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 .
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.
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 14-15 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.
Claim 14-15 recites the limitations "the plurality of insulated electric wires," 'the core wires," "the insulation coating," "the substrate," "the plurality of pads," "the one end," "the longitudinal direction," and "the human body"" in the claims. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. It is at least unclear to examiner if these recitations are the same elements as the elements recited in claims 1 or 9, or are different elements. Examiner suggests amending such that the dependencies to claim 1 or 9 precede these limitations or indicate that these limitations are the same as the limitations in claims 1 or 9.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 9-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Akama (US 2002/0002004).
Regarding claim 1, Akama teaches an electric wire connection structure, comprising:
a plurality of insulated electric wires with each core wire being covered with an insulation coating (covered leads 39 covered by 29), the core wires being connected to pads provided on a substrate (pads 61 as in par. [0085] for the leads via solder as in par. [0098] on substrate 50), wherein the plurality of insulated electric wires are arranged parallel to each other on the substrate along a predetermined alignment direction (at least Fig. 4 with 36 connecting to pads in a parallel alignment), wherein the insulation coatings are removed in part in respective longitudinal directions to expose the core wires (par. [0096] 36 stripped at an end portion), exposed portions of the core wires are connected to the pads (as in Fig. 4 and par. [0098]), respectively, and the exposed portions of the core wires are arranged along an inclined direction inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of the plurality of insulated electric wires and the alignment direction (as in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 2, Akama teaches wherein the insulation coating is removed at a portion of an outer periphery of the core wire including a portion between the core wire and the pad (29 removed at a portion of the core wire 30 as in Fig. 4), and, for the core wire, a surface opposite to the pad is covered with the insulation coating (surface of wire at a proximal end is covered in 29 as in at least Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 3, Akama teaches wherein the exposed portions of the core wires of at least three of the plurality of insulated electric wires are arranged along the inclined direction (Fig. 3 with the exposed wire inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the wires, there being at least three wires as in Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 4, Akama teaches wherein the plurality of insulated electric wires are integrated at least on the substrate (leads attached to substrate 50 via bonding with pads 61).
Regarding claim 5, Akama teaches wherein the plurality of insulated electric wires are integrated by bonding the insulation coatings of the plurality of insulated electric wires with an adhesive (soldered as in par. [0098]).
Regarding claim 6, Akama teaches wherein the adhesive is applied on a side farther from the substrate than a center line of the core wire of each of the plurality of insulated electric wires (soldered as in at least par. [0098] where the solder is applied on each of the electric wires from every direction).
Regarding claim 7, wherein the plurality of insulated electric wires are integrated by adhesion on a side opposite to the substrate (soldered on top of substrate 50 as in par. [0098]).
Regarding claim 9, Akama teaches an electric wire connection method for connecting respective core wires of a plurality of insulated electric wires with each core wire being covered with an insulation coating to a pad provided on a substrate (covered leads 39 with insulation 29 connecting to pads 61 on substrate 50), the method comprising:
an alignment step of arranging the plurality of insulated electric wires parallel to each other along an alignment direction (par. [0040]); an insulation coating removal step of removing the insulation coating of each of the plurality of insulated electric wires in a part in a longitudinal direction to expose the core wire (par. [0040] cables exposed); and a connection step of arranging the plurality of insulated electric wires on the substrate and connecting the core wire of each of the plurality of insulated electric wires to the pad (par. [0098] connecting lead 39 to pad 61), wherein the insulation coating is removed to expose the core wire at a position along an inclined direction inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the plurality of insulated electric wires and the alignment direction (as in Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 10, Akama teaches further comprising:
an integration step of integrating the plurality of insulated electric wires arranged in the alignment step (soldered as in par. [0098]), wherein, in the insulation coating removal step, the insulation coating is removed in the state where the plurality of insulated electric wires are integrated (par. [0096]).
Regarding claim 11, Akama teaches wherein, in the insulation coating removing step, the insulation coating is removed at a portion of an outer periphery of the core wire including a portion between the core wire and the pad (as in Fig. 4 with 29 removed between the core wire and the pad).
Regarding claim 12, wherein, in the connection step, the core wire is soldered to the pad by melting a paste-like solder adhered to a portion from which the insulation coating has been removed in the insulation coating removal step (soldering exposed wire 39 as in par. [0098]).
Regarding claim 13, Akama teaches wherein, in the connection step, the core wire is soldered to the pad by melting a solder ball accommodated in a portion from which the insulation coating has been removed in the insulation coating removal step (solder exposed portion of 39 to pad 61 as in par. [0098]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akama in view of Matsukuma (US 2012/0046647).
Regarding claim 8, Akama is silent wherein the core wire has a diameter of 0.1 mm or less.However, Matsukuma teaches wires of 0.1 mm (par. [0051]).It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Akama with the wire diameter of Mastukuma, as a known lead wire size that is able to deliver electrosurgical energy.
Claim(s) 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akama in view of Kallback (US 2016/0228061).
Regarding claim 14, Akama teaches a device, comprising:
a r cable comprising the plurality of insulated electric wires with the core wires each covered with the insulation coating (cable 30 with the wires 39 covered in insulation 29); and the substrate having the plurality of pads to which the core wires of the plurality of insulated electric wires are connected (substrate 50 with pads 61), , wherein the respective core wires of the plurality of insulated electric wires and the plurality of pads of the substrate are connected by the electric wire connection structure according to claim 1 (see the rejection of claim 1).Akama is not explicit regarding medical device with the cable as a catheter cable, wherein the one end of the catheter cable in the longitudinal direction is configured to be inserted into the human body.However, Kallback teaches a medical catheter using multiple leads in a cable for insertion in the human body (par. [0004] in the human body, par. [0015], and Fig. 1).It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Akama to use the cable as a catheter cable, as in Kallback, as a known device requiring the multiple leads.
Regarding claim 15, Akama teaches a method for manufacturing a device including a cable having the plurality of insulated electric wires with the core wires each covered with the insulation coating (39 with insulation 29), and the substrate having the plurality of pads to which the core wires of the plurality of insulated electric wires are connected (substrate 50 with pads 61 connected to 39 via solder as in par. [0098]), the method comprising:connecting the respective core wires of the plurality of insulated electric wires and the plurality of and the pad by the electric wire connection method according to claim 9 (see the rejection to claim 9).Akama is not explicit regarding medical device with the cable as a catheter cable, wherein the one end of the catheter cable in the longitudinal direction is configured to be inserted into the human body.However, Kallback teaches a medical catheter using multiple leads in a cable for insertion in the human body (par. [0004] in the human body, par. [0015], and Fig. 1).It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Akama to use the cable as a catheter cable, as in Kallback, as a known device requiring the multiple leads.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BO OUYANG whose telephone number is (571)272-8831. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/BO OUYANG/Examiner, Art Unit 3794
/MICHAEL F PEFFLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3794
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