DETAILED ACTION
The Examiner for this application has been changed. Please address all examining related communications to Primary Examiner Jezia Riley.
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/24/2025 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 78-80 are objected to because of the following informalities: the claims comprise chemical structures having faded bonds and atoms. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 62-81 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 62 is vague and indefinite because it is unclear what are the metes and bounds for the term “to partially identify the incorporated nucleotides” in step f) as opposed to “completely identify the incorporated nucleotide analogue” in step h).
Claim 66 recites the limitation "the final cleavage of cleavable linker 1" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 71 recites the limitation "the first type of cleavable linker". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Is "the first type of cleavable linker" the same as the “the first cleavable linker (cleavable linker 1)” of claim 65?
Claim 72 recites the limitation "the first type of cleavable linker". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Is "the first type of cleavable linker" the same as the “one type is a proximal cleavable linker (cleavable linker 1)” of claim 64?
Claim 72 recites the limitation "the second type of cleavable linker". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Is "the second type of cleavable linker" the same as “another type is a distal linker (cleavable linker 2) of claim 64?
Closest prior art:
The closest prior is Ju et al. WO2017/205336, published 11/30/2017 (cited in IDS filed 09/30/2021). Ju et al. discloses a method for sequencing nucleic acids wherein the method comprises sequence-by synthesis using anchor labeled nucleotide analogs or binding molecules (SS(DTM)-dNTP-SS anchors), incorporating the nucleotide analogues into primer extension product, cleaving the primer extended product after each incorporation using TCEP or THP to remove label and regenerating 3-OH on the primer extension product to allow continuous DNA sequencing (see para 0027-0031, 0113, Figures 1 and 3a-3b, for example), but does not teach or suggest step c), using adding all four fluorescently labeled unincorporable nucleotides or nucleotide analogues (A,C, T, G), wherein the fluorescent label of the fluorescently labeled unincorporable nucleotides or nucleotide analogues is an energy transfer donor or acceptor dye for the energy transfer donor or acceptor dye attached to the fluorescently labeled nucleotide analogues of step b).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEZIA RILEY whose telephone number is (571)272-0786. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-6:00pm.
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/JEZIA RILEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1681 13 March 2026