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 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 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.
Claims 1,2,6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oh(US 2017/0244218) in view of Sahni et al.(US 2017/0329080).
Considering Claim 1 Oh discloses an optical detection device comprising: a light-receiving waveguide connected to a first input waveguide input with a first optical signal and a second input waveguide input with a second optical signal(See Paragraph 81,fig. 7 i.e. a light-receiving waveguide(238) connected to a first input waveguide(236) input with a first optical signal(reference light) and a second input waveguide(237) input with a second optical signal(sensing light)); and a light-receiving unit configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of a signal obtained by combining the first optical signal and the second optical signal input to the light-receiving waveguide(See Paragraph 80-82,fig. 7 i.e. a light-receiving unit(232,210) configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of a signal obtained by combining the first optical signal and the second optical signal input to the light-receiving waveguide(238)), wherein the light-receiving unit is configured to reduce an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction from a first direction in which the first optical signal propagates in the first input waveguide, and an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction((See Paragraph 82,fig. 7 i.e. wherein the light-receiving unit(232,210) is configured to reduce an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction(back reflection) from a first direction in which the first optical signal propagates in the first input waveguide(236) using an anti-reflective film(232)), and an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction(reduce the intensity by preventing back reflection using the anti-reflective film(232))).
Oh does not explicitly disclose the first optical signal and the second optical signal propagates in opposite direction.
Sahni teaches the first optical signal and the second optical signal propagates in opposite direction (See Paragraph 50,51,43,fig. 5 i.e. a light-receiving waveguide(503) connected to a first input waveguide(505a) input with a first optical signal(light In 1) and a second input waveguide(505b) input with a second optical signal(light In 2), the first optical signal(light In 1) and the second optical signal(light In 1) propagates in opposite direction).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Oh, and have the first optical signal and the second optical signal to propagate in opposite direction, as taught by Sahni, thus providing an efficient transmission system by optimizing network capacity using bidirectional transmission.
Considering Claim 2 Oh and Sahni disclose the optical detection device according to claim 1, wherein the light-receiving waveguide is a multimode interference type waveguide(See Sahni: Paragraph 20 i.e. the light-receiving waveguide is a multimode interference type waveguide(multi-mode waveguides)).
Considering Claim 6 Oh and Sahni disclose the optical detection device according to claim 1, wherein the first direction and the second direction are approximately parallel to each other (See Sahni: fig. 5 i.e. wherein the first direction(Light In 1) and the second direction(Light In 1) are approximately parallel to each other).
Considering Claim 7 Oh and Sahni disclose the optical detection device according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the first direction and the second direction lies within a prescribed range including 90 degrees(See Oh: Paragraph 81, fig. 7 i.e. wherein an angle between the first direction(236) and the second direction(237) lies within a prescribed angle(Y-coupler)).
Oh and Sahni do not explicitly disclose the optical detection device according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the first direction and the second direction lies within a prescribed range including 90 degrees.
However, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified Oh and Sahni such that the angle between the first direction and the second direction to lie within a prescribed range including 90 degrees or any angle to reduce back reflection because such a modification would have been considered a mere design consideration which fails to patentably distinguish over Oh and Sahni.
Considering Claim 8 Oh and Sahni disclose the optical detection device according to claim 1, wherein the light-receiving unit has a first surface located at a side in the first direction and a second surface located at a side in the second direction, at least part of the first surface includes a surface having a normal direction that is not parallel to the first direction, and at least part of the second surface includes a surface having a normal direction that is not parallel to the second direction(See Sahni: fig. 2 i.e. the light-receiving unit(201) has a first surface located at a side in the first direction(205a) and a second surface located at a side in the second direction(205b), at least part of the first surface includes a surface having a normal direction that is not parallel to the first direction(205a), and at least part of the second surface includes a surface having a normal direction that is not parallel to the second direction(205b)).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Kamei et al.( JP 2018/040946: Submitted as an IDS) in view of Oh(US 2017/0244218).
Considering Claim 9 Kamei disclose an optical receiver comprising: an optical circuit configured to separate an input optical signal into a first optical signal propagating in a TE mode and a second optical signal propagating in a TM mode(See Paragraph 161,165, fig. 29 i.e. an optical circuit which is a polarization beam splitter(4207) configured to separate an input optical signal into a first optical signal propagating in a TE mode and a second optical signal propagating in a TM mode); and an optical detection device configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of the first optical signal and the second optical signal input from the optical circuit(See Paragraph 161,165, fig. 29 i.e. an optical detection device(4217) configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of the first optical signal(TE) and the second optical signal(TM) input from the optical circuit(4207)); a light-receiving waveguide connected to a first input waveguide to which the first optical signal is input and a second input waveguide to which the second optical signal is input(See Paragraph 168,169,fig. 30 i.e. a light-receiving waveguide(4303) connected to a first input waveguide(4301) input with a first optical signal and a second input waveguide(4302) input with a second optical signal); and a light-receiving unit configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of a signal obtained by combining the first optical signal and the second optical signal input to the light-receiving waveguide(See Paragraph 168-170,fig. 29,30 i.e. a light-receiving unit(4305 of fig. 30 or 4217 of fig. 29) configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of a signal obtained by combining(using optical merging unit(4216 of fig. 29 or 4303 of fig. 30) the first optical signal(received via the first waveguide(4301 of fig. 30)) and the second optical signal(received via the second waveguide(4302 of fig. 30)) input to the light-receiving waveguide(4303 of fig. 30)), wherein the first optical signal and the second optical signal propagates in opposite direction(See Paragraph 4850,fig. 9 i.e. the first optical signal(TM) output from the polarization rotator(108) and the second optical signal(TE) propagates to the light-receiving waveguide(109) in opposite direction).
Kamei does not explicitly disclose wherein the light-receiving unit is configured to reduce an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction from a first direction in which the first optical signal propagates in the first input waveguide, and an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction
Oh teaches wherein the light-receiving unit is configured to reduce an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction from a first direction in which the first optical signal propagates in the first input waveguide, and an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction((See Paragraph 82,fig. 7 i.e. wherein the light-receiving unit(232,210) is configured to reduce an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction(back reflection) from a first direction in which the first optical signal propagates in the first input waveguide(236) using an anti-reflective film(232)), and an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction(reduce the intensity by preventing back reflection using the anti-reflective film(232))).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Kamei, and have the light-receiving unit to be configured to reduce an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction from a first direction in which the first optical signal propagates in the first input waveguide, and an intensity of an optical signal propagating in an opposite direction, as taught by Oh, thus improving transmission signal quality by minimizing noise by reducing back reflection using anti-reflection film.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 10-13 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 the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HIBRET A WOLDEKIDAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5145. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30.
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/HIBRET A WOLDEKIDAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2635
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