DETAILED ACTION
Status of Application
Claims 1-16 are cancelled.
Claims 17, 27, 28, 30, and 32 are amended.
Claims 17-32 are included in the prosecution.
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/Amendments
Applicant’s amendments and arguments filed 21 November 2025 are sufficient to withdraw the previous rejections under 35 USC 112(b) and 35 USC 103 over the teachings of Rolf.
Examiner additionally relies on Ma (CN208339669U Machine English Translation) in a new ground of rejection, therefore this action is made NON-FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC §102/103
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 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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 17-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Ma (CN208339669U Machine English Translation).
Anticipation
Regarding claims 17-32, Ma is drawn to a medical dressing that promotes rapid wound healing. Its structure includes four layers, from bottom to top: a polyurethane film backing layer, a hydrocolloid layer adhered to the polyurethane film backing layer, a functional nonwoven fabric layer adhered to the hydrocolloid layer, and a release paper layer adhered to the functional nonwoven fabric layer; the functional nonwoven fabric layer is a water-soluble chitosan fiber nonwoven fabric or an alginate fiber nonwoven fabric. The dressing provided by this utility model is soft in texture, has strong hydrophilicity, obvious self-dissolving debridement effect, is waterproof, breathable, antibacterial, heat-insulating, does not stick to the wound surface, reduces the number of dressing changes, has low production cost, fast wound healing speed, is simple to prepare, and is easy to industrial production and promotion (abstract).
Ma discloses a medical dressing that promotes rapid wound healing, comprising four layers, from bottom to top: a polyurethane film backing layer, a hydrocolloid layer adhered to the polyurethane film backing layer, a functional nonwoven fabric layer adhered to the hydrocolloid layer, and a release paper layer adhered to the functional nonwoven fabric layer; the functional nonwoven fabric layer is a water-soluble chitosan fiber nonwoven fabric or an alginate fiber nonwoven fabric [0007]. Ma also discloses a hydrocolloid dressing and its preparation method [0004].
Ma discloses a polyurethane film backing layer 1 with a thickness of 0.02-0.03 mm; a hydrocolloid layer 2 with a thickness of 0.3-1.2 mm, preferably 0.46-0.85 mm; and a functional nonwoven fabric layer made of commercially available water soluble chitosan fiber nonwoven fabric or alginate nonwoven fabric [0020].
Ma discloses the hydrocolloid layer is a hydrophilic polymeric rubber elastomer layer containing sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and gelatin. It also contains elastic polymers and adhesives, which are commercially available materials. When placed on the polyurethane film backing layer, it ultimately forms an absorbent, self-adhesive, and waterproof dressing sheet that is opaque or translucent, biodegradable, and has good adhesion. At the same time, the hydrocolloid layer can maintain a good moist environment, promoting fibrinolysis, angiogenesis, and wound healing [0018].
Obviousness
Ma does not explicitly disclose each of the components of the composition in a single embodiment for an anticipation rejection.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Ma, to arrive at the instant invention.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because Ma discloses all the required ingredients and Ma discloses when placed on the polyurethane film backing layer, it ultimately forms an absorbent, self-adhesive, and waterproof dressing sheet that is opaque or translucent, biodegradable, and has good adhesion. At the same time, the hydrocolloid layer can maintain a good moist environment, promoting fibrinolysis, angiogenesis, and wound healing [0018]. Further, one having ordinary still in the art would reasonably expect success in combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, see MPEP 2141.
Conclusion
No claims are allowed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANGLONG N TRUONG whose telephone number is (571) 270-0719. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 am-5:00 pm.
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, Robert A Wax can be reached on 571-272-0623. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/QUANGLONG N TRUONG/Examiner, Art Unit 1615
Prosecution Insights