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
Examiner acknowledges the cancellation of claims 2, 9, 12, and 19-20.
Applicant’s arguments in view of the claim amendments, see page 9 of the Remarks, filed 29 October 2025, with respect to the drawing objection of claim 2 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The drawing objection of claim 2 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments in view of the claim amendments, see page 9 of the Remarks, filed 29 October 2025, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 112 (a) rejections of claims 1-8 and 10-11 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 112 (a) rejections of claims 1-8 and 10-11 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments in view of the claim amendments, see page 9 of the Remarks, filed 29 October 2025, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 112 (a) rejections of claims 1-8 and 10-11 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 112 (a) rejections of claims 1-8 and 10-11 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments in view of the claim amendments, see pages 10-17 of the Remarks, filed 29 October 2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-8, 10-11, 13-18, and 21-24 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of independent claims 1, 13 and 23 having limitations drawn to the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall, an inlet disposed at the top wall and a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of housing. The amendments changed the scope of the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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 (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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone (US 20130150266 A1) in view of Boillat (US 20040020938 A1) in further view of Freese (US 20240299926 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Tisone discloses a liquid dispensing device (509 and 528, Figure 2F, the manifold and dispensers are the liquid dispensing device), comprising:
a manifold (509, Figure 2F) comprising an inlet (See Annotated Figure 2F below);
a plurality of conduits (642, Figure 2G, the dispensers are the annular passages of the nozzles (528)) communicating with the manifold (509, Figure 2F), and comprising a plurality of outlets (659, Figure 2G, the nozzle tip is the outlet), respectively; and
wherein the liquid dispensing device defines a common liquid input flow path (513, Figure 2F) in the manifold (509, Figure 2F), and a plurality of liquid output flow paths (515 and 642, Figure 2F) running from the manifold, through the respective conduits (642, Figure 2G) and to the respective outlets (659, Figure 2G);
a plurality of actively controllable valves (604, Figure 2G) respectively disposed in the conduits (642, Figure 2G), the valves configured to control respective flows of liquid through the conduits (Paragraph [0131], the actively controllable valves are controlled by a controller for dispensing the correct amount).
Tisone does not disclose:
a housing enclosing a device interior, the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall;
a manifold disposed in the device interior and comprising an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing;
a plurality of conduits disposed in the device interior;
a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing; and
a plurality of flow rate sensors respectively disposed at the conduits and configured to measure respective flow rates in the liquid output flow paths.
Boillat teaches a fluid dispensing device, comprising:
a flow rate sensor (46, Figure 2, the flow meter is the flow rate sensor) respectively disposed at the conduit (42 and 44, Figure 2) and configured to measure respective flow rates in the liquid output flow path (Paragraph [0056], the flow meter is used to measure the flow rate).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone to include a flow rate sensor respectively disposed at the conduit and configured to measure respective flow rates in the liquid output flow path as taught by Boillat with the motivation to detect malfunctions and blockages in the ducts to prevent potential damage to the dispenser.
Tisone and Boillat do not teach:
a housing enclosing a device interior, the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall;
a manifold disposed in the device interior and comprising an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing;
a plurality of conduits disposed in the device interior;
a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing; and
a plurality of flow rate sensors.
Freese teaches a metering head, comprising:
a housing (111, Figure 1, the substrate is the housing) enclosing a device interior (Paragraph [0079], the housing encloses parts of the metering head), the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall (See Annotated Figure 1 below);
a manifold (123, Figure 2, the distribution chamber is the manifold) disposed in the device interior and comprising an inlet (112, Figure 2) disposed at the top wall of the housing;
a plurality of conduits (120, Figure 2) disposed in the device interior;
a plurality of outlets (118, Figure 2, the media outlets are the outlets) disposed at the bottom wall of the housing (111, Figure 2).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone and Boillat to include a housing enclosing a device interior, the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall, a manifold disposed in the device interior and comprising an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing, a plurality of conduits disposed in the device interior, and a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing as taught by Freese with the motivation to select which outlet to dispense liquid from for better control during dispensing.
Through the combination of Tisone, Boillat, and Freese, the plurality of conduits of Tisone would each contain a flow rate sensor as Boillat teaches a flow rate sensor is located in the conduit where the housing of Freese would include the manifold and plurality of conduits of Tisone with the multiple flow rate sensors.
Tisone, Figure 2F
(Annotated by Examiner)
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Freese, Figure 1
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Regarding Claim 10:
See claim 1 above for the liquid dispensing device.
Tisone discloses:
A liquid dispensing system (508c, Figure 2F), wherein the liquid dispensing devices are horizontally stacked such that the outlets of the liquid dispensing devices are arranged in a two-dimensional array (Paragraphs [0138-0139], the array is two-dimensional and stacked in the horizontal direction) and further comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein, for each liquid dispensing device (509 and 528, Figure 2F), at least one outlet (659, Figure 2G) of the liquid dispensing device is aligned with corresponding outlets of the other liquid dispensing devices along a straight line or a curved line; and/or
wherein the outlets of each liquid dispensing device are horizontally spaced at a uniform distance from corresponding outlets of an adjacent one of the liquid dispensing devices (Paragraphs [0138-0139]); and/or
wherein one or more outlets of the liquid dispensing devices are horizontally spaced at a non-uniform distance from the outlets of an adjacent one of the liquid dispensing devices; and/or
comprising a plurality of liquid reservoirs respectively communicating with the inlets of the liquid dispensing devices; and/or
comprising a plurality of liquid reservoirs respectively communicating with the inlets of the liquid dispensing devices, wherein the liquid reservoirs are configured to be independently pressurized to individual internal pressures.
Tisone, Boillat, and Freese discloses the claimed invention except for the plurality of liquid dispensing devices. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have Tisone contain multiple liquid dispensing devices, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Claims 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese and Laverdiere (US 20120090704 A1).
Regarding Claim 3:
Tisone discloses:
A controller (514, Figure 2F) and the actively controllable valves (604, Figure 2G).
Tisone, Boillat and Freese do not teach:
a controller configured to control the valves based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors.
Laverdiere teaches a liquid flow control system, comprising:
a controller (30, Figure 1) configured to control the valve (10, Figure 1) based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors (Paragraphs [0061-0062], the pressure sensors (24 and 25) are the flow rate sensor that send output signals to the controller to control the valve).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone, Freese, and Boillat to include a controller configured to control the valve based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors as taught by Laverdiere with the motivation to compensate for the liquid that is being dispensed to prevent a potential operation in fluid flow.
Regarding Claim 4:
Tisone discloses:
a valve operation of the valves (604, Figure 2G) determines, for each liquid output flow path (515 and 642, Figure 2F), a dispensed volume of liquid dispensed from the corresponding outlet (Paragraph [0131-0132]); and
the controller (514, Figure 2F) is configured to control the valve operation to control the dispensed volumes of liquid respectively dispensed from the outlets (Paragraphs [0131-0132] and [0139], each of the dispensers are controlled individually and the amount of liquid dispensed can vary depending on the determined amount).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese, Laverdiere, and Zimmermann (US 20040232162 A1).
Regarding Claim 5:
Tisone discloses:
the controller (514, Figure 2F) is configured to control the valve operation (Paragraphs [0131-0132] and [0139]).
Tisone, Boillat, Laverdiere, and Freese do not teach:
wherein the valve operation comprises one of:
periods of time during which the respective valves are open; or
flow rates set by the respective valves.
Zimmermann teaches:
wherein the valve operation comprises one of:
periods of time during which the respective valves are open (Paragraph [0032]); or
flow rates set by the respective valves.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone, Freese, Laverdiere, and Boillat to include periods of time during which the respective valves are open as taught by Zimmermann with the motivation to calibrate the individual nozzles ensure that the fluid dispensed is the right amount.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese, Laverdiere, Zimmermann (US 20040232162 A1) and Lemmo (US 20030215957 A1).
Regarding Claim 6:
Tisone discloses:
the controller (514, Figure 2F) is configured to control the valve operation (Paragraphs [0131-0132] and [0139]).
Tisone, Boillat, Zimmermann, and Freese do not teach:
wherein the controller is configured to:
determine if the dispensed volumes equal target volumes or target volume ranges set for the respective outlets, based on the output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors; and
for any dispensed volume determined to be non-equal to the target volume or outside the target volume range set for the corresponding outlet, adjust the valve operation of the corresponding valve to achieve the target volume or target volume range.
Zimmermann teaches:
the controller (16, Figure 1) is configured to determine if the dispensed volumes equal target volumes based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors (Paragraph [0032], the volumetric flow rate is assigned for each channel (1)).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone, Freese, Laverdiere, and Boillat to include the controller is configured to determine if the dispensed volumes equal target volumes based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors as taught by Zimmermann with the motivation to calibrate the individual nozzles ensure that the fluid dispensed is the right amount.
Tisone, Boillat, Laverdiere, Zimmermann, and Freese do not teach:
wherein the controller is configured to:
determine if the dispensed volumes equal target volumes or target volume ranges set for the respective outlets, based on the output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors; and
for any dispensed volume determined to be non-equal to the target volume or outside the target volume range set for the corresponding outlet, adjust the valve operation of the corresponding valve to achieve the target volume or target volume range.
Lemmo teaches a dispensing system, comprising:
the controller (46, Figure 4) is configured to:
determine if the dispensed volumes equal target volumes or target volume ranges set for the respective outlets (Paragraphs [0137-0138] and [0140], the controller uses resistances as well as optics to determine the correct target volume is dispensed); and
for any dispensed volume determined to be non-equal to the target volume or outside the target volume range set for the corresponding outlet, adjust the valve operation of the corresponding valve to achieve the target volume or target volume range (Paragraph [0138], the valves (20) are adjusted to ensure the target volume is dispensed).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Laverdiere, Zimmermann, and Freese to include determine if the dispensed volumes equal target volumes or target volume ranges set for the respective outlets and for any dispensed volume determined to be non-equal to the target volume or outside the target volume range set for the corresponding outlet, adjust the valve operation of the corresponding valve to achieve the target volume or target volume range as taught by Lemmo with the motivation to allow for greater stability and precision during filling for each of the nozzles.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese, Toi (US 20040208795 A1) and Krug (US 20040014238 A1).
Regarding Claim 7:
Tisone discloses:
the liquid dispensing device (509 and 528, Figure 2F) further comprises a controller (514, Figure 2F) configured to control the steps of:
flowing the liquid through the inlet (See Annotated Figure 2F above) and the manifold (509, Figure 2F), and into the conduits (642, Figure 2G).
Tisone, Baillot, Zimmermann, and Freese do not teach:
wherein the plurality of outlets comprises selected outlets from which to dispense the liquid, and the liquid dispensing device further comprises a controller configured to control the steps of:
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed from the selected outlets; and
dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes from the corresponding selected outlets, by controlling the valves.
Toi teaches an automatic liquid handling system, comprising:
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed from the selected outlets (Paragraph [0041], the determined volume is based on the number of wells and the amount of reagent to be used).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, and Freese to include determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed from the selected outlets as taught by Toi with the motivation to reduce the amount of time required for calculations and prevent potential human error.
Tisone, Baillot, Toi and Freese do not teach:
wherein the plurality of outlets comprises selected outlets from which to dispense the liquid; and
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed from the selected outlets; and
dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes from the corresponding selected outlets, by controlling the valves.
Krug teaches a dispensing system, comprising:
the plurality of outlets comprises selected outlets from which to dispense the liquid (Paragraph [0016], each nozzle has a desired volume of reagent to be dispensed);
selecting selected outlets (16a-16h, Figure 1, the nozzles are the outlets) from which to dispense the liquid by the controller (22, Figure 1);
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed from the selected outlets (Paragraph [0016], the volume provided from the selected nozzle is calculated); and
dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes from the corresponding selected outlets (Paragraph [0016]), by controlling the valves (15a-15h, Figure 1).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Toi and Freese to include the plurality of outlets comprises selected outlets from which to dispense the liquid, selecting selected outlets from which to dispense the liquid by the controller, determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed from the selected outlets, and dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes from the corresponding selected outlets, by controlling the valves as taught by Krug with the motivation to provide the amount of reagent based on a user’s choice.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese, Krug, and Lemmo.
Regarding Claim 8:
Tisone discloses:
A controller (514, Figure 2F), the conduits (642, Figure 2G), and the actively controllable valves (604, Figure 2G).
Tisone and Freese do not teach:
dispensing liquid from one or more selected conduits of the plurality of conduits;
measuring respective flow rates of the liquid in the selected conduits by the flow rate sensors;
for each selected conduit, determining if the measured flow rate deviates from a target flow rate or a target flow rate range set for the selected conduit; and
for each selected conduit in which the measured flow rate is determined to deviate from the target flow rate or the target flow rate range, adjusting a valve operation of the valve in the selected conduit.
Boillat teaches:
measuring respective flow rate of the liquid in the conduit by the flow rate sensor (Paragraph [0056]).
Tisone, Boillat, and Freese do not teach:
dispensing liquid from one or more selected conduits of the plurality of conduits;
for each selected conduit, determining if the measured flow rate deviates from a target flow rate or a target flow rate range set for the selected conduit; and
for each selected conduit in which the measured flow rate is determined to deviate from the target flow rate or the target flow rate range, adjusting a valve operation of the valve in the selected conduit.
Lemmo teaches a dispensing system, comprising:
the controller (46, Figure 4) is configured to:
for each conduit, determining if the measured flow rate deviates from a target flow rate or a target flow rate range set for the selected conduit (Paragraphs [0137-0138] and [0140], the controller uses resistances as well as optics to determine the correct target volume is dispensed);
for each conduit in which the measured flow rate is determined to deviate from the target flow rate or the target flow rate range, adjusting a valve operation of the valve in the conduit (Paragraph [0138], the valves (20) are adjusted to ensure the target volume is dispensed).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, and Freese to include for each conduit, determining if the measured flow rate deviates from a target flow rate or a target flow rate range set for the selected conduit and for each conduit in which the measured flow rate is determined to deviate from the target flow rate or the target flow rate range, adjusting a valve operation of the valve in the conduit as taught by Lemmo with the motivation to allow for greater stability and precision during filling for each of the nozzles.
Tisone, Boillat, Lemmo, and Freese do not teach:
dispensing liquid from one or more selected conduits of the plurality of conduits.
Krug teaches a dispensing system, comprising:
dispensing liquid from one or more selected conduits of the plurality of conduits (Paragraphs [0016] and [0019], the valves are controlled to allow the required amounts of reagent to be dispensed).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Lemmo, and Freese to include dispensing liquid from one or more selected conduits of the plurality of conduits as taught by Krug with the motivation to control the amount of volume dispensed from each nozzle based on the user’s preferences.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese and Churchill (US 20020159919 A1).
Regarding Claim 11:
See claim 1 for the liquid dispensing device.
Tisone discloses:
the liquid dispensing (509 and 528, Figure 2F, the manifold and dispensers are the liquid dispensing device) devices are horizontally stacked such that the outlets of the liquid dispensing devices are arranged in a two-dimensional array (Paragraphs [0138-0139], the array is two-dimensional and stacked in the horizontal direction); and
the plurality of liquid dispensing devices comprises two or more selected liquid dispensing devices (Paragraphs [0131-0132], the fluid is provided to the selected liquid dispensing devices based on the text file); and
a controller (514, Figure 2F).
Tisone, Boillat, and Freese do not teach:
a controller configured to control the steps of:
supplying two or more liquids to the respective inlets of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices, wherein each one of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices receives a corresponding one of the two or more liquids; and
dispensing amounts of the two or more liquids from the respective outlets of the selected liquid dispensing devices into one or more containers, by controlling the valves of the selected liquid dispensing devices.
Churchill teaches a dispensing system, comprising:
controller (114) configured to control the steps of:
supplying two or more liquids to the respective inlets of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices (Paragraph [0201] and [0228], the reagents are supplied by reservoirs to the manifolds),
wherein each one of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices receives a corresponding one of the two or more liquids (Paragraphs [0060-0061] and [0064], the selected dispensing devices can be independently operated to receive and dispense the two or more reagents); and
dispensing amounts of the two or more liquids from the respective outlets of the selected liquid dispensing devices into one or more containers, by controlling the valves of the selected liquid dispensing devices (Paragraphs [0063] and [0186], there can be multiple manifolds where the dispensing is controlled based on the desired coordinates).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, and Freese to include supplying two or more liquids to the respective inlets of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices, wherein each one of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices receives a corresponding one of the two or more liquids; and dispensing amounts of the two or more liquids from the respective outlets of the selected liquid dispensing devices into one or more containers, by controlling the valves of the selected liquid dispensing devices as taught by Churchill with the motivation to create specific mixtures of reagents at particular coordinates based on the user’s inputs.
Tisone, Boillat, Churchill, and Freese discloses the claimed invention except for the plurality of liquid dispensing devices. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have Tisone contain multiple liquid dispensing devices, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Claims 13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone (US 20130150266 A1) in view of Boillat (US 20040020938 A1) in further view of Krug (US 20040014238 A1), Marth (US 20230050586 A1), and Freese (US 20240299926 A1).
Regarding Claim 13:
Tisone discloses a liquid dispensing device (509 and 528, Figure 2F, the manifold and dispensers are the liquid dispensing device), comprising:
providing a liquid dispensing device (509 and 528, Figure 2F) comprising a manifold (509, Figure 2F), a plurality of conduits (642, Figure 2G), a plurality of valves (604, Figure 2G) respectively disposed in the conduits (642, Figure 2G), and wherein the manifold (509, Figure 2F) comprises an inlet (See Annotated Figure 2F above) and the plurality of conduits comprise a plurality of outlets (659, Figure 2G, the nozzle tip is the outlet), respectively;
providing a plurality of containers (Paragraph [0124], the targets are the containers);
selecting selected containers of the plurality of containers to receive the liquid (Paragraph [0131], the locations are selected to receive the liquid);
flowing the liquid through the inlet and the manifold, and into the conduits (Paragraphs [0140] and [0144], the liquid flows through the manifold and into the conduits); and
dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes into the selected containers from corresponding outlets of the plurality of outlets (Paragraphs [0131] and [0139], the dispensers can be individually controlled to dispense an amount of fluid), by controlling the valves (604, Figure 2F).
Tisone does not disclose:
A method for dispensing liquid, the method comprising:
providing a liquid dispensing device enclosed by a housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall,
wherein the manifold comprises an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing;
a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing;
a plurality of flow rate sensors respectively disposed at the conduits;
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected containers, wherein the determining is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors; and
dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes into the selected containers from corresponding outlets of the plurality of outlets, by controlling the valves.
Boillat teaches a fluid dispensing device, comprising:
a flow rate sensor (46, Figure 2, the flow meter is the flow rate sensor) respectively disposed at the conduit (Paragraph [0056], the flow meter is used to measure the flow rate in the conduit (42 and 44)).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone to include a flow rate sensor respectively disposed at the conduit as taught by Boillat with the motivation to detect malfunctions and blockages in the ducts to prevent potential damage to the dispenser.
Tisone and Boillat do not teach:
A method for dispensing liquid, the method comprising:
providing a liquid dispensing device enclosed by a housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall,
wherein the manifold comprises an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing;
a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing;
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected containers, wherein the determining is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors; and
dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes into the selected containers from corresponding outlets of the plurality of outlets, by controlling the valves.
Krug teaches a dispensing system, comprising:
A method for dispensing liquid, the method comprising:
a container (Figure 1, the fluid is dispensed into a container located under a nozzle);
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected containers (Paragraph [0016], the volume of liquid to be dispensed can be determined); and
dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes into the container from corresponding outlets of the plurality of outlets (Paragraph [0016]), by controlling the valves (15a-15h, Figure 1, the valves).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone and Boillat to include the determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected container and dispensing the liquid according to the determined volumes into the container from corresponding outlets of the plurality of outlets, by controlling the valves as taught by Krug with the motivation to ensure the correct amount of liquid is dispensed.
Tisone, Krug, and Boillat do not teach:
providing a liquid dispensing device enclosed by a housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall,
wherein the manifold comprises an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing;
a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing;
wherein the determining is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors.
Marth teaches a method for determining flow characteristics, comprising:
wherein the determining is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors (Paragraph [0022], the volume is determined based on the signal from the flow rate sensors).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Krug, and Boillat to include the determining is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors as taught by Marth with the motivation to ensure the correct amount of liquid is dispensed to prevent potential damage to the product.
Tisone, Krug, Marth, and Boillat do not teach:
providing a liquid dispensing device enclosed by a housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall,
wherein the manifold comprises an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing; and
a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing.
Freese teaches a metering head, comprising:
providing a liquid dispensing device (110, Figure 1, the metering head is the liquid dispensing device) enclosed by a housing (111, Figure 1, the substrate is the housing) comprising a top wall and a bottom wall (See Annotated Figure 1 above),
wherein the manifold (123, Figure 2, the distribution chamber is the manifold) comprises an inlet (112, Figure 2) disposed at the top wall of the housing; and
a plurality of outlets (118, Figure 2, the media outlets are the outlets) disposed at the bottom wall of the housing (111, Figure 2).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone, Krug, Marth, and Boillat to include providing a liquid dispensing device enclosed by a housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall, the manifold comprises an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing, and a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing of the housing as taught by Freese with the motivation to select which outlet to dispense liquid from for better control during dispensing.
Regarding Claim 15:
Tisone discloses:
the liquid dispensing device is one of a plurality of liquid dispensing devices (Paragraphs [0138-0139], multiple manifolds and an array of dispensers can create multiple liquid dispensing devices), each comprising a manifold (509, Figure 2F), a plurality of conduits (642, Figure 2G), and a plurality of valves (604, Figure 2G) respectively disposed in the conduits, wherein each manifold comprises an inlet and the conduits of each manifold comprise a plurality of respective outlets (659, Figure 2G); and
the liquid dispensing devices are horizontally stacked such that the outlets of the liquid dispensing devices are arranged in a two-dimensional array (Paragraphs [0138-0139], the array is two-dimensional and stacked in the horizontal direction).
Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Krug and Marth disclose the claimed invention except for the plurality of liquid dispensing devices. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have Tisone contain multiple liquid dispensing devices, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Krug, Marth, Freese, and Toi (US 20040208795 A1).
Regarding Claim 14:
Tisone discloses:
wherein the plurality of containers (511, Figure 2F) is arranged as a two-dimensional array (Paragraph [0125] and Figure 2C, the containers are arranged in a two-dimensional array), and the selected containers are first selected containers of a first column of the array (Paragraphs [0125] and [0131-0132], the containers are located on a platform that moves in the X-Y direction where it can align to the liquid dispenser in a column), and the method further comprises:
after the dispensing into the first selected containers, moving the plurality of containers to a second dispensing position at which containers of a second column of the array are aligned with corresponding outlets of the plurality of outlets (Paragraphs [0125] and [0131-0132], the containers are located on a platform that moves in the X-Y direction where it can align to the liquid dispenser); and
dispensing additional determined volumes of the liquid into selected containers of the second column from corresponding outlets of the plurality of outlets (Paragraphs [0131-0132], the amount and location for liquid to be dispensed is predetermined).
Tisone, Boillat, Marth and Krug do not expressly teach:
a first column and second column of the array.
Toi teaches an automatic liquid handling system, comprising:
a first column and second column of the array (Paragraph [0075] and Figure 2, there are multiple columns within the array (11)).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Marth and Krug to include a first column and second column of the array as taught by Toi with the motivation to ensure the correct liquid is dispensed to the correct location to reduce potential errors in the final composition.
Claims 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese, Krug, Marth, and Churchill (US 20020159919 A1).
Regarding Claim 16:
Tisone discloses:
selecting two or more selected liquid dispensing devices of the plurality of the liquid dispensing devices (Paragraphs [0131] and [0137-0138], the liquid dispensing devices can be individually controlled to dispense the selected amount and location for the fluid); and
supplying two or more liquids to the respective inlets of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices, wherein each one of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices receives a corresponding one of the two or more liquids (Paragraphs [0131-0132], the fluid is provided to the selected liquid dispensing devices based on the text file), and wherein:
the selecting comprises selecting selected containers of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices to receive the liquid (Paragraphs [0131-0132], the location is selected to receive the liquid based on the text file); and
the determining comprises determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected containers of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices (Paragraphs [0131-0132], the volume of fluid is provided to the selected liquid dispensing devices based on the text file).
Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Marth and Krug do not expressly teach:
wherein:
the determining comprises determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected containers of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices; and
the dispensing comprises dispensing the two or more liquids according to the determined volumes from the respective outlets of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices into the selected containers, by controlling the valves of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices.
Churchill teaches a dispensing system, comprising:
supplying two or more liquids to the respective inlets of the selected liquid dispensing devices (Paragraph [0062], multiple reagents can be used within the liquid dispensing device (108 c)), wherein each one of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices receives a corresponding one of the two or more liquids (Paragraphs [0060-0061] and [0064], the selected dispensing devices can be independently operated to receive and dispense the two or more reagents), and wherein:
the selecting comprises selecting selected containers of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices to receive the liquid;
the determining comprises determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected containers of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices (Paragraphs [0186] and [0188], the desired volume of each coordinate to be dispensed from each nozzle is determined by the user); and
the dispensing comprises dispensing the two or more liquids according to the determined volumes from the respective outlets of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices into the selected containers (Paragraphs [0186] and [0188]), by controlling the valves (203) of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Marth and Krug to include supplying two or more liquids to the respective inlets of the selected liquid dispensing devices, wherein each one of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices receives a corresponding one of the two or more liquids, and wherein: the selecting comprises selecting selected containers of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices to receive the liquid; the determining comprises determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the selected containers of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices; and the dispensing comprises dispensing the two or more liquids according to the determined volumes from the respective outlets of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices into the selected containers, by controlling the valves of the two or more selected liquid dispensing devices as taught by Churchill with the motivation to dispense the reagent to the user’s preferences to allow for a custom design of the dispensing.
Regarding Claim 17:
Tisone discloses:
at least a first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid dispensing device (Paragraphs [0137-0138], there can be multiple liquid dispensing devices in an array with multiple manifolds).
Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Marth and Krug do not teach:
the method further comprises one or more of the following features:
the dispensing comprises simultaneously dispensing a first liquid from the first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid from the second liquid dispensing device; and/or
the dispensing comprises sequentially dispensing a first liquid from the first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid from the second liquid dispensing device; and/or
the plurality of containers is arranged as a two-dimensional array, and the dispensing comprises: dispensing a first liquid from the first liquid dispensing device into one or more selected containers of a first column of the array; and dispensing a second liquid from the second liquid dispensing device into one or more selected containers of a second column of the array; and/or
the plurality of containers is arranged as a two-dimensional array, and the dispensing comprises: dispensing a first liquid from the first liquid dispensing device into one or more selected containers of a selected column of the array; and dispensing a second liquid from the second liquid dispensing device into one or more of the selected containers of the same selected column.
Churchill teaches:
the plurality of liquid dispensing devices comprises at least a first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid dispensing device (Paragraph [0063], there can be multiple manifolds with various channels), and the method further comprises one or more of the following features:
the dispensing comprises sequentially dispensing a first liquid from the first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid from the second liquid dispensing device (Paragraph [0201] and [0228], the reagents are supplied by reservoirs to the manifolds).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Marth and Krug to include the plurality of liquid dispensing devices comprises at least a first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid dispensing device, and further comprises one or more of the following features: the dispensing comprises sequentially dispensing a first liquid from the first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid from the second liquid dispensing device as taught by Churchill with the motivation to create specific mixtures of reagents at particular coordinates based on the user’s inputs.
Regarding Claim 18:
Tisone discloses:
at least a first liquid dispensing device and a second liquid dispensing device (Paragraphs [0137-0138], there can be multiple liquid dispensing devices in an array with multiple manifolds).
Tisone, Boillat, Marth and Krug do not teach:
before the dispensing of the first liquid, aligning the selected column with the outlets of the first liquid dispensing device; and
before the dispensing of the second liquid, moving the plurality of containers to align the selected column with the outlets of the second liquid dispensing device.
Churchill teaches:
before the dispensing of the first liquid, aligning the selected column with the outlets of the first liquid dispensing device (Paragraphs [0063] and [0186], there can be multiple manifolds where the dispensing is controlled based on the desired coordinates); and
before the dispensing of the second liquid, moving the plurality of containers to align the selected column with the outlets of the second liquid dispensing device (Paragraphs [0063] and [0186]).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Marth and Krug to include before the dispensing of the first liquid, aligning the selected column with the outlets of the first liquid dispensing device and before the dispensing of the second liquid, moving the plurality of containers to align the selected column with the outlets of the second liquid dispensing device as taught by Churchill with the motivation to prevent potential human error when filling the fluid into the containers by hand.
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese, Krug, Marth, Churchill and van der Schoot (US 20160273951 A1).
Regarding Claim 21:
Tisone discloses:
the liquid dispensing device (509 and 528, Figure 2F).
Tisone, Baillot, Freese, Marth, Krug, and Churchill do not teach:
wherein the determining of volumes is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors.
van der Schoot teaches a method for controlling pipette operations, comprising:
wherein the determining of volumes is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors (Paragraphs [0034-0035], the flow rate obtained by eth flow rate sensor (20) and the volume is calculated).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Baillot, Freese, Marth, Krug, and Churchill to include the determining of volumes is at least partially based on output signals received from one or more of the flow rate sensors as taught by van der Shoot with the motivation to determine if an error has occurred during the dispensing of the fluid.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone in view of Boillat in further view of Freese, Krug, Marth, and Rangwala (US 4895193 A).
Regarding Claim 22:
Tisone discloses:
the plurality of containers (511, Figure 2F) and the controller (514, Figure 2F).
Tisone, Boillat, Freese, and Marth do not teach:
wherein the volume determined for at least one of the selected containers differs from the volume determined for at least one other of the selected containers.
Krug teaches:
determining volumes of the liquid to be respectively dispensed into the container (Paragraph [0016], the volume of liquid to be dispensed can be determined).
Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Krug and Marth do not teach:
wherein the volume determined for at least one of the selected containers differs from the volume determined for at least one other of the selected containers.
Rangwala teaches a container filling system, comprising:
wherein the volume determined for at least one of the selected containers differs from the volume determined for at least one other of the selected containers (Column 2, Lines 23-30, the volume can be different for each container).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Tisone, Boillat, Freese, Marth and Krug to include the volume determined for at least one of the selected containers differs from the volume determined for at least one other of the selected containers as taught by Rangwala with the motivation to create the ideal formula of the desired product based on the overall volume of the container.
Claims 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tisone (US 20130150266 A1) in view of Freese (US 20240299926 A1).
Regarding Claim 23:
Tisone discloses a liquid dispensing system (508c, Figure 2F), comprising a plurality of liquid dispensing devices (509 and 528, Figure 2F), each liquid dispensing device comprising:
a manifold (509, Figure 2F) comprising an inlet (See Annotated Figure 2F above);
a plurality of conduits (642, Figure 2G, the dispensers are the annular passages of the nozzles (528)) communicating with the manifold (509, Figure 2F), and comprising a plurality of outlets (659, Figure 2G, the nozzle tip is the outlet), respectively,
wherein each liquid dispensing device defines a common liquid input flow path (513, Figure 2F) in the manifold (509, Figure 2F), and a plurality of liquid output flow paths (515 and 642, Figure 2F) running from the manifold (509, Figure 2F), through the respective conduits (642, Figure 2F) and to the respective outlets (659, Figure 2F); and
a plurality of actively controllable valves (604, Figure 2F) respectively disposed in the conduits (642, Figure 2F), the valves configured to control respective flows of liquid through the conduits (Paragraph [0131], the actively controllable valves are controlled by a controller for dispensing the correct amount),
wherein the liquid dispensing devices are horizontally stacked together such that the outlets of the liquid dispensing devices are arranged in a two-dimensional array (Paragraphs [0137-0139], the array is two-dimensional and stacked in the horizontal direction with multiple liquid dispensing devices).
Tisone does not disclose:
a housing enclosing a device interior, the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall;
a manifold disposed in the device interior and comprising an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing; and
a plurality of conduits disposed in the device interior and comprising a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing.
Freese teaches a metering head, comprising:
a housing (111, Figure 1, the substrate is the housing) enclosing a device interior (Paragraph [0079], the housing encloses parts of the metering head), the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall (See Annotated Figure 1 above);
a manifold (123, Figure 2, the distribution chamber is the manifold) disposed in the device interior and comprising an inlet (112, Figure 2) disposed at the top wall of the housing; and
a plurality of conduits (120, Figure 2) disposed in the device interior and comprising a plurality of outlets (118, Figure 2, the media outlets are the outlets) disposed at the bottom wall of the housing (111, Figure 2).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone to include a housing enclosing a device interior, the housing comprising a top wall and a bottom wall, a manifold disposed in the device interior and comprising an inlet disposed at the top wall of the housing, and a plurality of conduits disposed in the device interior and comprising a plurality of outlets disposed at the bottom wall of the housing as taught by Freese with the motivation to select which outlet to dispense liquid from for better control during dispensing.
Through the combination of Tisone and Freese, the housing enclosing the device interior of Freese would include the manifold and plurality of conduits of Tisone.
Regarding Claim 24:
Tisone discloses:
the plurality of conduits (642, Figure 2F) of each liquid dispensing device (509 and 642, Figure 2F) are spaced along the length and extend along the height (Figure 2F, the plurality of conduits are spaced along the length end extend along the height);
the depth of each liquid dispensing device is smaller than the length and smaller than the height; and
the liquid dispensing devices are stacked in a direction of their depths (Paragraphs [0137-0139], the array is two-dimensional with multiple liquid dispensing devices that expand in depth (M)).
Tisone does not disclose:
the housing of each liquid dispensing device has a shape defined by a length, a depth, and a height.
Freese teaches:
the housing (111, Figure 1) of each liquid dispensing device (110, Figure 1) has a shape defined by a length, a depth, and a height (See Annotated Figure 1 below).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tisone to include the housing of each liquid dispensing device has a shape defined by a length, a depth, and a height as taught by Freese with the motivation to contain all of the components to prevent potential damage from the environment.
Freese, Figure 1
(Annotated by Examiner)
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
White (US 9316661 B2) teaches a device for loading samples comprising housing, a pump, an outlet, and a valve.
Merten (US 6689621 B2) teaches a fluid dispensing system comprising a manifold, valves, outlets, a reservoir, and containers.
Demmitt (US 9095833 B2) teaches a system for extraction comprising a manifold, containers, and outlets.
O’Brien (US 7111757 B1) teaches a liquid dispensing apparatus comprising a manifold, containers, a controller, and controllable valves.
Perroud (US 20230366904 A1) teaches a pipetting apparatus comprising a manifold, containers, a controller, and controllable valves.
Haxo (US 6143252 A) teaches a pipetting device comprising a manifold, housing, and a reservoir.
Laing (US 7628085 B2) teaches a simultaneous aspirator and dispenser comprising a manifold, housing, inlets and outlets.
Pelc (US 6203759 B1) teaches a microvolume liquid handling system comprising a manifold, valves, containers, and flow sensors.
Fink (US 10962560 B2) teaches a pipetting arrangement comprising a manifold, valves, containers, inlets and outlets.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHANIE A SHRIEVES whose telephone number is (571)272-5373. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday: 9:30AM to 5:30PM.
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, Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at (571) 272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEPHANIE A SHRIEVES/ Examiner, Art Unit 3753
/KENNETH RINEHART/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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