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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted by Applicant have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
Four sheets for formal drawings were filed April 24, 2024 and have been accepted by the Examiner.
Specification
Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 1, 2 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (CN 213091953 U from Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement).
Regarding claims 1 and 9, Chen discloses an optical module (see Figs. 3-7), comprising: a first housing (300), a second housing (400), which are assembled and fixed to one another (see Figs. 3-4); a pull ring assembly (500) disposed on the housing, and an optical assembly (205, 206) and a circuit board assembly (204) disposed in the housing; and an optical interface (202) and an electrical interface (203) being formed at two opposite ends of the housing, wherein the first housing and the second housing each comprises a bottom wall (310, 410) and two oppositely disposed side walls (420, 430 and 320, 330) formed on the bottom walls; two suspension arm accommodating grooves are formed on the two side walls of the first housing and the second housing, respectively (grooves form on the side walls of both housings 300 and 400 shown in Fig. 6 accommodate the suspension arms as shown in Fig. 3); each suspension arm accommodating groove comprises a groove bottom, an upper groove wall, and a lower groove wall (see Fig. 6); and a travel limiting groove (421) is formed on the lower groove wall of each suspension arm accommodating groove; the pull ring assembly comprises two oppositely disposed suspension arms (520, 530) and a suspension arm connecting portion connecting the two suspension arms together (portion between handle 510 and suspension arms 520, 530); a handle (510) used for unlocking in cooperation with an external mechanism, and a protrusion (523, 533) are disposed at an end portion of each suspension arm; and, for each suspension arm, the protrusion is obliquely disposed (see Fig. 7) from the suspension arm connecting portion with respect to the suspension arm; each suspension arm is disposed in a corresponding one of the suspension arm accommodating grooves; the protrusion of each suspension arm is disposed in the travel limiting groove of the corresponding suspension arm accommodating groove (see Figs. 5-7); and the suspension arm connecting portion is disposed on an external surface of the bottom wall of the housing (connection portion between 510 and 520, 530 is disposed on an external surface of the bottom wall of 300 as shown in Figs. 3-4); when the pull ring assembly moves with respect to the housing, the suspension arms are subject to limitation by the upper groove wall and the lower groove wall and move left-right along a direction of a line connecting the optical interface and the electrical interface, and the travel limiting grooves and the protrusions cooperate to limit a left-right moving distance of the pull ring assembly; and the upper groove wall, the lower groove wall, and the travel limiting grooves together limit the suspension arms from separating from the suspension arm accommodating grooves when the suspension arms move with the pull ring assembly (paragraphs 0055-0059); and after the first housing and the second housing are fixed together, the suspension arms are assembled into the respectively corresponding suspension arm accommodating grooves (see Figs. 6-7).
Regarding claim 2, Chen discloses the optical module only comprises two of the suspension arms and two of the protrusions, the two suspension arms and the two protrusions are disposed in a one-to-one corresponding manner in Figs. 7.
Regarding claim 6, Chen discloses a notch (322) running through from the bottom wall of the housing to one of the suspension arm accommodating grooves is disposed on the corresponding side wall; the notch is disposed at a location near the handle; and the notch (322) and the travel limiting groove (421) are disposed on two opposite sides of the suspension arm accommodating groove in Fig. 6.
Regarding claim 7, Chen discloses the housing of the optical module comprises a first housing (300) and a second housing (400) fixed to one another; and each suspension arm accommodating groove is disposed at a junction location of the first housing and the second housing and is on both the first housing and the second housing at the same time in Figs. 6 and 7.
Regarding claim 8, Chen discloses the protrusion and the travel limiting groove are disposed near the handle in Fig. 7.
Regarding claim 10, Chen discloses providing the housing, the optical assembly, the circuit board assembly, and the pull ring assembly, and assembling the optical assembly and the circuit board assembly in the housing (see Fig. 4); packaging the housing (Fig. 6); and assembling the pull ring assembly outside the housing (Fig. 7).
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 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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3-5, 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (CN 213091953 U from Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement) in view of Cheng et al. (CN 113534364 A).
Regarding claims 3 and 11, Chen further discloses assembling the pull ring assembly into the suspension arm accommodating grooves (see Figs. 5-7). Chen teaches the claimed invention except for assembling an elastic component into an elastic component accommodating groove. Cheng discloses an optical module (1 in Figs. 1-8) comprising an elastic component (3); a suspension arm connecting portion (portion of pull ring assembly 2 on which hole 203 is disposed) is closely fit to an outer surface of the bottom wall of the housing; the suspension arm connecting portion has disposed thereon a window (203) for the elastic component to pass through, and a stop block (202) corresponding to the window; an elastic component accommodating groove (101) used for accommodating the elastic component is disposed on the bottom wall of the housing at a location corresponding to the window and the stop block; and the elastic component is disposed in the elastic component accommodating groove through the window (see “working principle” section). Since both inventions relate to optical modules, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to use an elastic component as disclosed by Cheng in the optical module of Chen for the purpose of securely retaining the pull ring assembly to the housing.
Regarding claims 4 and 5, the proposed combination of Chen and Cheng teaches the claimed invention except for a window disposed on one of the suspension arms. However, since Cheng discloses a window disposed on the suspension arm connection portion, one having ordinary skill in the art would find it obvious to dispose a window at any portion of the pull ring assembly including the suspension arms in order to increasing the versatility of the device and as a matter of obvious design choice depending on the application. Further, one having ordinary skill would find it obvious to form an opening running through from the bottom wall of the housing to the elastic component accommodating groove which is disposed on the corresponding side wall of the housing; and the opening is obliquely disposed from the corresponding travel limiting groove with respect to the corresponding suspension arm accommodating groove in order to securely retain the suspension arm.
Regarding claim 12, Chen discloses assembling the pull ring assembly into the suspension arm accommodating grooves by moving the pull ring assembly from one side distant from a travel limiting groove towards the travel limiting groove in Figs. 3-7.
Notice of References Cited
The additional references in the Notice of References Cited relate to optical modules comprising pull ring assemblies.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRIS H CHU whose telephone number is (571)272-8655. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached on 571-272-239797. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general or clerical nature should be directed to the Technology Center 2800 receptionist at telephone number (571) 272-1562.
Chris H. Chu
/CHRIS H CHU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874 July 21, 2026
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