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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 12/29/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 20-25 were cancelled (by the applicant) from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected groups, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/29/2025.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-19 are objected to because of the following informalities:
in line 3 of Claim 1, insert --the-- between “to” and “reactor chamber”;
in line 7 of Claim 1, insert --to be disinfected-- after “object”;
in line 3 of Claim 2, insert --to be disinfected-- after “object”;
in line 1 of Claim 4, insert --predefined radiation-- before “exposure”;
in line 5 of Claim 5, insert --to be disinfected-- after “object”;
in line 1 of Claim 15, insert --plurality of-- before “EMR”;
in line 2 of Claim 15, insert --to be disinfected-- after “object”.
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 1-19 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 recites the limitation "the first emitter" in line 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the second emitter" in line 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the second emitter" in lines 12-13. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the first emitter" in line 13. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the applicable sensor" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the interior chamber" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-8, 10 and 12-19 are rejected based on their dependence on a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 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 primary reason for allowance of the claims is due to inclusion of limitation that the controller is “configured to calculate a time period to meet a predefined radiation exposure threshold for a treatment cycle based on the lower of the first pass radiation detected by the first sensor and the first pass radiation measured by the second sensor, the controller configured to send a signal to identify completion of the treatment cycle in response to completion of the time period”. While prior art such as Schulz (20050023482) discloses an apparatus (200) comprising a housing (202, 204, 206, 208) defining a reactor chamber (see Figures 14-18); a plurality of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitters (224) disposed within the reactor chamber (see Figures 14-18) and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation to treat substance within (see entire document, particularly p. 6 [0071]-[0072]), wherein the plurality of EMR emitters (224) including a first EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located top left – see Figures 14 and 14-17) and a second EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located elsewhere such as top right or one of two emitters at the bottom); a plurality of sensors (230) disposed within the housing (202, 204, 206, 208) (see Figures 14 and 18) and configured to detect radiation intensity (see entire document, particularly p. 6 [0072]), the plurality of sensors (230) including a first sensor (230) configured to detect first pass radiation from the first EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located top left – see Figures 14 and 14-17) and not from the second EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located elsewhere such as top right or one of two emitters at the bottom) to measure radiation intensity emitted by the first EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located top left – see Figures 14 and 14-17), and a second sensor (230) configured to measure first pass radiation from the second EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located elsewhere such as top right or one of two emitters at the bottom) and not from the first EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located top left – see Figures 14 and 14-17) to identify radiation intensity emitted by the second EMR emitter (e.x. 224 located elsewhere such as top right or one of two emitters at the bottom) (see entire document, particularly p. 6 [0072] – lines 2-4); and a controller (304) (see Figure 22), Schulz (‘482) does not specifically teach that the housing includes “an access door configured to transition between an open configuration to allow access to the reactor chamber from outside the reactor chamber to a closed configuration to prevent access to the reactor chamber from outside the reactor chamber” or that the apparatus is comprised of “a holder configured to support within the reactor chamber an object to be disinfected” nor that the controller is “configured to calculate a time period to meet a predefined radiation exposure threshold for a treatment cycle based on the lower of the first pass radiation detected by the first sensor and the first pass radiation measured by the second sensor, the controller configured to send a signal to identify completion of the treatment cycle in response to completion of the time period”. In addition, while prior art of Tachibana (TW200803975) discloses an apparatus (see Figure 3) comprised of a reactor chamber (42; 95); a holder (45 – 46, 47) configured to support within the reactor chamber (42) an object (200) to be disinfected; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitters (52) disposed within a chamber (i.e. within 41) and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation to treat the object (200), the plurality of EMR emitters (52) including a first EMR emitter (52 such as leftmost 52) and a second EMR emitter (52 such as right-most 52); a plurality of sensors (53) disposed within a housing (41) and configured to detect radiation intensity, the plurality of sensors (53) including a first sensor (53) configured to detect first pass radiation from the first emitter (52 such as leftmost 52) and not from the second emitter (52 such as right-most 52) to measure radiation intensity emitted by the first EMR emitter (52 such as leftmost 52), and a second sensor (53) configured to measure first pass radiation from the second emitter (52 such as right-most 52) and not from the first emitter (52 such as leftmost 52) to identify radiation intensity emitted by the second EMR emitter (52 such as right-most 52); and a controller (54), Tachibana (‘975) does not specifically teaches that the controller (54) is “configured to calculate a time period to meet a predefined radiation exposure threshold for a treatment cycle based on the lower of the first pass radiation detected by the first sensor and the first pass radiation measured by the second sensor, the controller configured to send a signal to identify completion of the treatment cycle in response to completion of the time period” or that the apparatus comprises a housing that includes an access door configured to transition between an open configuration to allow access to reactor chamber from outside the reactor chamber to a closed configuration to prevent access to the reactor chamber from outside the reactor chamber. Moreover, while prior art of Pan (TW M594808) discloses an apparatus (1) comprising a housing (11, i.e. exterior of 12 – see Figure 2) defining a reactor chamber (12 – see Figures 3-4) and an access door (i.e. front of 13 – see Figures 2 and 4) configured to transition between an open configuration to allow access to reactor chamber (12) from outside the reactor chamber (12) (see Figure 4) to a closed configuration to prevent access to the reactor chamber (12) from outside the reactor chamber (12) (see Figures 2-3); a holder (15, 16) configured to support within the reactor chamber (12) an object; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitters (14, 142) disposed within the reaction chamber (12) and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation to treat the object (see Figure 3), the plurality of EMR emitters (14, 142) including a first EMR emitter (142 such as leftmost 14/142) and a second EMR emitter (14, 142 such as right-most 14/142); a plurality of sensors (21) disposed within the housing (11, i.e. exterior of 12 – see Figures 2-3) and configured to detect radiation intensity (see English translation, p. 5 lines 1-10), the plurality of sensors (21) including a first sensor (21 such as those on the leftmost row) configured to detect first pass radiation from the first emitter (14/142 such as leftmost 14/142) and not from the second emitter (14/142 such as right-most 14/142) to measure radiation intensity emitted by the first EMR emitter (14/142 such as leftmost 14/142), and a second sensor (21 such as those on the right-most row) configured to measure first pass radiation from the second emitter (14/142 such as right-most 14/142) and not from the first emitter (14/142 such as leftmost 14/142) to identify radiation intensity emitted by the second EMR emitter (14/142 such as right-most 14/142); and a controller (3) configured to monitor intensity and control operation of the plurality of EMR emitters (14, 142) (see English translation, particularly p. 5 lines 11-12, p. 6 3rd paragraph), Pan (‘808) does not specifically teaches that the controller (54) is “configured to calculate a time period to meet a predefined radiation exposure threshold for a treatment cycle based on the lower of the first pass radiation detected by the first sensor and the first pass radiation measured by the second sensor, the controller configured to send a signal to identify completion of the treatment cycle in response to completion of the time period”. It would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an apparatus comprised of components in the configuration as set forth in the claims, particularly “a controller [that is] configured to calculate a time period to meet a predefined radiation exposure threshold for a treatment cycle based on the lower of the first pass radiation detected by the first sensor and the first pass radiation measured by the second sensor, the controller configured to send a signal to identify completion of the treatment cycle in response to completion of the time period”.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references relate either to the field of the invention or subject matter of the invention, but are not relied upon in the rejection of record: 20160279275 and 20170100494 and 20180339075 (a sterilization apparatus with a plurality of UV/UV-C radiation sources and a plurality of radiation (dose) sensors in a reaction chamber, and a controller to control operation of the radiation source); CN105518380 and BR102017017951 (a sterilization apparatus with a plurality of UV/UV-C radiation sources in a reaction chamber and a controller to control operation of the radiation source such as duration, frequency, order, etc.), 11554185/20190209718 and WO2020264421 and JP2018109630 (a sterilization apparatus with one or more UV/UV-C radiation sources and one or more light sensors in a reaction chamber, and a controller to control operation of the light source(s)).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REGINA M YOO whose telephone number is (571)272-6690. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.
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/REGINA M YOO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1758
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