporal power distribution depending from the respective temporal power variation of each optical signal, each of the signal samples providing a respective spatial contribution to the spatiotemporal power distribution; and a processor unit configured to decode the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain, for each port, the respective connection information encoded in each optical signal.
Nonetheless in the same field of endeavor Holmes discloses an optical system as AAPA (see Holmes fig. 7). Holmes further discloses: the respective connection information, for each optical signal, identifying a respective other port of the plurality of ports to be connected to the port receiving the respective optical signal (see col. 11 lines 8-10, As described above, each optical signal may be provided with a header that allows controller 382 to determine the destination of the signal), each port having a respective tap configured to obtain a respective signal sample from the respective optical signal (see 357, 388 fig. 7 and col. 11 lines 1-2, A portion of incoming light 352 may be reflected by beam splitter 357 to detector array 388), each signal sample having the temporal power variation of the respective optical signal (see col. 9 lines 20-22, A beam splitter 357 may be provided in the path of incoming light 352 to reflect a portion of the incoming light to a detector array 388); a sensor unit (388 fig. 7) configured to image the signal samples to obtain a spatiotemporal power distribution depending from the respective temporal power variation of each optical signal ((see col. 9, lines 29-31, each optical signal may be provided with a header that allows controller 382 to determine the destination of the signal, [the information in the header of the optical signal is equated to the claimed spatiotemporal power distribution, by the virtue of holding a destination information]), each of the signal samples providing a respective spatial contribution to the spatiotemporal power distribution (see col. 9 lines 29-31, each optical signal may be provided with a header that allows controller 382 to determine the destination of the signal, [the controller by decoding the information in the header of the signal from the detector 388 ); and a processor unit configured to decode the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain, for each port, the respective connection information encoded in each optical signal (col. 11 lines 8-10, As described above, each optical signal may be provided with a header that allows controller 382 to determine the destination of the signal).
Hence it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have been motivated to modify AAPA before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, for example by reconfiguring the optical system of AAPA (fig. 1) as taught in Holmes since this would allow to switch signals at highspeed, and thereby enhance usability, (see col. 2 line 28).
Reclaim [11] AAPA as modified further discloses further comprising: a linker component configured to connect each port of the plurality of ports with every other port of the plurality of ports (see Holmes 366 fig. 7 and col. 9 line 33, MEM array 366).
Reclaim [12] AAPA as modified further discloses wherein the processor unit is further configured to direct the linker component to connect each of one or more ports of the plurality of ports to the respective other port of the plurality of ports in accordance with the respective connection information encoded in the respective optical signa (see Holmes, col.9, lines 20-30, Controller 382, similar to controllers in the embodiments discussed above, is adapted to determine the destination of the incoming signal and drive MEM arrays 366 and 370 to route the signal to the appropriate target 386).
Reclaim [16] AAPA as modified further discloses further comprising: one or more optical components configured to direct each signal sample to the sensor unit (see Holmes, 357, 388 fig. 7) .
Reclaim [17] AAPA as modified further discloses wherein the sensor unit is a two-dimensional array of photodetector pixels (see Holmes 388 and col. 11 line 2, Detector array 388).
Reclaim [19] AAPA as modified further discloses further comprising a plurality of mirror arrays each configured connect a respective set of ports from among the plurality of ports to another set of ports from among the plurality of ports, each mirror array including a plurality of microelectromechanical mirrors (see 366 fig. 7 and see Holmes, col.9, lines 20-30, Controller 382, similar to controllers in the embodiments discussed above, is adapted to determine the destination of the incoming signal and drive MEM arrays 366 and 370 to route the signal to the appropriate target 386).
Reclaim [20] AAPA as modified further discloses wherein the linker component includes a plurality of microelectromechanical mirrors each corresponding to a respective port of the plurality of ports (see Holmes 366 fig. 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims [2-5, 13-15 and 18] 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Reclaim [2] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests: . The method of claim 1 wherein decoding the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain the respective connection information encoded in each optical signal includes: partitioning, in accordance with the spatiotemporal power distribution, the same sensor unit into a plurality of sub-sensors each corresponding to one port of the first set of ports; and integrating, for each sub-sensor of the plurality of sub-sensors, a respective portion of the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain a respective power sum.
Claims [3-4] are allowed due to their direct or indirect dependency on claim [2].
Reclaims [5 and 18] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests: wherein, for each optical signal, the respective temporal power variation is a respective amplitude modulation pilot tone.
Reclaim [13] none of the prior arts on the record either singularly or in combination teaches or reasonably suggests: . The network switch of claim 10 wherein the processor unit being configured to decode the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain, for each port, the respective connection information encoded in each optical signal includes being configured to: partition, in accordance with the spatiotemporal power distribution, the sensor unit into a plurality of sub-sensors each corresponding to one port of the plurality of ports; and integrate, for each sub-sensor of the plurality of sub-sensors, a respective portion of the spatiotemporal power distribution to obtain a respective power sum.
Claims [14-15] are allowed due to their direct or indirect dependency on claim [13].
Conclusion
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/AHMED A BERHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639