DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 4-9 are rejected under 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 applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 4 is indefinite because there is insufficient antecedent basis for "the bend radius limiters" as recited in line 10. No bend radius limiters are mentioned earlier in claim 4. Claims 5-9 are indefinite by dependence from claim 4. Claim 4 could be made definite for example by replacing "the bend radius limiters" with "wherein bend radius limiters are".
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 are allowed. Claims 4-9 would be allowable if claim 4 is suitably amended to overcome the indefiniteness rejection above.
Regarding claim 2, US 6937807 B2 is regarded as the closest prior art of record. '807 discloses a telecommunications plate assembly comprising (see e.g. figs. 1 and 2) first and second plate assemblies 40 including adapter plates 126, bend radius limiters 128, and openings for fasteners 74. However '807 fails to disclose or suggest the recited particular connections of fibers between a multi-fiber adapter of the first plate assembly and adapters of the second plate assembly by way of a multi-fiber connector and a fanout arrangement.
Regarding claim 4, US 2008/0292261 A1 (already cited in an information disclosure statement) is regarded as the closest prior art of record. '261 discloses a telecommunications plate assembly comprising (see e.g. figs. 8-12) a first structure 231 defining a rear plane and including fastener openings 280; a second structure 229 connected to the first structure, defining an intermediate plane 255 parallel with the rear plane and spaced from it by a first cable space (around the spooling portion 259); a third structure 223 connected to the second structure and defining a front plane 233 parallel with the rear and intermediate planes, and an adapter module 241 extending forwardly from the front plane and including adapters 401. '261 does not disclose or suggest the required second cable space between the front plane 233 and the intermediate plane 255. In contrast '261 includes passages 262 and 247 for routing a cable from the spool directly into housing 223.
Conclusion
The additional references listed on the attached 892 form are considered generally relevant to the subject matter of this application. Several of them disclose other examples of plate assemblies.
Contact Information
Examiner: 571-272-2360
Examiner's direct supervisor: 571-272-2397
Official correspondence by fax: 571-273-8300
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/Michael Stahl/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874