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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 1/12/24, 4/30/24, 12/17/24 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show “Microcell bottom layer 210 has microcell bottom inside surface 211, the microcell bottom inside surface 211 that comprises exposed microcell bottom inside surface 211a and unexposed microcell bottom inside surface 211b … [u]nexposed microcell bottom surface 211b is in contact with the protrusion base 218” (Fig. 2A-2B) as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). 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.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “the protrusion structure is a geometric solid selected from the group consisting of (a) a cone … (c) a tetrahedron, (d) a tetrahedron on a triangular prism, the triangle prism having a triangle base, the triangle base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (e) a triangular prism, the triangular prism having a square base, the square base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (f) a square pyramid having a square base, the square base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, … (j) a pentagonal pyramid, the pentagonal pyramid having a pentagon base, the pentagon base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (k) a pentagonal pyramid on a pentagonal prism, the pentagonal prism having a pentagon base, the pentagon base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (1) an a hexagonal pyramid, the hexagonal pyramid having an hexagon base, the pentagon base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). These structures would not exhibit the cross-sectional depiction in originally-filed drawings. No new matter should be entered.
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.
Claim Interpretation
Examiner notes that the claims are given their broadest reasonable interpretation in light of the Specifications, and while the “channel” and corresponding “channel height” are shown in the originally-filed disclosure as having a single embodiment the scope of the claims is not so-limited. The channels depicted as open-topped rectangles with substantially vertical sidewalls and a substantially orthogonal base surface. The various protrusion shapes explicitly described in [0030] of the Specifications would not be associated with channels having vertical sidewalls and horizontal bases necessarily. The channels would not necessarily have clearly delineated dimensions, such as height. While Applicant does not depict a protrusion shaped as a cone or tetrahedron, Applicant includes these geometries on the list of possibilities. The image below from JP 2008-299202 would be a cross-sectional view of a protrusion embodied as a cone or tetrahedron. The volume beside the protrusion accommodates charged particles in the disclosed switching operation and thus perform an analogous function to Applicant’s channels. Further, the volume beside the protrusion is channel-shaped and accommodates charged particles, though does not have a clearly defined height relative to the protrusion. Therefore the channel height would have been understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to correspond to a height of charged particles accommodated in a volume beside the protrusion or an arbitrary height of a volume beside the protrusion capable of accommodating charged particles.
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “”the microcell bottom inside surface comprising … an unexposed microcell bottom inside surface … the unexposed microcell bottom inside surface being in contact with the protrusion base”. The term “surface” is given its broadest reasonable interpretation in light of the Specifications and the plain meaning is consistent with the Specifications. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “surface” to mean “the outermost part of a solid object considered with respect to its form, texture, or extent; an exterior of a particular form or finish”. Accordingly, the metes and bounds of an “unexposed surface” are unclear in view of the disclosure. While Applicant depicts the unexposed surface as a dashed line in cross-section in Figs. 2A and 2B, there appears to be no corresponding structure that a person having ordinary skill in the art would associate with conventional metes and bounds of a surface. There is no outermost part of an unexposed and internal part of contiguous element. Had the protrusion been disclosed as distinct from the bottom different materially or via a manufacturing process that would inherently provide an unexposed surface, then the metes and bounds of the claimed “unexposed surface” would have been clear. Examiner recommends cancelling the recitations of the unexposed microcell bottom and further limiting the claim with respect to the exposed microcell bottom surface adjoining with the protrusion base. No reasonable interpretation can be given to an unexposed surface being in contact with a protrusion base, as claimed, and this limitation will be understood to generally relate to the microcell bottom layer being in at least indirect contact with the protrusion base. Claim 20 is indefinite for reciting analogous language. Dependent claims 2-19 are indefinite for failing to cure the deficiencies of the base claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the surface of the protrusion structure not including the protrusion apex" in Lines 29-30. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as antecedence does not clearly correspond to the entirety of the set of points constituting the surface of the protrusion structure or a subset of the points constituting the surface of the protrusion structure.
Claims 7 and 10 recite “the ratio of the frequency of the AC waveform expressed in Hz to the content of the charge control agent in the electrophoretic medium expressed in weight percent of the charge control agent by weight of the electrophoretic medium is from 400 to 2000 Hz”. The Specifications uses the exact same language. The frequency of the AC waveform expressed in Hz is a unitless number and the content of the CCA expressed in weight percent is a unitless number, therefore the ratio between these values is unitless and not expressed in Hz as claimed. The indefiniteness does not merely step from the presence of “Hz” in the claim, as the ranges of disclosed frequencies in Hz spans 0.1 to 6000 and the range of CCA content as a weight percentage spans 1 to 8. The entire rang of these disclosed ratios would be 0.0125 to 6000, though it is unclear whether Applicant has evidence possession of that range because it is unclear if a method of operation necessarily includes extrema in the ratio. Examiner on the merits is preempted.
Claim 12 recites “the cone having a slope of from 5 degrees to 10 degrees”. There is no clear meaning of the slope of a cone as angular measures of a cone may either represent an angle relative to a vertical or orthogonal plane from the base of the cone or from the plane of the base itself. These are mutually exclusive interpretations of the slope of a cone and a person having ordinary skill in the art would not understand the metes and bounds of the claim. The indefiniteness preempts any examination on the merits. Claim 13 is analogously indefinite for reciting “the cone has a slope of 10 degrees or lower”.
Claim 10 recites “the content of the charge control agent” in Line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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, 11-13 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US PG Pub. 2011/0304902 to Yeo et al. (hereinafter Yeo).
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Yeo discloses a method of operation of a variable light transmission device comprising the steps: providing a variable light transmission device (Abstract), the variable light transmission device comprising: a first light transmissive electrode layer (first electrodes 104a-104c, e.g. Fig. 1A-10; [0091]); a second light transmissive electrode layer (second electrode 124, e.g. Fig. 1A-10; [0091]); and a microcell layer (between electrode 104a-104c and electrode 124, e.g. Fig. 1A-10; [0091]), the microcell layer being disposed between the first light transmissive electrode layer and the second light transmissive electrode layer, the microcell layer comprising a plurality of microcells (e.g. Fig. 1A-10; [0091]) and a sealing layer (a second dielectric passivation layer 122, Figs. 1A-10; [0091]), each microcell of the plurality of microcells including an electrophoretic medium (carrier fluid 114 and colorant particles 112, Figs. 1A-10), the electrophoretic medium comprising electrically charged pigment particles (Colorant particles 112, Figs. 1A-10; [0041]) and a charge control agent (“fluid may include surfactants such as salts, charging agents, stabilizers, and dispersants … the surfactants provide a fluid that is an electrolyte that is able to sustain current by ionic mass transport”; [0040]) in a fluid (carrier fluid 114; [0040]), each microcell of the plurality of microcells having a microcell opening (opening near second dielectric passivation layer 122, Figs. 1A-10; [0091]), the sealing layer spanning the microcell openings (Figs. 1A-10; [0091]) of the plurality of microcells, each microcell of the plurality of microcells comprising a microcell bottom layer (first dielectric passivation layer 106, Figs. 1A-10; [0091]), a protrusion structure (volume defined by first sidewalls 116, second sidewalls 118 of Fig. 1A-7 and volume defined by first sidewalls, second sidewalls of respective structures in Figs. 9-10), microcell walls (e.g. third sidewalls of Figs. 1A-7 and second sidewalls of Fig. 9D, third sidewalls of Fig. 9F, second sidewalls of Figs. 9G-9H, and 10; [0091]), and a channel (the respective volume within which charged particles 112 and 410 collect, Figs. 1-10; [0091]), the microcell bottom layer having a microcell bottom inside surface (exposed portion of first dielectric passivation layer, Figs. 1-10; [0091]), the microcell bottom inside surface comprising an exposed microcell bottom inside surface (Figs. 1-10) and an unexposed microcell bottom inside surface (Figs. 1-10), the protrusion structure having a protrusion base (Figs. 1-10), a protrusion surface (first and second sidewalls, Figs. 1-10), a protrusion apex (topmost portion of respective second sidewalls, Figs. 1-10), and a protrusion height (Figs. 1-10), the protrusion apex being a point or a set of points of the protrusion structure, the point or the set of points having shorter distance from the microcell opening (see annotation below, Figs. 1-10) than all other points of the protrusion structure, the protrusion height being the distance between the protrusion base and the protrusion apex, the protrusion surface being the surface of the protrusion structure not including the protrusion apex that is in contact with the electrophoretic medium (see annotation below, Figs. 1-10),the microcell walls having a microcell inside wall surface (first sidewall 116 and second sidewall 118 opposite from other side in Figs. 1A-7, and opposite side walls in Figs. 9-10; [0091]) and a microcell wall upper surface (Figs. 1A-7, 9D. 9F, 9G, 9H, and 10; [0091]), the microcell inside wall surface being the surface of the microcell walls of a microcell that is in contact with the electrophoretic medium (Figs. 1A-7, 9D. 9F, 9G, 9H, and 10; [0091]), the microcell wall upper surface being the surface of the microcell walls of a microcell that is in contact with the sealing layer (Figs. 1A-7, 9D. 9F, 9G, 9H, and 10; [0091]), the channel having a channel height (height capable of accommodating charged particles 112 and 410, Figs. 1-10), the channel height being 50% of the protrusion height (dimensions of the channel may be arbitrarily set to 50% of the distance between the base and apex; Figs. 1-10), the unexposed microcell bottom inside surface (Figs. 1-10) being in contact with the protrusion base, the channel being a volume between the exposed microcell bottom inside surface, the protrusion surface, and the microcell inside wall surface (Figs. 1-10), applying a first electric field between the first light transmissive electrode layer and the second light transmissive electrode layer via a first waveform to cause movement of the electrically charged pigment particles towards the channel (“Second sidewalls 118 are sloped to guide colorant particles 112 into the reservoir portion of each display cell 110a-110c”, “Third sidewalls 120 define a wider portion of each display cell 110a-110c for spreading colorant particles 112”; [0042]-[0045], [0091]-[0117]), resulting in the switching of the variable light transmission device to an open optical state (colorant particles forced to small cross-sectional volume, Figs. 1A-10), the electrically charged pigment particles in the open optical state being located inside the channel (Figs. 1A-10), applying a second electric field between the first light transmissive electrode layer and the second light transmissive electrode layer via a second waveform to cause a movement of the electrically charged pigment particles towards the first light transmissive electrode layer with a velocity (“Second sidewalls 118 are sloped to guide colorant particles 112 into the reservoir portion of each display cell 110a-110c”, “Third sidewalls 120 define a wider portion of each display cell 110a-110c for spreading colorant particles 112”; [0042]-[0045], [0091]-[0117]), the velocity having a lateral component (inherent to the change of position of colorant particle, Figs. 1A-10), and leading to a closed optical state, the second waveform comprising at least one positive voltage and at least one negative voltage, the second waveform having a net positive or net negative impulse (inherent to a signal switching from attracting positive colorant positive to repelling positive colorant particles, Figs. 1A-10; [0042]-[0045], [0091]-[0117]); wherein the closed optical state has lower percent light transmission than the open optical state (“Colorant particles 112 may have a size between several nanometers and several microns and have the property of changing the spectral composition of the incident light by absorbing and/or scattering certain portions of the spectrum”, Figs. 1A-10).
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Regarding claim 11, Yeo discloses wherein the protrusion structure is a geometric solid selected from the group consisting of (a) a cone, (b) a cone on a cylinder, the cylinder having a base, the cylinder's base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (c) a tetrahedron, (d) a tetrahedron on a triangular prism, the triangle prism having a triangle base, the triangle base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (e) a triangular prism, the triangular prism having a square base, the square base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (f) a square pyramid having a square base, the square base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (h) a square pyramid on a cube, the cube having a base, the cube base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (i) a square pyramid on a right parallelepiped, the right parallelepiped having a right parallelogram base, the right parallelogram being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (j) a pentagonal pyramid, the pentagonal pyramid having a pentagon base, the pentagon base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (k) a pentagonal pyramid on a pentagonal prism, the pentagonal prism having a pentagon base, the pentagon base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (1) an a hexagonal pyramid, the hexagonal pyramid having an hexagon base, the pentagon base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure, (in) an hexagonal pyramid on an hexagonal prism, the hexagonal prism having an hexagon base, the hexagon base being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure ([0110] and Fig. 11A-11B, [0118]).
Regarding claim 15, Yeo discloses the electrophoretic medium comprises a first type of electrically charged pigment particles and a second type of electrically charged pigment particles, the first type of electrically charged pigment particles being light reflecting, and the second type of electrically charged pigment particles being light absorbing (Fig. 5; [0061]).
Regarding claim 16, Yeo discloses the first type of electrically charged pigment particles are white (Fig. 5; [0061]).
Regarding claim 17, Yeo discloses the second type of electrically charged pigment particles are black (Fig. 5; [0061]).
Regarding claim 18, Yeo discloses the first type of electrically charged pigment particles have same polarity as the second type of electrically charged pigment particles (“charged colorant particles 242 and 244 in dual colorant ink can be oppositely charged and each provides a different color”). By disclosing that the colorant particles optionally have opposite charges, Yeo implicitly discloses that the colorant particles may have the same charge.
Regarding claim 19, Yeo discloses the first type of electrically charged pigment particles have opposite polarity from the second type of electrically charged pigment particles (“charged colorant particles 242 and 244 in dual colorant ink can be oppositely charged and each provides a different color”).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Yeo as applied to claim 1, and further in view of US Pat. No. 8,363,306 to Du et al. (hereinafter Du).
Yeo discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose: a content of charge control agent.
Du discloses: the content of the charge control agent in the electrophoretic medium is from 1 weight percent to 8 weight percent by weight of the electrophoretic medium (col. 9, n. 66-col. 10, ln. 4)
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the CCA amount as taught by Du with the system as disclosed by Yeo. The motivation would have been to effectively generate either positive or negative charge for the pigment particles (col. 4, ll. 56-60).
Claims 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US PG Pub. 2011/0304902 to Yeo as applied to claim 1, and further in view of US PG Pub. 2020/0348576 to Visani et al. (hereinafter Visani).
Regarding claim 3, Yeo discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose an AC waveform.
Visani discloses: the second waveform comprises an AC waveform (“a square wave applied to increase the voltage across the liquid”; [0051]-[0052]), the AC having a frequency (“Operational frequencies for EWoD can be in the range 100 Hz to 1 MHz, but lower frequencies of 1 kHz or lower are preferred for use with TFTs that have limited speed of operation”; [0051]-[0052]), the AC waveform having a duty cycle of from 5% to 45% (Fig. 10B, [0067],[0063]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an AC waveform as taught by Vasani with the system as disclosed by Yeo. The motivation would have been to balance impulses to limit remnant voltage buildup ([0044],[0063]).
Regarding claim 4, Yeo discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose an AC waveform.
Visani discloses: the AC waveform is a square waveform, a sinusoidal waveform, a trigonal waveform, or a sawtooth waveform. (“a square wave applied to increase the voltage across the liquid”; [0051]-[0052]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an AC waveform as taught by Vasani with the system as disclosed by Yeo. The motivation would have been to balance impulses to limit remnant voltage buildup ([0044],[0063]).
Regarding claim 5, Yeo discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose an AC waveform.
Visani discloses: the AC waveform is a square waveform having two or more cycles, wherein the positive and negative voltages of the AC waveform have same amplitude (Fig. 10B; [0063],[0067]), the amplitude being from 10V to 200V, and wherein the frequency of the AC waveform is from 0.1 Hz to 6000 Hz (“Operational frequencies for EWoD can be in the range 100 Hz to 1 MHz, but lower frequencies of 1 kHz or lower are preferred for use with TFTs that have limited speed of operation”; [0051]-[0052]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an AC waveform as taught by Vasani with the system as disclosed by Yeo. The motivation would have been to balance impulses to limit remnant voltage buildup ([0044],[0063]).
Regarding claim 6, Yeo discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose an AC waveform.
Visani discloses: the frequency of the AC waveform is from 100 Hz to 3000 Hz and the amplitude of the AC waveform is from 20V to 180V (“Operational frequencies for EWoD can be in the range 100 Hz to 1 MHz, but lower frequencies of 1 kHz or lower are preferred for use with TFTs that have limited speed of operation”, Fig. 10B; [0051]-[0052] [0063],[0067]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an AC waveform as taught by Vasani with the system as disclosed by Yeo. The motivation would have been to balance impulses to limit remnant voltage buildup ([0044],[0063]).
Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US PG Pub. 2011/0304902 to Yeo as applied to claim 1, and further in view of US PG Pub. 2014/0340430 to Telfer et al. (hereinafter Telfer).
Regarding claim 8, Yeo discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose: an AC waveform.
Telfer discloses the second waveform comprises a waveform that is formed by a superposition of a DC voltage component and an AC waveform, the AC waveform having a frequency and an amplitude, the frequency being from 0.1 Hz to 6000 Hz and the amplitude being from 1OV to 200V, the DC voltage component having an amplitude, the amplitude of the DC voltage component being from 0.1V to 500V ([0187]-[0188]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the claimed waveform as taught by Telfer with the system as disclosed by Yeo. The motivation would have been to provide targeted color changing effects in the display ([0187]-[0188]).
Regarding claim 9, Yeo discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose: an AC waveform.
Telfer discloses the AC waveform is a square waveform, a sinusoidal waveform, a trigonal waveform, or a sawtooth waveform ([0187]-[0188]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide the claimed waveform as taught by Telfer with the system as disclosed by Yeo. The motivation would have been to provide targeted color changing effects in the display ([0187]-[0188]).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Yeo.
Regarding claim 14, Yeo discloses the protrusion structure is a geometric solid of a pyramid having a base with n sides ([0110] and Fig. 11A-11B, [0118]), the base with n sides being the protrusion base of the protrusion structure ([0110] and Fig. 11A-11B, [0118]). In disclosing a four-sided pyramid base and an effectively infinitely sided pyramid base (i.e. cone), Yeo has disclosed a range of geometries that demonstrates there is no criticality to the number of sides of a polygonal base and the results of a base having 7 to 12 sides would not provide unexpected results. With the Yeo disclosure, a person having ordinary skill in the art would find providing a 7-12 sided polygon obvious and would fall within routine experimentation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER J STANFORD whose telephone number is (571)270-3337. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-4PM PST M-F.
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/CHRISTOPHER STANFORD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872