Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Specification Objection
The specification is objected to because line 4 of [0060] and line 3 of [0074] refer to "slice" instead of "splice".
Claim Objections
Claims 16, 17, and 18 are objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being substantial duplicates of claims 1, 3, and 4 respectively. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m). Claims 1 and 3-4 are allowed as indicated below. Claims 16-18 differ from claims 1 and 3-4 merely in their preambles ("system" versus "enclosure"), which do not alter the structural elements set forth in the bodies of those claims.
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 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2004/0042755 A1.
Claim 19: '755 discloses an assembly comprising (see mainly fig. 1):
a splice tray 2 configured to organize a cable in an organization pattern, wherein the splice tray includes integrally formed first splice tray attachment features 6 / 9 ; and
an adapter 20 for connection to the splice tray, wherein the adapter includes integrally formed second splice tray attachment features 60 / 90 that are configured to guide the cable into one or more cable routing features 600 / 900 of a base structure 200 when the integrally formed first splice tray attachment features of the splice tray are attached to the adapter (by engagement of 6a with 60b and 9a with 90b) and when the integrally formed second splice tray attachment features of the adapter are attached to an attachment feature of one of a plurality of splice tray connection features of the base structure,
wherein each of the plurality of splice tray connection features comprises an attachment feature 600b / 900b configured to receive a corresponding splice tray attachment feature 6a / 9a when a splice tray is connected to the base structure using one of the plurality of splice tray connection features,
wherein each of the plurality of splice tray connection features is configured to receive the cable routed in a first configuration within the base structure coming from a connected splice tray 2 and leading to the one or more cable routing features of the base structure.
Claim 20: The integrally formed first splice tray attachment features of the splice tray are configured to guide the cable into one or more second cable routing features of a second base structure 200' (fig. 2) when the integrally formed first splice tray attachment features of the splice tray are attached to a second attachment feature of one of a second plurality of splice tray connection features of the second base structure.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-15 are allowed. US 2004/0042755 A1 (cited above) is regarded as the closest prior art of record. Although various components of figs. 1-2 could be designated as a base structure, first and second splice trays, and an adapter, the '755 system does not disclose or suggest all of the recited splice tray connection features and splice tray attachment features arranged in the particular manner required by claim 1.
Conclusion
The additional references listed on the attached 892 form generally disclose other splice tray arrangements.
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
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