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
Drawings
Thirty-one sheets for formal drawings were filed February 29, 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 Objections
The claims are objected to for the following reasons(s):
Regarding claim 1, “second bod piece” in third to last line should be replaced with “second body piece”.
Regarding claim 19, “the closure volume” does not have sufficient antecedent basis or may possibly be a misspelling. For the purposes of examination, “the closure volume” will be examined as “the enclosure volume”.
Regarding claim 49, “the first body piece includes an extension having a catch” is objected to because it contradicts the drawings and base claim 48. Claim 48 recites inserting “the second body piece into a portion of the first body piece” and as such, it is the second body piece which includes an extension having a catch. Fig. 31 of Applicant’s disclosure also shows second body piece 434 having extension 473 with catch 474 inserted into first body piece 432. For the purposes of examination, the claim will be examined as “the second body piece includes an extension having a catch; and wherein the portion of the first body includes a pocket that receives the extension”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-12, 18, 19, 39, 41, 42 and 48-50 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Geens et al. (WO 2020/154418 A1 from Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement).
Regarding claims 1, 48 and 50, Geens discloses a method of fixing one or more cables in a telecommunications closure and a fixation device assembly (200 in Figs. 7-10) for fixing one or more cables in a telecommunications closure, comprising, a fixation body, the fixation body including a first body piece (206) and a second body piece (230) configured to lockingly interface with each other, the fixation device assembly being configured to define a first fixation configuration (Fig. 7) in which the first body piece and the second body piece are not lockingly interfaced with each other, and a second fixation configuration (Fig. 10) in which the first body piece and the second body piece are lockingly interfaced with each other, the fixation device assembly being adapted in the first configuration to fix a first cable to the first body piece, the fixation device assembly being adapted in the second configuration to fix the first cable to the first body piece and a second cable to the second body piece (Figs. 2 and 4 show multiple cable fixation units 130 coupled to base plate 106; a first cable will be fixed to base plate and the locking of another body 230 will result in a second cable fixed to said body and also to the base plate), wherein, when a portion of the second body piece (258, 262) is inserted in a first direction into a pocket (210) of the first body piece, the first body piece and the second body piece are configured to lockingly interface with each other by sliding the portion of the second body piece within the pocket in a second direction that is perpendicular from the first direction (feet 258, 262 are moved in a downward direction 92 such that they enter slots 210, 212 as shown in Figs. 7-8, then moved along proximal direction 96 as shown in Figs. 9-10).
Regarding claim 2, Geens discloses each of the first body piece and the second body piece includes a cable support surface (surface of 230) in Figs. 2 and 4.
Regarding claim 3, Geens discloses each of the first body piece and the second body piece includes at least one hole (436, 438 in Figs. 29-31) to receive a tie wrap (407) to secure the first cable and the second cable to the first body piece and the second body piece, respectively.
Regarding claims 4 and 5, Geens discloses each cable support surface includes a recessed portion (436, 438 in Figs. 29-31) configured for a tie wrap (407) to be looped around each of the first cable and the second cable, respectively, and further configured for each tie wrap to be positioned between an outer jacket of each cable and a corresponding one of the cable support surfaces at the recessed portion.
Regarding claim 6, Geens discloses the second body piece includes an elongate member defining a sealing element support (404 in Figs. 29-30).
Regarding claim 7, Geens discloses a sealing element (960 in Fig. 42) secured to the sealing element support.
Regarding claim 8, Geens discloses each of the first body piece and the second body piece defines a cable fixation portion (436, 438 in Figs. 29-31) configured to receive tie wraps (407), and wherein when the first and second body pieces are interlocked, the cable fixation portions are offset from each other parallel to an elongate dimension of the fixation device assembly in Figs. 2 and 4.
Regarding claim 9, Geens discloses each of the first body piece and the second body piece defines notches (444 in Fig. 29) for routing and securing cable strength yarn.
Regarding claim 10, Geens discloses the first body piece and the second body piece are not of identical construction in Figs. 2 and 4, since the first body piece includes the base plate.
Regarding claim 11, Geens discloses the first body piece and the second body piece are configured to snappingly interlock to each other in Figs. 9 and 10.
Regarding claim 12, Geens discloses the first body piece includes at least one first coupling element (210, 212) and the second body piece includes at least one second coupling element (258, 262) configured to interlock with the at least one first locking element in Figs. 9 and 10.
Regarding claim 18, Geens discloses the first body piece (800 in Figs. 47-52), but not the second body piece (1000), includes hook members (822) for installing the first body piece on a baseplate (406) defining slots (116), the hook members being configured to be received in the slots.
Regarding claim 19, Geens discloses a telecommunications enclosure (20 in Fig. 1), comprising: first and second housing pieces (22, 24) configured to cooperate to define a sealable and re-enterable enclosure volume (26 in Fig. 2); a main support structure (720 in Fig. 38) positioned in the enclosure volume; and the assembly of claim 18 positioned in the enclosure volume, the baseplate (702, 704) being mounted to the main support structure, the assembly including tie wraps (407 in Figs. 29-31) tying the cables to the first and second body pieces, the cables extending through cable ports defined by seal blocks (page 18, lines 9-18) of the enclosure.
Regarding claim 39, Geens discloses the at least one first coupling element includes a flexibly resilient arm (portion of 206 which receives projection 283 in Fig. 10; 206 will naturally have some flexibility and resilience); and wherein the at least one second coupling element includes a retainer (382) configured to flex the arm when the extension is slid within the pocket in the second direction and to lockingly engage the arm on page 24, lines 18-24.
Regarding claims 41 and 42, Geens discloses the retainer (283) includes two ramped surfaces (284, 286 in Fig. 13) such that the first body piece and the second body piece can be lockingly coupled without a separate tool on page 24, lines 18-24.
Regarding claim 49, Geens discloses the second body piece includes an extension (256) having a catch (258); and wherein the portion of the first body includes a pocket (210) that receives the extension during the interlocking.
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 38, 40 and 43-47 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Geens et al. (WO 2020/154418 A1 from Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement).
Regarding claims 38, 40 and 44, Geens further discloses the at least one first coupling element includes the pocket and a projection (portion of 206 that engages feet) positioned in the pocket, the projection defining a shoulder; and wherein the at least one second coupling element includes an extension (256) having a catch (258), the extension being configured to be inserted in the pocket in a first direction and then slid within the pocket in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction such that the catch lockingly interfaces with the shoulder. Geens also discloses the at least one first coupling element includes a flexibly resilient arm (portion of 206 which receives projection 283 in Fig. 10; 206 will naturally have some flexibility and resilience); and wherein the at least one second coupling element includes a retainer (382) configured to flex the arm when the extension is slid within the pocket in the second direction and to lockingly engage the arm on page 24, lines 18-24. Geens teaches the claimed invention except for specifically stating a ramped projection. However, ramped projections are well-known and commonly used in the art of optical devices and as such, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to use a ramped projection for the purpose of facilitating engagement of the feet and the slot.
Regarding claims 43 and 47, Geens discloses the at least one first coupling element includes tabs (portions of 206 which receives feet in Fig. 10); and wherein the at least one second coupling element includes hooks (258, 262) that lockingly interface with the tabs when the extension is slid within the pocket in the second direction.
Regarding claims 45 and 46, Geens discloses the retainer (283) includes two ramped surfaces (284, 286 in Fig. 13) such that the first body piece and the second body piece can be lockingly coupled without a separate tool on page 24, lines 18-24.
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 June 9, 2026
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