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 Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 13, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive in view of figure 11 showing member 31 on the outer fastening ring 29. Therefore, applicant’s arguments are not persuasive.
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) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Terada (US 20130072945).
Regarding claim 1, Terada discloses a hemostatic clip, comprising: a first sleeve (29) provided with a first position-limiting part (91 or 89) at its head end; a clip body (27) movably provided in the first sleeve and provided in its axial direction with a second position-limiting part (63, 41, 59) and a third position-limiting part (75), wherein the second position-limiting part and the third position-limiting part are spaced apart from each other (figure 4A, 4B), and the second position-limiting part selectively cooperates with the first position-limiting part in a position-limiting way (paragraph 0102, 0081); and a position-limiting member (31) provided on the first sleeve and provided with a fourth position-limiting part (81, 85, 55), wherein the fourth position-limiting part cooperates with the third position-limiting part in a position-limiting way when the second position- limiting part cooperates with the first position-limiting part in a position-limiting way (paragraph 0090).
Regarding claim 2, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 1, wherein the first position-limiting part limits the second position-limiting part in a direction opposite to a direction in which the fourth position-limiting part limits the third position-limiting part (first and second prevent pull-in of the clip body, 81 prevents P2 direction) .
Regarding claim 3, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 1, wherein the first position-limiting part (91) is configured as a first position-limiting step, the second position-limiting part (63) is configured as a second position-limiting step, and the first position-limiting step cooperates with the second position-limiting step in a position-limiting way (paragraph 0180-0181).
Regarding claim 4, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 3, wherein the first sleeve comprises a sleeve body (87) and a position-limiting boss (89), the position-limiting boss is provided at the head end of the sleeve body (figure 35), the position-limiting boss is located at least one side of the clip body, and the first position-limiting step (91) is formed between the position-limiting boss and the head end of the sleeve body.
Regarding claim 5, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 3, wherein the clip body comprises two clipping arms (39, 41, 43) provided opposite to each other, each of the two clipping arms comprises a first clipping segment (41, 43, 57) and a second clipping segment (59, 65, 61, 63, 64, 67), the first clipping segment is provided in the first sleeve (figure 2), the third position-limiting part is provided on the first clipping segment (figure 4A-4B), and the first clipping segment has a width smaller than that of the second clipping segment to form the second position-limiting step at a connection between the first clipping segment and the second clipping segment (figure 4B).
Regarding claim 6, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 1, wherein the third position-limiting part is configured as a protrusion (75, figure 4B) , the fourth position-limiting part is configured as a position-limiting rod (55, paragraph 0090), and the protrusion cooperates with the position-limiting rod in a position-limiting way (paragraph 0090, cooperates with 55 via 81).
Regarding claim 7, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 6, wherein the clip body comprises two clipping arms (39) provided opposite to each other, and each of the two clipping arms is provided with the protrusion (figure 4A-4B).
Regarding claim 8, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 6, wherein the protrusion is configured as a barb (75), the barb is provided with a first position-limiting surface at one side closer to the second position-limiting part, and the barb is provided with an oblique guiding surface at another side away from the second position-limiting part.
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Regarding claim 9, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 1, wherein the third position-limiting part (75) is provided at an end of the clip body and is located at an edge of at least one side of the end in a width direction of the end, the third position-limiting part is configured as a resilient protrusion (figure 4A-4B), the fourth position-limiting part is configured as a position- limiting rod (55, 45), and the resilient protrusion cooperates with the position-limiting rod in a position-limiting way (paragraph 0090, 75 cooperates with 55 via 81).
Regarding claim 10, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 9, wherein two third position-limiting parts are provided, one of the two third position-limiting parts is provided on one side of the end of the clip body, and the other of the two third position-limiting parts is provided on another side of the end of the clip body (figure 4A-4B).
Regarding claim 11, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 1, wherein the first sleeve has an avoidance hole (93), and the fourth position-limiting part is provided at the avoidance hole (figure 2).
Regarding claim 12, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 11, wherein the position-limiting member is ring-shaped (77), at least two third position-limiting parts are provided (figure 4A-4B), the at least two third position-limiting parts are provided opposite to each other (figure 4A-4B), two avoidance holes are provided opposite to each other (figure 3), the position-limiting member comprises two position-limiting rods (77c) and two connecting rods (77b), each of the two connecting rods is connected between the two position-limiting rods (figure 6A), and the two position-limiting rods are provided at the two avoidance holes respectively (figure 3).
Regarding claim 13, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 12, wherein the first sleeve is provided with two position-limiting grooves (93a) between the two avoidance holes, the two connecting rods are provided in the two position-limiting grooves respectively (figure 11), and one of the two connecting rods is provided with a notch (figure 6A).
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Regarding claim 14, Terada discloses a hemostatic clip, comprising: a first sleeve (29) having an avoidance hole (97, 93); a clip body (27) movably provided in the first sleeve and provided with a position-limiting part (75); and a position-limiting member (31) provided on the first sleeve and provided partially in the avoidance hole (figure 11), wherein the position-limiting member is configured to cooperate with the position-limiting part in a position-limiting way when the clip body moves by a predetermined distance in an axial direction (paragraph 0092).
Regarding claim 15, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 14, wherein the position-limiting part is configured as a protrusion (75), the position-limiting member is provided with a position-limiting rod (77a, 77b, or 77c), the position-limiting rod is provided in the avoidance hole (figure 77), and the protrusion cooperates with the position-limiting rod in a position-limiting way (paragraph 0092, figure 8A).
Regarding claim 16, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 15, wherein the protrusion is configured as a barb (75), the barb is provided with a position-limiting surface on one side closer to a head end of the clip body, and the barb is provided with an oblique guiding surface on another side (see image above).
Regarding claim 17, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 14, wherein the position-limiting part is provided at an end of the clip body and is located at an edge of at least one side of the end in a width direction of the end (figure 4A-4B), the position-limiting part is configured as a resilient protrusion (75), the position-limiting member (31) is provided with a position-limiting rod (77a, 77b, 77c), the position-limiting rod is provided in the avoidance hole (figure 11), and the resilient protrusion cooperates with the position-limiting rod in a position-limiting way (figure 8A, paragraph 0092).
Regarding claim 18, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 17, wherein two position-limiting parts (75) are provided, one of the two position-limiting parts is provided on one side of the end of the clip body, and the other of the two position-limiting parts is provided on another side of the end of the clip body (figure 4A-4B).
Regarding claim 19, Terada discloses all of the limitations set forth in claim 14, wherein the position-limiting member is ring-shaped (figure 6A), at least two position-limiting parts are provided (75), the at least two position-limiting parts are provided opposite to each other (Figure 4A-4B), two avoidance holes (93) are provided, the two avoidance holes are provided opposite to each other (figure 1), the position- limiting member comprises two position-limiting rods (77a, 77b) and two connecting rods (77c), each of the two connecting rods is connected between the two position-limiting rods, and the two position-limiting rods are provided at the two avoidance holes respectively (figures 6A, 6B, 11).
Regarding claim 20, Terada discloses a tissue clipping device, comprising: an applying device (11); and the hemostatic clip according to claim 1 (See above) , the clip body of the hemostatic clip being detachably connected with the applying device (figure 3, paragraph 0189-0190).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH TIEU DANG whose telephone number is (571)270-3221. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday (9am-4pm EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Darwin Erezo can be reached at (571) 272-4695. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANH T DANG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3771
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