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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. DE 102021002721.3, filed on 05/17/2021.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the drawings do not contain any reference characters of any of the claimed/disclosed features. The lack of reference characters makes it difficult to understand all claimed aspects of the invention and how they operate. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: reference characters are not included in the specification for each of the described features.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hiraga (US 20210016022).
Regarding claim 1, Hiraga discloses a tube connection device (Fig. 11: 5+10) for connecting n tubes (Fig. 2: tubes 3, 4), through which a gas flows (para. [0032], second to last sentence; para. [0033]), with an insufflator (Fig. 11: 2), where n is one to five (Fig. 11: n=2 with tube 3 and 4), wherein a sleeve-shaped element is formed on the insufflator side (Fig. 11: 10), wherein the sleeve-shaped element has n insufflation pistons as connecting elements in the region of the sleeve base (Fig. 11: 12A, 12B), wherein the n insufflation pistons as connecting elements protrude from the sleeve base (Fig. 11: 12A and 12B protrude from end/base of 10) by means of spring tension and can be pressed towards the sleeve base by the pressure from the tubes (Figs. 10 and 11: 122/122A; para. [0110]), whereby the surface of the insufflation pistons is flush with the sleeve base when the tube connection is made (Fig. 11: outer surface of 12A and 12B with flush with opening of base 10, better seen in Fig. 10: outer surface of 121b is flush with 123b of 10), wherein a resilient sealing element is arranged between each connecting element and each tube (Fig. 10: 58; Fig. 12: 58A, 58B; paras. [0053] – [0054]), wherein one or more latching elements are arranged in the region of the sleeve opening which ensure that the tubes engage and lock the tube connection (Fig. 6: 10Band 10C; para. [0059]), wherein connecting elements are arranged on the tube side which are compatible with the connecting elements of the sleeve base (Fig. 3: 54a, 54b; paras. [0048] and [0050]), wherein an element compatible with the sleeve-shaped element (Fig. 11: 5) has n hollow cylinders as a tube set (Fig. 12: 51 and 52 of 5) to which the n tubes are connected so as to ensure a fluid connection of all n tubes to the insufflator (Fig. 12: tube 3 connected to 51 and tube 4 connected 52).
Regarding claim 2, Hiraga discloses the tube connection device according to claim 1, as described above, wherein the number of tubes n is two to five (Fig. 11: n=2, as described above).
Regarding claim 3, Hiraga discloses the tube connection device of n tubes through which a gas flows with an insufflator according to claim 1, as described above, wherein the resilient sealing element is either a component of the insufflation flask as a connecting element or a component of the tube-side connecting elements (Figs. 10 and 12: 58, 58A, 58B are components of the tube-side).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Bolz (US 20050109298).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATERINA ANNA WITTLIFF whose telephone number is (703)756-4772. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 9-7ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MICHAEL TSAI can be reached at 571-270-5246. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.A.W./Examiner, Art Unit 3783
/NATHAN R PRICE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3783
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