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 .
The IDS of February 27, 2023 was indicated as being considered in the previous Office Action; however, a copy of the IDS was not included with the previous Office Action. The document is attached.
Response to Amendment
The submission entered September 18, 2024 in response to an Office Action mailed June 21, 2024 is acknowledged.
Claims 1, 3-11, 13-20 are pending. Claim(s) 2, 12 is/are cancelled. Claim(s) 1, 3, 7, 11, 20 is/are currently amended.
The objections to the drawings presented in the Office Action listed above are hereby withdrawn.
The rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 under 35 U.S.C. 112 as presented in the Office Action listed above are hereby withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments have overcome the previously presented rejections under 35 USC 112 and 102, but have resulted in new rejections under 35 USC 112.
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 4, 20 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.
Regarding Claim(s) 4, the claim recites “a first pipeline”, however, newly amended claim 1 recites “a connection pipeline”. The language “first pipeline” renders the claim indefinite because the number of pipelines is unclear.
Regarding Claim(s) 20, the claim is considered indefinite because the claim lacks antecedent basis for “the gas flow control unit” and “the first pipeline” and “the controller” and “the flow control valve” and “the control signal”. Claim 11 does not recite any of these elements; therefore, their relationship to the elements recited in claim 11 is unclear.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 1, 3, 5-11, 13-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the transfer unit further comprises a valve located on a connection pipeline between the micro-component outlet and the micro-component inlet, wherein the valve is opened in a case where a differential pressure between a first pressure and a second pressure is greater than a predetermined differential pressure, wherein the predetermined differential pressure is greater than 0, the first pressure is a pressure on the side of the valve close to the micro-component source device, and the second pressure is a pressure on the side of the valve close to the exporting device, combined with the rest of the claim language..
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM RAY HARP whose telephone number is (571)270-5386. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MICHAEL MCCULLOUGH can be reached on (571) 272-7805. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/WILLIAM R HARP/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653