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 .
Drawings
Four (4) sheets of drawings were filed on July 11, 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 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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung et al. (US 2018/0003908 A1), hereafter Jung, in view of Wu (US 2013/0107265 A1).
Regarding claims 1-3 and 7; Jung discloses an optical sub-assembly (see Figure 1), comprising:
a sending/receiving unit (see Figure 1), including
a main body (case 100),
an upstream transmitter (optical transmitter 300),
an isolator (isolator 520),
a first filter (first optical filter 510),
a second filter (second optical fiber 530), and
a downstream receiver (optical receiver 400), and
the first filter (510) arranged inside the main body (100) and arranged relative to the second filter (530) and adjacent to the isolator (520); and
a plug-in unit (receptacle 200), including
a housing (first holder 230),
a fiber stub (stub 210),
a sleeve (sleeve 240),
a stopper (second holder 250),
wherein, fiber (optical fiber 211) passes through the fiber stub (210) and has a light outlet (light emitting end of fiber 211);
wherein the first filter (510) is arranged at a 45-degree angle with respect to the axis of the main body (100; see Figure 1 of Jung);
wherein the second filter (530) is parallel to the axis of the main body (100);
wherein the end face of the fiber stub is polished at an angle between 4 degrees and 8 degrees (see paragraph 58).
Jung does not disclose the optical sub-assembly with OTDR filter comprises the plug-in unit including an OTDR filter, wherein the OTDR filter is partially connected to the fiber stub and covers the light outlet; wherein the OTDR filter is installed inside the plug-in unit and reflects a specific wavelength emitted by the OTDR to detect signals from an optical fiber.
Wu teaches that an OTDR light reflection structure may be provided with an optical sub-assembly for measuring quality of the optical fiber and detecting failures (see the title, abstract and paragraph 4), wherein an OTDR filter (light reflection filter 22; see Figure 4) is included in a plug-in unit (light guide unit 34), wherein the OTDR filter (22) is partially connected to the fiber stub (ferrule 341, wherein retainer member 21 provides the partial connection of the stub 341 to edges of the filter 22) and covers the light output (see Figure 4), and wherein the OTDR filter (22) is installed inside the plug-in unit (the retainer member 21 forming part of the plug-in unit that the filter 22 is installed in) and reflects a specific wavelength (λ3) emitted by the OTDR (50) to detect signals from an optical fiber (see Figure 4).
Thus, before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to further provide the optical sub-assembly of Jung with an OTDR filter, wherein the plug-in unit of Jung is modified to include an OTDR filter, wherein the OTDR filter is partially connected to the fiber stub and covers the light outlet; wherein the OTDR filter is installed inside the plug-in unit and reflects a specific wavelength emitted by the OTDR to detect signals from an optical fiber for the purpose of measuring quality of the optical fiber and detecting failures with an OTDR light reflection structure as suggested by the teachings of Wu.
Regarding claim 4; Jung and Wu teach and/or suggest the optical sub-assembly with OTDR filter of claim 1 as applied above, but fail to specify that the housing (case 100 of Jung) is made of metal. The examiner takes Official notice that optical module housings are known to be formed of metal in the art for the purpose of providing a rigid housing. Before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to form the housing (case 100 of Jung) from any commonly used material to form housings, including metal, for the purpose of providing a solid housing to protect the elements therein, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claim 5; Jung and Wu teach and/or suggest the optical sub-assembly with OTDR filter of claim 1 as applied above, but fail to specify that the OTDR filter is made of optical glass. The examiner takes Official notice that optical wavelength filters are routinely formed of thin film coatings on glass substrates. Before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to form the OTDR filter of an optical glass substrate having a thin film coating thereon, thereby providing an OTDR filter made of optical glass, for the purpose of forming the filter from standard materials commonly used to form filters in the art, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claim 6; Jung and Wu teach and/or suggest the optical sub-assembly with OTDR filter of claim 1 as applied above, but fail to specify that the size of the OTDR filter is 1.4 mm x 0.6 mm x 0.1 mm. Wu does not disclose the size of the OTDR filter, however, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to appropriately size the OTDR filter to be coupled to the end of the ferrule (stub) by providing any size on scale with the ferrule, including 1.4 mm x 0.6 mm x 0.1 mm, since no novel or unexpected results would appear to occur from resizing the OTDR filter to fit a desired ferrule, and since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component and it has been held that a change in size is generally recognized in as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955)) and that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims is a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device is not patentably distinct from the prior art device (In re Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984)).
Regarding claim 8; Jung and Wu teach and/or suggest the optical sub-assembly with OTDR filter of claim 1 as applied above, wherein the first side surface of the OTDR filter faces the light outlet (Wu teaches that a first side surface of OTDR filter 22 faces the light outlet), and wherein the OTDR filter comprises a reflective coating layer (thin film coating) as discussed above with respect to claim 5. It would further have been to a person of ordinary skill in the art to face the side surface of the OTDR with the reflective coating towards the light outlet of the fiber for the purpose of providing protection to the reflective coating when the filter is attached to the plug-in unit and prevent damage to the reflecting coating during insertion of the plug-in unit.
Regarding claim 9; the examiner notes that the material of the reflective coating layer, which is on the first side surface of the OTDR filter as discussed above, layer must inherently be either a pure material or a composite material.
Claims 10-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung et al. (US 2018/0003908 A1), hereafter Jung, in view of Wu (US 2013/0107265 A1), Takagi et al. (US 2004/0136662 A1), hereafter Takaji, and Tan et al. (US 2004/0208601 A1), hereafter Tan.
Regarding claims 10-12, 14, and 17; as applied to claims 1-3 and 7 above, Jung and Wu at least teach and/or suggest a method of assembling an optical sub-assembly (see Figure 1 of Jung), comprising:
setting a first filter (510), a second filter (530), and an isolator (520) on a main body (100);
combining an upstream transmitter (300) with the main body (100) through laser welding (see paragraphs 50 and 92; the examiner notes that laser welding is well known for attachment in the optical module arts and considered within the level of ordinary skill in the art since no novel or unexpected advantages would appear to arise for conventional laser welding);
pressing a fiber stub (210) into a housing (230) and inserting a sleeve (240), then using a stopper (250) to prevent the sleeve (240) from moving;
adhering an OTDR filter (OTDR filter 22 suggested by the teachings of Wu; see the rejection of claim 1 above; Wu teaches that a bonding material may adhere the filter 22; see paragraph 15 of Wu) to the fiber stub (stub 210 of Jung) to obtain a plug-in unit (plug in unit 200 of Jung with an OTDR filter attached thereto);
coupling the plug-in unit (100) to the main body (100); and
inserting a downstream receiver (400) into the main body (100) for optical coupling;
wherein the OTDR filter (22 suggested by the teachings of Wu) can reflect a specific wavelength emitted by the OTDR (50; suggested by the teachings of Wu) to detect signals from an optical fiber;
wherein the first filter (510) is arranged at a 45-degree angle with respect to the axis of the main body (100; see Figure 1 of Jung);
wherein the second filter (530) is parallel to the axis of the main body (100);
wherein the OTDR filter (22 of Wu) is partially connected to the fiber stub (ferrule 341, wherein retainer member 21 provides the partial connection of the stub 341 to edges of the filter 22) and covers the light output (see Figure 4 of Wu);
wherein the end face of the fiber stub is polished at an angle between 4 degrees and 8 degrees (see paragraph 58).
Jung and Wu do not specifically disclose coupling the plug-in unit to the main body using a z-axis ring with laser welding when the coupling light reaches the target optical power, or after inserting the downstream receiver, filling any gaps with glue and curing for bonding.
Takagi teaches that a z-axis ring (64) with laser welding, which inherently requires reaching a required temperature for the hermetic glass in the ring, may be used to provide a hermetic seal for optical module plug in units (see paragraph 49). Thus, before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to couple the plug-in unit to the main body using a z-axis ring with laser welding when the coupling light reaches the target optical power for the purpose of providing a hermetic seal to protect the elements within the main body.
Tan teaches that light receivers may be attached to housings with epoxy or glue for a low cost assembly method (see paragraph 46). Thus, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to insert the downstream receiver of Jung into the housing and to fill any gaps with glue (epoxy or glue) and cure the glue (epoxy or glue) for bonding with a low cost method.
Regarding claim 13; Jung, Wu, Takagi, and Tan teach and/or suggest the method of claims 10 and 11 as applied above, but fail to specify that the housing (case 100 of Jung) is made of metal. The examiner takes Official notice that optical module housings are known to be formed of metal in the art for the purpose of providing a rigid housing. Before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to form the housing (case 100 of Jung) from any commonly used material to form housings, including metal, for the purpose of providing a solid housing to protect the elements therein, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claim 15; Jung, Wu, Takagi, and Tan teach and/or suggest the method of claims 10 and 11 as applied above, but fail to specify that the OTDR filter is made of optical glass. The examiner takes Official notice that optical wavelength filters are routinely formed of thin film coatings on glass substrates. Before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to form the OTDR filter of an optical glass substrate having a thin film coating thereon, thereby providing an OTDR filter made of optical glass, for the purpose of forming the filter from standard materials commonly used to form filters in the art, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claim 16; Jung, Wu, Takagi, and Tan teach and/or suggest the method of claims 10 and 11 as applied above, but fail to specify that the size of the OTDR filter is 1.4 mm x 0.6 mm x 0.1 mm. Wu does not disclose the size of the OTDR filter, however, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to appropriately size the OTDR filter to be coupled to the end of the ferrule (stub) by providing any size on scale with the ferrule, including 1.4 mm x 0.6 mm x 0.1 mm, since no novel or unexpected results would appear to occur from resizing the OTDR filter to fit a desired ferrule, and since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component and it has been held that a change in size is generally recognized in as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955)) and that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims is a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device is not patentably distinct from the prior art device (In re Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984)).
Regarding claim 18; Jung, Wu, Takagi, and Tan teach and/or suggest the method of claims 10 and 11 as applied above, wherein the first side surface of the OTDR filter faces the light outlet (Wu teaches that a first side surface of OTDR filter 22 faces the light outlet), and wherein the OTDR filter comprises a reflective coating layer (thin film coating) as discussed above with respect to claim 5. It would further have been to a person of ordinary skill in the art to face the side surface of the OTDR with the reflective coating towards the light outlet of the fiber for the purpose of providing protection to the reflective coating when the filter is attached to the plug-in unit and prevent damage to the reflecting coating during insertion of the plug-in unit.
Regarding claims 19 and 20; The examiner takes Official notice that anti-reflection coatings are known to be provided on optical filters for the purpose of minimizing back-reflections and scattering of light to mitigate loss and unwanted interference thereby improving optical coupling efficient. Before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to further provide the second side surface of the OTDR filter is coated with an anti-reflection layer, wherein the anti-reflection layer is partially or completely coated on the second side surface of the OTDR filter, since these are the only two options, for the purpose of minimizing back-reflections and loss due to scattering.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE R CONNELLY whose telephone number is (571)272-2345. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MICHELLE R CONNELLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
Prosecution Insights