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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 October 28th, 2025 has been entered.
Claims 1-3 and 5-11 remain pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments and amendments, filed October 28th, 2025, with respect to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections under 35 U.S.C. 101 are withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments and amendments, filed October 28th, 2025, with respect to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 are withdrawn.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 6, and 9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
“transit” in claim 1 lines 8 and 26 should recite “transition”.
Claim 6 line 4 should recite “a certain length between one and two minutes, respectively”.
“transiting” in claim 9 line 5 should recite “transitioning”.
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 1-3 and 5-11 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 1 (claims 2-3 and 5-11 by virtue of dependency) recites “from each start time” in lines 23-24. It is unclear if each start time is referring to the predetermined time interval of the second type schedule or in addition to the predetermined time interval of the second type schedule. The limitation is suggested to recite “from the predetermined time interval”.
Claim 1 (claims 2-3 and 5-11 by virtue of dependency) recites “transit to the nighttime blood pressure measurement mode when the mode instruction is input by the first switch, and initially set a time zone of the second blood pressure measurement by the second type schedule according to the designated time at which the mode instruction is input in a state where a time zone of the first blood pressure measurement by the first type schedule has been initially set”. It is unclear if the state where a time zone of the first blood pressure measurement by the first type schedule that has been initially set is set prior to the mode instruction input by the first switch or if it is set by the mode instruction input of the first switch. The limitation is suggested to recite “the programmed processor is configured to: transition to the nighttime blood pressure measurement mode when the mode instruction is input by the first switch, initially set a time zone of the first blood pressure measurement by the first type schedule according to the predetermined time, and initially set a time zone of the second blood pressure measurement by the second type schedule according to the designated time”.
Claim 9 (claim 10 by virtue of dependency) recites “transiting to the nighttime blood pressure measurement mode when the mode instruction is input by the first switch, and initially setting the time zone of the second blood pressure measurement according to the designated time at which the mode instruction is input in the state where the time zone of the first blood pressure measurement has been initially set”. It is unclear if the state where the time zone of the first blood pressure measurement that has been initially set is set prior to the mode instruction input by the first switch or if it is set by the mode instruction input of the first switch. The limitation is suggested to recite “transitioning to the nighttime blood pressure measurement mode when the mode instruction is input by the first switch, initially setting the time zone of the first blood pressure measurement according to the predetermined time, and initially setting the time zone of the second blood pressure measurement according to the designated time”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3 and 5-11 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record either taken singularly or in a combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations: “initially set a time zone of the second blood pressure measurement by the second type schedule according to the designated time at which the mode instruction is input”; “determine, prior to starting waiting for the time zones of the first blood pressure measurement and the second blood pressure measurement that have been initially set in the nighttime blood pressure measurement mode, whether or not the time zone of the first blood pressure measurement and the time zone of the second blood pressure measurement at least partially overlap with each other or whether or not a time difference between the time zone of the first blood pressure measurement and the time zone of the second blood pressure measurement is equal to or less than a predetermined value; perform an adjustment to disable one of the first blood pressure measurement and the second blood pressure measurement or to change one of a start time of the first blood pressure measurement and a start time of the second blood pressure measurement to provide an idle time between the first blood pressure measurement and the second blood pressure measurement in a case a result of the determination is an affirmative result that the time zones partially overlap or the time difference is equal to or less than the predetermined value”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Nakazawa (JP2003061919A English Translation) directed to an electronic sphygmomanometer having a button 503 operated to specify nighttime blood pressure measurement and provisionally set the time for nighttime measurement (para. [0086, 0112], fig. 9) ; Tao (CN 101779952 A English Translation) directed to a method, device, and monitor for controlling blood pressure measurement intervals; Lin (US 20100280395 A1) directed to a system and a method for hypertension management having a device programmed such as to operate in accordance with a predetermined measurement schedule in addition to a prestored, guideline based schedule (para. [0058-0060]).
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/A.E.H./Examiner, Art Unit 3791
/AURELIE H TU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791