DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on June 4, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-5 are under consideration.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “162b” has been used to designate both “sub portion” of the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface. Replicated Fig. 1E is annotated showing two instances of reference number “162b” pointing to two different structures. Perhaps, the instance of reference number “162b” pointing to the upper portion should be 161b to be consistent with sub portions 161a and 161b.
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Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haase et al. (US 2015/0219863 A1, herein “Hasse”) in view of Dean Jr. et al. (US 2007/0098328 A1, herein “Dean Jr.”).
Claim 1. Haase discloses an optical assembly (Figs. 3), comprising:
an optical ferrule (100 or 300), and
a plurality of optical waveguides (Fig. 2: 202);
wherein the optical ferrule receives light from the plurality of optical waveguides along a first direction and redirects the light to a second direction different from the first direction, such that the redirected light exits the optical ferrule through an optically transmitting window (input side 222) of the optical ferrule disposed in a mating surface of the optical ferrule and is transmitted toward an optically transmitting window of an identical mating optical ferrule (Fig. 2b demonstrates the light path within the optical assembly, light enters the assembly through fiber 202, passes through the input side of light redirecting element 212, incidents on the light redirecting side 224 traveling perpendicularly to the output side 226; Para [0037], [0039]);
the optical ferrule (100 or 300) comprising first and second compound stop features (alignment pin 118 and alignment hole 119 on both sides of the ferrule) respectively disposed at opposing sides of the optical ferrule, each compound stop feature comprising upper (alignment pin 118) and lower contact surfaces (alignment hole 118).
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Haase does not teach the lower contact surface having an offset along a thickness axis of the optical ferrule perpendicular to the mating surface, the upper contact surface having an offset above the mating surface along the thickness axis, and the lower contact surface having an offset forward from the upper contact surface along a mating direction of the optical ferrule.
Dean Jr. teaches molded ferrule with reference surface for end face engagement. The embodiment Fig. 8c shows the end face comprises an optical ferrule comprising first and second compound stop features (48 on both sides of the ferrule 30). Each compound stop feature comprising upper and lower contact surfaces (see labels in annotated Fig. 8c below), and a connecting surface (see label) connecting the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface, the connecting surface being inclined at a non-zero angle with respect to the mating surface over majority of length of the connecting surface, the lower contact surface having an offset (distance or displacement) along a thickness axis of the optical ferrule perpendicular to the mating surface, the upper contact surface having an offset (distance or displacement) above the mating surface along the thickness axis, and the lower contact surface having an offset forward (via the extension of the connecting surface) from the upper contact surface along a mating direction of the optical ferrule.
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It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill at the time of filing to recognize the molded-in reference features 48 of Dean Jr. would be modifiable to the ferrule of Hasse since molding is a well-known manufacturing method in optical connector art. Dean Jr. teaches the motivation for employing molded-in reference features is a cost-effective and time-saving manufacturing technique for passive alignment of two optical ferrules (Dean Jr., Para [0006]-[0009]).
Claim 2. Haase in view of Dean Jr. teach the invention of claim 1, and Dean Jr. further teaches the mating surface is configured to slidably engage with a mating surface of a mating optical ferrule via the guide pin 33 and guide pin openings 36.
However, Haase in view of Dean Jr. do not explicitly teach the upper and lower contact surfaces are configured to respectively contact lower and upper contact surfaces of the mating ferrule.
The embodiment show in Figs. 4a and 4b of Haase teaches the hermaphroditic characteristics of the compound stop features (418, 419). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill at the time of filing to recognize compound stop features of Haase’s embodiment in Figs. 4a and 4b would be modifiable to the molded-in reference features of Hasse in view of Dean Jr. One motivation for employing identical ferrules with alignment members so that the connectors can be easily scalable by expanding or reducing the number of fiber channels the ferrule is capable of holding, while the alignment members remain the same and can passively align with the respective ferrule size. (Haase: Paras [0006]-[0009]).
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Regarding claims 3-4, Haase discloses the optical assembly of claim 1. Haase further discloses the mating ferrules are identical. The compound stop features are disposed on both sides of the two mating ferrules. The upper contact surface (419) of ferrule in Fig. 4a complements the lower contact surface 418 of ferrule in Fig. 4b. The upper contact surface has an offset (curved edge) on both all four compound stop features (two compound stop features on each side of ferrule in Fig. 4a and ferrule in Fig. 4b). The lower contact surface has an offset (curved edge) on both all four compound stop features (two compound stop features on each side of ferrule in Fig. 4a and ferrule in Fig. 4b). The two ferrules are passively aligned by slidably mate with each other when the compound stop features are engaged.
However, Haase does not explicitly teach the offset of the lower contact surface and the offset of the upper contact surface is in a range of about 50 µm to about 400 µm.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to optimize the offset such that the two identical ferrule would mate and passively align the optical signals from both ferrules since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (C.C.P.A. 1955). The offset alignment is critical the coupling efficiency of the optical assembly, therefore, one would be motivated to accurately measure the offset of the compound stop to align the signals along the optical axis.
Claim 5. Haase in view of Dean Jr. teach the mating surface (tongue 430) is configured slidably engage with a mating surface of the mating optical ferrule (Para [0041]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-5 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Erin D Chiem whose telephone number is (571)272-3102. The examiner can normally be reached 10 am - 6 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas A. Hollweg can be reached at (571) 270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIN D CHIEM/Examiner, Art Unit 2874
/THOMAS A HOLLWEG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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