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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-6, in the reply filed on 04-29-2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 7-9 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04-29-2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 5, “an optical fiber base material” should be --the optical fiber base material-- since the limitation has already been recited in lines 2 and 3. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: In lines 5-6, “a gas containing helium gas” should be --the gas containing helium gas-- since the limitation has already been recited in line 3. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 8, “wherein drawing” should be --wherein the drawing-- since drawing has already been recited in claim 1. 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 and 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nagayama ‘840 (US 6,928,840 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Nagayama ‘840 teaches:
in a drawing furnace (drawing apparatus 1/101/201), heating and melting an optical fiber base material and drawing the optical fiber base material to form a glass fiber (optical fiber preform 2, optical fiber 3; column 4, lines 58-62)
the drawing furnace includes:
a heating furnace configured to heat and melt the optical fiber base material (drawing furnace 11 with heater 12; column 4, lines 58-62)
a lower extension tube provided at a lower end of the heating furnace and through which the glass fiber passes (muffle tube extension 16, and optionally including buffer chambers/cells 41/42/45/141/241/242/245; Figs. 1-3)
the lower extension tube has a fiber outlet from which the glass fiber comes out (open bottom portion of muffle tube extension 16 or of 41; buffer chamber/cell 41/42/45/141/241/242/245, with glass fiber optical 3 coming out therefrom; Figs. 1-3)
drawing is performed while the fiber outlet is covered in an atmosphere with a dew point temperature of 10°C or lower (“He gas”, column 4, line 62-column 5, line 3; “N2 or Ar”, column 5, lines 4-21; column 5, line 66-column 6, line 5; column 6, lines 33-41; column 7, lines 33-39; column 8, lines 16-41; column 8, line 61-column 9, line 5 - wherein the lower extension tube is filled with He and/or N2 and/or Ar, all of which have a dew point temperature of 10°C or lower, such that the fiber outlet is covered in an atmosphere with a dew point temperature of 10°C or lower).
Regarding claim 4, Nagayama ‘840 further teaches an inert gas is supplied around the fiber outlet (column 5, lines 14-21; column 6, lines 37-41; column 7, lines 33-36; column 8, lines 17-41; column 8, line 61-column 9, line 5).
Regarding claim 5, Nagayama ‘840 further teaches an inert gas is supplied into a booth surrounding the fiber outlet (protecting tube 21 which surrounds the fiber outlet of buffer chamber 14, or buffer chamber 41 which surrounds the fiber outlet of muffle tube extension 16, or second buffer cell 45 which surrounds the fiber outlet of first buffer cell 42, Fig. 1, column 5, lines 17-20, column 6, lines 33-41; or buffer chamber 141 which surrounds the fiber outlet of muffle tube extension 16, Fig. 2, column 7, lines 33-36; or buffer chamber 241 which surrounds the fiber outlet of muffle tube extension 16, or second buffer cell 245 which surrounds the fiber outlet of first buffer cell 242, Fig. 3; column 8, lines 16-26, 34-39).
Regarding claim 6, Nagayama ‘840 further teaches the booth has a first side surface and a second side surface facing the first side surface, and wherein the inert gas is supplied from the first side surface and is discharged from the second side surface (inert gas is supplied from inlet duct 143 and discharged from outlet duct 144 in buffer chamber 141, Fig. 2, column 7, lines 33-39, 47-48; or inert gas is supplied from inlet duct 247 and discharged from outlet duct 248 in buffer chamber 241/second buffer cell 245, Fig. 3, column 8, lines 36-41). It is also noted that Nagayama ‘840 indicates that other ducts and holes may be used for supplying inert gas, and which ducts and holes are arranged on surfaces facing surfaces with discharge ducts and holes (column 6, lines 33-41).
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.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagayama ‘840 (US 6,928,840 B1) in view of Chludzinski ‘376 (US 5,890,376).
Regarding claim 2, Nagayama ‘840 further teaches:
the heating furnace has a gas inlet through which a gas containing helium gas is introduced into the heating furnace (gas supply path 15 with He gas supply unit 14, Figs. 1-3; column 4, lines 62-66)
the lower extension tube has a gas suction opening through with the gas containing helium gas in the lower extension tube is sucked out and discharged to the outside of the lower extension tube (outlet holes 44, outlet ducts 47, outlet duct 144, outlet holes 244, and/or outlet duct 248; column 6, lines 6-16; column 7, lines 36-39; column 8, lines 29-33, 40-41).
Nagayama ‘840 is silent regarding drawing being performed while the gas containing helium gas discharged from the gas suction opening is regenerated for reuse. In analogous art of optical fiber manufacturing processes, Chludzinski ‘376 suggests collecting a gas containing helium gas discharged from an optical fiber manufacturing apparatus and regenerating the gas for reuse for the benefit of saving helium and reducing costs (Abstract; column 1, lines 9-27, 44-67). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Nagayama ‘840 to regenerate for reuse the gas containing helium gas discharged from the gas suction opening for the benefit of saving helium and reducing costs, as suggested by Chludzinski ‘376. In the combination of Nagayama ‘840 and Chludzinski ‘376, it would further have been obvious to perform the drawing while the gas is regenerated for reuse in order to continuously provide helium to the drawing process (Nagayama ‘840 - column 4, lines 62-67).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagayama ‘840 (US 6,928,840 B1).
Regarding claim 3, Nagayama ‘840 further teaches a temperature of the glass fiber coming out from the fiber outlet is 1300°C or more and 1700°C or less (column 6, lines 47-67 - wherein it has been held that in the case wherein the claimed ranges overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art, a prima facie case of obviousness exists; see MPEP 2144.05).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Drawing furnaces with various extension tubes and gas flow apparatus:
US 7,876,990 B1 (Mishra)
US 6,192,715 B1 (Orita)
US 4,407,666 (Briere)
US 2023/0212057 A1 (Mukasa)
US 2007/0022786 A1 (Foster)
US 2003/0041628 A1 (Bird)
JP 2006-240930 A1 (Shirosawa)
JP 2645716 B2
JP H08-119661 A (Shirako)
JP H05-105472 A (Fujimura)
JP S59-217641 A (Hara)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Erin Snelting whose telephone number is (571)272-7169. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 5:00.
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, Alison Hindenlang can be reached at (571) 270-7001. 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.
/ERIN SNELTING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1741
Prosecution Insights