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 § 102
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 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, 5, 9, 11-12, and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by McPhee (US 3978857 A).
Regarding claim 1, McPhee discloses a medical needle unit at 10 with an air filter part 9 for preventing air injection, the medical needle unit comprising:
the air filter part 9 having a built-in filter unit (9,40,41; figs 2-4) for preventing air injection;
a medical needle part 12,15 coupled to a first end of the air filter part 9; and
a medicine injection part 13 coupled to a second end of the air filter part 9 opposite to the first end to which the medical needle part is coupled, to be connected to an external medicine injector (tube 6 or syringe (col 4 lines 59- 64)).
Regarding claim 2, McPhee discloses wherein the air filter part 9 includes:
a filter supporting tube 21,30 having a through-hole formed through a center axis therein; and the filter unit 9,40,41 disposed in the filter supporting tube 21,30.
Regarding claim 3, McPhee discloses wherein the filter supporting tube 21,30 includes:
a first air filter part coupler tube 17 that is at an end facing the medicine injection part and is configured to be coupled to the medicine injection part; and
a second air filter part coupler tube 12 that is at an end facing the medical needle part and is configured to be inserted in the medical needle part.
Regarding claim 5, McPhee discloses wherein the second air filter part coupler tube 12 has an inner diameter at 26 for inserting a medical needle part coupler of the medical needle part 10.
Regarding claim 9, McPhee discloses wherein the medical needle part 12,15 includes:
a medical needle at 8 that can be inserted into an affected area for an ultrasound procedure or operation to inject a medicine for ultrasound treatment; and
a medical needle holder (at 8, fig 1) through which a second end of the medical needle is inserted and fixed and that has a medical needle part coupler coupled to a second air filter part coupler tube 12 of the air filter part 9.
Regarding claim 11, McPhee discloses wherein the medical needle part coupler 12,15 is configured to detachably couple the medical needle holder to the air filter part.
Regarding claim 12, McPhee discloses wherein the medicine injection part 13 includes: an air filter part coupler at 30 to which the air filter part 9,21 is coupled (fig 4); and an external medicine injector coupler 17 extending from the air filter part coupler to the medicine injection part so that an external medicine injector is coupled.
Regarding claim 14, McPhee discloses wherein the medicine injection part 12,14,is configured such that the air filter part coupler and the external medicine injector coupler are separated, and further includes an extension tube connecting the air filter part coupler and the external medicine injector coupler (tube 6 or syringe (col 4 lines 59- 64)).
Regarding claim 15, McPhee discloses a medical needle unit at 10 with an air filter part 9 for preventing air injection, the medical needle unit 10 comprising:
the air filter part 9;
a filter unit 9,21,30 coupled to the air filter part;
a medicine injection part 17 coupled to an end of the filter unit 30 that is opposite to an end to which the air filter part is coupled; and
a medical needle part 12 coupled to an end of the air filter part that is different from an end to which the filter unit is coupled.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6-8, 10, and 13 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Cris L Rodriguez whose telephone number is (571)272-4964. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8am- 2pm..
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/Cris L. Rodriguez/
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3783