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 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 1 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Wu – Translate_CN 109014238A and further in view of Pohl – US 20100159604.
As to claim 1, Wu teaches a solution-phase synthesizer (page 3: liquid phase synthesis redox reaction system), comprising:
a sample preparation system (example 3 in page 4: water/ethanol mixed solution is sample solution; this solution is mixed/reacted with reaction solution of AgNO3 and dispersion liquid; thus “a sample preparation system”),
an assisting system for solution-phase synthesis (example 3 in page 4: the reacted solutions were placed in a low-temperature box, the temperature was controlled to lower to minus 45C and introduce ultraviolet light to irradiate the AgNO3 solution A for 2 hours, and mix the reacted AgNO3 solution A with 125 mL of carrier dispersion; thus “an assisting system for solution-phase synthesis” because temperature and illumination of to-be-reacted solutions are controlled; the low-temperature box corresponds to “a reactor”),
a monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis (page 4: after the mixed liquid was continuously stirred and reacted at minus 45° C. for 2 hours, it was recovered and cleaned by low-temperature vacuum filtration, and dried naturally at room temperature. The atomically dispersed Ag1/TiO2 composite material can be obtained; thus “a monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis”).
Wu does not explicitly teach an automated system/synthesizer, comprising: an automatic sample injection system; an automatic online monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis; and a master computer, wherein the automatic sample injection system, the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis and the automatic online monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis are all electrically connected to the master computer; and the automatic sample injection system is configured to complete an automatic sample injection operation according to a sample injection instruction from the master computer; the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis is configured to control temperature and illumination of to-be-reacted solutions according to a temperature control instruction and an illumination control instruction from the master computer; the automatic online monitoring system is configured to monitor a first reaction solution therein, and generate a monitoring report; and the master computer generates an experimental analysis result according to the monitoring report.
Pohl teaches automated solution-phase synthesis can be controlled and achieved by a computer with given protocol which can be preprogrammed into the computer; the computer can be any suitable computing device for controlling the operations of solution transfer/injection system, temperature control unit ([0058]).
Pohl further teaches detectors optionally monitor one or a plurality of signals from upstream and/or downstream of the performance of, e.g., a given synthesis step. For example, the detector optionally monitors a plurality of optical signals, which correspond in position to “real time” results; The detector optionally includes or is operably linked to a computer, e.g., which has system software for converting detector signal information into assay result information or the like ([0045]); the systems of the present invention optionally include a computer (or other information appliance) operably connected to or included within various system components. The computer typically includes system software that directs the handling and detection systems to, e.g., segregate or distribute solid supports into selected reaction wells or other vessels, deliver various reagents (e.g., different components or building blocks, scaffolds, or the like) to selected reaction wells of reaction blocks; Additionally, the handling/controller system and/or the detection system is/are optionally coupled to an appropriately programmed processor or computer which functions to instruct the operation of these instruments in accordance with preprogrammed or user input instructions, receive data and information from these instruments (i.e. detectors), and interpret, manipulate and report this information to the user ([0045-0048]: computers can inherently, automatically generate analysis results from output/report of a monitoring system i.e. detectors).
Since Pohl further teaches if the computer and the solution transfer/injection system are separate devices, then a suitable data communication path, such as a communication port/cable or IR data link, between the two devices must be present ([0058]: a communication port/cable between computer and solution transfer/injection system means that computer and solution transfer/injection system are electrically connected); and since Wu further teaches after the mixed liquid was continuously stirred/mixed and reacted at minus 45° C for 2 hours (see example 3: it means that system of Wu inherently include a mixing device operated together with a temperature control device), it would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify a solution-phase synthesizer of Wu with concept teachings of Pohl to include an automated solution-phase synthesizer, comprising: an automatic sample injection system, an assisting system for solution-phase synthesis, an automatic online monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis, and a master computer, wherein the automatic sample injection system, the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis and the automatic online monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis are all electrically connected to the master computer; and the automatic sample injection system is configured to complete an automatic sample injection operation according to a sample injection instruction from the master computer; the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis is configured to control temperature and illumination of to-be-reacted solutions according to a temperature control instruction and an illumination control instruction from the master computer; the automatic online monitoring system is configured to monitor a first reaction solution therein, and generate a monitoring report; and the master computer generates an experimental analysis result according to the monitoring report (as recited in claim 1); the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis comprises: a mixing device and a temperature control device; and the novel reactor is arranged on the mixing device, and the mixing device and the temperature control device are both electrically connected to the master computer (as recited in claim 7), because this helps providing an automated method of synthesizing that is accurate and relatively fast in comparison to non-automated methods ([0013]).
Claims 2 and 7 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Wu and Pohl, and further in view of Liu – Translate_CN205426779U.
As to claim 2, modified Wu teaches a reactor; the automatic sample injection system, the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis and the automatic online monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis (as reasons stated in the rejection of claim 1), it does not explicitly teach the reactor is connected to the automatic sample injection system, the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis and the automatic online monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis separately by means of first pipelines.
Liu teaches a concept of: an automatic analyzer, wherein the reactor is connected to the automatic sample injection system, the assisting system and the automatic online monitoring system (figs.1-2; described fig.1; page 3: acquisition signal output terminal of photodetector 10 is connected to the main control module 15).
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It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify modified solution-phase synthesizer of Wu with concept teachings of Liu to include the reactor is connected to the automatic sample injection system, the assisting system for solution-phase synthesis and the automatic online monitoring system for solution-phase synthesis separately by means of first pipelines, for transporting and/or communicating output signal of automatic online monitoring system.
As to claim 7, claim 7 is rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 and 8-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As to claim 3, claim 3 includes the bottle body sequentially comprises a reaction liner, a temperature circulating layer and a vacuum layer from inside to outside; and a bottom of the reaction liner is of an arc-shaped structure, when in combination with the remaining limitations of the claim 3 distinguish the present invention from the prior arts.
As to claim 4, claim 4 includes the liquid storage module and the sampling channel switching module are both connected to the inert gas conveying module by means of second pipelines; the quantification module is connected to the sampling channel switching module and the disposal module separately by means of third pipelines; and the liquid storage module is connected to the sampling channel switching module by means of a fourth pipeline, when in combination with the remaining limitations of the claim 4 distinguish the present invention from the prior arts.
As to claims 5-6, claims 5-6 are also objected due to their dependency on the objected claim 4.
As to claim 8, claim 8 includes a low-temperature circulator; a liquid outlet of the low-temperature circulator is connected to a circulating liquid inlet by means of a sixteenth pipeline; a liquid inlet of the low-temperature circulator is connected to a circulating liquid outlet by means of a seventeenth pipeline, when in combination with the remaining limitations of the claim 8 distinguish the present invention from the prior arts.
As to claim 9, claim 9 includes the sampling module is configured to suck a second reaction solution contained in the novel reactor; the power module is configured to provide a suction force for the sampling module according to a suction instruction from the master computer and inject the sucked second reaction solution sucked by the sampling module into the monitoring and analysis module to be used as the first reaction solution, when in combination with the remaining limitations of the claim 9 distinguish the present invention from the prior arts.
As to claim 10, claim 10 is also objected due to their dependency on the objected claim 9.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUONG D PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8883. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/TRUONG D PHAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/JOHN E BREENE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855