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 § 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)(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.
Claim(s) 1 and 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by United States Patent Application Publication 2022/0166500 A1 to Bownass et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Bownass discloses an optical communication method, applied to an optical communication system that comprises a first component, an optical connection assembly, and a second component connected by the optical connection assembly to the first component (Fig. 3, 1st component (92) connected to 2nd component (94) by fiber and connectors (Fig. 3, C, D, 96))
the method comprises:
controlling the first component to send a first optical signal to the second component through the optical connection assembly (Fig. 11, after a fiber disconnection state is detected (234) the first card transmits low power (236));
sending an alarm indication when it is determined, based on an optical power variation status of the first optical signal in a transmission process of the first optical signal, that the optical connection assembly is exceptional (¶ 93, system measures ORL (based on power) to determine an open fiber at the output port; ¶ 82, an ORL alarm is asserted or cleared based on measured ORL); and
when it is determined, based on the optical power variation status of the first optical signal in the transmission process, that the optical connection assembly is normal (Fig. 11, system checks whether the fiber disconnection (open connector) is cleared (238)),
controlling the first component to send a second optical signal to the second component through the optical connection assembly, wherein an optical power of the second optical signal is greater than an optical power of the first optical signal (Fig. 11, 1st component forced back into high power operating condition (240)).
Regarding Claim 16, Bownass discloses wherein the optical connection assembly comprises one or more of an optical fiber, and optical connector (Fig. 3, fiber and connectors (C,D,96)).
Regarding Claim 17, Bownass discloses wherein the optical power of the first optical signal is less than 10 dBm (¶ 38.)
Regarding Claim 18, Bownass discloses an optical communication system comprising:
a first component (Fig. 3, 1st component (92))
a second component (Fig. 3, component (94))
an optical connection assembly connected to the first component and the second component (Fig. 3, connectors and fibers (C, D, 96)); and
one or more processors configured to (Fig. 6, processor (142) for controlling the node):
control the first component to send a first optical signal to the second component through the optical connection assembly (Fig. 11, after a fiber disconnection state is detected (234) the first card transmits low power (236))
send an alarm indication when it is determined, based on an optical power variation status of the first optical signal in a transmission process of the first optical signal, that the optical connection assembly is exceptional (¶ 93, system measures ORL (based on power) to determine an open fiber at the output port; ¶ 82, an ORL alarm is asserted or cleared based on measured ORL);
when it is determined, based on the optical power variation status of the first optical signal in the transmission process, that the optical connection assembly is normal (Fig. 11, system checks whether the fiber disconnection (open connector) is cleared (238)),
control the first component to send a second optical signal to the second component through the optical connection assembly, wherein an optical power of the second optical signal is greater than an optical power of the first optical power (Fig. 11, 1st component forced back into high power operating condition (240)).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-15 and 19-29 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.
Claim 30 is allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL G DOBSON whose telephone number is (571)272-9781. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/DANIEL G DOBSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2634 10/02/2026
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