PTAB

IPR2016-01648

Panduit Corp v. Corning Optical Communications LLC

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Petition
petition

1. Case Identification

2. Patent Overview

  • Title: Optical Polarity Modules and Systems
  • Brief Description: The ’227 patent discloses an optical breakout harness for managing signal polarity in fiber optic systems. The invention uses a specific fiber routing scheme within a module or harness to crisscross optical fibers between a multi-fiber connector and a plurality of other fiber connectors.

3. Grounds for Unpatentability

Ground 1: Anticipation by Toyooka - Claims 1-3 and 8-10 are anticipated by Toyooka under 35 U.S.C. §102.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Toyooka (Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-160542).
  • Core Argument for this Ground:
    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner argued that Toyooka’s disclosed "optical-fiber wiring unit" is a universal breakout harness that teaches every limitation of the challenged claims. Toyooka’s Figure 1 allegedly shows a multi-fiber "multicore connector 12" whose fibers are routed to an opposing array of "single-core connectors 14." Crucially, Petitioner asserted that Toyooka’s wiring scheme achieves the claimed polarity reversal by connecting pairs of adjacent single-core connectors to non-adjacent cores within the multicore connector (e.g., fiber 1 from connector 14₁ connects to core 12₁, while fiber 2 from adjacent connector 14₂ connects to core 12₂N). This crisscross routing was argued to directly map to the limitations of claim 1. For method claim 3, Petitioner contended that Toyooka's discussion of a "straight-through wiring" embodiment inherently teaches the claimed "reverse-ribbon positioning."

Ground 2: Anticipation by TIA Technical - Claims 3 and 6 are anticipated by TIA Technical under 35 U.S.C. §102.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: TIA Technical (TIA Technical Subcommittee TR-42.8 Proposal).
  • Core Argument for this Ground:
    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner contended that the TIA Technical industry standard explicitly teaches the method of implementing "reverse-ribbon positioning" recited in claim 3. The document describes constructing a 12-fiber assembly by installing an MPO connector on one end with fibers in consecutive numerical order (1-12) and duplex connectors on the other end, also using a consecutive numbering scheme. This standard industry practice was argued to be identical to the claimed method. For dependent claim 6, Petitioner asserted that TIA Technical's instruction to install the MPO connector "Key Up" and to connect to adapters "key up to key up" directly teaches the limitation of having connectors with keys oriented in the same predetermined direction.

Ground 3: Obviousness over Toyooka, Kang, and TIA Technical - Claims 1-2 and 8-11 are obvious over Toyooka in view of Kang and TIA Technical under 35 U.S.C. §103.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Toyooka (Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-160542), Kang (Patent 6,604,866), and TIA Technical.
  • Core Argument for this Ground:
    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner argued that a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) would have been motivated to combine the references to achieve the claimed invention. Toyooka provided the fundamental polarity-reversing harness concept. Kang disclosed the specific structure of a standard MPO/MTP multi-fiber connector, including its generally planar array of fibers, which a POSITA would have used to implement the generic "multicore connector" of Toyooka. TIA Technical provided the industry-standard methods for building flexible harnesses without a rigid module and for using common duplex connectors instead of Toyooka’s single-core connectors, as well as the standard 12-fiber count for MPO connectors (relevant to claims 2 and 9).
    • Motivation to Combine: A POSITA would combine these references to implement Toyooka's beneficial polarity management scheme using standardized, commercially prevalent components and cabling practices. The motivation was to ensure the resulting harness would be interoperable with existing fiber optic networks that utilize standard MPO/MTP connectors (from Kang) and flexible cabling configurations (from TIA Technical), which is a predictable and desirable outcome.
    • Expectation of Success: There would be a high expectation of success because the combination involved substituting known, interchangeable components (implementing Toyooka's connector with Kang's standard MPO) and applying established manufacturing techniques (using TIA Technical's cabling guidelines) to achieve a predictable improvement in compatibility and flexibility.

4. Relief Requested

  • Petitioner requests institution of an inter partes review and cancellation of claims 1-3, 6, and 8-11 of the ’227 patent as unpatentable.