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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Re claim 3, line 2: replace “a abutting surface” with -- an abutting surface --.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Konishi (US 20150247984 A1).
Re claim 1, Konishi discloses a ferrule (40) that is connected to a receptacle (200) fixed to an optical integrated circuit (50 and 100 mounted on 22; figs. 1-2, [0028]), the ferrule comprising: a fiber hole (H7-8) into which an optical fiber is to be inserted (fig. 9); a light-emitting surface (44, 48; fig. 10) from which light that has passed through the optical fiber is to be emitted (fig. 7); and a longitudinal reference surface configured to determine a position of the ferrule with respect to the receptacle in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber (fig. 1), wherein the longitudinal reference surface is positioned between a center line passing through a center position of the ferrule in the longitudinal direction and the light-emitting surface (fig. 7).
Re claim 2, Konishi discloses the ferrule according to Claim 1, further comprising: a lens (44, 48; fig. 10) disposed at a position overlapping the fiber hole as viewed from the longitudinal direction, and the light-emitting surface is a surface of the lens (fig. 7).
Re claim 3, Konishi discloses the ferrule according to Claim 1, further comprising: a abutting surface (S14) against which the optical fiber is butted inside the fiber hole (H7-8), and the longitudinal reference surface is positioned between the light-emitting surface and the abutting surface in the longitudinal direction (figs. 9-10, [0081]-[0083]).
Re claim 5, Konishi discloses an optical connection structure comprising: the ferrule according to Claim 1; the receptacle (200; fig. 4); and a holding member (30) configured to hold a state in which the ferrule and the receptacle are positioned, wherein the ferrule (40) includes a pressure-receiving surface configured to receive a biasing force (from 32a-d) in a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction (fig. 8; [0057] and [0059]), and a sliding surface that is disposed away from the pressure-receiving surface and slides on the receptacle, the holding member (30) has a biasing portion (32a-d) that applies the biasing force to the pressure- receiving surface, the receptacle has a receptacle-side sliding surface that slides on the sliding surface (fig. 5), a recessed portion (G1-2) into which a part of the ferrule is allowed to enter is formed in the receptacle-side sliding surface (figs. 1 and 5), and in a case where a direction in which light is emitted from the light-emitting surface in the longitudinal direction is defined as a front side, an inclined surface (32a-d) that is inclined to be closer to the receptacle-side sliding surface toward the front side is formed on an inner side of the recessed portion (fig. 8; [0057] and [0059]).
Re claim 6, Konishi discloses the optical connection structure according to Claim 5, wherein the receptacle-side sliding surface is divided in the longitudinal direction by the recessed portion (G1-2; figs. 1 and 5).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Konishi in view of Nakama et al. (US 10768380 B2).
Re claim 4, Konishi discloses the ferrule according to Claim 1, but fails to teach the ferrule further comprising: a dustproof wall configured to protrude from the longitudinal reference surface to surround the light-emitting surface.
Nakama et al. teaches a ferrule comprising: a fiber hole (201A) into which an optical fiber is to be inserted (fig. 11); a light-emitting surface (207) from which light that has passed through the optical fiber is to be emitted; an abutting surface (217) against which the optical fiber is butted inside the fiber hole (fig. 11); module (203A) including a function as an optical shutter protecting lens (207) from dust (col. 17, line 38 through col. 18, line 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a dust cap of Nakama et al. in the ferrule of Konishi to protect the lens and optical path from dust, thereby reduce transmission loss of an optical signal (col. 17, lines 47-49).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ohta et al. (US 9063304 B2) discloses a ferrule having a fiber hole, a lens, and an abutting surface.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Uyen-Chau N. Le whose telephone number is (571)272-2397. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kiesha R. Bryant can be reached at (571) 272-3606. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/UYEN CHAU N LE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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