Appeal No. 2000-0887 Page 3
Application No. 08/848,238
a fixture having a plurality of grooves that each receive
at least a portion of said first end portion of one of said
optical fibers, at least some of said grooves being
substantially located in a plane;
a lid covering at least a portion of said fixture, said
portions of said optical fibers that are received by said
grooves being located between said fixture and said lid,
each of said optical fibers having an intermediate
portion that is located between said first portion and said
second portion, said intermediate portions of said optical
fibers being bent away from said plane; and
a capsule that at least partially surrounds said
intermediate portions of said optical fibers, said lid, and
said fixture.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
Shaheen et al. (Shaheen) 4,496,215 Jan.
29, 1985
Yamada et al. (Yamada) 5,631,985 May 20,
1997
(filed Sep. 29, 1995)
Sakurai et al. (Sakurai)2 S56-30112 Mar. 26,
1981
Japanese Patent Application
Claims 1-17 and 20-30 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
2In determining the teachings of Sakurai, we will rely on the
translation provided by the USPTO. A copy of the translation is attached for
the appellants' convenience.
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