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 .
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.
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, 8, 10, and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2020/106890 A1 granted to Mitchell.
In reference to claim 1, Mitchell discloses a vascular access device comprising: a hub [e.g. device 100] comprising a housing [e.g. housing 102] defining a reservoir [e.g. reservoir 104] configured to receive a fluid therein; a catheter comprising a proximal end portion configured to be secured to the hub, a distal end portion configured to be positioned within a cardiovascular system of a patient, and a lumen extending therethrough, the lumen being in fluid communication with the reservoir [e.g. 0041]; a sensing element [e.g. sensing element 110] carried by the catheter [e.g. 0046], the sensing element being configured to obtain data characterizing at least one of a physiological parameter of a patient or a performance parameter of the vascular access device [e.g. 0036-0038]; and a data communications module [e.g. controller 112] communicatively coupled to the sensing element and configured to transmit the data obtained by the sensing element to an external computing device [e.g. 0050].
In reference to claim 2, Mitchell discloses herein the data communications module is carried by the housing of the hub [e.g. 0073].
In reference to claim 3, Mitchell discloses wherein the sensing element is configured to communicate with the data communications module via a wireless connection [e.g. 0073].
In reference to claim 4, Mitchell discloses comprising a conductive element having a first portion electrically coupled to the sensing element and a second portion electrically coupled to the data communications module [e.g. 0073-0074].
In reference to claim 8, Mitchell discloses comprising a battery in electrical communication with the sensing element [e.g. 0070].
In reference to claim 10, Mitchell discloses wherein the sensing element is at least partially exposed to the lumen of the catheter and/or an environment surrounding the catheter [e.g. 0069].
In reference to claim 14, Mitchell discloses wherein the physiological parameter of the patient comprises at least one of a heart rate of the patient, a central venous pressure of the patient, a respiratory rate of the patient, a respiratory sound of the patient, a cardiac sound of the patient, a gastrointestinal sound of the patient, a speech of the patient, a core temperature of the patient, an electrical signal of a heart of the patient, an activity level of the patient, a blood oxygenation of the patient, or a blood glucose of the patient [e.g. 0034].
In reference to claim 15, Mitchell discloses wherein the performance parameter of the vascular access device comprises at least one of a flow rate within the lumen of the catheter, a pressure in the lumen of the catheter, a temperature of the catheter, an electrical impedance of the sensing element, or a charge level of a battery of the device [e.g. 0055].
In reference to claim 16, Mitchell discloses a vascular access device comprising: a hub [e.g. device 100] comprising a housing [e.g. housing 102] defining a reservoir [e.g. reservoir 104] configured to receive a fluid therein; a catheter comprising a proximal end portion configured to be secured to the hub, a distal end portion configured to be positioned within a cardiovascular system of a patient, and a lumen extending therethrough, the lumen being in fluid communication with the reservoir [e.g. 0041]; a sensing element [e.g. sensing element 110] carried by the catheter [e.g. 0046], the sensing element being configured to obtain data characterizing at least one of a physiological parameter of a patient or a performance parameter of the vascular access device [e.g. 0036-0038]; wherein the distal end portion of the catheter is separable from the intermediate portion of the catheter such that the length of the catheter is adjustable [e.g. 0041].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7, 9, 11-13, and 17-20 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 NADIA AHMAD MAHMOOD whose telephone number is (571)270-3975. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-4pm.
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/NADIA A MAHMOOD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3796
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