Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/043,996

AUTOINJECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATIONS

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Mar 03, 2023
Examiner
GOLLAMUDI, NEERAJA
Art Unit
3783
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Emergent Product Development Gaithersburg Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
72%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 3m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 72% — above average
72%
Career Allow Rate
110 granted / 153 resolved
+1.9% vs TC avg
Strong +42% interview lift
Without
With
+42.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
51 currently pending
Career history
204
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
48.8%
+8.8% vs TC avg
§102
25.8%
-14.2% vs TC avg
§112
21.5%
-18.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 153 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-4 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Sarnoff et al. (US Patent 4226235 hereinafter “Sarnoff”). Regarding Claim 1, Sarnoff teaches (Fig 1) an autoinjector, comprising: an injector unit (10), the injector unit comprising: a cartridge housing (20, 76); a first carpule (26) to contain first medication (37) for administration, the first carpule being positioned within an interior area of the cartridge housing (See Fig 1; Col 5 lines 61-63 " Slidably mounted within the tubular member 20 is a first glass ampule or dosage container 26."); a second carpule (78) to contain second medication (80) for administration, the second carpule being positioned within the interior area of the cartridge housing (See Fig 1; Col 7 lines 13-17 "The plural dosage injecting device 10 includes a second cartridge sub-assembly similar to the first which includes a second container support member 76, a second container 78"); an activator unit (48, 94), the activator unit comprising: an activation housing (12); a first activation engine (48) at least partially positioned within an interior area of the activation housing, the first activation engine including a first spring (46) and a first piston (36), such that the first spring (46) and the first piston (36) are co-axial with the first carpule (26; see Fig 1); a second activation engine (94) at least partially positioned within the interior area of the activation housing (12), the second activation engine including a second spring (92) and a second piston (88), such that the second spring (92) and the second piston (88) are co-axial with the second carpule (78; see Fig 1); a retainer (inner tubes 50 and 96) to retain the first spring (46) and the second spring (92); a safety disk (102) positioned at a proximal end (left side of Fig 1, where 102 points to) of the activation housing (12); and a first safety element (104) to engage the safety disk (102) and maintain the activator unit in a storage setting (See Col 7 lines 23-34). Regarding Claim 2, Sarnoff teaches the autoinjector of claim 1, further comprising a first piston rod (56) connected to the first piston (36, the examiner notes 56 is connected to 36 through spacer 40), the first piston rod having an intermediate protrusion (58), wherein a portion of the first piston rod is positioned within an interior area of the first spring such that a distal end of the first spring abuts a proximal surface of the intermediate protrusion and a distal surface of the intermediate protrusion abuts a distal end of the retainer (See annotated Fig 1.1). PNG media_image1.png 532 792 media_image1.png Greyscale Annotated Fig 1.1 (Sarnoff) Regarding Claim 3, Sarnoff teaches the autoinjector of claim 2, further comprising a second piston rod (98) connected to the second piston, the second piston rod having an intermediate protrusion, wherein a portion of the second piston rod is positioned within an interior area of the second spring such that a distal end of the second spring abuts a proximal surface of the intermediate protrusion and a distal surface of the intermediate protrusion abuts a distal end of the retainer (See annotated Fig 1.2). PNG media_image2.png 559 792 media_image2.png Greyscale Annotated Fig 1.2 (Sarnoff) Regarding Claim 4, Sarnoff teaches the autoinjector of claim 1, further comprising a second safety element (106) to engage the safety disk (102) and maintain the activator unit in the storage setting (See Col 7 lines 23-34), the second safety element (106) extending parallel to the first safety element (104; see Fig 1, 104 and 106 are parallel). Regarding Claim 18, Sarnoff teaches (Fig 1) an autoinjector device, comprising: an injector unit (10), the injector unit comprising: a cartridge housing (20, 76); a first carpule (26) to contain first medication (37) for administration, the first carpule being positioned within an interior area of the cartridge housing (See Fig 1; Col 5 lines 61-63 " Slidably mounted within the tubular member 20 is a first glass ampule or dosage container 26."); a second carpule (78) to contain second medication (80) for administration, the second carpule being positioned within the interior area of the cartridge housing (See Fig 1; Col 7 lines 13-17 "The plural dosage injecting device 10 includes a second cartridge sub-assembly similar to the first which includes a second container support member 76, a second container 78"); a needle assembly housing (28, 32, 82, 86) secured to the cartridge housing (20, 76); a first needle assembly (30) secured to the first carpule (26) and positioned within an interior area of the needle assembly housing (28, 32), and comprising a first needle guide (28) and a first cannula (30) secured to the first needle guide (28); a second needle assembly (84) secured to the second carpule (78) and positioned within the interior area of the needle assembly housing (82, 86), and comprising a second needle guide (82) and a second cannula (84) secured to the second needle guide (82); an activator unit (48, 94), the activator unit comprising: an activation housing (12); a first activation engine (48) at least partially positioned within an interior area of the activation housing (12); a second activation engine (94) at least partially positioned within the interior area of the activation housing (12); a safety disk (102) positioned at a proximal end (left side of Fig 1, where 102 points to) of the activation housing (12); and a first safety element (104) to engage the safety disk (102) and maintain the activator unit in a storage setting (See Col 7 lines 23-34). Claim(s) 1, 4, 6-7, 12-13 and 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Egloff (US Patent Pub. 20210205538). Regarding Claim 1, Egloff teaches (figs 1-5) an autoinjector, comprising: an injector unit (9), the injector unit comprising: a cartridge housing (92); a first carpule (1) to contain first medication for administration, the first carpule being positioned within an interior area of the cartridge housing; a second carpule (2) to contain second medication for administration, the second carpule being positioned within the interior area of the cartridge housing; an activator unit (91, 3, 32, 4, 42), the activator unit comprising: an activation housing (91); a first activation engine (3, 32) at least partially positioned within an interior area of the activation housing, the first activation engine including a first spring (32) and a first piston (3), such that the first spring and the first piston are co-axial with the first carpule; a second activation engine at least partially positioned within the interior area of the activation housing, the second activation engine including a second spring (42) and a second piston (4), such that the second spring and the second piston are co-axial with the second carpule; a retainer (7) to retain the first spring and the second spring; a safety disk (6) positioned at a proximal end of the activation housing; and a first safety element (71) to engage the safety disk and maintain the activator unit in a storage setting (See [0053] teaching how 71 holds 6 in a locked position). Regarding Claim 4, Egloff teaches the autoinjector of claim 1, further comprising a second safety element (72) to engage the safety disk (6) and maintain the activator unit in the storage setting, the second safety element extending parallel to the first safety element (71 and 72 are extending parallel from element 7, see Figs 4-5). Regarding Claim 6, Egloff teaches the autoinjector of claim 1, wherein a proximal end of the cartridge housing (92) engages a distal end of the activation housing (91; see Figs 1-3). Regarding Claim 7, Egloff teaches the autoinjector of claim 6, wherein the cartridge housing engages the activation housing via a snap-fit connection (See [0046]; while Egloff does not specify "snap fit", Egloff does teach that 91 is inserted into recesses 921, which the examiner interprets as a 'snap fit' engagement). Regarding Claim 12, Egloff teaches the autoinjector of claim 1, wherein the first safety element (71) extends along an outer surface of the retainer (7; see Fig 5). Regarding Claim 13, Egloff teaches the autoinjector of claim 12, wherein the first safety element (71) extends along the outer surface of a first side of the retainer (7) and a second safety element (72) extends along the outer surface of a second side of the retainer (7; see Figs 4-5). Regarding Claim 16, Egloff teaches the autoinjector of claim 1, further comprising an engine rod (41, 31), the engine rod having a proximal end (end closest to 7) and a proximal surface at the proximal end that abuts a distal surface of the safety disk (6) , wherein a proximal end of the first spring abuts a distal surface of a spring support at the proximal end of the engine rod (See Figs 4-5, proximal end of spring 42 abuts a surface ,which is the spring support on the engine rod 41), and wherein a proximal end of the second spring (32) abuts the distal surface (32 abuts a more distal surface 33). Regarding Claim 17, Egloff teaches the autoinjector of claim 16, wherein the engine rod (41) extends through a bore of the retainer (7), such that the retainer is movable along the engine rod (since 41 is fit into 7, it is interpreted that the retainer 7 is partially moveable onto 41; see [053] teaching how 6 and 7 hold rod 41 in place). Claim(s) 22-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schwirtz (EP 2331177). Regarding Claim 22, Schwirtz teaches (figs 1 (Currently Amended) An autoinjector, comprising: an injector unit (1), the injector unit comprising: a cartridge housing (2); a carpule (3) to contain a medication for administration, the carpule being positioned within an interior area of the cartridge housing; a needle assembly housing (64, 63) secured to the cartridge housing; a needle assembly (6) positioned within an interior area of the needle assembly housing (64, 63), the needle assembly comprising a needle guide (23, see annotated Fig 2), a cannula (20) secured to the needle guide (23), and a needle clip (26) (See annotated Fig 2 and 5) disposed within the needle guide (26 is partially disposed within needle guide 23 at the opening 85 (see Fig 5)); and slidable relative thereto, the needle clip having proximal extensions (see annotated Fig 2) configured to be secured to a distal end of the carpule (3); an activator unit (4), the activator unit comprising: an activation housing (outer housing of the overall device); and an activation engine (15) at least partially positioned within an interior area of the activation housing, wherein when the autoinjector is actuated by the activator unit (4) to administer a medication (4 is a drive means to administer medication 14; see Pg. 8 third paragraph of translation copy), the carpule (3) and the needle clip attached thereto are driven towards a distal end of the autoinjector (See Fig 5), and as the carpule (3) with the needle clip are driven towards the distal end of the autoinjector, the needle guide slides on the needle clip toward the carpule so as to bring the cannula into fluid communication with the medication contained within the carpule (See Fig 5). PNG media_image3.png 617 539 media_image3.png Greyscale Annotated Fig 2 (Schwirtz) Regarding Claim 23, Schwirtz teaches the autoinjector of claim 22, wherein the needle guide includes longitudinally- extending bars (See annotated Fig 5), and the needle clip includes slots (See annotated Fig 5) that slidably receive the bars therein when the autoinjector is actuated (See annotated Fig 5). PNG media_image4.png 750 508 media_image4.png Greyscale Annotated Fig 5 (Schwirtz) Regarding Claim 24, Schwirtz teaches the autoinjector of claim 23, wherein each slot of the needle clip includes a notch (See annotated Fig 2) at a distal end of the needle clip in which a radially-extending proximal end of a respective bar of the needle guide is positioned when the autoinjector is in a storage setting (See annotated Fig 2). Regarding Claim 25, Schwirtz teaches the autoinjector of claim 24, wherein in the storage setting (Fig 2) the needle guide supports a proximal end (22) of the cannula (20) adjacent to a septum (26) of the carpule (3). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sarnoff (US Patent 4226235) in view of Wacks (WO 9407553) Regarding Claim 5, Sarnoff teaches all elements of claim 1 as described above. Sarnoff further teaches a needle assembly with a first needle assembly (30, 32, 28) comprising a needle housing (28) connected to the first carpule (26), and a second needle assembly (86, 84, 82) comprising a needle housing (82) connected to a second carpule (78). Sarnoff does not specify a needle assembly housing connected to the cartridge housing such that a proximal portion of the needle assembly housing engages a distal portion of the cartridge housing; a first needle assembly connected to the first carpule, the first needle assembly being positioned within an interior area of the needle assembly housing in the storage setting; and a second needle assembly connected to the second carpule, the second needle assembly being positioned within the interior area of the needle assembly housing in the storage setting. Wacks teaches (Fig 5) a needle assembly housing (2418) with a proximal portion (2419, 2417) of the needle assembly housing (2418) that engages a distal portion of the cartridge housing (see Fig 8 needle assembly housing is engaging the cartridge housing where 2417 points to). Wacks further teaches the needle (2423) connected to the carpule (2440, the examiner notes the needle and carpule are labeled in Fig 5, however the engagement between the elements are best seen in Fig 8), wherein the needle assembly (2423) being positioned within an interior area of the needle assembly housing (2481) in the storage setting (Fig 5). With this modification, the needle assembly housing would be connected for both the first needle and second needle of Sarnoff such that it would function the similarly to the single needle shown in Wacks. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the first and second needle assemblies of Sarnoff such that a needle assembly housing connected to the cartridge housing such that a proximal portion of the needle assembly housing engages a distal portion of the cartridge housing; a first needle assembly connected to the first carpule, the first needle assembly being positioned within an interior area of the needle assembly housing in the storage setting; and a second needle assembly connected to the second carpule, the second needle assembly being positioned within the interior area of the needle assembly housing in the storage setting as taught by Wacks. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so in order to prevent unwanted or unintentional punctures by the needle as this design ensures that no part of the needle is ever exposed to any environment other than the subjects tissues or the inside of the cartridge vial before injection (Wacks Pg. 28 lines 25-33). Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Egloff (US Patent Pub. 20210205538) in view of Wacks (WO 9407553). Regarding Claim 5, Egloff teaches all elements of claim 1 as described above. Egloff further teaches a needle assembly with a first needle assembly (51) comprising a needle housing (5) connected to the first carpule (1), and a second needle assembly (52) comprising a needle housing (5) connected to a second carpule (2); the first needle assembly being positioned within an interior area of the needle assembly housing in the storage setting (See Fig 3), , the second needle assembly being positioned within the interior area of the needle assembly housing in the storage setting (See Fig 3; the needles 51 and 52 are in a storage setting as they are not engaged with carpules 1 and 2). Egloff does not specify a needle assembly housing connected to the cartridge housing such that a proximal portion of the needle assembly housing engages a distal portion of the cartridge housing. Wacks teaches (Fig 5) a needle assembly housing (2418) with a proximal portion (2419, 2417) of the needle assembly housing (2418) that engages a distal portion of the cartridge housing (see Fig 8 needle assembly housing is engaging the cartridge housing where 2417 points to). Wacks further teaches the needle (2423) connected to the carpule (2440, the examiner notes the needle and carpule are labeled in Fig 5, however the engagement between the elements are best seen in Fig 8), wherein the needle assembly (2423) being positioned within an interior area of the needle assembly housing (2481) in the storage setting (Fig 5). With this modification, a cartridge housing would be placed around the carpules rather than the cartridge house 92 of Egloff being on the outer most surface. This would result in the needle assembly housing connecting to the cartridge housing as shown in Wacks. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device of Egloff such that it includes a cartridge housing around the carpules as taught by Wacks. This would result in a needle assembly housing connected to the cartridge housing such that a proximal portion of the needle assembly housing engages a distal portion of the cartridge housing. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so in order to prevent unwanted or unintentional punctures by the needle as this design ensures that no part of the needle is ever exposed to any environment other than the subjects tissues or the inside of the cartridge vial before injection (Wacks Pg. 28 lines 25-33). Claim(s) 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Egloff (US Patent Pub. 20210205538) in view of Wacks (WO 9407553) as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Laugere (US Patent Pub. 20150126961). Regarding Claim 8, the combination of Egloff and Wacks teaches all elements of claim 5 as described above. Egloff further teaches the autoinjector further comprising: a proximal sealing member (22, 12) that extends around a proximal end of the needle assembly housing (5). Egloff does not teach a first distal sealing member positioned at a first distal opening of the needle assembly housing; and a second distal sealing member positioned at a second distal opening of the needle assembly housing. Laugere teaches (fig 11) a needle assembly housing with a first distal sealing member (right side portion of 260) positioned at a first distal opening of the needle assembly housing (outlet of 250) and a second distal sealing member (;eft side portion of 260) positioned at a second distal opening of the needle assembly housing (outlet of 240). The examiner notes that in this modification, the first and second sealing members would be positioned within the conduit 53 of Egloff (See Annotated Fig 3-11). PNG media_image5.png 640 1096 media_image5.png Greyscale Annotated Fig 3-11 It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the needle housing assembly of Egloff such that it includes a first distal sealing member positioned at a first distal opening of the needle assembly housing; and a second distal sealing member positioned at a second distal opening of the needle assembly housing as taught by Laugere. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so in order to prevent the primary medicament in the first pathway from migrating to the secondary medicament in the second pathway, while also preventing the secondary medicament in the second pathway from migrating to the primary medicament in the first pathway (Laugere [0114]). Regarding Claim 9, the combination of Egloff, Wacks and Laugere teaches the autoinjector of claim 8, wherein the first carpule (Egloff 1) extends through the proximal sealing member (Egloff 12) and a cannula (Egloff 51) of the first needle assembly is configured to extend through the first distal sealing member (Laugere 260 – with the modification done in claim 8, the needle 51 would extend through the sealing member 260; See Annotated Fig 3-11) . Regarding Claim 10, the combination of Egloff, Wacks and Laugere teaches the autoinjector of claim 9, wherein the second carpule (Egloff 2) extends through the proximal sealing member (Egloff 22) and a cannula (Egloff 52) of the second needle assembly is configured to extend through the second distal sealing member (Laugere 260 – with the modification done in claim 8, the needle 52 would extend through the sealing member 260; See Annotated Fig 3-11). Regarding Claim 11, the combination of Egloff, Wacks and Laugere teaches the autoinjector of claim 8, wherein a distal end of the cartridge housing abuts the proximal sealing member (See Wacks Fig 8). Claim(s) 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sarnoff (US Patent 4226235). Regarding Claim 14, Sarnoff teaches all elements of claim 1 as described above. Sarnoff (Fig 1) does not specify the autoinjector wherein the first safety element is planar and comprises a base, a first arm and a second arm extending from the base and that are separated from one another by a space, wherein each of the first arm and the second arm comprises a flange configured to engage the safety disk. Sarnoff does teach in the embodiment of Fig (5-6) a safety disk (302) with a first safety element (216, 218, 219) that comprises a base (216) a first arm (218) and a second arm (219) extending from the base (216) and that are separated from one another by a space (See Fig 5), wherein each of the first arm (218) and the second arm (219) comprises a flange configured to engage the safety disk (218 and 219 engage safety disk through the connection with 304 and 306). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the safety disk and first safety element of the embodiment of Sarnoff Fig 1 such that the first safety element is planar and comprises a base, a first arm and a second arm extending from the base and that are separated from one another by a space, wherein each of the first arm and the second arm comprises a flange configured to engage the safety disk as taught by the embodiment of Sarnoff Fig 5. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so in order to fixedly retain the associated outer tube against rearward movement, thereby insuring actuating movement of the releasing mechanism (Sarnoff Col 12 lines 14-16). Regarding Claim 15, the modified Sarnoff teaches the autoinjector of claim 14, further comprising a safety cap (302) removably securable to a proximal end of an outer housing (210) of the autoinjector, wherein the safety cap (302) comprises a safety pin (217) positioned in the space between the first arm (218) and the second arm (219) of the first safety element when the safety cap (302) is secured to the proximal end of the outer housing (See Fig 5). Claim(s) 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sarnoff (US Patent 4226235) in view of Laugere (US Patent Pub. 20150126961). Regarding Claim 19, Sarnoff teaches all elements of claim 18 as described above. Sarnoff does not specify the autoinjector wherein the needle assembly housing is secured to the cartridge housing via a snap-fit connection. Laugere teaches [0109] that a needle assembly housing (210) may be secured to a cartridge housing (40) through a snap-fit connection. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the needle assembly housing of Sarnoff such that the needle assembly housing is secured to the cartridge housing via a snap-fit connection as taught by Laugere. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize this as an alternative form of engagement for the needle and cartridge (See Laugere [0110] teaching various connection methods). Regarding Claim 20, Sarnoff teaches all elements of claim 18 as described above. Sarnoff does not specify the autoinjector wherein the first needle assembly is connected to a distal end of the first carpule via a needle clip, wherein the first needle assembly is movable relative to the needle clip. Laugere teaches [0109] that a needle assembly (everything within 210) may be secured to a cartridge housing (40) through a snap-fit connection through a clip (210). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the needle assembly of Sarnoff such the first needle assembly is connected to a distal end of the first carpule via a needle clip, wherein the first needle assembly is movable relative to the needle clip as taught by Laugere. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize this as an alternative form of engagement for the needle and cartridge (See Laugere [0110] teaching various connection methods). Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sarnoff (US Patent 4226235) in view of Sarrif (US Patent 2168686) Regarding Claim 21, Sarnoff teaches all elements of claim 18 as described above. Sarnoff does not specify the autoinjector wherein the first carpule comprises a septum that separates an interior volume of the first carpule into a first storage area for storing a first medication and a second storage area for storing a second medication. Saffir teaches (Fig 5) a carpule (40) comprising a septum (42) that separates an interior volume of the carpule (40) into a first storage area (44) for storing a first medication and a second storage area (46) for storing a second medication. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the first carpule of Sarnoff such that it comprises a septum that separates an interior volume of the first carpule into a first storage area for storing a first medication and a second storage area for storing a second medication as taught by Sarrif. One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to do so in order to form multiple chambers within the carpule (Sarrif Pg. 2 Col 1 lines 64-73). Claim(s) 26-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schwirtz (EP 2331177)in view of Dasbach (WO 2017191305). Regarding Claim 26, Schwirtz teaches all elements of claim 22 as described above. Schwirtz does not specify the autoinjector wherein the needle clip includes one of a male connector or a female connector for engaging with a corresponding female connector or a corresponding male connector of the needle guide, to secure a relative position of the needle clip and the needle guide when the autoinjector is in a storage setting. Dasbach teaches (Figs 2-3) a needle clip (18) with male threads, corresponding with a female threads (25) of the needle guide. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the needle clip and needle guide of Schwirtz such that they include male and female connectors as taught by Dasbach. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so in order to provide a screw-fit arrangement to secure the needle to the carpule (Dasbach Pg. 9 line 26 – Pg. 10 line 5). Regarding Claim 27, the combination of Schwirtz and Dasbach teaches all elements of claim 26 as described above. Schwirtz further teaches the autoinjector wherein in the storage setting (Fig 2) the needle guide supports a proximal end (22) of the cannula (20) adjacent to a septum (26) of the carpule (3). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NEERAJA GOLLAMUDI whose telephone number is (571)272-6449. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 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, Michael Tsai can be reached at (571) 270-5246. 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. /NEERAJA GOLLAMUDI/Examiner, Art Unit 3783 /QUYNH-NHU H. VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3783
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Prosecution Timeline

Mar 03, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 25, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
72%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+42.2%)
3y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 153 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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