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
This office action is responsive to the amendment filed on 10/14/25. As directed by the amendment: claims 3 &15 have been amended. Claims 1-2, 14 and 26 have been cancelled.
Thus, claims 3-13 & 15-25 are pending in this application.
Applicant’s amendments to the drawings and specification have overcome each and every objection previously set forth in the Non-final Office Action mailed on 05/01/25.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3, lines 12 and 13, “the cassette” should read “ the rigid cassette” for consistency.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 3-13 & 15-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Claim 3 states that “the controller is further configured to pressurize the rigid cassette for emptying of fluid within the rigid cassette” without providing any supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components to get the result. The disclosure lacks sufficient description on how the controller pressurizes the rigid cassette for emptying of fluid within the rigid cassette.
Therefore, it is not clear how to make or use the invention because one having ordinary skill in the art would not know what are the supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components that make the controller further configured to pressurize the rigid cassette for emptying of fluid within the rigid cassette to get the claimed result.
Claim 12 states that “the controller is further configured to automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid when a fluid volume reaches a predetermined volume” without providing any supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components to get the result.
The disclosure lacks sufficient description on how the controller is further configured to automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid when a fluid volume reaches a predetermined volume.
Therefore, it is not clear how to make or use the invention because one having ordinary skill in the art would not know what are the supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components that make the controller automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid when a fluid volume reaches a predetermined volume to get the claimed result.
Claim 13 states that “the controller is further configured to automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid over a predetermined period of time” without providing any supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components to get the result.
The disclosure lacks sufficient description on how the controller is further configured to automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid over a predetermined period of time.
Therefore, it is not clear how to make or use the invention because one having ordinary skill in the art would not know what are the supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components that make the controller is further configured to automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid over a predetermined period of time to get the claimed result.
Claim 15 states that “pressurizing the rigid cassette for emptying of fluid within the rigid cassette” without providing any supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components to get the result. The disclosure lacks sufficient description on how to pressurize the rigid cassette for emptying of fluid within the rigid cassette.
Therefore, it is not clear how to make or use the invention because one having ordinary skill in the art would not know what are the supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components that pressurize the rigid cassette for emptying of fluid within the rigid cassette to get the claimed result.
Claim 24 states that “automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid when a fluid volume reaches a predetermined volume” without providing any supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components to get the result.
The disclosure lacks sufficient description on how to automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid when a fluid volume reaches a predetermined volume.
Therefore, it is not clear how to make or use the invention because one having ordinary skill in the art would not know what are the supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components that make automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid when a fluid volume reaches a predetermined volume to get the claimed result.
Claim 25 states that “automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid over a predetermined period of time” without providing any supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components to get the result.
The disclosure lacks sufficient description on how to automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid over a predetermined period of time.
Therefore, it is not clear how to make or use the invention because one having ordinary skill in the art would not know what are the supporting interconnecting mechanical elements and/ or any structural components that make automatically empty the rigid cassette of fluid over a predetermined period of time to get the claimed result.
By virtue of dependency, claims 4-11 & 16-23 are also rejected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed on 10/14/2025, with respect to the rejections of claims 3-25 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections of claims 3-25 has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
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/FATIMATA SAHRA DIOP/ Examiner, Art Unit 3783
/BHISMA MEHTA/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3783
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