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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A (claims 1-9 and 19-20) in the reply filed on 12/12/2025 is acknowledged.
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.
Claims 1, 4-6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Tegg et al. (US 2022/0054198).
Regarding claim 1, Tegg discloses an end effector of a catheter, the end effector comprising: a planar substrate extending (fig.5C; arms 322-1-6 and the distal coupler 338) along a longitudinal axis (see annotated figure below), the planar substrate comprising openings therethrough (the openings between the arms and in the distal coupler 338); and an interlaced substrate (frames 342-1, 342-2, 342-3 are linked between first side and second side) traversing on a first side of the end effector across a first side of the planar substrate, extending through an opening through the planar substrate (see annotated figure below, also [0168]), and traversing on a second side of the end effector across a second side of the planar substrate opposite the first side of the planar substrate (see annotated figure below); and an electrode pair (flexible 374 and electrodes 326) comprising an electrode affixed to the planar substrate (both flexible 374 and electrodes are attached to arms) the and an electrode affixed to the interlaced substrate substantially opposite the electrode affixed to the planar substrate (both flexible 374 and electrodes are attached to frames).
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Regarding claim 4, Tegg discloses the end effector of claim 1, the electrodes of the electrode pair being exposed to ambient environment (electrodes 326 and flexible circuit 374 are exposed to ambient environment).
Regarding claim 5, Tegg discloses the end effector of claim 1, a first electrode of the electrode pair being configured to contact tissue, and a second electrode of the electrode pair being configured as a reference electrode to the first electrode (electrodes 326 being configured to contact tissue and flexible circuit 374 being configured as a reference electrode to the first electrode).
Regarding claim 6, Tegg discloses the end effector of claim 1, in which a center of a first electrode of the electrode pair being substantially aligned with a center of a second electrode of the electrode pair (electrodes 326 and flexible circuit 374 are aligned along the longitudinal axis).
Regarding claim 9, Tegg discloses the end effector of claim 1, the end effector comprising an array of at least four electrodes on the first side of the end effector, the array comprising an electrode of the electrode pair that is on the first side of the end effector, and the electrodes of the array being coplanar with each other (fig.5C).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 and 7-8 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
During the search of the prior art, the Examiner has failed to identify any reference which that, either alone or in combination discloses, suggests or renders obvious of the planar substrate further comprising: a frame comprising one or more struts extending along the longitudinal axis; a first membrane extending between the one or more struts on a first side of the planar substrate facing the first side of the end effector; and a second membrane extending between the one or more struts on a second side of the planar substrate facing the second side of the end effector while also teaching each and every limitation set forth in independent claim 1.
Claim 19-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Tegg fails to disclose a first substrate portion; a second substrate portion; an opening between the first and second substrate portions; an interlaced substrate traversing on the top side of the end effector across the first substrate portion, extending through the opening, and traversing on a bottom side of the end effector across the second substrate portion; a first electrode pair comprising a bottom electrode affixed to the first substrate portion on the bottom side of the end effector and a top electrode affixed to the interlaced substrate on the top side of the end effector, the top electrode being disposed substantially opposite the bottom electrode of the first electrode pair; a second electrode pair comprising a top electrode affixed to the second substrate portion on the top side of the end effector and a bottom electrode affixed to the interlaced substrate on the bottom side of the end effector, the bottom electrode being disposed substantially opposite the top electrode of the second electrode pair while also teaching each and every limitation set forth in independent claim 19.
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
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/TIGIST S DEMIE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3794