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
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Suzuki (US 10,378,683).
Regarding claim 1, Suzuki discloses a flow path member joining structure for enabling a liquid to flow, comprising: a first member 10 having a first flow path, and a second member 20 having a second flow path (Fig. 1 and col. 6 lines 7-24), wherein: the second member is attached to the first member such that the first flow path and the second flow path are aligned with each other (see Fig. 1, two pipe sections 10 and 20 joined together), the first flow path is open toward a first end face 12 of the first member, the second flow path is open toward a second end 22 face of the second member, the second end face is formed as an inclined surface inclined from an opening of the second flow path toward a periphery thereof (see Fig. 2), and an inclination angle between the inclined surface and a virtual surface perpendicular to a center axis of the second member is from 1º to 10° (see Fig. 2 and col. 8 lines 47-57, shoulder angle may be 2º or 4º or 6º).
Regarding claim 3, Suzuki discloses that the first member 10 further includes a crimping mechanism 11,50 that joins the first flow path and the second flow path by causing the first end face and the second end face to approach each other (col. 6 lines 16-24).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 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.
Claims 7 and 10 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regard to claim 4, Suzuki fails to disclose or suggest the first member being a column attaching/detaching unit in a liquid chromatography apparatus and the second member being a column detachably attached to the column attaching/detaching unit. Suzuki’s members are steel pipes for use in oil wells and have different scale, function and require different design considerations from that of chromatography apparatus components.
With regard to claims 7 and 10, Hasegawa et al. disclose a column that is attached to a column attaching/detaching unit as described in the previous office action; however, Hasegawa et al. fail to disclose or suggest an inclination angle between the inclined surface and a virtual surface perpendicular to a center axis of the corresponding liquid passage being from 1º to 10° or from 1º to 3º.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL M WEST whose telephone number is (571)272-2139. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 am - 5:30 pm (CT).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina DeHerrera can be reached at 303-297-4237. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL M. WEST/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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