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 .
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 11 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 6285069 B1.
Claim 11: A process of using the '069 device constitutes a method for securing a plurality of configurations 6 of optical fiber connectors into an adapter 2, the method comprising (see mainly figs. 1-2; a cleaning procedure is described at [0052]-[0057]):
receiving a first configuration 8 of optical fiber connector in a front side (i.e. in "second hole 13") of a main body of the adapter 2 (inserted state is shown in fig. 12);
in response to receiving the first configuration of optical fiber connector, securing the first configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter (by way of "holding structure 16" and attachment 4);
receiving a second configuration 7 of optical fiber connector in the front side of the main body (inserted state is shown in fig. 9); and
in response to receiving the second configuration of optical fiber connector, securing the second configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter (by way of "holding structure 16").
Claim 17: The first configuration 8 of optical fiber connector is a Lucent Connector (LC) configuration and the second configuration 7 of optical fiber connector is a Multi-fiber Push On (MPO) configuration (fig. 1, [0014]).
Claim 18: The method further comprises: guiding the first configuration of optical fiber connector into the main body using first alignment features (at least corners 73) on the main body of the adapter; and
guiding the second configuration 7 of optical fiber connector into the main body using second alignment features (at least "convex portions 72") on the main body.
Claim 19: The method further comprises receiving an instrument (at least "cleaning part 11" of cleaning tool 5) in an instrument receiving opening ("first hole 12") defined in a rear side of the main body that is opposite to the front side of the main body.
Claims 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 03/076999 A1.
Claim 11: A process of using the '999 device constitutes a method for securing a plurality of configurations of optical fiber connectors into an adapter 1, the method comprising (see mainly figs. 1-3 and 12-17):
receiving a first configuration of optical fiber connector (LC type plug 50) in a front side (at hole 10) of a main body of the adapter;
in response to receiving the first configuration of optical fiber connector, securing the first configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter (at least by engagement of "engagement projections 52d", mislabeled as 25d in fig. 17, with "engaging steps 30", [0033]);
receiving a second configuration of optical fiber connector (MU type plug 40) in the front side of the main body; and
in response to receiving the second configuration of optical fiber connector, securing the second configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter (at least by engagement of "engaging claws 25" with "engaging recesses 44" of plug 40, fig. 12, [0024] and [0032]).
Claim 12: The main body comprises a first snap fit arm ("elastic piece 25a", [0025]) and an opposing second snap fit arm 25a, and securing the second configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter comprises causing the first snap fit arm and the opposing second snap fit arm to secure the second configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter (the above-mentioned claws 25 are on respective free ends of arms 25a).
Claim 13: A distance between the first snap fit arm and the opposing second snap fit arm is greater than or equal to a width of the first configuration of optical fiber connector.
Claims 11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 6347889 B1.
Claim 11: A process of using the '889 device constitutes a method for securing a plurality of configurations of optical fiber connectors into an adapter 10, the method comprising (see mainly figs. 1-2):
receiving a first configuration of optical fiber connector 70 (the configuration shown in fig. 1) in a front side of a main body of the adapter (into bore 14);
in response to receiving the first configuration of optical fiber connector, securing the first configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter (by engagement of rib 74 with one of the slots 17);
receiving a second configuration of optical fiber connector (a configuration in which connector 70 is rotated 90 degrees from the position of fig. 1, note e.g. col. 3 lns. 9-13 and 26-28) in the front side of the main body; and
in response to receiving the second configuration of optical fiber connector, securing the second configuration of optical fiber connector in the adapter (by engagement of rib 74 with a different one of the slots 17).
Claim 18: The method further comprises guiding the first configuration of optical fiber connector into the main body using first alignment features (a pair of channels 13, which guide ridges 73 of the connector) on the main body of the adapter; and guiding the second configuration of optical fiber connector into the main body using second alignment features (a different pair of channels 13) on the main body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10 and 20 are allowed. Claims 14-16 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 11 and all applicable intervening claims.
As to claims 1, 14, and 20, US 2017/0097485 A1 is regarded as the closest prior art of record. '485 discloses an adapter including a slider body 700 which is movable by insertion of an optical fiber connector 400 into a main body 500 of the adapter (see mainly figs. 11-12). However, it appears that in '485 insertion of a connector merely moves the slider body to a new position within the main body and not "toward the main body" as recited. Furthermore the slider body of '485 is part of a shutter mechanism and does not appear to play any role in securing the connector in the adapter as recited.
Conclusion
The additional references listed on the attached 892 form generally disclose other examples of adapters which can receive dissimilar connectors.
Contact Information
Examiner: 571-272-2360
Examiner's direct supervisor: 571-272-2397
Official correspondence by fax: 571-273-8300
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Should you have questions about Patent Center, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/Michael Stahl/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
Prosecution Insights