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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments (“Remarks”), filed 27 July 2026, in response to the Office Action (“OA”), mailed 29 April 2026, have been fully considered.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejections of Claims 6-7, 10-12, and 19-20 under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) are persuasive (see Remarks at Pg 11 Para 1).
The rejections of Claims 6-7, 10-12, and 19-20 have been withdrawn.
Applicant has correctly noted that Claims 4 and 5 were not discussed in the previous Office Action. This was an oversight by the examiner. Please note a new non-final rejection addressing each of Claims 4 and 5 is included below
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejections of 1-3 and 6-20 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) or 35 U.S.C. § 103 in view of WIPO publication WO 2020/153237 A1 to Morita et al. ("WO1") are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that WO1 does not describe "a high-transmittance portion between the lens member and the plurality of optical members, wherein each optical member of the plurality of optical members is optically coupled to the lens member through the high-transmittance portion ... the high-transmittance portion has an optical transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of the lens member," as recited in amended independent claim 1 (see Remarks at Pg 11 Para 3-Pg13 Para 2).
The high transmittance portions of WO1 identified in the previous rejection include elements 12R, 12T, 12a, 220, and 420 (see OA at Para 14, 22, and 24-47). Element 12a is described as a funnel-shaped space filled with air (see WO1 at Pg 3 Para 1). 420 is similarly described as a funnel-shaped space (see WO1 at Pg 10 Paras 8 and 10). Further elements 11T, 11R, and 413 are identified as lens members described by WO1 (see OA at Para 14, 22, and 24-47). WO1 is silent as to the material of lens members 11T and 11R, but describes the lens member 413 as made of a light transmissive material such as synthetic resin or glass, or a material such as silicon that transmits a specific wavelength (see WO1 at Pg 10 Para 2).
Air has a transmissivity over 99%, higher than commonly used optical resins or glasses. Therefore, WO1 describes, “a high-transmittance portion between the lens member and the plurality of optical members, wherein each optical member of the plurality of optical members is optically coupled to the lens member through the high-transmittance portion ... the high-transmittance portion has an optical transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of the lens member," as recited in amended independent claim 1.
Applicant’s arguments related to Claims 2-3, 6-12, and 14-16 depend upon their dependent upon Claims 1 or 13 (see Remarks at Pg 13 Para 5-Pg 14 Para 3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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 1-10, 13-14, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO1.
Regarding Claim 1, WO1 describes an optical interface structure (see Figs 7-10, 14-16 and 22-23), comprising:
a plurality of optical members (10T, 10R, 202, 301, 303, 401, 403), wherein each optical member of the plurality of optical members comprises one of a light emitter or a light receiver (see Pg 4 Para 7-Pg 5 Para 2, Pg 6 Para 8-Pg 9 Para 9);
a lens member (11T, 11R, 413) having a plurality of lens portions (416); and
a high-transmittance portion (12R, 12T, 12a, 218, 420) between the lens member and the plurality of optical members, wherein
each optical member of the plurality of optical members is optically coupled to the lens member through the high-transmittance portion (shown in Figs 14-16 and 22-23), and
the high-transmittance portion has an optical transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of the lens member (as determined by the materials described at Pg 3 Para 1 and Pg 10 Paras 2, 8, 10).
Regarding Claim 2, WO1 describes the light emitter as an optical waveguide (10T, 203, 401) configured to emit an optical signal from an end of the optical waveguide (see Pg 2 Paras 4-5, Pg 6 Para 8, and Pg 7 Para 2).
Regarding Claim 3, WO1 describes the light receiver as an optical waveguide (10R, 303, 401) configured to receive an optical signal on an end of the optical waveguide (see Pg 2 Paras 4-5, Pg 6 Para 9-Pg 7 Para 2).
Regarding Claim 4, WO1 describes the lens member comprising a resin member (see Pg 10 Para 2), and the high-transmittance portion comprises a space (see Pg 3 Para 1, and Pg 10 Paras 8 and 10)
Regarding Claim 5, WO1 describes a spacer (front and side portions of 12R, 12T, 412) configured to maintain a value of thickness of the space in a case where the high-transmittance portion comprises the space.
Regarding Claim 6, WO1 describes a ferrule (211, 412) configured to hold an optical 417 waveguide (203, 303, 401, 403), wherein the optical waveguide is one of the light emitter or the light receiver, and a positioning pin (417) configured to position the ferrule relative to the lens member.
Regarding Claim 7, WO1 describes the ferrule configured to hold a plurality of optical waveguides (203, 401), the plurality of optical waveguides including the optical waveguide, and each lens portion of the plurality of lens portions corresponds to respective optical waveguide of the plurality of optical waveguides (see Figs 15-16).
Regarding Claim 8, WO1 describes wherein in a case where an optical member of the plurality of optical members is the light emitter, a corresponding lens portion of the plurality of lens portions comprises a collimating lens (see Pg 2 Para 4, Pg 3 Para 5, and Pg 9 Para 10).
Regarding Claim 9, WO1 describes wherein in a case where an optical member of the plurality of optical members is the light receiver, a corresponding lens portion of the plurality of lens portions comprises (see Pg 2 Para 4, and Pg 10 Para 10).
Regarding Claim 10, WO1 describes the optical waveguide (401) is configured to:
emit an optical signal or receive the optical signal;
allow propagation of light only in a basic mode at a first wavelength (1310 nm), and
perform communications based on light having a second wavelength (850 nm) that includes components of each of a primary mode and the basic mode, wherein
the second wavelength is a wavelength at which the optical waveguide is further configured to allow propagation in the primary mode and as well as the basic mode (see Pg 7 Paras 4-8 and Pg 12 Paras 1-2).
Regarding Claim 13, WO1 describes an optical connector (see Figs 14-16 and 22), comprising:
a lens member (413) having a plurality of lens portions (416),
and a high-transmittance portion (420) that is disposed between an optical waveguide (401) and the lens member, wherein the high-transmittance portion has an optical transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of and has a higher transmittance than the lens member (as determined by the materials described at Pg 3 Para 1 and Pg 10 Paras 2, 8, 10).
Regarding Claim 14, WO1 describes the optical waveguide is configured to allow propagation only in a basic mode at a first wavelength (1310 nm) ; and perform communications based on light having a second wavelength (850 nm) that includes components of each of a primary mode and the basic mode, and the second wavelength is a wavelength at which the optical waveguide is further configured to allow propagation in each of the primary mode and the basic mode (see Pg 7 Paras 4-8 and Pg 12 Paras 1-2).
Regarding Claim 17, WO1 describes a transmitter (see Figs 14-16, 18, and 22 and Pg 6 Para 7-Pg 8 Para 2, Pg 10 Para 10-Pg 11 Para 3, Pg 12 Paras 6-8), comprising:
an optical connector (202, 403) configured to output an optical signal, wherein the optical connector includes:
a lens member (11T, 213) having a plurality of lens portions (214) configured to output direct the optical signal towards an exterior of the optical connector, wherein the optical signal is emitted from an end of an optical waveguide (203, 10T); and
a high-transmittance portion (12a, 420) between the optical waveguide and the lens member, wherein the high-transmittance portion has an optical a higher transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of the lens member (as determined by the materials described at Pg 3 Para 1 and Pg 10 Paras 2, 8, 10).
Regarding Claim 18, WO1 describes a receiver (see Figs 14-16, 18, and 22 and Pg 6 Para 7-Pg 8 Para 2, Pg 10 Para 10-Pg 11 Para 3, Pg 12 Paras 6-8), comprising:
an optical connector (301, 402) configured to receive an optical signal, wherein the optical connector includes:
a lens member (12R, 413) having a plurality of lens portions (416) configured to direct the received optical signal to an end of an optical waveguide; and
a high-transmittance portion (12a, 420) between the lens member and the optical waveguide, wherein the high-transmittance portion has an optical transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of the lens member (as determined by the materials described at Pg 3 Para 1 and Pg 10 Paras 2, 8, 10).
Regarding Claim 19, WO1 describes an optical cable (400, see Figs 14-18 and 22), comprising;
an optical connector (402, 403) configured to one of transmit an optical signal or receive the optical signal, wherein the optical connector includes:
a lens member (413) having a plurality of lens portions (416); and
a high-transmittance portion (420) that is disposed between an optical waveguide (401) and the lens member, wherein the high-transmittance portion has an optical and has a higher transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of the lens member (as determined by the materials described at Pg 3 Para 1 and Pg 10 Paras 2, 8, 10).
Regarding Claim 20, WO1 describes an optical communication system (100, see Figs 14-17 and 22), comprising:
an optical cable (400);
a transmitter (200); and
a receiver (300) connected to the transmitter via the optical cable, wherein
each of the transmitter, the receiver, and the optical cable comprises a respective optical connector of a plurality of optical connectors (202, 301, 402, 403), and each optical connector of the plurality of optical connectors includes:
a lens (11T, 11R, 413) member having a plurality of lens portions (416);
and a high-transmittance portion (12a, 420) between an optical waveguide and the lens member, wherein the high-transmittance portion has an optical transmittance higher than an optical transmittance of the lens member (as determined by the materials described at Pg 3 Para 1 and Pg 10 Paras 2, 8, 10).
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 11-12 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO1 as applied to Claims 10 and 14 above.
Regarding Claim 11 and 15, WO1 describes an optical interface structure and an optical connector as set forth above with regards to Claims 10 and 14. WO1 does not describe an optical adjustment path in the embodiments discussed herein with respect to Claim 10 and 14.
WO1 does describe optical path adjustment lenses (16R, 17R, see Figs 26e-27f and Pg 13 Para 8-Pg 14 Para 4) configured to adjust an optical path, the lenses located between an optical waveguide (10R) and the lens member (11R). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the additional lenses (16R, 17R) in the interface and connector structures of the above-discussed embodiments of WO1. The motivation for doing so would have been to increase coupling efficiency (see Pg 14 Paras 2, 4). Such a configuration would result in the additional lens being disposed between the optical waveguide and the high-transmittance portion.
Regarding Claims 12 and 16, WO1 describes the optical path adjustment lens having a refractive index of a gradation structure and the refractive index decreasing in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis (see Pg 14 Paras 3-4).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY RAHLL whose telephone number is (571)272-2356. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am-5:00pm.
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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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/JERRY RAHLL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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