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 Inventive Group 1 (claims 1-14) in the reply filed on July 2, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Inventive Group (claims 15-20), there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 2, 2026.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 8-9, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sharma (US 2020/0406035 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Sharma discloses a system for combined electromyography (EMG) measurements of a target anatomy and stimulation of the target anatomy (e.g. abstract Fig 1), the system comprising: a garment configured to be worn on the target anatomy and including electrodes arranged to electrically contact skin of the target anatomy when the garment is worn on the target anatomy (e.g. [0020] Fig 1:10) and an analog cable comprising a bundle of electrical conductors connected with the electrodes of the garment (e.g. [0026] the electric controller 20 can be connected by a wire bundle or cable); a stimulator configured to input electrical energy to a distal end of the analog cable to deliver transcutaneous electrical stimulation to the target anatomy via the electrodes of the garment (e.g. [0026]; [0032] Fig 1:28); stimulator isolation circuitry configured to switch between electrically connecting the stimulator with the distal end of the analog cable and electrically disconnecting the stimulator from the distal end of the analog cable (e.g. [0023] and [0024] electronics for switching between “FES mode” and “EMG mode” using same electrodes); EMG circuitry configured to receive analog EMG signals from the distal end of the analog cable and including analog amplifiers configured to amplify the analog EMG signals to form amplified analog EMG signals and analog-to-digital converters configured to digitize the amplified analog EMG signals to form digitized EMG data (e.g. [0026] Fig 1:26); EMG isolation circuitry configured to switch between electrically connecting the EMG circuitry with the distal end of the analog cable and electrically disconnecting the EMG circuitry from the distal end of the analog cable (e.g. [0024] “EMG mode”); and control circuitry (e.g. [0022]-[0024] Fig 1:20) configured to cyclically switch between: (i) stimulation time intervals during which the stimulator isolation circuitry electrically connects the stimulator with the distal end of the analog cable and the EMG isolation circuitry electrically disconnects the EMG circuitry from the distal end of the analog cable, and (ii) EMG time intervals during which the stimulator isolation circuitry electrically disconnects the stimulator from the distal end of the analog cable and the EMG isolation circuitry electrically connects the EMG circuitry with the distal end of the analog cable (e.g. [0022]-[0024] Fig 1).
Regarding claim 8, Sharma discloses wherein: the stimulator is not mounted on or in the garment, the stimulator isolation circuitry is not mounted on or in the garment, the EMG circuitry is not mounted on or in the garment, the EMG isolation circuitry is not mounted on or in the garment, and the control circuitry is not mounted on or in the garment (e.g. [0022] the electronic controller 20 which generates everything can be wirelessly connected to the electrodes garment).
Regarding claim 9, Sharma discloses wherein: a first module includes the stimulator isolation circuitry, the EMG circuitry, the EMG isolation circuitry, and the control circuitry, the distal end of the analog cable connected with the first module (e.g. [0022]-[0026] ;[0033] Fig 1); the stimulator is separate from the first module and is connected with the first module by one or more electrical cables (e.g. [0033] the pulse generator can be omitted from the electronic controller 20); and the system further includes a computer connected to control the first module and the stimulator and to receive the digitized EMG data (e.g. [0026] the system may be connected to a desktop computer).
Regarding claim 11, Sharma discloses wherein the EMG circuitry further includes analog bandpass filters interposed between outputs of respective analog amplifiers and inputs of respective analog-to-digital converters (e.g. [0026]-[0027]; [0039]).
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.
Claim(s) 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sharma in view of Pribula (US 2022/0176102 A1)
Regarding claim 14, Sharma is silent regarding wherein the analog cable comprises a bundle of twisted wire pairs in which each twisted wire pair connects to a pair of the electrodes of the garment.
However, Pribula discloses an insulated electrode for delivering treatment to a patient wherein the analog cable comprises a bundle of twisted wire pairs in which each twisted wire pair connects to a pair of the electrodes (e.g. [0042]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the system of Sharma to incorporate the teachings of Pribula wherein the analog cable comprises a bundle of twisted wire pairs in which each twisted wire pair connects to a pair of the electrodes of the garment for the purpose of utilizing a known way of wiring electrodes to block interference (e.g. Pribula [0042]).
Allowable Subject Matter
The prior art neither teaches nor suggest, a method of combined electromyography (EMG) measurements and stimulation of a target anatomy, delivering transcutaneous electrical stimulation via electrodes of a garment being worn during the time of stimulation using EMG isolation circuitry to electrically isolate the EMG circuitry from the electrodes of the garment and during the EMG time interval using stimulation isolation circuitry to electrically isolate the stimulator from the electrodes of the garment and except during the output time subintervals of the EMG time interval, clamping circuit nodes located between the EMG isolation circuitry and the EMG circuitry to a clamp voltage.
Claims 2-7, 10, and 12-13 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 JESSANDRA F HOUGH whose telephone number is (571)270-7902. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7 am - 4 pm.
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Jessandra Hough September 18, 2026
/J.F.H./Examiner, Art Unit 3796
/William J Levicky/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3796
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