FIRST NON-FINAL REJECTION
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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With respect to claim 5, the current claim limitation of “wherein the positioning plate comprises a positioning plate” is not clearly understood because the positioning plate cannot comprise “a positioning plate”. Therefore, the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be determined and the claim is indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
(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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-16, and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Loh et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0033049.
With respect to claims 1, 8, 14, and 20, Loh teaches an injection needle blowoff apparatus (cleaning device 100), comprising: a positioning plate (top member 160a) having a first side (seat 114) configured to contact an injector (probe 102) and having a second side opposite the first side (opposing side of the top member 160a, figures 1-3); an injector positioner configured to position the injector in contact with the first side of the positioning plate (robot that positions the probe 102, paragraph 26); an injector actuator configured to actuate the injector to expel contents of the injector via a needle of the injector (probe 102 is rinsed while in the seated position, paragraph 34); and a blowoff nozzle adjacent the second side of the positioning plate (threaded nozzles 120, 122 , figures 1-3), the blowoff nozzle configured to direct gas received via a gas inlet towards a location of a needle of the injector (paragraph 28), the blowoff nozzle comprising: a gas inlet configured to be coupled to a gas supply (the inlets of the threaded nozzles 120, 122 connected to fluid/gas supply, paragraph 28); a gas channel coupled to the gas inlet (air channels 124, paragraphs 29-31, figures 1-3); and a gas outlet configured to direct gas from the gas channel towards a location of a needle of the injector (the outlet of the air channels 124, figure 1-3), wherein at least a portion of the gas outlet is defined by a portion of the second side of the positioning plate (figures 3-4). Further, Loh teaches the gas supply coupled to the gas inlet (paragraph 28) and a gas flow controller (control system, paragraph 27) configured to control the delivery of the gas to the blowoff nozzle to supply pulses of gas (figure 10).
With respect to claims 3, 4, Loh teaches wherein the gas outlet comprises at least one wall directed at an angle away from the second side of the positioning plate in a direction of gas flow (the outlet of the air channels 124 is interpreted as being directed away from the top member 160a, figures 1-3), and wherein a cross-sectional area of the gas outlet increases as a distance from the gas channel increases (the gas outlet increases area into the inner chamber 108, figure 3).
With respect to claim 5, Loh teaches wherein the positioning plate comprises a positioning plate having an aperture (opening 110 in the top member 160a), extending from a first side of the positioning plate to a second side of the positioning plate (figures 1-2).
With respect to claim 6, Loh teaches wherein the blowoff nozzle is positioned on a first side of the aperture (figures 2 and 3), and further comprising a second blowoff nozzle positioned on a second side of the aperture (the other of threaded nozzles 120, 122, figures 1-3).
With respect to claim 7, Loh teaches a second gas inlet configured to be coupled to a gas supply (the inlets of the threaded nozzles 120, 122 connected to fluid/gas supply, paragraph 28); a second gas channel coupled to the gas inlet (air channels 124, paragraphs 29-31, figures 1-3); and a second gas outlet configured to direct gas from the gas channel towards a location of a needle of the injector (the outlet of the air channels 124, figure 1-3), wherein at least a portion of the gas outlet is defined by a portion of the second side of the positioning plate (figures 3-4).
With respect to claim 9, Loh teaches wherein the blowoff nozzle comprises a body at least partially defining the gas channel and the gas outlet (figures 2-4).
With respect to claim 10, Loh teaches wherein the gas channel is at least partially enclosed by the positioning plate (the air channels 124 are partially formed by top member 160a, figures 3 and 4).
With respect to claim 11, Loh teaches wherein the gas channel has a first cross-sectional area, the gas outlet has a second cross sectional area larger than the first cross sectional area (interpreted as the cross sectional area of the air channels 124), and the gas outlet is configured to direct the gas at least partially away from the second side of the positioning plate (the outlets of the air channels having the gas outlet which increases area into the inner chamber 108, figure 3).
With respect to claims 12-13, Loh teaches wherein the second side of the positioning plate comprises a plate groove recessed from the second side, at least a portion of the gas outlet being defined by the plate groove and wherein at least a portion of the gas channel is defined by the plate groove (interpreted as the air channels 124 that are formed by the top member 160a, figures 2-4).
With respect to claim 15, Loh teaches wherein the pulses of gas comprise bursts of gas in predetermined durations (interpreted as the turning on of the inner rinse, outer rinse, and air of steps 1004, 1006, and 1008, figure 10).
With respect to claim 16, Loh teaches a second blowoff nozzle (the other of threaded nozzles 120, 122, figures 1-3), the gas supply configured to supply the gas to the blowoff nozzle and the second blowoff nozzle simultaneously in pulses of gas (figure 10).
With respect to claim 19, Loh teaches wherein the gas supply is configured to supply the pulses of gas to the blowoff nozzle and the second blowoff nozzle simultaneously (the rinsing and air pulses can be delivered simultaneously, paragraph 43).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 17, and 18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FREDDIE KIRKLAND III whose telephone number is (571)272-2232. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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FREDDIE KIRKLAND III
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
/Freddie Kirkland III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855 1/28/2026