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 .
DETAIL ACTION
Priority
This application claims priority to U.S provisional Patent Application No. ***, filed on *** and is hereby incorporated by references.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on ***. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Species B, Fig. 4 with claims 1-20 in the reply filed on 9/29/2025 is acknowledged.
The traversal is on the ground(s) that the office action fails to identify any particular characteristics and a substantial burden for species C and D with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. This is found persuasive because no substantial burden is involved if restriction is not required for these two species. Therefore, the examiner agrees that the embodiments of Figure 5 and 6 are not separate species from the other species.
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(s) 1, 3, 6-12 and 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SØRENSEN (EP 3788941 A1) in view of LIN (US 20140210976 A1).
Regarding claim 1, SØRENSEN discloses a flexible circuit assembly for a medical device [e.g. FIG. 2; flexible print circuit 70 for an endoscope], the circuit assembly comprising: a circuit board [e.g. 70] having at least one bending portion [e.g. 70c] and at least one flat portion [e.g. 70f]; and a mechanical support structure [e.g. 80] coupled to the circuit board, the mechanical support structure including: a first region [e.g. 80a], and a second region [e.g. 80b and 80c] extending distally from the first region, and wherein the at least one bending portion of the circuit board [e.g. 70d 70e, 70b and 70c] is coupled to the second region of the mechanical support structure [e.g. FIG, 2; 80b and 80c].
Although SØRENSEN discloses a flexible circuit having at least one bending portion [e.g. 70c] and at least one flat portion [e.g. 70f], the at least one bending portion of the circuit board is a portion of a curve [e.g. FIG. 2. 70b and 70c], the curve extending distally from the flat portion [e.g. FIG. 2]. It is noted that SØRENSEN differs to the present invention in that SØRENSEN fails to explicitly disclose an arm extending.
However, LIN teaches the well-known concept of a flexible circuit [e.g. FIG. 4; 30; T-shaped flexible circuit board] having at least one bending portion [e.g. bending as t-shaped area of 30] and at least one flat portion [e.g. flat area of 30], the at least one bending portion of the circuit board is a portion of an arm [e.g. FIG. 4; two arm portions], the arm extending distally from the flat portion [e.g. FIG. 4-5].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the flexible print circuit for an endoscope system disclosed by SØRENSEN to exploit the well-known endoscope flexible circuit assembly technique taught by LIN as above, in order to provide improve the ease of assembly od an endoscope [See LIN; [0013 and 0020]].
Regarding claim 3, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the at least one bending portion comprises a first layered construction and the at least one flat portion comprises a second layered construction [e.g. SØRENSEN: flexible printed circuit comprise one or more layers of conductive material and two or more layers of insulating material].
Regarding claim 6, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the circuit board comprises at least one mounting portion [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2], and wherein the at least one bending portion is disposed on a proximal portion of the at least one mounting portion [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; LIN: FIG. 4-5].
Regarding claim 7, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the at least one mounting portion is coupled to a mounting pad [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; mounting frame; LIN: FIG. 4-5; mounting frame].
Regarding claim 8, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the mounting pad is configured to receive one of a camera or a lighting element [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; mounting frame; LIN: FIG. 4-5; mounting frame; light emitting elements and the camera].
Regarding claim 9, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the at least one flat portion defines a first plane, and wherein a flat portion of the arm defines a second plane parallel to the first plane [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; LIN: FIG. 4-5].
Regarding claim 10, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose a distal portion of the arm defines a third plane, and wherein the third plane is perpendicular to each of the first plane and the second plane [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; LIN: FIG. 4-5].
Regarding claim 11, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the circuit board is coupled to the mechanical support structure with an adhesive [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; the adhesive may be applied to the FPC and/or to the support and/or support folding parts].
Regarding claim 12, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the at least one flat portion of the circuit board is coupled to the first region of the mechanical support structure [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; LIN: FIG. 4-5].
Regarding claim 15, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the flexible circuit assembly is configured to be incorporated into a distal assembly of an endoscope [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; a tip part assembly for an endoscope; LIN: FIG. 4-5].
Regarding claim 16-17, this is a flexible circuit assembly for a medical device that includes same limitation as in claim 1 and 3 above respectively, the rejection of which are incorporated herein.
Regarding claim 18, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the first layered construction includes an adhesive layer, a conductive layer, and at least one flexible layer [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; a single- or double-sided flexible circuit or a rigid-flex circuit, and may comprise one or more layers of conductive material and two or more layers of insulating material].
Regarding claim 19, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the second layered construction includes an adhesive layer, a conductive layer, at least one flexible layer, and at least one dielectric layer [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2; a single- or double-sided flexible circuit or a rigid-flex circuit, and may comprise one or more layers of conductive material and two or more layers of insulating material].
Regarding claim 20, this is a flexible circuit assembly for a medical device that includes same limitation as in claim 3 above, the rejection of which are incorporated herein.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SØRENSEN (EP 3788941 A1) in view of LIN (US 20140210976 A1) and Ide (US 6454703 B1).
Regarding claim 2, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the first region comprises at least one extension, but SØRENSEN and LIN fail to explicitly disclose the detail of the extension.
However, Ide teaches the well-known concept of a region of a circuit board [e.g. FIG. 1-3; circuit board 24] comprises at least one extension that is configured to receive an articulation wire [e.g. signal cable 25] of the medical device [e.g. an endoscopic insertion instrument].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the flexible print circuit for an endoscope system disclosed by SØRENSEN to exploit the well-known endoscope flexible circuit assembly technique taught by LIN and Ide as above, in order to provide improve the ease of assembly od an endoscope [See LIN; [0013 and 0020]] and a flexibly bendable, angling joint tube for use as an angle portion of endoscopic insertion instruments [See Ide; column 1 lines 5-9].
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SØRENSEN (EP 3788941 A1) in view of LIN (US 20140210976 A1) and Haggerty et al (US 20220030171 A1).
Regarding claim 4, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the at least one bending portion comprises a first layered construction and at least one flat portion comprises a second layered construction [e.g. SØRENSEN: flexible printed circuit comprise one or more layers of conductive material and two or more layers of insulating material, but SØRENSEN and LIN fail to explicitly disclose the detail of layered constructions.
However, Haggerty teaches the well-known concept of the first layered construction includes fewer layers than the second layered construction [e.g. FIG. 15, 33 and 53-54, circuit board 430; [0306-0307]].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the flexible print circuit for an endoscope system disclosed by SØRENSEN to exploit the well-known endoscope flexible circuit assembly technique taught by LIN and Haggerty as above, in order to provide improve the ease of assembly od an endoscope [See LIN; [0013 and 0020]] and the printed circuit board that may be coated or encased in a protective coating or layer of material [See Haggerty; [0305]].
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SØRENSEN (EP 3788941 A1) in view of LIN (US 20140210976 A1) and HANDTE et al (US 20150378144 A1).
Regarding claim 5, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the at least one bending portion comprises a first layered construction and at least one flat portion comprises a second layered construction [e.g. SØRENSEN: flexible printed circuit comprise one or more layers of conductive material and two or more layers of insulating material, but SØRENSEN and LIN fail to explicitly disclose the detail of layered constructions.
However, HANDTE teaches the well-known concept of the circuit board of an endoscope that has the first layered construction is configured to achieve a bending radius less than 6 times a thickness of the second layered construction [e.g. [0012]].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the flexible print circuit for an endoscope system disclosed by SØRENSEN to exploit the well-known endoscope flexible circuit assembly technique taught by LIN and HANDTE as above, in order to provide improve the ease of assembly od an endoscope [See LIN; [0013 and 0020]] and an inexpensive manufacture and an application in rigid as well as flexible endoscopes are moreover to be possible [See HANDTE; [0004]].
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SØRENSEN (EP 3788941 A1) in view of LIN (US 20140210976 A1) and Kirma et al (US 20210153729 A1)
Regarding claim 13, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the mechanical support structure [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2, but SØRENSEN and LIN fail to explicitly disclose the detail of the mechanical support structure.
However, Kirma teaches the well-known concept of the mechanical support structure comprises at least one of a polymeric material or a metal [e.g. [0074]].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the flexible print circuit for an endoscope system disclosed by SØRENSEN to exploit the well-known endoscope flexible circuit assembly technique taught by LIN and Kirma as above, in order to provide improve the ease of assembly od an endoscope [See LIN; [0013 and 0020]] and reduced overall temperature of the endoscope tip [See Kirma; [0074]].
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SØRENSEN (EP 3788941 A1) in view of LIN (US 20140210976 A1) and GILAD et al (US 20100326703 A1).
Regarding claim 14, SØRENSEN and LIN further disclose the mechanical support structure [e.g. SØRENSEN: FIG. 1-2, but SØRENSEN and LIN fail to explicitly disclose the detail of the mechanical support structure.
However, GILAD teaches the well-known concept of the mechanical support structure comprises at least one of a thermoplastic material or a thermoset material [e.g. [0040]].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the flexible print circuit for an endoscope system disclosed by SØRENSEN to exploit the well-known endoscope flexible circuit assembly technique taught by LIN and GILAD as above, in order to provide improve the ease of assembly od an endoscope [See LIN; [0013 and 0020]] and a flexible circuit board and method for easy and simple assembly of the flexible circuit board in the in-vivo sensing device [See GILAD; [0005]].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ohara et al (US 20020062083 A1).
Primavera (US 20120151758 A1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHUBING REN whose telephone number is (571)272-2788. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Ustaris can be reached at 571-2727383. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZHUBING REN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2483