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
Claims 4 and 5 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 3/9/26.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/23/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant requests an interview, but the response to the action has already been written in a formal response, thus an interview at the is point would be granting an unwarranted extra round of prosecution. For example, the office has prepared an action and an interview could bring up proposed amendments that would need further search and consideration that would be after final consideration without a request for further consideration, which would be the proper way of prosecuting the application after final rejection. Therefore, the response to applicant’s filing will be this formally written action.
Regarding the argument that Irisawa does not teach a protruding portion disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the female connection portion: Applicant states Irisawa does not teach projection 702 is not disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the connector 202b. The claim only requires a protruding portion disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the connector portion. In Irisawa, a protruding portion (702) is disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the female connection portion (202b). Fig. 7 shows the protruding portion that is a part of 407. Fig. 4 shows that 407 lies entirely inside the female connection portion 202b and the protruding portion is disposed on a circumferential surface of 407. This results in a protruding portion disposed on an inner (inside the female connection portion) circumferential surface of the connection portion 202b. The claim does not require the projection 702 be on an inner circumferential surface of the drive shaft as argued.
Regarding the argument that Irisawa does not teach the male connection portion is inserted into the proximal rotation cylindrical portion of the female connection portion: Irisawa teaches the male connection portion (102) is inserted into the proximal rotation cylindrical portion (405) of the female connection portion (202b). Fig. 12 shows how the end of 102 (including 603, 609) is inserted within 408 of 202b, which reads on the connection portion 102 being inserted into the proximal rotation cylindrical portion of the female connection portion.
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Irisawa (US 8,322,932 B2). Irisawa teaches:
1. (Original) A connection mechanism (202, Figs. 2-17) that connects an optical probe (101) used in an optical tomographic imaging apparatus and a drive portion (222) that rotates the optical probe (101) (C5 L4-15),
(a) the connection mechanism (202) comprising:
a female connection portion (202b, Fig. 4) having an approximately cylindrical shape disposed on a distal end side of the drive portion (222); and
a male connection portion (102, Fig. 6) having an approximately cylindrical shape disposed on a proximal end side of the optical probe (101) (when the probe is attached to the scanner),
(b) wherein the female connection portion (202b, Fig. 4) includes:
a proximal rotation cylindrical portion (405) having an approximately cylindrical shape disposed at a distal end of the female connection portion (202b) coaxially with a central axis (center) of the female connection portion (202b),
an adapter (404) fixed inside the female connection portion (202b), and
a protruding portion (702) disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the female connection portion (202b),
(c) wherein the male connection portion (102, Fig. 6) includes:
a distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) having an approximately cylindrical shape disposed at a proximal end of the male connection portion (102) coaxially with a central axis (center) of the male connection portion (102),
a connector (602) fixed inside the distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) correspondingly to the adapter (404),
a guide portion (802) disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) and extending from an end portion of a proximal end of the distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) toward a distal end along the central axis (center) of the male connection portion (102), and
an inclined end surface (801A-B) that is symmetrical with respect to a plane including the guide portion (604) and the central axis (center) (see Fig. 8a) and extends toward a proximal end along the central axis (center) of the male connection portion (102) at a proximal end of the distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) (Fig. 8),
the distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) being configured to rotate about the central axis (center) of the male connection portion (102) (C7 L6-22), and
(d) wherein the male connection portion (102) is rotated by moving the male connection portion (102) toward the female connection portion (202b) in a state where the distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) of the male connection portion (102) is inserted into the proximal rotation cylindrical portion (405) of the female connection portion (202b) and the inclined end surface (801A-B) of the male connection portion (102) is brought into contact with the protruding portion (702) of the female connection portion (202b), the protruding portion (702) is inserted into the guide portion (802), and the connector (602) is connected to the adapter (404) (C8 L48 – C9 L13).
2. The connection mechanism (202) according to claim 1, wherein the distal rotation cylindrical portion (603, 609) is configured to be movable along the central axis (center) of the male connection portion (102) (C7 L6-22).
3. The connection mechanism (202) according to claim 1, wherein the male connection portion (102) includes an elastic member (605) that has an approximately cylindrical shape extending along the central axis (center) of the male connection portion (102) and is disposed between the male connection portion (102) and the connector (602) (C8 L1-21, Fig. 6).
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 RYAN A LEPISTO whose telephone number is (571)272-1946. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM EST M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hollweg can be reached at 571-270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN A LEPISTO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874
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