DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.
Claims 20-46 are pending in the application.
This action is in response to applicants' amendment dated March 31, 2026. Claim 45 has been amended and claims 47-50 have been canceled.
Response to Amendment
Applicant's arguments filed March 31, 2026 have been fully considered with the following effect:
The applicants’ amendments are sufficient to overcome the 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph rejection, labeled paragraph 2) in the last office action, which is hereby withdrawn.
The applicant's amendments and arguments are sufficient to overcome the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph rejection, labeled paragraph 3a) in the last office action, which is hereby withdrawn.
With regards to the provisional nonstatutory double patenting rejections the Applicants have requested that each be held in abeyance until there is allowable subject matter. The following provisional nonstatutory double patenting rejections are herein maintained for reasons of record.
Claims 45 and 46 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-19 of copending Application No. 17/052,928 (corrected typo from previous office action) (reference application).
Claims 45 and 46 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 21 of copending Application No. 17/052,925 (reference application).
Claims 45 and 46 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 20-43 of copending Application No. 17/619,796 (reference application).
Claims 45 and 46 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 9-11, 15 and 30-33 of copending Application No. 17/619,794 (reference application).
Claims 45 and 46 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 5-8, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 31-33 of copending Application No. 17/619,791 (reference application).
With regards to the nonstatutory double patenting rejections the Applicants have requested that each be held in abeyance until there is allowable subject matter. The following nonstatutory double patenting rejections are herein maintained for reasons of record.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-4 of U.S. Patent No. 9,421,274.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-11 of U.S. Patent No. 9,463,256.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-10 of U.S. Patent No. 9,427,482.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-4 of U.S. Patent No. 9,913,921.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-27 of U.S. Patent No. 9,931,408.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-4 of U.S. Patent No. 10,004,810.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-25 of U.S. Patent No. 10,376,594.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-25 of U.S. Patent No. 10,927,139.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 20-34 of U.S. Patent No. 10,967,069.
Claims 45 and 46 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-41 of U.S. Patent No. 11,617,799.
Election/Restrictions
This application contains claims 20-44 drawn to an invention nonelected without traverse in the reply filed on December 16, 2025. A complete reply to this non-final rejection must include cancellation of nonelected claims or other appropriate action (37 CFR 1.144) See MPEP § 821.01.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRENDA L COLEMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-0665. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-6 (flex).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey H. Murray can be reached at 571-272-9023. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRENDA L COLEMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1624
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