Appeal No. 2006-1403
Application No. 10/011,665
Further details regarding this subject matter are set forth
in representative independent claim 20 which reads as follows:
20. An optical fiber ribbon separation tool for
inhibiting attenuation during separation of an optical
fiber ribbon into more than one subset of optical
fibers without severing an optical fiber, said optical
fiber ribbon separation tool comprising:
an optical fiber ribbon receiving portion;
a shearing device, the shearing device having at
least one movable blade, the movable blade being
operable to separate said optical fiber ribbon into
more than one subset of optical fibers, wherein, the
optical fiber separation tool leaves a matrix material
of the more than one subset substantially intact; and
a heat source being operable to transfer heat to
said optical fiber ribbon receiving portion, thereby
increasing the temperature of the optical fiber ribbon
receiving portion.
The references set forth below are relied upon by the
Examiner as evidence of obviousness:
Lochkovic et al. (Lochkovic) 6,053,085 April 25, 2000
Teed 3,796,118 March 12, 1974
The reference set forth below is relied upon by the
Appellants in their brief as evidence of non-obviousness:
Perrino et al. (Perrino) 4,850,108 July 25, 1989
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