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 without traverse of Group II, claims 12-16 in the reply filed on 12/11/2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 12-16, 21-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Taft et al. (Pub. No.: US 2017/0106176).
Taft et al. (hereinafter, Taft) discloses a method comprising: crimping a medical implant 150 to reduce a profile of the medical implant (e.g., fig. 3N), the medical implant comprising a network of struts forming two or more cells (e.g., fig. 3P), wherein crimping the medical implant causes at least some struts of the network of struts to bend (e.g., fig. 3N, 3O);
inserting the medical implant into a catheter (e.g., fig. 3N, 3O);
delivering the catheter to a treatment location within a human body (e.g., fig. 3N); and
removing the medical implant from the catheter (e.g., fig. 3P-3V).
For claim 13, Taft discloses the method of claim 12, wherein the medical implant further comprises a first set of anchoring arms 152a, 154b (e.g., fig. 3V) and a second set of anchoring arms 152a, 154b (e.g., fig. 3V).
For claim 14, Taft discloses the method of claim 13, wherein the two or more cells are arranged linearly from the first set of anchoring arms to the second set of anchoring arms (e.g., fig. 3V).
For claim 15, Taft discloses the method of claim 14, wherein removing the medical implant from the catheter causes expansion of the medical implant to an expanded profile and a width of the medical implant in the expanded profile exceeds a width of the catheter (e.g., fig. 3N-3V).
For claim 16, Taft discloses the method of claim 15, wherein the medical implant is at least partially composed of Nitinol (e.g., para. 55)
For claim 21, Taft discloses the method of claim 12, wherein bending of the at least some struts of the network of struts causes the two or more cells to increase in length and decrease in width (compare fig. 4D with 4B and 4C).
For claim 22, Taft discloses the method of claim 12, wherein the medical implant comprises a central flow portion including the network of struts (e.g., fig. 3V at arrow for 150), and wherein bending of the at least some struts of the network of struts causes the central flow portion to increase in length and reduce in diameter (compare fig. 4D with 4A-4C).
For claim 23, Taft discloses a method of shunting through a tissue wall, the method comprising:
creating an opening in the tissue wall (e.g., fig. 3D-3J);
advancing a medical implant 150 via a catheter to the opening in the tissue wall (e.g., fig. 3M-3N), the medical implant comprising a central flow portion having a first network of struts forming two or more cells (e.g., fig. 3V), the medical implant further comprising a first set of anchoring arms (152a and 154a, fig. 3V) and a second set of anchoring arms (152b and 154b, fig. 3V), wherein the two or more cells are arranged linearly and extend from the first set of anchoring arms to the second set of anchoring arms (e.g., fig. 3V);
removing the medical implant from the catheter to cause expansion of the medical implant (e.g., fig. 3N-3V); and
anchoring the medical implant at least partially within the opening (e.g., fig. 3V).
For claim 24, Taft discloses the method of claim 23, further comprising expanding the opening prior to placing the medical implant within the opening (e.g., fig. 3J).
For claim 25, Taft discloses the method of claim 23, wherein the tissue wall is between a left atrium and a coronary sinus, the method further comprising advancing the medical implant to the tissue wall via the coronary sinus (e.g., fig. 3A-N).
For claim 26, Taft discloses the method of claim 23, further comprising crimping the medical implant to fit the medical implant into the catheter, wherein crimping the medical implant causes bending of the first network of struts and causes the two or more cells to increase in length and decrease in width (e.g., fig. 3M-3N; compare fig. 4D with 4A-4C for effect on cell dimensions).
For claim 27, Taft discloses the method of claim 23, wherein the first set of anchoring arms has a second network of struts forming cells (e.g., fig. 6A).
For claim 28, Taft discloses the method of claim 23, wherein the first set of anchoring arms form a pincer grasp (e.g., fig. 3V).
For claim 29, Taft discloses the method of claim 23, wherein the central flow portion comprises a single row of two or more cells (e.g., fig. 3V).
For claim 30, Taft discloses a method of shunting through a tissue wall, the method comprising:
crimping a medical implant 150 to fit the medical implant into a catheter (e.g., fig. 3N), the medical implant comprising a central flow portion having a first network of struts forming a single row of two or more cells being arranged linearly (e.g., fig. 3V), the central flow portion further comprising a first set of anchoring arms (152a and 154a, fig. 3V) and a second set of anchoring arms (152b and 154b, fig. 3V), wherein the two or more cells extend from the first set of anchoring arms to the second set of anchoring arms (e.g., fig. 3V);
creating an opening in the tissue wall (e.g., fig. 3D-3J);
advancing the medical implant 150 via the catheter to the opening in the tissue wall (e.g., fig. 3M-3N);
removing the medical implant from the catheter to cause expansion of the medical implant (e.g., fig. 3N-3V); and
anchoring the medical implant at least partially within the opening (e.g., fig. 3V).
For claim 31, Taft discloses the method of claim 30, further comprising expanding the opening prior to placing the medical implant within the opening (e.g., fig. 3J).
For claim 32, Taft discloses the method of claim 30, wherein the tissue wall is between a left atrium and a coronary sinus, the method further comprising advancing the medical implant to the tissue wall via the coronary sinus (e.g., fig. 3A-N).
For claim 33, Taft discloses the method of claim 30, wherein the first set of anchoring arms has a second network of struts forming cells (e.g., fig. 6A).
For claim 34, Taft discloses the method of claim 33, wherein the first set of anchoring arms comprises four interconnected cells (e.g., fig. 6A).
For claim 35, Taft discloses the method of claim 33, wherein crimping the medical implant causes the two or more cells to increase in length and decrease in width (compare fig. 4D with 4A-4C).
Conclusion
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/SUBA GANESAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3774