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 .
Specification Objections
The specification is objected to for the following issues:
At [0020] line 2, "code" should be replaced with "core".
At [0029] line 1, "multi-code" should be replaced with "multi-core".
At [0080] line 5, "single-code" should be replaced with "single-core".
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because it is missing "gradient-index" before "lens" in line 10.
Claim 10 is objected to because it recites "multi-code" instead of "multi-core" in line 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 6 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 6 is indefinite because it appears to contradict ancestor claim 5. Claim 5 recites that the first and second microlensed ends are coupled directly at an input and output of the gradient-index lens. Thus there would be no intervening optical component as set forth in claim 6. Presumably claim 6 should be amended to depend directly from claim 1.
Claims 8 and 9 are indefinite because there is insufficient antecedent basis for "the other" as recited in line 5 of each claim. No "other" is mentioned earlier in either the claim. Even if it is assumed that "the other" intends to refer to another instance of a hand, based on "on one hand" in line 3, there is nothing in the claim which establishes that there are only two hands. It appears that ", on one hand" should be deleted from line 3 of each claim and ", on the other" should be deleted from line 5 of each claim.
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 1-2, 4-5, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 104536100 A (already made of record via information disclosure statement).
Claim 1: '100 discloses a coupling system between a multi-core optical fiber and a set of at least one single-core optical fiber, wherein each single-core fiber of said set is coupled with a separate core of the multi-core fiber comprising an end, said coupling system comprising (see mainly figs. 5 and 3):
a gradient-index lens 521 (see also 321 in fig. 3), positioned between said multi-core fiber 510 (see also 310 in fig. 3) and said at least one single-core fiber 530 (see also 330 in fig. 2);
a first gradient-index fiber section 520 coupled at the end of the multi-core fiber 510 to form a first microlensed end (according to '100, the difference between fig. 5 and fig. 3 is replacement of 320 with 520); and
for at least one single-core fiber of said set, a second gradient-index fiber section 532 (see also 332 in fig. 3) coupled at the end of the multi-core fiber to form a second microlensed end, wherein said first and second microlensed ends are coupled on either side of said gradient-index lens 521 with a radial offset of one relative to the other defined according to a core parameter d of the multi-core fiber 510 ([0035]).
Claim 2: The radial offset of a single-core fiber is defined by a distance h, the distance h being defined as follows: h=e×n1×g1/(n2×g2) wherein: e is a core parameter, defined as being the radial distance between a central axis of the multi-core fiber and an axis of the core of the multi-core fiber with which said single-core fiber is coupled; n1 is a refractive index at the center of said first gradient-index fiber section; g1 is a quadratic coefficient of said first gradient-index fiber section; n2 is a refractive index at the center of said gradient-index lens; and g2 is a quadratic coefficient of said gradient-index lens ([0035]).
Claim 4: The cores of the multi-core optical fiber and the set of at least one single-core optical fiber are of single-mode type ([0021], [0038], [0045], etc.).
Claim 5: The first and second microlensed ends are coupled directly at an input and output of said gradient-index lens (fig. 5).
Claim 10: The process of manufacturing the '100 device described above with regard to claim 1 constitutes a method for coupling a multi-[[code]]core optical fiber and a set of at least one single-core optical fiber, wherein the method comprises:
welding ([0047]) a first gradient-index fiber section at an end of a multi-core fiber to form a first microlensed end;
for at least one single-core fiber of said set, welding ([0028], [0049]) a second gradient-index fiber section at the end of the multi-core fiber to form a second microlensed end;
mechanically assembling said first microlensed end of said multi-core fiber with a first interface of a gradient-index lens; and
mechanically assembling said second microlensed end of said single-core fiber with a second interface of said gradient-index lens, with a radial offset relative to the first microlensed end, defined according to a core parameter of the multi-core fiber.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 6-9 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 base claim 1 (and for claims 6 and 8-9, if the rewriting avoids the indefiniteness issues mentioned above).
Conclusion
The references listed on the attached 892 form generally disclose other examples of coupling systems.
Contact Information
Examiner: 571-272-2360
Examiner's direct supervisor: 571-272-2397
Official correspondence by fax: 571-273-8300
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/Michael Stahl/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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