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 .
Claim Objections
Claim is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 1 recites “the energy storage device” where it should be “the rechargeable energy storage device”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samoocha et al. (US 20210046277 A1) in view Walley et al. (US 20110127951 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Samoocha teaches a communication device for near-field communication with a catheter (catheter system 100 (Fig. 2) comprising a catheter 100 (as details shown in Figs. 5-6, catheter 610) and items 104 and 108 (i.e. communication device) (as details shown in Fig. 5, casing 620), comprising: an NFC (near-field communication) coil (Par. 437, second coil 784) and a communication circuit connected thereto (Par. 437, wireless communication unit), the NFC coil and communication circuit being configured for bidirectional near-field communication with the catheter through the NFC coil (Fig. 5 and last 6 lines of Par. 439); (Par. 437, power receiver includes a second coil 784); and a housing surrounding the NFC coil (Fig. 5 and Par. 437, casing 620 includes a power receiver includes a second coil 784), the communication circuit, the energy storage device, the charging coil, and the charging circuit (Par. 437), the housing being configured to be releasably secured to the catheter (Par. 424, detachable (releasable)).
Samoocha does not teach the second coil as taught above is a shared coil or the coil that comprising: a NFC coil and wireless power (WP) coil. Also, Samoocha does not teach the power receiver as taught above comprising: the electric charging (WP) coil connected to a charging circuit configured to charge a rechargeable energy storage device.
Walley teaches that it is well-known that the coil is a shared coil using for both NFC communication and WP communication (Fig. 8 and Par. 85) or the coil are in two separated coils, one is for NFC communication and one is for WP communication (Fig. 7). Walley further teaches the power receiver comprising: a wireless power coil 230 (electric charging coil) connected to a power receiver circuit 232 (charging circuit) supply voltage V1 to power (charge) a rechargeable energy storage device 234 (Fig. 9).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the above teaching as taught Walley into Samoocha to effective control the signal based on desired electromagnetic properties.
Claims 2 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samoocha et al. (US 20210046277 A1) in view Walley et al. (US 20110127951 A1) and in further view of Warner et al. (US 20180021099 A1).
Regarding claim 2, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim.
However, the modified Samoocha does not teach the communication device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is formed as a catheter handle.
Warner teaches such feature (Fig. 2 and Par. 33).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the above teaching as taught Walrner into the modified Samoocha to enable a user to hold the device in secure and stable manner.
Regarding claim 5, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the communication device according to claim 2, wherein the catheter comprises a controllable infusion valve (Par. 410) and the communication device (Par. 337, processor/control circuitry 118 of the casing 620 (communication device)) is configured to initiate delivery of a medicament from the infusion valve (Pars. 171-173).
Regarding claim 6, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the communication device according to claim 2, wherein the catheter comprises at least one sensor configured to be wirelessly read by the communication device (Par. 393, processing of sensor 106 readings is carried out by control circuitry 118 & Par. 437, casing 620 (communication device) includes a control circuitry 118).
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Regarding claim 7, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the communication device according to claim 2, wherein the communication device is configured to read catheter-specific data from the catheter (Par. 393, processing of sensor 106 readings is carried out by control circuitry 118 & Par. 437, casing 620 (communication device) includes a control circuitry 118).
Claims 3, 8-9, 12, and 14-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samoocha et al. (US 20210046277 A1) in view Walley et al. (US 20110127951 A1) and in further view of Warner et al. (US 20180021099 A1) and further in further view of O’Halloran et al. (US 20210369283 A1).
Regarding claim 3, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the communication device according to claim 2, wherein the communication device comprises a transceiver unit (Fig. 2 and Par. 380) configured for wireless communication with a docking station (Fig. 2 and Par. 379, device/unit 200 provides/transmits power). It is very well-known in wireless communication that the “device provides/transmits power” is in a form of a docking station as taught by O’halloran (Figs. 1A-B, docking station 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the above teaching as taught O’Halloran into the modified Samoocha for communication when fully engaging.
Regarding claim 8, apparatus of claim 8 is performed by the apparatus of claim 3. They recite same scope of limitations. Applicant is kindly advised to refer to rejection of claim 3.
Regarding claim 9, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the medical system according to claim 8, wherein the docking station comprises a receptacle configured to receive the at least one communication device (O’Halloran, Figs. 1A-B).
Regarding claim 12, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the medical system according to claim 8, wherein the docking station is configured to charge the energy storage device via the charging coil when the at least one communication device is docked to the docking station (Fig. 2 and Par. 379).
Regarding claim 14, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the medical system according to claim 8, wherein the docking station is set up to configure the at least one communication device to control a function of the catheter and/or to read data from the catheter (Figs. 2-3, unit 200 (docking station) and Pars. 397-399).
Regarding claim 15, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the medical system according to claim 8, wherein the docking station comprises a transceiver unit configured to communicate with the at least one communication device (last 6 lines of Par. 439) when the at least one communication device is releasably secured to the catheter (Par. 424).
Regarding claim 16, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the medical system according to claim 8, comprising at least one computer, the docking station being configured to transmit data received from the at least one communication device to the at least one computer via a data exchange connection (Figs. 2-3, computer (mobile comm. device 300, unit 200 (docking station) and Pars. 397-399).
Regarding claim 17, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the medical system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one communication device is configured to read catheter-specific data from the catheter (last 6 lines of Par. 439), to transmit said catheter-specific data to the docking station, the docking station being configured to transmit the catheter-specific data via the data exchange connection to the at least one computer (Figs. 2-3, computer (mobile comm. device 300, unit 200 (docking station) and Pars. 397-399).
Regarding claim 18, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim. The modified Samoocha further teaches the medical system according to claim 17, wherein the at least one computer is configured to display the catheter-specific data and/or data generated therefrom on a screen (Par. 457).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samoocha et al. (US 20210046277 A1) in view Walley et al. (US 20110127951 A1) and in further view of Warner et al. (US 20180021099 A1) and further in further view of An et al. (US 20160246265 A1).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim.
However, the modified Samoocha does not teach the communication device according to claim 2, wherein the communication device comprises an optical display configured to display a state of the communication device.
An teaches such feature (Fig. 2 and Par. 72).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the above teaching as taught An into the modified Samoocha for providing the current status of the device.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samoocha et al. (US 20210046277 A1) in view Walley et al. (US 20110127951 A1) and in further view of Warner et al. (US 20180021099 A1) and further in further view of O’Halloran et al. (US 20210369283 A1) and further in further view of Benedict et al. (US 20200093998 A1).
Regarding claim 10, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim.
However, the modified Samoocha does not teach the medical system according to claim 8, wherein the docking station is configured to flush the at least one communication device with a solution.
Benedict teaches such feature (Par. 48-49).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the above teaching as taught Benedict into the modified Samoocha for implementing the wireless transmitter device as a multifunctional device.
Regarding claim 11, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim.
However, the modified Samoocha does not teach the medical system according to claim 8, wherein the docking station is configured to sterilise the at least one communication device when the at least one communication device is docked to the docking station.
Benedict teaches such feature (Pars. 48-49).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the above teaching as taught Benedict into the modified Samoocha for implementing the wireless transmitter device as a multifunctional device.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samoocha et al. (US 20210046277 A1) in view Walley et al. (US 20110127951 A1) and in further view of Warner et al. (US 20180021099 A1) and further in further view of O’Halloran et al. (US 20210369283 A1) and further in further view of Andersen et al. (US 20170163788 A1).
Regarding claim 13, the modified Samoocha teaches previous claim.
However, the modified Samoocha does not teach the medical system according to claim 8, wherein the docking station is configured to carry out a system test of the at least one communication device via the charging coil when the at least one communication device is docked to the docking station.
Andersen teaches such feature (Par. 75).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the above teaching as taught Andersen into the modified Samoocha for effectively determine a docked state.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CINDY HUYEN TRANDAI whose telephone number is (571)270-1914. The examiner can normally be reached 8am -4:30pm.
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/Cindy Trandai/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648 2/4/2026