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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 02/10/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the heart organ specificity maintenance system or the brain organ specificity maintenance system must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-7 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.
For claim 1, it is unclear what structure corresponds to the heart organ specificity maintenance system or the brain organ specificity maintenance system as the specification does not provide a description or discussion of these two systems. Also, in light of the specification, it is unclear what structures in light of the specification and what elements shown in the drawings correspond to these claim limitations.
Claims 2-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite since the claims depend upon and incorporate all the limitations of claim 1.
Clarification and appropriate corrective action is required.
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: For claim 1, the prior art taken either singly or in combination fails to teach or reasonably suggest the following limitation when taken in context of the claim as a whole a multi-microorgan extracorporeal circulation and neural network maintenance system that includes the following limitations: a plurality of organ specificity maintenance systems, wherein each independent of the plurality of organ specificity maintenance systems is connected to a human brain organ specificity maintenance system and a heart organ specificity maintenance system in a two-way manner by a simulated neural network, each independent of the plurality of organ specificity maintenance systems is further connected to a one-way venous line by a simulated venous flow, each independent of the plurality of organ specificity maintenance systems is further connected to a one-way arterial line by a simulated arterial flow, and each independent of the plurality of organ specificity maintenance systems is connected to two signal communication nodes.
Claims 2-7 would be allowable for the same reasoning as claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Griffith et al. (US 6,197,575 B1) discloses a perfusion array that forms vascularized tissue. Vacanti et al. (US 2006/0019326 A1) discloses a system for the microfabrication of engineered tissue. Vunjak-Novakovic et al. (US 2011/0136225 A1)which discloses a modular bioreactor system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L HOBBS whose telephone number is (571)270-3724. The examiner can normally be reached Variable, but generally 8AM-5PM M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Marcheschi can be reached at 571-272-1374. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL L HOBBS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1799