Patent 9448367

Prior art

Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.

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Prior art

Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.

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To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 9448367, I will examine the "Citations" section of the patent on Google Patents, which lists documents cited by the examiner and/or third parties. The USPTO's Patent Public Search tool is a robust resource for patent searching and identifying prior art.

Here is an analysis of the patent citations for US Patent 9448367:

Prior Art Cited by US9448367B2:

  1. US5363460A

    • Full Citation: US5363460A (Diamond Sa)
    • Publication Date: 1994-11-08
    • Filing Date: 1992-11-26
    • Brief Description: This patent describes a sleeve portion for an optical fiber plug connector.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Potentially relevant to elements of Claim 2, which mentions a "sleeve around the fiber ferrule for defining at least a portion of the LC connector receptacle." The concept of a sleeve in an optical connector could be anticipated.

  2. US5909526A

    • Full Citation: US5909526A (Molex Incorporated)
    • Publication Date: 1999-06-01
    • Filing Date: 1998-04-08
    • Brief Description: This patent describes a fiber optic connector assembly.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This could broadly anticipate aspects of Claim 1 related to direct link connector assemblies and their mechanical coupling to optical fibers, and Claim 4 which describes an outer housing for the fiber ferrule and sleeve, as it deals with fiber optic connector assemblies in general.

  3. US6247849B1

    • Full Citation: US6247849B1 (Alliance Fiber Optics Products, Inc.)
    • Publication Date: 2001-06-19
    • Filing Date: 1997-09-13
    • Brief Description: This patent describes a protection cap for a fiber coupler.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Less directly relevant to the core elements of US9448367's claims, which focus on the adapter's internal structure and direct link, rather than protective caps. However, the general field of fiber couplers is related.

  4. US20020090177A1

    • Full Citation: US20020090177A1 (Anderson Jerry Max)
    • Publication Date: 2002-07-11
    • Filing Date: 2001-01-10
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a duplex optical connector.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Given that Claim 1 of US9448367 describes a "dual fiber type direct link LC adapter," a prior art duplex optical connector could potentially anticipate the concept of coupling two fibers, though not necessarily with the "direct link" and specific LC adapter features.

  5. US7029322B2

    • Full Citation: US7029322B2 (Molex Incorporated)
    • Publication Date: 2006-04-18
    • Filing Date: 2003-02-27
    • Brief Description: This patent describes a connector panel mount system.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Could be relevant to the mechanical mounting of the adapter, specifically Claim 1's "adapter body portion" and its integration within a larger system, though the specific "direct link" aspect might differ.

  6. US20060204200A1

    • Full Citation: US20060204200A1 (Yazaki Corporation)
    • Publication Date: 2006-09-14
    • Filing Date: 2005-03-10
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a dust shutter for an optical adapter.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Not directly anticipating the structural elements of Claim 1, 2, 3, or 4 of US9448367, as it focuses on an accessory (dust shutter) rather than the core adapter functionality.

  7. US20060215970A1

    • Full Citation: US20060215970A1 (Toshio Mizue)
    • Publication Date: 2006-09-28
    • Filing Date: 2005-03-15
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes an optical transceiver with optical subassemblies optionally fixed to housing.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Highly relevant to the overall multi-channel transceiver module described in the summary and general description of US9448367, especially regarding TOSA/ROSA within a housing. However, it may not detail the specific "dual fiber type direct link adapter" of Claim 1.

  8. US20090074359A1

    • Full Citation: US20090074359A1 (Case Richard L)
    • Publication Date: 2009-03-19
    • Filing Date: 2007-09-19
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a shuttered adapter.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Similar to US20060204200A1, this focuses on a shutter mechanism for an adapter, which is not a defining feature of the independent claims of US9448367.

  9. US20090226141A1

    • Full Citation: US20090226141A1 (Protai Photonic Co. Ltd.)
    • Publication Date: 2009-09-10
    • Filing Date: 2009-01-21
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes an optical fiber adapter with shutter member.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Another reference focusing on shutter mechanisms, not directly anticipating the unique "direct link" or structural features of US9448367's adapter.

  10. US20110038581A1

    • Full Citation: US20110038581A1 (Ronald Mudd)
    • Publication Date: 2011-02-17
    • Filing Date: 2009-08-13
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a shutter for a fiber optic component and a fiber optic component including the shutter.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Yet another shutter-related patent application, not directly addressing the specific adapter structure of US9448367.

  11. US20110103797A1

    • Full Citation: US20110103797A1 (Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.)
    • Publication Date: 2011-05-05
    • Filing Date: 2009-10-29
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a pluggable optical transceiver and method for manufacturing the same.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Highly relevant to the broader context of pluggable optical transceivers, similar to US20060215970A1. It might anticipate the general concept of a pluggable optical connector interface for a transceiver, but the specific "dual fiber type direct link adapter" with its internal direct fiber connection as claimed in US9448367 might be distinguishable.

  12. US20110217008A1

    • Full Citation: US20110217008A1 (Corning Cable Systems Llc)
    • Publication Date: 2011-09-08
    • Filing Date: 2008-09-29
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a fiber optic connector assembly employing fiber movement support and method of assembly.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Could potentially anticipate aspects of how optical fibers are secured within the direct link connector assemblies, relevant to the "mechanically coupled to an optical fiber at another end" clause in Claim 1.

  13. US20120275784A1

    • Full Citation: US20120275784A1 (Soto Alexander I)
    • Publication Date: 2012-11-01
    • Filing Date: 2003-06-10
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for optical layer management in optical modules and remote control of optical modules.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Less directly relevant, as it pertains to optical layer management and control, rather than the physical structure of the optical adapter described in Claim 1 of US9448367.

  14. US20130156418A1

    • Full Citation: US20130156418A1 (Finisar Corporation)
    • Publication Date: 2013-06-20
    • Filing Date: 2011-12-14
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a chip on flex optical subassembly.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Related to optical subassemblies (TOSA/ROSA) in general, which are components within the transceiver module of US9448367, but it does not appear to directly anticipate the "dual fiber type direct link LC adapter" of Claim 1.

  15. US20130195405A1

    • Full Citation: US20130195405A1 (Panduit Corp.)
    • Publication Date: 2013-08-01
    • Filing Date: 2011-11-10
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a shuttered LC Adapter.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: This is highly relevant as it describes a shuttered LC adapter. While US9448367 does not explicitly claim a shutter, the core "LC adapter" functionality and structure might be anticipated, particularly the "LC connector receiving regions" and the interaction with an LC connector.

  16. US20140147082A1

    • Full Citation: US20140147082A1 (Alliance Fiber Optic Products, Inc.)
    • Publication Date: 2014-05-29
    • Filing Date: 2012-11-23
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a mono-block type optical fiber adapter.
    • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Highly relevant to the overall adapter design. A "mono-block type optical fiber adapter" could anticipate the general structure of the adapter body portion and the integration of connector receiving regions, as described in Claim 1 of US9448367, though the "direct link" aspects may differ.

Key Observations on Prior Art Relevance:

  • Several cited prior art documents focus on general fiber optic connectors, duplex connectors, and pluggable optical transceivers (e.g., US5909526A, US20020090177A1, US20060215970A1, US20110103797A1). These broadly establish the state of the art for optical connections and transceiver packaging.
  • A notable number of citations relate to shutter mechanisms for optical adapters (e.g., US20060204200A1, US20090074359A1, US20090226141A1, US20110038581A1, US20130195405A1). While a shuttered LC adapter (US20130195405A1) is specifically relevant to the LC connector interface, the absence of a shutter in the independent claims of US9448367 could be a distinguishing feature.
  • The most relevant prior art directly addressing adapter structures and LC connectors appear to be US20130195405A1 (shuttered LC adapter) and US20140147082A1 (mono-block type optical fiber adapter). These documents could potentially anticipate elements of Claim 1, particularly concerning the adapter body, LC connector receiving regions, and the general concept of an optical fiber adapter.
  • The distinctive element of US9448367, as highlighted in Claim 1 and the patent summary, is the "dual fiber type direct link LC adapter" that provides a direct link between the adapter and the TOSA/ROSA via optical fibers, rather than relying solely on pluggable connections within the transceiver module. The specific combination of "first and second slots at a direct link end" and "first and second direct link connector assemblies" with their internal fiber ferrules and sleeves, coupled directly to the TOSA and ROSA, would need to be carefully compared against these prior art references to determine novelty.

Generated 5/25/2026, 12:48:49 PM