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 preliminary amendment filed on 04/29/2022. As directed by the amendment: claim 17 has been amended. Thus, claims 1 – 17 are presently pending in this application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hiejima (U.S. 6,213,981).
Regarding claim 1, Hiejima teaches a medicinal liquid pushing apparatus (device as shown in Figure 1) having a medicinal liquid channel (liquid channel is the channel that run through injection tub 6, reservoir 3, and delivery tube 7 as shown in Figures 5a and 5b) that guides a flow of a medicinal liquid (see discussion of delivering a liquid medicine and refilling the device in Col. 5, line 41 – Col. 6, line 6), the medicinal liquid pushing apparatus comprising:
a reservoir defining an internal space configured to store the medicinal liquid on the medicinal liquid channel (reservoir 3, Figure 1, see discussion of refilling the reservoir 3 with liquid medicine in Col. 5, line 61 – Col. 6, line 6);
a reservoir pushing member (pushing portion 43, Figure 1, Col. 4, lines 40 – 48) configured to press the reservoir downward (as shown in Figures 5a and 5b);
a button member (cylindrical member 41, Figure 1) disposed to be spaced apart upward from the reservoir pushing member and configured to be movable downward (see discussion of cylindrical member 41 being pushed down in Col. 4, line 65 – Col. 5, line 12);
and a pressing member (spring 42, Figure 1) disposed between the button member and the reservoir pushing member (as shown in Figure 1) and configured such that a lower end of the pressing member presses the reservoir pushing member downward while the pressing member is compressively and elastically deformed in an upper-lower direction when an upper end of the pressing member is pushed downward by the button member (spring 42 deforms and presses down on the reservoir pushing member 43 when cylindrical member 41 is pressed down as discussed in Col. 5, lines 41 – 53).
Regarding claim 2, Hiejima teaches that the reservoir pushing member is configured to move downward by being pushed downward by the pressing member without coming into contact with the button member (reservoir pushing member 43 is moved downward by spring 42 expanding after button member 41 is already pushed down and held in place by the interaction of claw 53 and slit 48 as discussed in Col. 5, lines 41 – 53).
Regarding claim 3, Hiejima teaches a support slider (engaging slit 48, Figure 2) disposed in the button member and configured to move upward and downward together with the button member, the support slider including an engagement protrusion (the bottom portion as indicated in the annotated Figure below and Figure 2 is the engagement protrusion) protruding in an engagement direction transverse to the upper-lower direction (the engagement protrusion as shown in the annotated Figure below is protruding radially outward from the inner surface of element 44); and a guide part (claw 53, Figures 1 and 2) that defines an engagement groove (the groove is the bottom surface of claw 53 as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the annotated Figure below) into which the engagement protrusion is insertable, wherein the engagement protrusion is configured to be inserted into the engagement groove when the button member moves downward and reaches a predetermined position (claw 53 and slit 48 come into engagement when member 41 is in the sliding end-position as discussed in Col. 5, lines 41 – 53).
PNG
media_image1.png
562
458
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
382
298
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 4, Hiejima teaches that the button member and the support slider are configured to be engaged so as not to move upward in a state in which the engagement protrusion is inserted into the engagement groove (button member 41 is held in place by the engagement between claw 53 and slit 48 as discussed in Col. 4, line 65 to Col. 5, line 6).
Regarding claim 5, Hiejima teaches that the pressing member is configured to push the reservoir pushing member downward by being elastically restored while being stretched in the upper-lower direction in a state in which the engagement protrusion is inserted into the engagement groove (see discussion of reservoir 3 being pressed down by the expending spring 42 after being compressed by button member 41 in Col. 5, lines 41 – 53).
Regarding claim 12, Hiejima teaches that wherein the button member includes a lower part (the inner surface at the top of button member 3 as shown in Figure 1) configured to press the upper end of the pressing member and disposed below the support slider. Examiner notes that the inner surface at the top of button member 3 as shown in Figure 1 would be below the support slider 48 when the device is held in an orientation that is upside down from the orientation of the device as shown in Figure 1).
Regarding claim 14, Hiejima teaches that the guide part (claw 53 extending along a part of the circumference of the button member 41 as shown in Figures 1 and 2) extends along a circumference of the button member and is configured to guide a moving direction of the button member (claw 53 can hold button member 41 in place or allow button 41 to return upward as discussed in Col. 4, line 65 – Col. 5, line 12).
Regarding claim 15, Hiejima teaches a reservoir support part configured to support a lower surface of the reservoir (port portion 2 as shown in Figure 1)
Regarding claim 17, Hiejima teaches a medicinal liquid injection apparatus comprising: the medicinal liquid pushing apparatus according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above);
a pumping module (pushing mean 4, Figure 1) configured to press the medicinal liquid (see discussion of pushing means 4 pressure-deforming reservoir 3 in Col. 3, line 66 – Col. 4, line 4);
and an extension tube (tube 7, figure 1) configured to allow the medicinal liquid flowing out from the pumping module by being pressed in the pumping module to flow through the extension tube, wherein the medicinal liquid channel of the medicinal liquid pushing apparatus is connected to the extension tube (as shown in Figures 4a – 4c and discussed in Col. 5, lines 41 - 53).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 – 11, 13, and 16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior arts discovered during examination are Hiejima (U.S. 6,213,981) and Valle (U.S. 2012/0157918).
Regarding claim 6, prior arts do not teach that the reservoir pushing member further includes a slide protrusion protruding upward and configured to be slidable in the upper-lower direction with respect to the support slider, and wherein the support slider further includes: a contact portion brought into contact with the slide protrusion in a release direction that is opposite to the engagement direction; and a connection extension portion extending to connect the engagement protrusion and the contact portion to each other.
Regarding claim 13, prior arts do not teach that the reservoir pushing member further includes a slide protrusion protruding upward and configured to be slidable in the upper-lower direction with respect to the support slider, wherein the support slider further includes: a contact portion brought into contact with the slide protrusion in a release direction that is opposite to the engagement direction; and a connection extension portion extending to connect the engagement protrusion and the contact portion to each other, and wherein a hole into which the slide protrusion is inserted is formed at the lower part.
Regarding claim 16, prior arts do not teach that the medicinal liquid channel includes: a first channel that guides the medicinal liquid to flow from an inlet to an outlet; and a second channel that guides the medicinal liquid to split at a branching point of the first channel, guides the split medicinal liquid to merge at a merging point located downstream of the branching point of the first channel, and is configured to be capable of opening/closing, wherein the internal space of the reservoir is located on the second channel.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH T BUI whose telephone number is (571)270-1028. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 8 - 5.
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, Chelsea Stinson can be reached at (571) 270-1744. 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.
ANH T. BUI
Examiner
Art Unit 3783
/Anh Bui/Examiner, Art Unit 3783 /CHELSEA E STINSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3783