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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on November 14, 2025 has been entered.
Status of Objections and Rejections
The rejection of claim(s) 8-10, 12, 14, and 19-20 is/are obviated by Applicant’s cancellation.
All rejections from the previous office action are withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendment.
New grounds of rejection are necessitated by the amendments.
Drawings
The drawings were received on November 14, 2025. These drawings are acceptable.
Specification
The disclosure were received on November 14, 2025. These amendments are acceptable except the following one:
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It seems the array with the length of 10 mm and the horizontal distance of ~4mm is shown in Fig. 2(a), not Fig. 2(f).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7, 11, 13, and 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li (Z. Li, A Novel Non-Planar, Interdigitated Microelectrode Array with a Porous, Flow-through Working Electrode for Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Various Chem/Bio-Molecules, IOPScience, MA2019-02 2233, 2019).
Regarding claim 1, Li teaches an electrochemical cell ([Abstract]: an electrochemical platform), comprising:
at least one working electrode (Fig. 1: WE);
at least one counter electrode (Fig. 1: CE); and
at least one reference electrode (Fig. 1: RE);
wherein the at least one working electrode, the at least one counter electrode and the at least one reference electrode are disposed in an assembly that includes a first microelectrode layers (Fig. 1: the top microelectrode layer), a second microelectrode layers (Fig. 1: the bottom microelectrode layer), and a middle layer located between the first microelectrode layer and the second microelectrode layer (Fig. 1: Tap layer between the top and the bottom microelectrode layers), and
wherein the at least one working electrode, the at least one counter electrode and the at least one reference electrode are disposed within the assembly according to one of the following structural arrangements:
the at least one working electrode and the at least one counter electrode are deposited on the first microelectrode layer, and the at least one reference electrode is deposited on the second microelectrode layer (Fig. 1: the WE and CE is deposited on the top microelectrode layer and the RE is deposited on the bottom microelectrode layer).
Regarding claim 2, Li teaches wherein the middle layer comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer ([Abstract]: p. 2: pressure-sensitive tapes from ARcare®).
Regarding claim 3, Li teaches wherein the first microelectrode layer is a first glass microelectrode layer ([Abstract]: p. 1: a top glass layer).
Regarding claim 4, Li teaches wherein the second microelectrode layer is a second glass microelectrode layer ([Abstract]: p. 1: a bottom glass layer).
Regarding claim 6, Li teaches wherein the middle layer is comprised of a material of double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive ([Abstract]: p. 2: medical grade, acrylic double-sided, pressure-sensitive tapes from ARcare®).
Regarding claim 7, Li teaches wherein the middle layer includes a fluid channel (Fig. 1: the middle Tape layer include a microfluidic channel).
Regarding claim 11, Li teaches wherein the first glass microelectrode layer includes a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the fluid channel of the middle layer (Fig. 1: inlet and outlet on the top layer in fluid communication with the microchannel within the middle Tape layer).
Regarding claim 13, Li teaches wherein the at least one working electrode and the at least one counter electrode are deposited on the first microelectrode layer (Fig. 1: the top microelectrode layer including WE and CE), and wherein the at least one working electrode and the at least one counter electrode are interdigitated (Fig. 1; [Abstract] p. 1-2: a top layer with gold interdigitated microelectrode array (IDµE)).
Regarding claim 15, Li teaches a method of manufacturing an electrochemical cell ([Abstract]: an electrochemical platform), comprising the steps of:
providing at least one working electrode (Fig. 1: WE);
providing at least one counter electrode (Fig. 1: CE); and
providing at least one reference electrode (Fig. 1: RE);
wherein the at least one working electrode, the at least one counter electrode and the at least one reference electrode are disposed in an assembly that includes a first microelectrode layer (Fig. 1: the top microelectrode layer), a second microelectrode layer (Fig. 1: the bottom microelectrode layer), and a middle layer located between the first microelectrode layer and the second microelectrode layer (Fig. 1: Tap layer between the top and the bottom microelectrode layers), and
wherein the at least one working electrode, the at least one counter electrode and the at least one reference electrode are disposed within the assembly according to one of the following structural arrangements:
the at least one working electrode and the at least one counter electrode are deposited on the first microelectrode layer, and the at least one reference electrode is deposited on the second microelectrode layer (Fig. 1: the WE and CE is deposited on the top microelectrode layer and the RE is deposited on the bottom microelectrode layer).
Regarding claim 16, Li teaches wherein the middle layer comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer ([Abstract]: p. 2: pressure-sensitive tapes from ARcare®).
Regarding claim 17, Li teaches wherein the first microelectrode layer is a first glass microelectrode layer and the second microelectrode layer is a second glass microelectrode layer ([Abstract]: p. 1: a top and bottom glass layer).
Regarding claim 18, Li teaches wherein the middle layer includes a fluid channel (Fig. 1: the middle Tape layer include a microfluidic channel).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of Motkuri (US 2020/0369536).
Regarding claim 5, Li disclose all limitations of claim 1, and the middle tape layer is an acrylic double-sided, pressure-sensitive tapes from Arcare®. Li does not disclose the middle layer is polyester-based.
However, Motkuri teaches a fluidic device 100 including an upper planar substrate 110, a lower planar substrate 120, and a thin film 130 in between with a channel 132 cut therethrough (Fig. 3; ¶123). The thin film 130 may be a nonconductive material, such as polyester, which is a double-sided adhesive tape (¶128).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Li by substituting the acrylic double-sided pressure-sensitive tape with a polyester-based one as taught by Motkuri. The suggestion for doing so would have been that polyester is a suitable material for the double-sided pressure-sensitive tape between two substrates of an electrochemical cell and the selection of a known material, which is based upon its suitability for the intended use, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. MPEP § 2144.07.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CAITLYN M SUN whose telephone number is (571)272-6788. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8:30am - 5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Luan V Van can be reached on (571)272-8521. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/C. SUN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1795