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 .
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim Status
Claims 1-9 are pending with claims 1-9 being examined.
Response to Amendments
Applicant’s arguments, filed on 07/28/2026, along with the amendments have been fully considered and are persuasive.
The claim objection is withdrawn. Applicant addressed the issues.
As to the arguments and remarks, the Examiner has found Applicant’s arguments not persuasive. The previous rejection has been modified in accord with the amendment.
Claims 1-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Niyama et al. (US 20180164336 A1; hereinafter “Niyama” previous of record), in view of Obayashi (JP 2002115948 A; hereinafter “Obayashi”).
Regarding claim 1, Niyama teaches a method for drying a reagent refrigerator (Niyama; [0028] “warm outside air flowing into the reagent container storage”, [0031] “to suppress dew condensation”), with a heat insulation structure for storing a plurality of reagent containers each containing a reagent while having the reagent containers kept cold (Niyama; fig. 2. 101, 126 and [0022] “reagent inside container…is cooled”).
Niyama fails to teach the method comprises blowing a warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator circularly in the reagent refrigerator.
However, Obayashi teaches the analogous art of warming a refrigerator (Obayashi; [0001]) that includes blowing a warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0004])circularly in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0009]).
To one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to modify Niyama’s method for drying a reagent refrigerator to include blowing a warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator circularly in the reagent refrigerator as taught by Obayashi because Obayashi teaches warming a refrigerator (Obayashi; [0001]) that includes blowing a warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0004])circularly in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0009]).
The modification allows the temperature in the refrigerator to become uniform (Obayashi; [0012]).
Regarding claim 2, modified Niyama the method for drying reagent the refrigerator according to claim 1 (see above), wherein introducing warm air at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal direction from an opening portion for putting the reagent containers in and taking the reagent containers out from the reagent refrigerator (Niyama; fig. 4. 117, 128 and “arrows” illustrate a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and [0034] “blower is at a position from hole 117”).
Modified Niyama fails to teach the warm air is introduced by blowing the warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator into the reagent refrigerator.
However, Obayashi teaches the analogous art of warming a refrigerator (Obayashi; [0001]) that includes blowing a warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0004])circularly in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0009]).
To one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention it would have been obvious to modify Niyama’s method for drying a reagent refrigerator to include blowing a warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator circularly in the reagent refrigerator as taught by Obayashi because Obayashi teaches warming a refrigerator (Obayashi; [0001]) that includes blowing a warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0004])circularly in the reagent refrigerator (Obayashi; [0009]).
The modification allows the temperature in the refrigerator to become uniform (Obayashi; [0012]).
Regarding claim 3, modified Niyama teaches the method for drying the reagent refrigerator according to claim 2 (see above), wherein the reagent refrigerator includes: a reagent disc forming a reagent container holder that is a space for storing the reagent containers (Niyama; fig. 2. 102); an inner wall disposed outside of the reagent disc viewed from the reagent container holder while keeping a predetermined distance from the reagent disc (Niyama; fig. 3. 126); and a first lid closing the reagent disc and an upper part of the inner wall (Niyama; fig. 3. 116, and [0027]); the reagent disc includes: a hole in a portion forming a bottom surface of the reagent container holder (Niyama; fig. 4. 129 and [0034 ”blow-out port”); a first surface forming a portion of the reagent container holder and extending along a vertical direction (Niyama; fig. 5. 100); and a second surface connected to the first surface at an upper part of the first surface and formed along a horizontal direction toward a center axis of the reagent refrigerator (Niyama; fig. 7. 124), wherein a space is formed between the second surface and the first lid (Niyama; fig. 2. 124, 126 where both elements meet); the first lid includes: a reagent aspiration hole (Niyama; fig. 2. (aperture to the left side of element 127) into which a reagent aspiration nozzle, inserted for aspirating the reagent. Niyama’s space is capable of fitting an aspiration nozzle; and an openable lid opening and closing an opening portion for putting the reagent containers in and taking the reagent containers out from the reagent refrigerator (Niyama; fig. 2. 116, and [0028]), and the step of introducing the warm air at a predetermined angle comprises introducing the warm air from the opening portion (Niyama; [0028] and fig. 4. 117) so that the warm air is introduced to a connection portion where the first surface and the second surface are connected (Niyama; fig. 4. 120, 124) from the opening portion and branches along the first surface the second surface, which results in the warm air flowing circularly in the reagent refrigerator, the warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator flows (Niyama; fig. 4. Arrows illustrate the air flow circularly).
Regarding claim 4, modified Niyama teaches the method for the drying reagent refrigerator according to claim 3 (see above), wherein a second lid different from the openable lid is disposed on the opening portion (Niyama; fig. 4. area above 124 appears to show a second lid), and a through hole is disposed in the second lid such that the step of introducing the warm air to the connection portion where the first surface and the second surface are connected (Niyama; fig. 2. 117), at the predetermined angle comprises introducing the warm air through the hole (Niyama; fig. 4. 117).
Regarding claim 5, modified Niyama teaches the method for drying the reagent refrigerator according to claim 1 (see above), wherein a heat exchanger is disposed in the reagent refrigerator (Niyama; fig. 8. 32), and the method comprising heating air by performing the heating operation by the heat exchanger to produce the warm air at a temperature higher than a temperature in the reagent refrigerator (Niyama; fig. 2. 127, and [0032] “heater to prevent condensation”).
Modified Niyama does not explicitly teach the heat exchanger is capable of switching cooling operation and heating operation. However, Niyama teaches the automatic analyzer includes a blower 128 disposed in the refrigerator, a heat source 125, a controller and a temperature controller.
It would have been obvious to control the blower to turn on to cool the air in the refrigerator or turn on the heat source raise the temperature.
Regarding claim 6, modified Niyama teaches the method for drying the reagent refrigerator according to claim 5 (see above), wherein the reagent refrigerator includes: the heat insulation structure (Niyama; fig. 2. 126); a reagent disc forming a reagent container holder that is a space for storing the reagent containers (Niyama; fig. 2. 102); an inner wall disposed outside of the reagent disc viewed from the reagent container holder while keeping a predetermined distance from the reagent disc (Niyama; fig. 3. 126); a first lid closing the reagent disc and an upper part of the inner wall (Niyama; fig. 3. 116, and [0027]), wherein the reagent disc includes: a hole in a portion forming a bottom surface of the reagent container holder (Niyama; fig. 4. 129 and [0034 ”blow-out port”); and a space formed between the reagent disc and the first lid (Niyama; fig. 2. space between 102 and 126), the first lid includes: a reagent aspiration hole (Niyama; fig. 2. (aperture to the left side of element 127) into which a reagent aspiration nozzle is inserted for aspirating the reagent,
Modified Niyama’s space is capable of fitting an aspiration nozzle; and an openable lid opening and closing an opening portion for putting the reagent containers in and taking the reagent containers out from the reagent refrigerator (Niyama; fig. 2. 116, and [0028]); a plurality of the heat exchangers disposed opposite to the reagent disc with respect to a bottom surface of the inner wall (Niyama; fig. 8. 132); and the method further comprising performing the heating operation by the heat exchanger (Niyama; [0030] “heat source”) under the situation where the opening portion is closed (Niyama; fig. 3. 116, 125), to produce the warm air at the temperature higher than the temperature in the reagent refrigerator (Niyama; [0028]).
Niyama teaches the reagent refrigerator includes a pipe disposed in a space formed between the bottom surface of the inner wall and the reagent disc (Niyama; fig. 8. 117 and arrows). Niyama also teaches an aperture where warm outside air flows over the heat exchanger (Niyama; fig. 3. 117, 123 and arrows, and [0028]).
Modified Niyama does not explicitly teach the reagent refrigerator includes a pipe in which outside air flows and is disposed to pass over the heat exchanger; and an end of the pipe from which the outside air is discharged.
However, It would have been obvious to include a pipe in hole 117 to flow the outside air over the heat exchanger, and an end of the pipe from which the outside air is discharged. This would allow the incoming outside air to cool the heat exchangers and recirculate through the reagent refrigerator and discharge the outside air.
Regarding claim 7, modified Niyama teaches the method for drying the reagent refrigerator according to claim 6 (see above) to include a pipe (Niyama; fig. 8. 123) and heat exchangers (Niyama; fig. 8. 132).
It would have been obvious to include a pipe in hole 117 to flow the outside air over the heat exchanger in order to cool the heat exchangers and recirculate through the reagent refrigerator and discharge the outside air.
Regarding claim 9, modified Niyama teaches the method for drying the reagent refrigerator according to claim 1 (see above), wherein the reagent refrigerator includes a reagent disc forming a reagent container holder that is a space for storing the reagent containers (Niyama; fig. 2. 102), the reagent container holder is partitioned by a partition portion, and a recess portion is formed in an upper part of the partition portion (Niyama; [0034] “the reagent disk 102 has a structure in which holes are provided”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The cited prior art does not teach or fairly suggest, in the context of claims 1, 5, 6, and 8, the plurality of heat exchangers include a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger that is the heat exchanger other than the first heat exchanger, a temperature of the first heat exchanger is set to be lower than a temperature of the second heat exchanger, the pipe is disposed to pass over the entire range of the second heat exchanger, and is disposed not to pass over the first heat exchanger, and by disposing the end of the pipe from which the outside air is discharged, adjacent to the second heat exchanger, the warm air at the temperature higher than the temperature in the reagent refrigerator flows so that the warm air flows circularly in the reagent refrigerator, recited in claim 8 and there is no motivation to modify Niyama to provide this method.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/28/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 ALEX RAMIREZ whose telephone number is (571)272-9756. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 - 5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Capozzi can be reached at (571) 270-3638. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/A.R./Examiner, Art Unit 1798
/CHARLES CAPOZZI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1798
