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 § 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 1-8 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, lines 10-11 recite “a bottom of the accommodating bin”. It is unclear if this refers to the bottom of the accommodating bin recited earlier in lines 8-9 of the claim or if this is a different portion of the bin. Clarification is required.
Claim 5 recites “a pushing rod head for conveniently pressing”. It is not clear if “conveniently pressing” imposes any kind of structural limitation on the pushing rod head. Additionally, what is convenient is different for different users. Therefore a person having ordinary skill in the art would be unable to determine the metes and bounds of the claim. Clarification is required.
Claims dependent thereon inherit the deficiencies of the respective base claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 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 closest prior art are Vu et al. (US 2005/021102), Lassota (US Patent 7,717,026), Khalifa (US 2010/0224078), Yu et al. (US Patent 8,051,766), Juris et al. (US 2014/0356501), Loebl (US 2015/0342393), Khalifa (US 2017/0280926), Kuempel (US 2019/0021541), Pranckun (US 2019/0335936), Abeygunawardana et al. (US 2022/0087468), Anthony et al. (US Patent 11,647,860), and Brown et al. (US 2024/0245254).
While the above prior art teach various aspects of the invention, Kuempel and Brown each teach syringe-type manual pressure brewing devices with elastomeric pressure valves at the bottom of the accommodating bin. The prior art of record, either alone or in combination, fails to anticipate a syringe-type manual pressure brewing device with a pressure valve installed between a syringe barrel and an accommodating bin, at least one check valve is installed on a bottom of the accommodating bin, and the check valve includes corresponding mounting holes on a mounting plate on a bottom of the accommodating bin; a base tube installed in each mounting hole; a silicone cap assembled on the lower side of the base tube; and a cut formed on the silicone cap as described in claim 1.
Claims dependent thereon are allowable for at least the same reasons.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Katheryn Malatek whose telephone number is (571)272-5689. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday, 9 am - 6 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, Devon Kramer can be reached at (571) 272-7118. 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.
/KATHERYN A MALATEK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741
Prosecution Insights