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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group B in the reply filed on 01/09/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that no serious burden exists because the groups have similar elements and that results from a search of any group will necessarily produce results for the other groups. This is not found persuasive because each of the species have been identified as having non-obvious and mutually exclusive characteristics. Examination burden comes from developing and analyzing synonyms for each different species. Examination burden would also increase exponentially in subsequent actions as the subject matter further diverges due to increasing specificity of the separately claimed elements. And a search for one species will not “necessarily” produce results for the other groups because each species has mutually exclusive characteristics.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 2, 4, 6-14, and 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 01/09/2026.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 5, 15, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0094026 to Isaacson et al. (“Isaacson”).
Regarding claim 1, Isaacson teaches a catheter adapter (Figs. 11A-D) comprising a body (313) having a first end and a second end positioned opposite the first end (left and right ends of 313), the body comprising an inlet port (walls surrounding 304 in Fig. 11A, not including the cap indicated at 302) positioned between the first end and the second end (Fig. 11A), the body defining a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end of the body (longitudinal axis of 313), a catheter (15, as labeled in other embodiments) configured to be inserted into a patient's vasculature, the catheter positioned at the first end of the body (left end of Fig. 11A), and a stabilizer comprising a first wing member and a second wing member (wings as best shown in Figs. 11B & D), a portion of the stabilizer extending beyond the inlet port of the body in a direction extending along the longitudinal axis from the first end of the body to the second end of the body (Fig. 11A/B, the wing extends to the right beyond the inlet port), wherein a bottom surface of the stabilizer is configured to contact a skin surface of a patient (the wings are intended to attach to a skin surface), and wherein the bottom surface of the stabilizer defines a plane forming an angle greater than zero relative to the longitudinal axis of the body (as best seen in Fig. 11C).
Regarding claim 3, Isaacson teaches the catheter adapter of claim 1 as shown above, Isaacson further teaching the stabilizer is symmetric with respect to the longitudinal axis (Fig. 11B).
Regarding claim 5, Isaacson teaches the catheter adapter of claim 1 as shown above, Isaacson further teaching the first wing member (Fig. 11B, top wing) includes a first end (left end of top wing) and a second end (right end of top wing), the first wing member defining a recessed portion adjacent to the inlet port of the body (right end has a recess as shown in Fig. 11B), the recessed portion of the first wing member extending from the second end of the first wing member toward the first end of the first wing member (the recess extends from the right side to the left side of the wing in Fig. 11B).
Regarding claim 15, Isaacson teaches a vascular access device comprising a catheter adapter (Figs. 11A-D) comprising a body (313) having a first end and a second end positioned opposite the first end (left and right ends of 313), the body comprising an inlet port (walls surrounding 304 in Fig. 11A, not including the cap indicated at 302) positioned between the first end and the second end (Fig. 11A), the body defining a longitudinal axis (longitudinal axis of 313) extending between the first end and the second end of the body, a catheter (15, as labeled in other embodiments) configured to be inserted into a patient's vasculature, the catheter positioned at the first end of the body (left end of Fig. 11A), a stabilizer comprising a first wing member and a second wing member (wings as best shown in Figs. 11B & D), a portion of the stabilizer extending beyond the inlet port of the body in a direction extending along the longitudinal axis from the first end of the body to the second end of the body (Fig. 11A/B, the wing extends to the right beyond the inlet port), wherein a bottom surface of the stabilizer is configured to contact a skin surface of a patient (the wings are intended to attach to a skin surface), and wherein the bottom surface of the stabilizer defines a plane forming an angle greater than zero relative to the longitudinal axis of the body (as best seen in Fig. 11C), and a needle hub assembly connected to the body of the catheter adapter (needle hub assembly is on the far right of Figs. 11A-D).
Regarding claim 16, Isaacson teaches the vascular access device of claim 15 as shown above, Isaacson further teaching the stabilizer is spaced from the needle hub assembly (Fig. 11B, the wings are spaced from the needle hub assembly as defined above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN KOO whose telephone number is (703)756-1749. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm EST.
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/B.K./Examiner, Art Unit 3783 /THEODORE J STIGELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3783