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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 10/23/2025 has been entered into the prosecution of the application.
Claim objection for claim 13 is withdrawn based on the applicant’s amendment.
Currently, claim(s) 1-20 is/are pending, with claims 19-20 withdrawn from consideration.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frederic Avery Bourke of US 2009/0294692 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Bourke) in view of Philip Roche of WO 2015/006864 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Roche) and Wang, Di, et al. "Spatial and temporal nanoscale plasmonic heating quantified by thermoreflectance." Nano Letters 19.6 (2019): 3796-3803 (hereinafter, Wang).
As to claim 1, Bourke pertains to the instant invention because Bourke relates to surface plasmon resonance effects resulting in improved reaction kinetics (Bourke, paragraph [0146]).
Bourke discloses introducing a metal micro-object (the use of metallic nanoparticles as plasmonic agent; Bourke, claim 10) to a reaction mixture (biochemical pathways; Bourke, paragraph [0069]). The nanoparticles are considered as micro-objects because there is no size limitation recited in the instant invention.
Bourke discloses determining a plasmon resonance of the metal micro-object (Bourke, Figs. 5A and 5B, paragraph [0134]). Figs. 5A and 5B represent plasmonic nanostructures and their theoretical electromagnetic enhancement at different excitation wavelength (Bourke, paragraph [0020]).
Bourke discloses applying, with an electro-magnetic radiation source, electro-magnetic radiation to the reaction mixture, wherein the electro-magnetic radiation is wavelength-matched to the plasmon resonance of the metal micro-object such that application of the electro-magnetic radiation to the metal micro-object excites atoms within the metal micro-object, causing those atoms to release energy in the form of phonons within the reaction mixture thereby increasing an average kinetic energy of the reaction mixture (a general description of plasmon surface resonance effect; Bourke, paragraph [0147]).
Heating is considered as regulating a chemical synthesis reaction because heating causes changes in thermodynamic and reaction kinetics (Bourke, paragraph [0146]), wherein Bourke teaches that improved reaction kinetic is disclosed as a benefit of the plasmonic effects. The claim recitation “causing atoms to release energy in the form of phonons within a reaction mixture thereby increasing an average kinetic energy of the reaction mixture” pertains to heating in a simple term, which is taught by Bourke in paragraph [0093].
Bourke does not disclose “monitoring the reaction by measuring a background illumination at the electromagnetic radiation source.”
Roche pertains to the Bourke because Roche relates to having a plasmon resonance (Roche, pg. 20, ln. 19) and plasmonic heating (Roche, pg. 17, ln. 21).
Roche teaches to “monitoring the reaction by measuring a background illumination at the electromagnetic radiation source” because Roche teaches “monitoring a reaction resulting from said irradiating, said monitoring comprising probing the nanoparticles with a probing light beam having a wavelength different from than a wavelength of the activation light beam and coordinated with an absorption feature of the nanoparticles spectrally separate from the photo-thermal properties used to release heat” (Roche, pg. 4, ln. 10-14).
Both Bourke and Roche relate to plasmon resonance (Roche, pg. 20, ln. 19) and plasmonic heating (Roche, pg. 17, ln. 21). Bourke does not explicitly teach monitoring a reaction by measuring a background illumination at the electromagnetic source. Bourke does teach that suitable activatable agents include a biological molecule (Bourke, paragraph [0070]). Roche teaches to a method of heating a reaction mixture containing a DNA molecule (Roche, pg. 4, ln. 2-4) and using a plasmonic PCR (Roche, pg. 7, ln. 19) in regards to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (Roche, pg. 1, ln. 10).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to have modified the plasmonic heating method of Bourke with the monitoring step of Roche for obtaining a plasmonic PCR product with rapid cycles (Roche, pg. 2, ln. 5-24, Figs. 10 and 11).
Bourke in view of Roche does not explicitly teach using photodiodes or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source.
In an analogous art, Wang teaches to using photodiodes or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source (Wang, Fig. 1, teaches to using photodiode or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source, as Wang teaches to gold nanodisk arrays (NDA) for measuring thermoreflectance by plasmonic heating; Wang, pg. 3799, Fig. 1d, teaches that on optical resonance, indicating that the free electrons are forced by the electromagnetic wave of a matched wavelength to oscillate across the nanodisk. The gold nanodisk arrays read as photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source, because gold nanodisk arrays are used for converting electromagnetic radiation into another forms of energy that may be measured, converting photon energy into plasmonic oscillators, producing hot electrons, and/or generating heat through plasmon decay; see Figs. 1 and 2).
Both Bourke in view of Roche and Wang relate to plasmonic heating (Wang, abstract). Bourke in view of Roche does not explicitly teach using the same wavelength for both the radiation source and the radiation subject. Bourke in view of Roche, Fig. 5B, does teach using photodiodes in monitoring plasmonic heating in plasmonic thermocycling. Wang teaches using photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electromagnetic radiation source, because Wang teaches to using gold nanodisk arrays for measuring thermoreflectance by plasmonic heating.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to have modified the method of Bourke in view of Roche with the method of Wang for monitoring heat generation.
As to claim 2, Bourke in view of Roche and Wang teaches to the method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the metal micro-object comprising one or more of a shape, a metal, and a permittivity (wherein the metal structures comprise at least one of nanospheres, nanorods, nanocubes, nanopyramids, nanoshells, multi-layer nanoshells, and combination thereof; Bourke, claim 233).
As to claim 3, Bourke in view of Roche and Wang teaches to the method of claim 2, wherein the shape of the metal micro-object comprising a sphere, a rod, a cylinder, or a cube (wherein the metal structures comprise at least one of nanospheres, nanorods, nanocubes, nanopyramids, nanoshells, multi-layer nanoshells, and combination thereof; Bourke, claim 233).
As to claim 4, Bourke in view of Roche and Wang teaches to the method of claim 1, wherein the electro-magnetic radiation is infrared radiation (a source emitting at least one of x-rays, gamma rays, an electron beam, UV radiation, visible light, infrared radiation, microwaves, chemical energy, or radio waves; Bourke, claim 5).
As to claim 5, Bourke in view of Roche and Wang teaches to the method of claim 1, wherein the metal micro-object comprises gold and silver (Bourke, paragraph [0163]).
As to claim 7, Bourke in view of Roche and Wang teaches to the method of claim 1, further comprising measuring a background illumination using a photodiode matched to the electro-magnetic radiation source (a detector 60, such as for example a photodiode; Roche, pg. 23, ln. 25).
As to claim 8, Bourke in view of Roche and Wang teaches to the method of claim 1, wherein the mixture comprises a buffer solution (Bourke, paragraph [0161]) and reagents (Bourke, paragraph [0359]).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected as being unpatentable over Frederic Avery Bourke of US 2009/0294692 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Bourke) in view of Philip Roche of WO 2015/006864 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Roche) and Wang, Di, et al. "Spatial and temporal nanoscale plasmonic heating quantified by thermoreflectance." Nano Letters 19.6 (2019): 3796-3803 (hereinafter, Wang), as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Leslie Greengard of US 2005/202185 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Greengard).
As to claim 6, Bourke in view of Roche and Wang does not disclose a laser diode.
Greengard pertains to Bourke in view of Roche and Wang because Greengard relates to a method facilitating catalytic chemical reactions utilizing photon-electron resonance (Greengard, abstract). Greengard discloses at least one electromagnetic radiation source 1202 derived from a laser source, such as, a laser diode (Greengard, paragraph [0079]).
Both Bourke in view of Roche and Wang and Greengard relate to utilizing photon-electron resonance. Bourke does not explicitly teach a laser diode. Bourke in view of Roche and Wang does teach that light of a HeNe laser can be used for excitation (Bourke, paragraph [0146]). Greengard teaches a laser diode (Greengard, paragraph [0079]) as a source of electromagnetic radiation, along with other sources of lasers. One of ordinary skill in the art would have known using a laser diode as a source of electromagnetic radiation and would have had reasonable expectation of success because the laser diode of Greengard would have been operable.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to have modified the method of Bourke in view of Roche and Wang with the laser diode of Greengard for efficient heating of nanoparticles by electromagnetic radiation at the plasmon resonance frequency (Greengard, paragraph [0067]).
Claim(s) 9-14 and 17-18 is/are rejected as being unpatentable over Frederic Avery Bourke of US 2009/0294692 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Bourke) in view of D. Keith Roper of US 2008/0131939 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Roper) and Wang, Di, et al. "Spatial and temporal nanoscale plasmonic heating quantified by thermoreflectance." Nano Letters 19.6 (2019): 3796-3803 (hereinafter, Wang).
As to claim 9, Bourke discloses introducing a metal micro-object (the use of metallic nanoparticles as plasmonic agent; Bourke, claim 10) to a reaction mixture (biochemical pathways; Bourke; paragraph [0069]).
Bourke discloses determining a plasmon resonance of the metal micro-object (Bourke, Figs. 5A and 5B; paragraph [0134]). Figs. 5A and 5B represent plasmonic nanostructures and their theoretical electromagnetic enhancement at different excitation wavelength (Bourke, paragraph [0020]).
Bourke discloses applying, with an electro-magnetic radiation source, electro-magnetic radiation to the reaction mixture, wherein the electro-magnetic radiation is wavelength-matched to the plasmon resonance of the metal micro-object such that application of the electro-magnetic radiation to the metal micro-object excites atoms within the metal micro-object, causing those atoms to release energy in the form of phonons within the reaction mixture thereby increasing an average kinetic energy of the reaction mixture (a general description of plasmon surface resonance effect; Bourke, paragraph [0147]). Bourke discloses a biological sample and amplification oligomers (oligonucleotides; Bourke, paragraph [0164]).
Heating is considered as regulating a chemical synthesis reaction because heating causes changes in thermodynamic and reaction kinetics (Bourke, paragraph [0146]), wherein Bourke teaches that improved reaction kinetic is disclosed as a benefit of the plasmonic effects. The claim recitation “causing atoms to release energy in the form of phonons within a reaction mixture thereby increasing an average kinetic energy of the reaction mixture” pertains to heating in a simple term, which is taught by Bourke in paragraph [0093].
Bourke does not disclose a thermostable polymerase and deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates. Bourke does not disclose “monitoring the reaction by measuring a background illumination at the electromagnetic radiation source.”
Roper pertains to Bourke because Roper relates to using surface plasmon resonance (Roper, abstract).
Roper discloses using deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate, or dNTP, polymerase (Roper, paragraphs [0037], [0047], [0060], [0061], [0065]). The Office notes that the term “deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate” is used interchangeably with “deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate,” and both terms are understood in the prior art as having the same meaning.
Roper teaches to monitoring the reaction by measuring a background illumination at the electromagnetic radiation source (LightCyclingTM, the fastest real-time PCR method, continuously monitors DNA formation by fluorescence; Roper, paragraph [0017]). Roper teaches that label-free detection of PCR amplicons by surface plasmonic resonance may be used (Roper, paragraph [0032]), such as measuring changes in refractive index (Roper, paragraphs [0034], [0036]). Measuring changes in refractive index requires measuring a background illumination at the electromagnetic radiation source.
Both Bourke and Roper relate to using surface plasmon resonance (Roper, abstract). Bourke teaches to the method of regulating a chemical synthesis reaction. Bourke does not explicitly teach applying the method to plasmonic PCR. Bourke does teach that suitable activatable agents include a biological molecule (Bourke, paragraph [0070]). Roper teach using an optical source to provide heating for thermocycling the PCR reaction (Roper, abstract) using surface plasmon resonance active surface.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the method of Bourke with the polymerases, dNTP, and monitoring of Roper for increasing the speed and sensitivity of PCR (Roper, paragraph [0003]).
Bourke in view of Roper does not explicitly teach using photodiodes or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source.
In an analogous art, Wang teaches to using photodiodes or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source (Wang, Fig. 1, teaches to using photodiode or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source, as Wang teaches to gold nanodisk arrays (NDA) for measuring thermoreflectance by plasmonic heating; Wang, pg. 3799, Fig. 1d, teaches that on optical resonance, indicating that the free electrons are forced by the electromagnetic wave of a matched wavelength to oscillate across the nanodisk. The gold nanodisk arrays read as photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source, because gold nanodisk arrays are used for converting electromagnetic radiation into another forms of energy that may be measured, converting photon energy into plasmonic oscillators, producing hot electrons, and/or generating heat through plasmon decay; see Figs. 1 and 2).
Both Bourke in view of Roper and Wang relate to plasmonic heating (Wang, abstract). Bourke in view of Roper does not explicitly teach using the same wavelength for both the radiation source and the radiation subject. Bourke in view of Roper does teach monitoring plasmonic heating in plasmonic thermocycling (Roper, paragraph [0054]) using gold nanoparticles. Wang teaches using photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electromagnetic radiation source, because Wang teaches to using gold nanodisk arrays for measuring thermoreflectance by plasmonic heating.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to have modified the method of Bourke in view of Roper with the method of Wang for monitoring heat generation.
As to claim 10, Bourke in in view of Roper and Wang discloses the characteristic of the metal micro-object comprising one or more of a shape, a metal, or a cube (wherein the metal structures comprise at least one of nanospheres, nanorods, nanocubes, nanopyramids, nanoshells, multi-layer nanoshells, and combination thereof; Bourke, claim 233).
As to claim 11, Bourke in view of Roper and Wang discloses the shape of the metal micro-object comprising a sphere, a rod, a cylinder, or a cube (wherein the metal structures comprise at least one of nanospheres, nanorods, nanocubes, nanopyramids, nanoshells, multi-layer nanoshells, and combination thereof; Bourke, claim 233).
As to claim 12, Bourke in view of Roper and Wang discloses the biological sample comprises genomic DNA (Bourke, paragraph [0160], Fig. 9B).
As to claim 13, Bourke in view of Roper and Wang discloses that the metal micro-object is between about 100 nm to about 10 μm in diameter (200 nm diameter particles; Bourke, paragraph [0277]).
As to claim 14, Bourke in view of Roper and Wang discloses the metal micro-object comprising gold and silver (Bourke, paragraph [0163]).
As to claim 17, Bourke in view of Roper and Wang discloses the reaction mixture further comprising a detection probe (fluorescein; Bourke, paragraph [0072]).
As to claim 18, Bourke in view of Roper and Wang discloses the detection probe comprising a fluorescent label (fluorescein; Bourke, paragraph [0072]).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected as being unpatentable over Frederic Avery Bourke of US 2009/0294692 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Bourke) in view of D. Keith Roper of US 2008/0131939 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Roper) and Wang, Di, et al. "Spatial and temporal nanoscale plasmonic heating quantified by thermoreflectance." Nano Letters 19.6 (2019): 3796-3803 (hereinafter, Wang), as applied to claim 9 above, and in further view of Leslie Greengard of US 2005/202185 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Greengard).
As to claim 15, Bourke in view of Roper and Wang does not disclose a laser diode.
Greengard discloses at least one electromagnetic radiation source 1202 derived from a laser source, such as, a laser diode (Greengard, paragraph [0079]).
Both Bourke in view of Roper and Wang and Greengard relate to utilizing photon-electron resonance. Bourke in view of Roper and Wang does not explicitly teach a laser diode. Bourke in view of Roche and Wang does teach that light of a HeNe laser can be used for excitation (Bourke, paragraph [0146]). Greengard teaches a laser diode (Greengard, paragraph [0079]) as a source of electromagnetic radiation, along with other sources of lasers. One of ordinary skill in the art would have known using a laser diode as a source of electromagnetic radiation and would have had reasonable expectation of success because the laser diode of Greengard would have been operable.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to have modified the method of Bourke in view of Roper and Wang with the laser diode of Greengard for efficient heating of nanoparticles by electromagnetic radiation at the plasmon resonance frequency (Greengard, paragraph [0067]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see XX, filed 10/23/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 and 9 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frederic Avery Bourke of US 2009/0294692 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Bourke) in view of Philip Roche of WO 2015/006864 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Roche) and Wang, Di, et al. "Spatial and temporal nanoscale plasmonic heating quantified by thermoreflectance." Nano Letters 19.6 (2019): 3796-3803 (hereinafter, Wang).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected as being unpatentable over Frederic Avery Bourke of US 2009/0294692 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Bourke) in view of D. Keith Roper of US 2008/0131939 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Roper) and Wang, Di, et al. "Spatial and temporal nanoscale plasmonic heating quantified by thermoreflectance." Nano Letters 19.6 (2019): 3796-3803 (hereinafter, Wang).
On pg. 8 of 11, the applicant asserts that claim 1, amended, recites the term “using photodiodes or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source” and hence, should overcome 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection.
However, in an analogous art, Wang teaches to using photodiodes or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source (Wang, Fig. 1, teaches to using photodiode or other photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source, as Wang teaches to gold nanodisk arrays (NDA) for measuring thermoreflectance by plasmonic heating; Wang, pg. 3799, Fig. 1d, teaches that on optical resonance, indicating that the free electrons are forced by the electromagnetic wave of a matched wavelength to oscillate across the nanodisk. The gold nanodisk arrays read as photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electro-magnetic radiation source, because gold nanodisk arrays are used for converting electromagnetic radiation into another forms of energy that may be measured, converting photon energy into plasmonic oscillators, producing hot electrons, and/or generating heat through plasmon decay; see Figs. 1 and 2).
Both Bourke in view of Roche and Wang relate to plasmonic heating (Wang, abstract). Bourke in view of Roche does not explicitly teach using the same wavelength for both the radiation source and the radiation subject. Bourke in view of Roche, Fig. 5B, does teach using photodiodes in monitoring plasmonic heating in plasmonic thermocycling. Wang teaches using photo-transducers matched to the same wavelength as the electromagnetic radiation source, because Wang teaches to using gold nanodisk arrays for measuring thermoreflectance by plasmonic heating.
Please refer to the rejections for claims 1 and 9 above.
The applicant is further reminded that the term “at a non-coherent frequency” is not included the in amended claim 1 submitted on 10/23/2025. The same holds for claim 9. Nonetheless, the instant recitation does not overcome the prior art rejection because Wang, Fig. 2, teaches to irradiating a sample using a 530 nm LED, producing incoherent, broader spectrum light that is different from a 530 nm laser of coherent, monochromatic, low-divergence electromagnetic radiation.
On pg. 9 of 11, the applicant asserts that there is no motivation in Bourke to include optical monitoring, specifically pointing out that Bourke involves plasmons, not phonons.
As previously provided, in the art of surface plasmons, plasmonic heating necessarily comprises releasing energies in the form of phonons. The plasmonic heating is taught in Bourke and/or Roche above in regards to shortening time required for thermocycling in polymerase chain reaction (PCR), thereby increasing efficiency in DNA amplification, for instance. Specifically, Jain, P. K. "Taking the heat off of plasmonic chemistry." The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 123.40 (2019): 24347-24351 (hereinafter referred to as Jain) is used as an evidentiary reference to support that plasmonic heating necessarily comprises releasing energies in the form of phonons. While not relied on as prior art in the rejection above, the applicant is hereby directed to page 24347, sections named Plasmonic Heating and Hot Electrons or Phonons of Jain. Plasmonic heating occurs when light of a specific wavelength that is matching and/or resonant with the plasmon frequency of the metallic structure illuminates and/or excites the free electron on the surface. The excited electrons undergo collective oscillations, or surface plasmon resonance, or localized surface plasmon resonance in the case of nanoparticles. So called “hot electrons” are generated on the order of femtoseconds. Thermal energies are transferred on the order of picoseconds. Lattices are heated, which generates phonons that increases the temperature of the metal. Ultimately, the heat is dissipated into the surrounding medium.
Therefore, the Examiner contends that plasmonic heating of Bourke necessarily teaches to the claim recitation “causing those atoms to release energy in the form of phonons within the reaction mixture thereby increasing an average kinetic energy of the reaction mixture” even if Bourke does not explicitly use the term “phonon” in Bourke.
In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007). In this case, both Bourke and Roche relate to plasmon resonance (Roche, pg. 20, ln. 19) and plasmonic heating (Roche, pg. 17, ln. 21). Bourke does not explicitly teach monitoring a reaction by measuring a background illumination at the electromagnetic source. Bourke does teach that suitable activatable agents include a biological molecule (Bourke, paragraph [0070]). Roche teaches to a method of heating a reaction mixture containing a DNA molecule (Roche, pg. 4, ln. 2-4) and using a plasmonic PCR (Roche, pg. 7, ln. 19) in regards to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (Roche, pg. 1, ln. 10).
At least for these reasons, the rejection is maintained. Please refer to the rejection above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN LEE whose telephone number is (703)756-1254. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7:00-16:00.
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/JOHN LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 1794
/JAMES LIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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