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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/12/23 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97(b). Accordingly, the IDS is being considered by the Examiner.
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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Reynolds et al. (US 2005/0096567) (“Reynolds”).
(claim 1) Reynolds discloses: A guide wire 10 comprising: a core shaft 16; a coil body 20 including a wire helically wound around an outer periphery of the core shaft; and a coating layer 18 provided on an outer periphery of the coil body, wherein the coating layer includes a peak portion 28 protruding in an outer peripheral direction of the guide wire in a swollen state (Figs. 2-4), in a cross-section along a central axis of the coil body, an apex of the peak portion is present at a position on: a proximal end side of a first virtual straight line that extends through a central point of a first transverse section of the wire and is perpendicular to the central axis, and a distal end side of a second virtual straight line that extends through a central point of a second transverse section of the wire and is perpendicular to the central axis, and the second transverse section is adjacent to and on a proximal end side of the first transverse section. See Figs. 2-4
Claim 2: wherein in the cross-section along the central axis of the coil body, the apex of the peak portion 28 is present at a position that does not overlap transverse sections of the wire in a direction perpendicular to the central axis. Figs. 2-4
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art does not disclose or render obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention the first and second coating layers and their respective swellabilities and thicknesses as described in the independent claim in concatenation with the other elements of the independent claim.
Claim 4 is allowed based on dependenct.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEANNA K HALL whose telephone number is (571)272-2819. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am- 4:30pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kevin Sirmons can be reached at 571-272-4965. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DEANNA K HALL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3783