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 .
Amendment/Remarks
Receipt is acknowledged of the response filed June 23, 2026.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-12 and 17-18, in the reply filed on June 23, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 13-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on June 23, 2026.
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancelation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be corrected in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(a) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. A request to correct inventorship under 37 CFR 1.48(a) must be accompanied by an application data sheet in accordance with 37 CFR 1.76 that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name and by the processing fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i).
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ramey et al. (USPGPUB No. 2014/0094057, from hereinafter “Ramey”).
Regarding claims 1 and 17, Ramey teaches a hybrid fiber and power cabling system comprising: a patch panel (modular patch panel frame 110) comprising a module enclosure having four module docking slots (124a, 134 a, and other pluralities), wherein each module docking slot is configured to accommodate up to three modules (see Fig 2); and at least two removable modules (removable data module and removable power module), wherein the at least two modules comprise at least one fiber/patch module and at least one power/conductor module, wherein the at least one fiber module and the at least one power module are located in the module docking slots. Further regarding claim 17, Ramey teaches a kit comprising: a patch panel/rack unit (RU) (110) comprising a module enclosure having four module docking slots (see Figure 2), wherein each module docking slot is configured to accommodate up to three modules; a plurality of fiber modules (124a etc.); and a plurality of power modules (134a etc.) (see abstract, Figures 1-2, 5-12, paragraphs 31-33).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-12 and 18 are 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: The best prior art of record fails to specifically teach the particular relationship of the number of fiber modules to the number of power modules.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US Patent No. 7,729,586 to Keith.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LISA M CAPUTO whose telephone number is (571)272-2388. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached at 571-272-2397. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LISA M CAPUTO/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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