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 .
Response to Amendment
This office action is responsive to the amendment filed on April 21, 2026. As directed by the amendment: claims 19 have been amended, no claims have been added, no claims have been canceled. Thus claims 16-35 are presently pending in this application, and claims 21-35 are now withdrawn.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
REQUIREMENT FOR UNITY OF INVENTION
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 16-20) in the reply filed on April 21, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 21-35 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on April 21, 2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/01/2023 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/05/2025 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bar-El et al. (US 20210001047), hereinafter Bar-El.
Regarding claim 16, Bar-El discloses a syringe carrier for a medicament delivery device (Fig. 1-4A, 7A and [0026, 0033], collar 30' for receiving cartridge/syringe 28 for injector 10), wherein the syringe carrier is tubular (Fig. 5 and 7A-B, syringe collar 30' is generally tubular) and extends along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end (Figs. 7A-B and 5, collar 30' (similar to collar 30 of fig. 5, extends along longitudinal axis from a proximal end (end with ring 38) to a distal end (end with disk 32)); the syringe carrier comprising a base section at the distal end of the syringe carrier(Figs. 7A-B, disk 32 located at distal end of collar 30'), the base section having a fixed circumference (Fig. 7A-B, disk 32 has fixed circumference), at least one arm extending towards the proximal end of the syringe carrier from the base section (Fig. 7A-B, fingers 36', extending proximally from disk 32), and an expandable ring attached to the proximal end of the at least one arm (Fig. 7A-B, ring 38, which is expandable (see fig. 7B) attached to proximal end of arms 36'), wherein the ring extends entirely around the longitudinal axis of the syringe carrier in the circumferential direction relative to the longitudinal axis (Fig. 7A, ring 38 extends around the longitudinal axis of collar 30' in circumferential direction).
Regarding claim 17, Bar-El discloses the syringe carrier of claim 16, wherein the expandable ring is arranged to expand by breaking (Fig. 7A-B and [0040], ring 38 is configured to expand via breaking of frangible scored portions 38a).
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.
Claims 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bar-El (US 20210001047), in view of Klitmose et al. (US 20200330676), hereinafter Klitmose.
Regarding claim 18, Bar-El discloses the syringe carrier of claim 16.
Bar-El fails to disclose wherein the expandable ring comprises one or more hinges spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring. However, Klitmose discloses wherein the expandable ring comprises one or more hinges spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring (Fig. 4d and [0101, 0106], tubular syringe holder 200 has a ring shaped end with at least 1 hinge 230.3 on the circumference of the ring for expanding the ring/holder).
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 Bar-El to incorporate the disclosures of Klitmose and modify the expandable ring to comprise one or more hinges spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring. Doing so would provide a ring on the syringe carrier which is biased toward a collapsed smaller diameter state but may reversibly expand while the syringe is inserted into the carrier, thus easily allowing syringe insertion while also ensuring axial alignment of the syringe in the carrier (Klitmose, [0101,0106,0109]).
Regarding claim 19, Bar-El, in view of Klitmose, discloses the syringe carrier of claim 18 as explained above. As noted above, Bar-El does not disclose one or more hinges and is thus silent to wherein the expandable ring comprises a plurality of segments spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring and a plurality of hinges spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring, and wherein each segment has a hinge on either side in the circumferential direction. However, Klitmose further discloses wherein the expandable ring comprises a plurality of segments spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring (Fig. 4D and 5A-B, sections 240A/B, spaced around the circumference of holder 200) and a plurality of hinges spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring (Fig. 4D, hinges 230.3, spaced around the circumference of the holder 200), and wherein each segment has a hinge on either side in the circumferential direction (Fig. 4D and 5A-B, each section 240A/B has a hinge 230.3 on either side in the circumferential direction).
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 Bar-El, in view of Klitmose, to further incorporate the disclosures of Klitmose and modify the expandable ring to comprise a plurality of segments spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring and a plurality of hinges spaced around the circumference of the expandable ring, and wherein each segment has a hinge on either side in the circumferential direction. Doing so would provide a ring on the syringe carrier which is biased toward a collapsed smaller diameter state but may reversibly expand while the syringe is inserted into the carrier, thus easily allowing syringe insertion while also ensuring axial alignment of the syringe in the carrier (Klitmose, [0101,0106,0109]).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bar-El (US 20210001047), in view of Klitmose (US 20200330676), as applied to claim 18 above, and further in view of Sanders et al. (US 20150297839), hereinafter Sanders.
Regarding claim 20, Bar-El, in view of Klitmose, discloses the syringe carrier of claim 18.
Bar-El, in view of Klitmose, fails to disclose wherein at least one of the one or more hinges is a collet. However, Sanders discloses wherein at least one of the one or more hinges is a collet (Fig. 45A and [0108], holder collet 32 comprises ring 60 which is configured with a plurality of hinges configured as a collet).
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 Bar-El, in view of Klitmose, to incorporate the disclosures of Sanders and modify at least one of the one or more hinges to be a collet. Doing so would provide a locking member which allows for radial expansion/collapsing in order to allow for insertion of components, then subsequent locking of the component within the collet (Sanders, [0007, 0108]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARAH D GRASMEDER whose telephone number is (571)272-0258. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 am-5 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BHISMA MEHTA can be reached at (571) 272-3383. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SARAH DYMPNA GRASMEDER/Examiner, Art Unit 3783
/LAURA A BOUCHELLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3783
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