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 Amendment
Amendments to claims 1, 6 of 2/24/2026 acknowledged and entered.
Cancellation of claim 5 of 2/24/2026 acknowledged and entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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) 1-6, 8, 9, 15, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ikeda (US 20050182298 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ikeda teaches A controllable bending tube applied to an endoscope device, an endoscope lens module of the endoscope device being disposed on an end of the controllable bending tube, the controllable bending tube comprising:
a plurality of helical coil portions (fig. 21, element 212, [0100], wrist 210 includes disks 212) connected in series to integrally form a helical tube body with a helical slot formed thereon along an axial direction of the helical tube body (fig. 21, element 218, [0100], holes 218 for receiving actuation cables), the helical slot having a helical pitch (fig. 21, the slots being disposed upon the helically pitched disk portions would have a helical pitch of their own), each helical coil portion having a first side and a second side opposite to each other and having a third side and a fourth side located between the first side and the second side and opposite to each other,
a first retaining slot and a second retaining slot being formed at the first sides and the second sides of at least two of the plurality of helical coil portions respectively (fig. 20, element 204, [0099], exemplary cross section of a disk shows slots 204 radially and regularly disposed), and
two first nodes protruding along the axial direction at the third sides and the fourth sides of the at least two of the plurality of helical coil portions respectively (fig. 14, element 146, [0094], curved outer mating surface 146/148);
a first wire (fig. 14, element 145, [0094], wires 145) movably disposed through the first retaining slots; and
a second wire (fig. 14, element 145, [0094], wires 145) movably disposed through the second retaining slots for controlling a bending direction of the helical tube body cooperatively with the first wire.
Ikeda does not explicitly teach wherein when the controllable bending tube bends via the first wire and the second wire, the two first nodes of each helical coil portion detachably abut against an adjacent helical coil portion for providing support points and
bending fulcrums between the two adjacent helical coil portions.
However, Matsuda teaches wherein when the controllable bending tube (fig. 2, element 7, [0031], bendable part 7) bends via the first wire and the second wire (fig. 2, element 41u/d, [0035], bending operation wire 41u/d), the two first nodes (fig. 2, element 25, [0035], rivets 25) of each helical coil portion detachably abut against an adjacent helical coil portion for providing support points and bending fulcrums between the two adjacent helical coil portions ([0035], pivotally connected to one another by rivets 25).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the ribs of Ikeda to be rivets as taught in Matsuda in order to facilitate bending with a smaller radius of curvature (Ikeda [0100]).
Regarding claim 2, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches The controllable bending tube of claim 1,
Further, Ikeda teaches wherein an outlet direction of at least one of the first retaining slots and an outlet direction of at least one adjacent first retaining slot are opposite to each other (Fig 14, the slots are bores, hence they have an outlet in the proximal and distal directions).
Regarding claim 3, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches The controllable bending tube of claim 1,
Further, Ikeda teaches wherein the first retaining slot and the second retaining slot are formed within a circumferential range of the helical tube body (fig. 14, the slots are disposed at the circumferential edge of the bending sections), and
the first retaining slot and the second retaining slot respectively have a cutting plane perpendicular to a radial direction of the helical tube body (fig. 14, the slots are aligned along the longitudinal axis, which is perpendicular to the radial direction).
Regarding claim 4, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches The controllable bending tube of claim 1,
Further, Ikeda teaches wherein an outlet direction of the first retaining slot is perpendicular to a radial direction of the helical tube body (fig. 14, the slots are aligned along the longitudinal axis, which is perpendicular to the radial direction).
Regarding claim 6, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches The controllable bending tube of claim 1,
Further, Ikeda teaches wherein the adjacent helical coil portion has two recesses formed thereon to be detachably matched with the two first nodes (fig. 14, element 146/148, adjacent disks are matingly attached by mating surfaces 146/148).
Regarding claim 8, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches The controllable bending tube of claim 1,
Further, Ikeda teaches wherein the first node at the third side is misaligned with the first node at the fourth side in the axial direction of the helical tube body (fig. 15, the mating surfaces are disposed on opposite sides of each disk, hence are not in alignment along the longitudinal axis).
Regarding claim 9, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches The controllable bending tube of claim 1,
Further, Ikeda teaches wherein the helical tube body is made of metal material and formed by a laser cutting process, or the helical tube body is formed by a plastic mold injection process ([0082], tube may be plastic or metal, [0066] teaches molding, however the claim recites a product-by-process limitation, see MPEP 2113).
Regarding claim 15, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches An endoscope device comprising:
the controllable bending tube of claim 1;
Further, Ikeda teaches a control bar ([0073], actuator mechanisms may be used to tension the wires individually via pulleys and linear actuators) connected to the first wire and the second wire for controlling the bending direction of the helical tube body cooperatively with the first wire and the second wire; and
an endoscope lens module (fig. 31, element 314, [0112], endoscope lens 314) disposed on an end of the controllable bending tube.
Regarding claim 16, Ikeda in view of Matsuda teaches The endoscope device of claim 15,
Further, Ikeda teaches wherein the endoscope device further comprises a film sleeve ([0016], cannula sleeves may be utilized in laparoscopic procedures), and the film sleeve is sleeved on the endoscope lens module and the controllable bending tube.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 TIMOTHY TUAN LUU whose telephone number is (703)756-4592. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Carey can be reached at 5712707235. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TIMOTHY TUAN LUU/ Examiner, Art Unit 3795
/MICHAEL J CAREY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3795
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