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 § 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) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hayashi (JP-2018021869 A).
Regarding claim 14, Hayashi discloses a method of measuring an optical characteristic of a multi-core optical fiber (paragraph 27) comprising: connecting a single-core optical fiber having a diameter equal to a diameter of the multi-core optical fiber and connected to a light source to a first end surface of the multi-core optical fiber, and connecting an optical fiber having a diameter equal to the diameter of the multi-core optical fiber and connected to a measuring instrument to a second end surface of the multi-core optical fiber (paragraphs 6, 28, 34-38, 45; Fig.5); and irradiating the first end surface with measurement light emitted from the light source via the single-core optical fiber, and measuring light emitted from the second end surface with the measuring instrument via the optical fiber (paragraphs 46-50), wherein, in the connecting, the single-core optical fiber is connected to the multi-core optical fiber such that a core of the single-core optical fiber covers an entire core of a measurement target of the multi-core optical fiber at the first end surface (paragraphs 37-38; Fig.2C).
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) 1-9 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimakawa et al (JP-2012008006 A) in view of Saito et al (JP-2013050695 A).
Regarding claim 13, Shimakawa et al discloses a device for measuring optical characteristics of a multi-core optical fiber comprising: a light source (2; paragraph 27) configured to make measurement light incident on a first end surface of the multi-core optical fiber (100; paragraphs 24, 27) via a first optical fiber (32; paragraphs 28, 30) having a diameter equal to a diameter of the multi-core optical fiber; a measuring instrument (5; paragraph 27) configured to measure light emitted from a second end surface of the multi-core optical fiber via a second optical fiber (42; paragraphs 28, 30) having a diameter equal to the diameter of the multi-core optical fiber; a second rotational fiber holder (34; paragraphs 28, 41) configured to hold the first optical fiber and rotationally align a first connection end surface of the first optical fiber to be connected to the multi-core optical fiber; a first connection portion (33; paragraphs 28, 37-41; Figs.7-8 (38, 48, 110), Fig.11) that connects, in an abutting state, the first end surface and the first connection end surface rotationally aligned by the second rotational fiber holder; and a second connection portion (43; paragraphs 28, 37-41; Figs.7-8 (38, 48, 110), Fig.11) that connects, in an abutting state, the second end surface of the multi-core optical fiber and the second optical fiber. While Shimakawa et al discloses the use of a rotation means (34) for rotating a first optical fiber (32) that is connected to the optical fiber under test, it doesn’t disclose the use of an additional rotation means that allows for the angular orientation of the optical fiber under test. However, it is well known in the art, as disclosed by Saito et al (paragraph 67), to provide the rotation of fibers at both mating ends in view of the desire to achieve exact angular alignment resulting in improving the optical performance of a fiber optic system.
Regarding claim 1, Shimakawa et al discloses a method of measuring an optical characteristic of a multi-core optical fiber (100) comprising: connecting a first optical fiber (32; paragraphs 28, 30) having a diameter equal to a diameter of the multi-core optical fiber and connected to a light source (2; paragraph 27) to a first end surface of the multi-core optical fiber (100; paragraphs 24, 27), and connecting a second optical fiber (42; paragraphs 28, 30) having a diameter equal to the diameter of the multi-core optical fiber and connected to a measuring instrument (5; paragraph 27) to a second end surface of the multi-core optical fiber; and irradiating the first end surface with measurement light emitted from the light source via the first optical fiber, and measuring light emitted from the second end surface with the measuring instrument via the second optical fiber (paragraph 27; Fig.1), wherein the connection includes holding the multi-core optical fiber (paragraphs 39-41; Figs.7-8, 11), holding the first optical fiber and aligning a rotation angle of a first connection end surface of the first optical fiber to be connected to the first end surface by using a second rotational fiber holder (paragraphs 39-41; Figs.7-8, 11), making the first rotational fiber holder and the second rotational fiber holder face each other (in view of Fig.11, this feature is inherently disclosed to achieve butt-coupling), and butt-coupling the aligned first end surface and the aligned first connection end surface (Fig.11 shows multi-core fiber under test 100 being butt-coupled to fibers 32, 42 after angular alignment by rotation; butt-coupling implies alignment and end-face contact or near contact), and butt-coupling the second end surface and a second connection end surface of the second optical fiber to be connected to the second end surface (Fig.11). As similarly stated above with respect to claim 13, while Shimakawa et al discloses the use of a rotation means (34) for rotating a first optical fiber (32) that is connected to the optical fiber under test, it doesn’t disclose the use of an additional rotation means that allows for the angular orientation of the optical fiber under test. However, it is well known in the art, as disclosed by Saito et al (paragraph 67), to provide the rotation of fibers at both mating ends in view of the desire to achieve exact angular alignment resulting in improving the optical performance of an optical fiber system.
Regarding claims 2, 3, 5 and 7, the use of a camera for alignment purposes is well known in the art and the specific configuration utilized for light orientation for fiber optic end-surface observation would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of meeting different design requirements and achieving the particular desired performance.
Regarding claims 4 and 6, the specific composition materials utilized for a mutli-core fiber optic would have been an obvious design choice to one of ordinary skill in the art depending on the needs of particular application and involving only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 8, the limitations therein are shown in Figs.7-8 of Shimakawa et al.
Regarding claim 9, the limitations therein are shown in Fig.7 of Shimakawa et al.
Regarding claims 11-12, the limitations therein are disclosed in paragraphs 29-30 of Shimakawa et al (Figs.3-4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 10, the prior art fails to disclose or make obvious a method of measuring an optical characteristic of a multi-core optical fiber comprising, in addition to the other recited features of claims 1 and 10, the feature of using four rotational fiber holders in the manner recited in claim 10.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hayashi (US 2018/0038769 A1) is cited for disclosing a method of measuring optical characteristics of a multi-core optical fiber. Matsui et al (US 2023/0341618 A1) is cited for disclosing a multi-core optical fiber.
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/KEVIN K PYO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
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