CTNF 18/834,443 CTNF 89605 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. The claims filed on 07/30/2024 are entered and acknowledge. Claims 3 and 5 have been amended. Claims 1-5 are currently pending in the instant application. Drawings The drawings filed on 07/30/2024 have been considered. Information Disclosure Statement 06-52 The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on 07/30/2024 and 12/03/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. 07-30-03-h AIA Claim Interpretation 07-30-03 AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f): (f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph: An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. 07-30-05 The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked. As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph: (A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function; (B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and (C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function. Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-12-aia AIA (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention 07-15-03-aia AIA Claim s 1-2 and 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al Pub. No.: (US 2021/0336715 A1) (hereinafter “Kim”) . With respect to claim 1: Kim discloses an optical communication system having an aggregate station at a head and a plurality of extension stations connected in series (ROU 1 and ROU 2 in series to a MHU [Fig. 3]), wherein each of the plurality of extension stations demultiplexes a signal received from upstream-side equipment into a first demultiplexed signal having a locally allocated wavelength and a second demultiplexed signal having another wavelength and transmits the second demultiplexed signal to downstream-side equipment (the first ROU performs demultiplexing on the multiplexed downlink signal received from the MHU and output a part of the plurality of downlink signals DL1 and DL2. The first ROU transmit a multiplexed downlink signal to the second ROU. The second ROU performs demultiplexing on the multiplexed downlink signal received from the first ROU and output other part of the plurality of downlink signals DL3 and DL4. The first ROU transmit a multiplex downlink signal to the second ROU through a second optical cable [0056-0064], [Fig. 3]), and wherein each of the plurality of extension stations multiplexes a signal received from the downstream-side equipment and a locally processed signal and transmits a multiplexing result to the upstream-side equipment (the first ROU performs wavelength division multiplexing on a plurality of uplink signals UL1 and UL2 and transmit the multiplexed uplink signal to the MHU 100. The second ROU performs wavelength division multiplexing on uplink signal UL3 and UL4 and transmit the multiplexed uplink signal to the MHU through the first and second optical cables. The second ROU 210 transmit a multiplexed uplink signal to the first ROU 200. The MHU may receive the multiplexed uplink signal from the first of second ROU through the optical cable [0056-0064], [Fig. 3]). With respect to claim 2: Kim discloses the optical communication system according to claim 1 as set forth above. Kim discloses wherein the extension station transmits a signal obtained by multiplexing the signal received from the downstream-side equipment and the locally processed signal to the upstream-side equipment via a transmission path through which the signal received from the upstream-side equipment has been transmitted, and wherein the extension station transmits the second demultiplexed signal to the downstream-side equipment via a transmission path through which the signal received from the downstream-side equipment has been transmitted (ROU 200 transmits UL1-4 through a first optical cable (transmission path which the signal received from the upstream device is transferred) to the MHU 100 and transmits DL3, DL4 through a second optical cable (transmission path which the signal received from the downstream device is transferred) to ROU 210 [0056-0064], [Fig. 3]). With respect to claim 4, they do not teach or further define over the limitations in claim 1, respectively. Therefore claim 4 is rejected for the same reasons as set forth in claim 1. With respect to claim 5, they do not teach or further define over the limitations in claim 1, respectively. Therefore claim 5 is rejected for the same reasons as set forth in claim 1 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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 of this title, 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. 07-23-aia AIA The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co. , 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. 07-21-aia AIA Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al Pub. No.: (US 2021/0336715 A1) (hereinafter “Kim”) as applied to claims 1-2 and 4-5 above, further in view of in view of Okada (JP 2003338793 A, filed 5/20/2002, PE2E Machine Translation provided with the office action mailed June 2026; hereinafter Okada) . With respect to claim 3: Kim discloses the optical communication system according to claim 2 as set forth above, wherein the extension station includes; demultiplex the received signal into the first demultiplexed signal having the locally allocated wavelength and the second demultiplexed signal having the other wavelength (the first ROU performs demultiplexing on the multiplexed downlink signal received from the MHU and output a part of the plurality of downlink signals DL1 and DL2. The first ROU transmit a multiplexed downlink signal to the second ROU. The second ROU performs demultiplexing on the multiplexed downlink signal received from the first ROU and output other part of the plurality of downlink signals DL3 and DL4. The first ROU transmit a multiplex downlink signal to the second ROU through a second optical cable [0056-0064], [Fig. 3]); multiplex the signal received from the downstream-side equipment and the locally processed signal (the first ROU performs wavelength division multiplexing on a plurality of uplink signals UL1 and UL2 and transmit the multiplexed uplink signal to the MHU 100. The second ROU performs wavelength division multiplexing on uplink signal UL3 and UL4 and transmit the multiplexed uplink signal to the MHU through the first and second optical cables. The second ROU 210 transmit a multiplexed uplink signal to the first ROU 200. The MHU may receive the multiplexed uplink signal from the first of second ROU through the optical cable [0056-0064], [Fig. 3]); transmit the signal received from the upstream-side equipment to the demultiplexer and transmit a signal obtained in a multiplexing process received from the multiplexer to the upstream-side equipment (ROU 200 transmits UL1-4 through a first optical cable (transmission path which the signal received from the upstream device is transferred) to the MHU 100 and transmits DL3, DL4 through a second optical cable (transmission path which the signal received from the downstream device is transferred) to ROU 210 [0056-0064], [Fig. 3]); and transmit the second demultiplexed signal received from the demultiplexer to the downstream-side equipment and transmit the signal received from the downstream-side equipment to the multiplexer (ROU 200 transmits UL1-4 through a first optical cable (transmission path which the signal received from the upstream device is transferred) to the MHU 100 and transmits DL3, DL4 through a second optical cable (transmission path which the signal received from the downstream device is transferred) to ROU 210 [0056-0064], [Fig. 3]); However, Kim does not explicitly disclose a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex the received signal, a multiplexer configured to multiplex the signal, an upstream-side circulator configured to transmit the signal, a downstream-side circulator configured to transmit the second demultiplexed signal; Okada discloses a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex the received signal, a multiplexer configured to multiplex the signal, an upstream-side circulator configured to transmit the signal, a downstream-side circulator configured to transmit the second demultiplexed signal (a repeater being provided with demultiplexers 53, 55, multiplexers 57, 59, upstream circulator 49, and downstream circulator 47 [Pages 5-7]); Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim in view of Okada in order to have a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex the received signal, a multiplexer configured to multiplex the signal, an upstream-side circulator configured to transmit the signal, a downstream-side circulator configured to transmit the second demultiplexed signal; One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because it would improve flexibility of system configurations [Okada: 0007] . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Igarashi et al. Pub. No.: (US 2022/0368427 A1). The subject matter disclosed therein is pertinent to that of claims 1-5 (e.g., Optical receiving apparatus, optical transmission system, optical transmission method and computer program). Mazur et al. Pub. No.: (US 2022/0286201 A1). The subject matter disclosed therein is pertinent to that of claims 1-5 (e.g., Detection of ambient disturbances using dispersive delays in optical fibers). Wu et al. Pub. No.: (US 2021/0021345 A1). The subject matter disclosed therein is pertinent to that of claims 1-5 (e.g., System and method for fiber-optic time, frequency and data joint transmission). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAO DUC DUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2350. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9-5. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Gillis can be reached on (571)272-7952. 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. /T. D./ Examiner, Art Unit 2446 /MICHAEL A KELLER/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 2 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 3 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 4 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 5 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 6 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 7 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 8 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 9 Art Unit: 2446 Application/Control Number: 18/834,443 Page 10 Art Unit: 2446
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