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. DETAILED ACTION The following NON-FINAL Office Action is in response to application 18/528,347 filed on 12/04/2023. This communication is the first action on the merits. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/04/2023 has been considered by the examiner. Drawings The drawings were received on 12/04/2023. These drawings are acceptable. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claims 1-4, and 8 -14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230366904 A1, Perroud et al (hereinafter Perroud ) in view of EP 1950550 A1, Desie et al (hereinafter Desie ). Regarding Claim 1 , Perroud discloses a method for determining physical parameters of a liquid to be aspirated and/or dispensed by a laboratory automation device ( Perroud , [0003] an automated pipetting system includes a pipettor. The pipettor includes a pipetting channel, a first plunger mechanism operable to change a pressure in the pipetting channel to aspirate or dispense a liquid, and a second plunger mechanism operable to change the pressure in the pipetting channel to aspirate or dispense the liquid) , the method comprising: picking up of a pipette with the laboratory automation device ( Perroud , [0491] the automated liquid handling system 901 includes a robotic arm assembly 914 comprising an arm member 912 that is adapted to hold one or more pipettors 900 (which may include one or more of the pipettors 100 or any other suitable pipettor(s)), and an actuator mechanism 934 (which may include the pipetting module positioning system 34A and the actuator(s) 34B of FIG. 1)) ; lowering the pipette into a sample container with the laboratory automation device ( Perroud , [0475] The controller 20 may then operate the actuator(s) 34A, 34B, for example, to position the PD pipette tip 670 over a liquid sample LS. The controller 20 may then operate the actuator 34B, for example, to lower the distal end 670A, and thereby the pipetting orifice 672, into the sample LS. The controller 20 may then operate the actuator 34B, for example, to lower the distal end 670A, and thereby the pipetting orifice 672, into the sample LS) , the sample container containing the liquid ( Perroud , [0475] The sample LS may be disposed in a container 36, for example) ; aspirating ( Perroud , [0477] The plunger 640 may be further retracted until the desired amount of liquid sample volume LV has been aspirated into the collection volume 675) and dispensing air and liquid with the laboratory automation device in such a way ( Perroud , [0480] The pipetting system 601 and the pipettor 600 can be used to execute aspirating and dispensing procedures as described above using AD pipette tips 660 and PD pipette tips 670 selectively and interchangeably) , that a liquid level in the pipette solely rises in a first step and solely lowers in a second step ( Perroud , [0509] the arm member 912 is controlled to move the pipettor(s) 100 along the Z-axis, such that the pipette tip 960 follows the liquid level during aspiration or dispensing while maintaining the opening 962 submerged or immersed in the liquid) , such that an interior surface of the pipette is wetted with liquid solely one time ( Perroud , [0511] the direction of movement of the arm member 912 along the Z-axis may be mode-dependent, which may further reduce oscillation and smooth movement. For example, in aspirating mode the arm member 912 may be constrained so as to allow movement of the pipette tip 960 only in the downward direction towards the liquid, while in dispensing mode the arm member 912 may be constrained so as to allow movement of the pipette tip 960 only in the upward direction away from the liquid. That is, the actuator mechanism 934 may have a first operating mode in which the arm member 912 is restricted to motion towards the surface of the liquid along the at least one axis during the aspirating, and a second operating mode in which the arm member 912 is restricted to motion away from the surface of the liquid along the at least one axis during the dispensing) ; during aspirating and dispensing air and liquid, measuring a pressure curve in the pipette ( Perroud , [0527] the pressure change rate measurement (and thus the evaporation rate) can be determined by line fit to the pressure curve between removal of the pipette tip 1160 from the liquid volume at step 1114 and piston or plunger displacement at step 1116); Perroud does not disclose during aspirating and dispensing air and liquid, and determining the physical parameters from the pressure curve, the physical parameters comprising at least one of a surface tension, a wetting angle and a viscosity. However, Desie teaches during aspirating and dispensing air and liquid, determining the physical parameters from the pressure curve ( Desie , [Page 1] The method and apparatus allows or includes determining the viscosity from the elution time, and determining the surface tension from the viscosity and the size-related characteristic of the droplet such as droplet size, volume, diameter, or weight of the test liquid) , the physical parameters comprising at least one of a surface tension ( Desie , [Page 10] the present invention also includes another method of obtaining values for both the surface tension and the viscosity. In this method droplets of the test liquid are formed, e.g. the test liquid is injected from a syringe needle or pipette so that it forms a droplet on the tip of the needle or pipette. The drop is then optically observed and the surface tension is calculated from the shape of the drop via the LAPLACE equation) , a wetting angle ( Desie , [Page 3] the contact angle is determined from the shape of the drops) and a viscosity ( Desie , [Page 10] the present invention also includes another method of obtaining values for both the surface tension and the viscosity). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud and Desie teaching because both references are directed to improving the determination of physical properties of liquids in pipetting or liquid handling systems. Perroud teaches measuring pressure characteristics during aspiration and dispensing operations to analyze liquid behavior, while Desie teaches determining specific physic parameters of liquids, including surface tension, viscosity, and wetting angle. It would have been obvious to incorporate Desie’s techniques for determining physical parameters into the system of Perroud in order to enhance the accuracy and completeness of liquid characterization using pressure measurements. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine both because both references are directed to improving the determination of physical properties of liquids in a liquid handling systems. Regarding Claim 2, Perroud in view of Desie discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the pipette is unused and has not been wetted with a liquid before ( Perroud , [0480] The pipetting system 601 and the pipettor 600 can be used to execute aspirating and dispensing procedures as described above using AD pipette tips 660 and PD pipette tips 670 selectively and interchangeably). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud and Desie teaching because both references are directed to improving the accuracy and reliability of determining physical properties of liquids in liquid handling systems. Perroud teaches performing aspiration and dispensing operations using interchangeable pipette tips, which inherently includes the use of new or unused pipette tips prior to liquid handling. Desi further teaches determining physical properties of liquids, such as surface tension and viscosity, based on controlled measurement conditions. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these teachings in order to ensure accurate and repeatable measurement of liquid properties by performing such measurements under controlled initial conditions, including the use of an unused and non-prewetted pipette. Regarding Claim 3, Perroud in view of Desie discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: before lowering the pipette into the sample container for a first time ( Perroud , [0480] The pipetting system 601 and the pipettor 600 can be used to execute aspirating and dispensing procedures as described above using AD pipette tips 660 and PD pipette tips 670 selectively and interchangeably) : aspirating and/or dispensing air into the pipette ( Perroud , [0607] In some embodiments, when executing the aspirating or dispensing operations, the controller 20 receives pressure signals from the pressure sensor 1356 indicating the air pressure in the pipetting channel 1302. The controller 20 may continuously monitor the pressure in the pipetting channel 1302.) ; determining a filter resistance of a filter inside the pipette ( Perroud , [0373] A filter media 169 may be provided in the pipette tip 160 (FIG. 15)) from the pressure curve during aspirating and/or dispensing air ( Perroud , [0607] the controller 20 receives pressure signals from the pressure sensor 1356 indicating the air pressure in the pipetting channel 1302. The controller 20 may continuously monitor the pressure in the pipetting channel 1302. In some embodiments, the controller 20 monitors the pressure in the pipetting channel 1302 using a dual metering flow sensor as described herein (e.g., the dual metering flow sensor 1280)). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud and Desie teaching because both references are directed to analyzing liquid handling systems using pressure measurements. Perroud teaches monitoring pressure within a pipetting channel during aspiration and dispensing operations, including in systems having components such as filters within a pipette tip. Desie further teaches determining physical characteristics of a system and liquid from measured pressure or flow related data. Regarding Claim 4, Perroud in view of Desie discloses the method of claim 3, further comprising: determining an aspirating-dispensing asymmetry from measured pressure values during aspirating and dispensing air ( Perroud , [0146] automatically performing the one or more compensation operations includes performing one or more evaporation compensation operations responsive to detecting the evaporation of the liquid in the channel, based on comparison to a threshold, [0530] comparison of the differences in pressure change and/or evaporation rate may be used for identification of the liquid sample LS in the pipette tip 1160, [0531] the threshold for such a determination may vary based on the desired accuracy; for example, if 5% accuracy is acceptable for a particular dispensing application, an evaporation volume of less than 5% of the target volume may be tolerable, while an evaporation volume of more than 5% of the target volume may require compensation). Regarding Claim 8, Perroud discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: continuously raising and/or lowering of the liquid level in the pipette ( Perroud , [0289] The pipetting module 30 may include one or more pipettor actuators 34B to selectively lower and raise (extend and retract) the pipettors 100 with respect to the base 32 and/or to raise and lower the base 32 with respect to the deck 12. The pipetting module positioning system 34A and the actuator(s) 34B may be controlled by the controller 20) ; Perroud does not disclose determining the wetting angle of the liquid from the pressure curve during a time period . wherein an advancing wetting angle is determined for a raising liquid level and/or a receding wetting angle is determined for a lowering liquid level. However, Desie teaches determining the wetting angle of the liquid ( Desie , [Page 10] for monitoring the response of the drops, transducers are provided in the form of optical sensors for sensing the shape of the drops and particularly the shape of the outer surfaces of the drops. [Page 3] After monitoring the response of the drops, the contact angle is determined from the shape of the drops ) from the pressure curve during a time period ( Desie , [Page 10] the drop is then optically observed and the surface tension is calculated from the shape of the drop via the LAPLACE equation, the actual mathematics of the pendant drop analysis are based on the fact that pressure differences exist across curved surfaces) . wherein an advancing wetting angle is determined for a raising liquid level and/or a receding wetting angle is determined for a lowering liquid level ( Desie , [Page 12] the drops are captured by an imaging device remote from them, so there is no splashing on a measuring cell. A video of the drops enables capture of more information about the droplets. The software is able to get the size of the drops, the different angles observed and enables to analyse their shape, [Page 10] For a pendant drop the pressure difference within the drop between any two vertical positions on the drop is Z g.Δρ . . where Δρ is the difference in density between the liquid that is forming the drop and the bulk gas : Δρ =|ρ liquid- ρ air|, g the gravity, and Z the vertical distance between the two positions). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud and Desie teaching because both references are directed to analyzing liquid behavior during handling operations and extracting physical characteristic of the liquid based on observed responses. Perroud focuses on monitoring liquid movement and pressure characteristics within a pipetting systems, while Desie teaches determining wetting related properties such as contact angle based on the behavior and shape of the liquid. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these teachings in order to extend pressure based liquid analysis to include additional surface related properties, such as wetting angle, thereby improving characterization of liquid interaction with the pipette. Regarding Claim 9, Perroud in view of Desie teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a viscosity of the liquid from the pressure curve during a time period with continuously raising and/or lowering of the liquid in the pipette; and/or determining a density of the liquid from the pressure curve from two pressures of the pressure curve at two times with two different known liquid levels ( Perroud , [Page 8-9] the method comprising the steps as shown in fig 3: aspirating (30), e.g. via a driving fluid such as a gas or liquid, a volume V1 of said liquid material inside a needle or pipette with an internal volume VN and tip diameter TN, optionally aspirating (32) a gas gap, e.g. an air gap of volume V2, e.g. when the driving fluid is a liquid, optionally equilibrating (34) the system for a time period of at least T1, dispensing (36) a volume V3 of said material at a dispensing speed of S1 (e.g. leading to an elution time TE1), determining (38) a droplet size related parameter such as the droplet volume Vd of the droplets, i.e. formed during said elution time TE1, switching (40) the needle or pipette input from the driving fluid to an open drain condition, determining (42) the elution time TE2 until all liquid has eluted from the needle or pipette, e.g. when the gas gap or air gap is detected, calculating (44) the viscosity of the liquid material from the second elution time TE2, and calculating (46) the surface tension of the liquid material from the VD and TE2 measures) Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud and Desie teaching because both references are directed to determining physical properties of liquids during pipetting or dispensing operations based on measurable system responses. Perroud utilizes pressure based measurements obtained during aspiration and dispensing to monitor liquid behavior within a pipetting system, while Desie teaches determining properties such as viscosity and related parameters based on measurable characteristics of the liquid during controlled fluid handling processes. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these teachings in order to use pressure based measurements obtained during liquid handling to determine additional physical properties of the liquid, including viscosity and density, thereby improving the characterization of the liquid and enhancing the accuracy and functionality of the pipetting system. Regarding Claim 10, Perroud in view of Desie teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the physical parameters are determined from a set of equations modelling the liquid and the pipette ( Desie , [Page 10] the present invention also includes another method of obtaining values for both the surface tension and the viscosity. In this method droplets of the test liquid are formed, e.g. the test liquid is injected from a syringe needle or pipette so that it forms a droplet on the tip of the needle or pipette. The drop is then optically observed and the surface tension is calculated from the shape of the drop via the LAPLACE equation) ; wherein the set of equations comprises the physical parameters of the liquid and parameters of the pipette ( Desie , [Page 13] so the elution time is almost not dependant upon the surface tension. With an aspiration volume of 0.5 mL and a total height of water of 116 cm, the mean value of the two equations (for low and high surface tension) reads (VISCO = viscosity value): elution time = 0.156*VISCO + 2.25 which means that the final algorithm for the viscosity (represented by "VISCO") for this example, (and which can differ somewhat for different apparatus and conditions) is :VISCO=elution time-2.25/0.156). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud and Desie teaching because both references are directed to determining physical properties of liquids based on measurable responses obtained during controlled fluid handling operations. Perroud provides pressure based measurements during aspiration and dispensing, while Desie demonstrates that such measured responses can be used within mathematical relationships and equations to derive physical parameters of the liquid. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these teachings in order to apply known mathematical models and equations to the pressure based measurements obtained in a liquid handling systems, thereby enabling determination of physical of parameters of the liquid and system in a more precise and systematic manner. Regarding Claim 11, Perroud discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the liquid is an unknown liquid, the pipette is a second pipette and the sample container is a second sample container; wherein the method further comprises: pickup of a first pipette with the laboratory automation device, the first pipette being of equal structural form as the second pipette; lowering the first pipette into a first sample container with the laboratory automation device, aspirating and dispensing air and the known liquid with the laboratory automation device in such a way, that a liquid level in the first pipette solely rises in a first step and solely lowers in a second step, such that an interior surface of the first pipette is wetted with the known liquid solely one time; during aspirating and dispensing air and the known liquid, measuring a pressure curve in the first pipette and determining parameters of the first and second pipette from the pressure curve. Perroud does not disclose the first sample container containing a known liquid with known physical parameters; However, Desie teaches the first sample container containing a known liquid with known physical parameters ( Desie , [Page 14] knowing the viscosity of the ink, it is then possible to determine its surface tension thanks to the calibration curves linking this property to the droplet size. It is necessary to measure viscosity and surface tension at the same time, since surface tension can only be determined if the viscosity is known) ; Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud and Desie teaching because both references are directed to determining physical parameters of liquids during pipetting operations, and accurate determination of such parameters commonly requires calibration or reference measurements using liquids with known properties. Desie teaches the use of liquids having known physical parameters to enable determination of related properties through established relationships and calibration techniques. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these teachings in order to utilize a known liquid as a reference or calibration step within the pressure based measurement system, thereby enabling more accurate determination of parameters of a known liquid and improving the reliability and precision of the system. Regarding Claim 12, Perroud in view of Desie discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the physical parameters in a liquid class for the liquid ( Perroud , [0550] readout and preprocessing functions of the sensors 1279, 1280 may also be performed via the electrical interface 1209. More generally, the memory may be a non-transitory storage medium configured to store computer readable instructions therein, and the controller circuit 1220 may be configured to execute the computer readable instructions stored in the memory to perform operations as described herein) ; performing an assay procedure with the liquid using the liquid class ( Perroud , [0517] Some conventional technology may require analysis and development of liquid classes, where for each developed liquid class, compensation parameters may need to be determined and updated in the software) . Regarding Claim 13, Perroud in view of Desie discloses a computer readable medium storing a computer program for determining physical parameters of a liquid, which computer program, when being executed by a processor, is adapted to carry out the steps of the method of claim 1 ( Perroud , [0157] according to some embodiments, a method of operating an automated pipetting system includes executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory storage medium by at least one controller circuit to perform operations including receiving, from a pressure sensor, a signal indicating pressure in a channel of a pipettor, and, based on the pressure indicated by the signal, performing at least one of: detecting evaporation of the liquid in the channel; or automatically performing one or more compensation operations). Regarding Claim 14, Perroud in view of Desie discloses a laboratory automation device ( Perroud , [0371] The pipetting system 201 may be used in place of the pipetting system 101 in the automated liquid handling system 10 (FIG. 1), for example. However, it shall be understood that the disclosed methods, systems, and apparatus are not limited to the liquid handling system 10 or use therein, and the present disclosure is applicable to other systems and applications where it is desired to aspirate and/or dispense liquid volumes. The pipetting system 201 includes a pipettor 200 ) , comprising: a pipetting arm for carrying a pipette ( Perroud , [0491] the automated liquid handling system 901 includes a robotic arm assembly 914 comprising an arm member 912 that is adapted to hold one or more pipettors 900 (which may include one or more of the pipettors 100 or any other suitable pipettor(s)), and an actuator mechanism 934 (which may include the pipetting module positioning system 34A and the actuator(s) 34B of FIG. 1)) ; a pump for changing a pressure in a volume connected to the pipette ( Perroud , [0575] However, the pressure control system 1306 is not limited to plunger mechanisms and the pressure control system 1306 may include and use any suitable type of mechanism for controlling the pressure in the tip 1360 as discussed herein. For example, other suitable types of pressure control mechanisms may include one or more pumps of other designs that are integrated into the pipettor 1300 or that are remote from and fluidly connected to the pipettor 1300, [0576] The example pressure control system 1306 includes the barrel 1310, a plunger 1340, a plunger drive mechanism 1358 (shown schematically in FIGS. 54 and 55), and a pressure sensor 1356 (shown schematically in FIGS. 54 and 55)) ; a pressure sensor for pressure measurements in the volume connected to the pipette ( Perroud , [0607] In some embodiments, when executing the aspirating or dispensing operations, the controller 20 receives pressure signals from the pressure sensor 1356 indicating the air pressure in the pipetting channel 1302. The controller 20 may continuously monitor the pressure in the pipetting channel 1302. In some embodiments, the controller 20 monitors the pressure in the pipetting channel 1302 using a dual metering flow sensor as described herein (e.g., the dual metering flow sensor 1280)) ; a control device for controlling the pump and the pipetting arm and for receiving a pressure signal from the pressure sensor ( Perroud , [0023] The automated pipetting system may include a controller configured to automatically and programmatically control the first and second plunger mechanisms, [0025] According to some embodiments, the pipettor includes a valve to selectively control fluid communication between the second plunger mechanism and the pipetting channel, and the controller is configured to automatically and programmatically control the valve) ; wherein the control device is adapted for performing the method of claim 1 ( Perroud , [0026] a method for operating an automated pipetting system includes performing, by at least one control circuit, operations comprising: operating a first plunger mechanism of a pipettor of the automated pipetting system to change a pressure in a pipetting channel of the pipettor to aspirate or dispense a liquid; and operating a second plunger mechanism of the pipettor to change the pressure in the pipetting channel to aspirate or dispense the liquid). Claims 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230366904 A1, Perroud et al (hereinafter Perroud ) in view of EP 1950550 A1, Desie et al (hereinafter Desie ), in further view of DE 602005002918 T2, Bjoernson et al (hereinafter Bjoernson ). Regarding Claim 5, Perroud in view of Desie in further view of Bjoernson teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising: after lowering the pipette into the sample container for the first time: dispensing air into the liquid and generating at least one bubble in the liquid ( Bjoernson , [Page 12] If by such a dispensing at the pipette tip opening 3 a bubble is generated, this is a significant pressure peak ( 67 ) at the time of blister bursting [Page 12] Gas or air - which is usually called bubbles in the system fluid 8th present) ; determining a surface tension of the liquid from the measured pressure curve during generating the bubble ( Bjoernson , [Page 3] The third object is achieved by providing a method for detecting the presence of gas bubbles in the system liquid of a pipetting apparatus, the method being carried out with a pipetting apparatus according to the second preferred embodiment. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps: (a) filling the fluid space at least partially with a system fluid and forming a substantially continuous system fluid column within the fluid space; (b) introducing a vertical movement into said system liquid column by means of a pulse generating means in working relationship with said system liquid column and thereby effecting a pressure change in said gas filled space which is in pneumatic communication with said fluid space; (c) recording the pressure change in the gas filled space with the pressure transducer and processing the recorded data with a first data processing unit; and (d) Deciding on the basis of the processed data whether gas bubbles are present in the system fluid, which is located in the fluid space, [Page 12] such triggering of reciprocal motion will now be with respect to the second important application of the pressure change in the gas filled space 15 discussed the detection of gas bubbles in the fluid space 7 contained system fluid 8th). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud in view of Desie and Bjoernson teaching because each reference is directed to analyzing fluid properties within a liquid handling system using pressure based measurements, and Bjoernson specifically teaches generating and detecting gas bubbles and corresponding pressure changes within a fluid system. The use of bubbles and associated pressure responses to characterize fluid properties represents a known and predictable technique I fluid analysis. A person of ordinary skill in the art would been motivated to combine these teachings to integrate bubble generation and detection into the pressure based measurement system of Perroud , as informed by Desie , in order to obtain additional pressure curve data that can be used to determine surface tension and other physical parameters of the liquid. Regarding Claim 6 , Perroud in view of Desie disclose the method of claim 5, further comprising: withdrawing the pipette from the liquid and dispensing air to remove liquid from a tip of the pipette ( Perroud , [0480] the pipetting system 601 and the pipettor 600 can be used to execute aspirating and dispensing procedures as described above using AD pipette tips 660 and PD pipette tips 670 selectively and interchangeably) . Perroud in view of Desie does not disclose generating the at least one bubble However, Bjoernson teaches generating the at least one bubble ( Bjoernson , [Page 12] If by such a dispensing at the pipette tip opening 3 a bubble is generated, this is a significant pressure peak ( 67 ) at the time of blister bursting [Page 12] Gas or air - which is usually called bubbles in the system fluid 8th present). Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud in view of Desie and Bjoernson teaching because each reference relates to monitoring and controlling fluid behavior within a liquid handling system using pressure based techniques, and Bjoernson specifically teaches generating bubbles and detecting associated pressure changes within a fluid system. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these teachings to utilize bubble generation and the resulting pressure signals within the liquid handling system process to enhance detection, and characterization of the liquid at the pipette tip, thereby improving the reliability and functionality of the overall system. Regarding Claim 7 , Perroud in view of Desie disclose the method of claim 1, further comprising: waiting without aspirating and dispensing for a time period, while liquid is in the pipette ( Perroud , [0530] As such, the system 1101 can detect that evaporation has occurred based on the pressure (or change in pressure) in the channel 1102 or tip 1160, as indicated by the signals from the pressure sensor(s) 1156. While the graphs of FIGS. 44A and 44B illustrate example operations from experimental data using EtOH as the liquid sample LS, it will be understood that the detected pressure changes (and calculated evaporation rates) may significantly differ based on the material of the liquid sample LS) ; Perroud in view of Desie does not disclose determining a volatility of the liquid from the measured pressure curve during the time period. However, Bjoernson teaches determining a volatility of the liquid from the measured pressure curve during the time period ( Bjoernson , [Page 13] The pressure change - as recorded by the pressure transducer 11 and processing by the first data processing unit 13) . Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Perroud in view of Desie and Bjoernson teaching because each reference is directed to analyzing fluid properties within a pipetting system based on pressure measurement over time. Perroud already teaches monitoring pressure changes during a time period in which no aspiration or dispensing occurs, and Bjoernson teaches processing pressure signals obtained over time to characterize properties of the fluid. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these teachings to utilize pressure changes measured during a non-operational time period to determine volatility of the liquid Pertinent Prior Art The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclose: - JP 2007040990 A , describing methods and systems for classifying a liquid in a dispensing device based on pressure measurements, including determining physical parameters of the liquid during aspiration and dispensing operations. - US 20240264192 A1 , describing automated analyzing apparatuses and methods for analyzing liquid samples, including measuring physical properties of a sample and processing the measured data to determine characteristics of the sample. - WO 2018221124 A1, describing methods and devices for measuring surface tension of a liquid, including determining surface tension based on pressure and meniscus characteristics within a pipette or capillary. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT IBRAHIM NAGI SHOHATEE whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-6612 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 8am-5pm . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Shelby Turner can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (571) 272-6334 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /IBRAHIM NAGI SHOHATEE/ Examiner, Art Unit 2857 /SHELBY A TURNER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2857