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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-8 and 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/28/2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/28/2022, 08/31/2022, and 01/04/2023 were considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 9-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Butziger (US 10238851).
Regarding Claim 9, Butziger discloses a medical device (10; Figs.1a-c), comprising: an access port system, including: an implantable access port (20a) configured to be implanted into a subject (lines 28-31 in column 9), the access port including an access port body (100), an access port needle (110) and a fluid flow passage (101) provided within the access port body (100) and the access port needle (110) (lines 19-25 in column 10); wherein the access port needle (110) is fully containable within the access port body (100) (Fig.1), and the access port needle (110) is exposable outside the access port body (Fig.1b); wherein the access port needle (110) is arranged within the access port body to penetrate outwardly of the subject from within the subject when the access port is implanted in the subject (lines 47-53 in column 10); and wherein the access port needle (110) includes a needle shaft (112) and a removable needle tip (111) that closes a distal end (114) of the needle shaft (Fig.1a); a fluid infusion and/or extraction apparatus (42; Fig.10a), including: an elongated tubular housing member (51), comprising a needle tip holder (54) that is configured to remove the removable needle tip (111) from the access port needle (110) (lines 7-9 in column 24); wherein the removable needle tip (111) is configured to couple to the fluid infusion and/or extraction apparatus (Fig.10c).
Regarding Claim 10, Butziger discloses the medical device of claim 9, and further discloses wherein the needle tip holder is also configured to install the removable needle tip to the needle shaft (lines 64-67 in column 23 and lines 1-4 in column 24).
Regarding Claim 11, Butziger discloses the medical device of claim 10, and further discloses wherein the needle tip holder is configured to rotate when installing or removing the needle tip (lines 64-67 in column 23 and lines 1-4 in column 24).
Regarding Claim 12, Butziger discloses the medical device of claim 10, and further discloses wherein the needle tip holder is formed of an elastically compressible/deformable material (lines 39-51 in column 24).
Regarding Claim 13, Butziger discloses the medical device of claim 12, and further discloses wherein the elastically compressible/deformable material is rubber (lines 39-51 in column 24).
Regarding Claim 14, Butziger discloses the medical device of claim 10, and further discloses wherein a distal end of the needle tip holder is provided with an elastically compressible/deformable annular ring (lines 39-51 in column 24).
Regarding Claim 15, Butziger discloses the medical device of claim 10, and further discloses wherein the needle tip holder is formed of a material that is porous (lines 52-58 in column 24).
Regarding Claim 16, Butziger discloses the medical device of claim 10, and further discloses wherein the needle tip holder may be formed of a magnetic material (lines 59-63 in column 24).
Conclusion
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/T.I./ Examiner, Art Unit 3783 /BHISMA MEHTA/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3783