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 Group I, Species A, readable on Claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 4/8/2026 is acknowledged.
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, 2 and 4-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oginski et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0112141, hereinafter Oginski).
In regard to claim 1, Oginski discloses a scope adapter (6) for adapting a surgical scope to a robotic manipulator system (Fig. 1), the scope adapter comprising:
a rotational motor (63) mounted in a fixed position relative to an outer cylinder (61);
an inner cylinder (60) rotatably coupled to the outer cylinder; and
a support plate assembly (62) that is removably coupled to the surgical scope and the inner cylinder (Fig. 1).
In regard to claim 2, Oginski teaches wherein the inner cylinder is
rotatable concentrically inside the outer cylinder (Fig. 1).
In regard to claim 4, Oginski teaches further comprising a shelf extending from an inner diameter of the inner cylinder, where the shelf comprises a groove that is slidably couplable with a ridge extending from the support plate (see annotated Fig. 10 below).
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In regard to claim 5, Oginski teaches further comprising a plurality of spherical bearings (610,611) located between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder (Fig. 1).
In regard to claim 6, Oginski teaches further comprising:
a scope gear (13) fixably coupled to the surgical scope (Fig. 1); and
an articulation motor (64) rotatably coupled to an articulation gear (650), wherein the articulation gear is operably coupled to the scope gear and is configured to transfer rotations of the articulation motor to the scope gear, and thereby change an adjustable direction of a field of view for the surgical scope (Par. 83).
In regard to claim 7, Oginski teaches wherein the support plate assembly further comprises:
a front base (621) with a front aperture passing therethrough along a central axis of the inner cylinder (Fig. 1); and
a rear base (622) with a rear aperture passing therethrough, wherein the front aperture and the rear aperture are configured to fixably couple to the surgical scope (Fig. 1).
In regard to claim 8, Oginski teaches wherein the front aperture is at least partially cylindrical, and wherein the rear aperture is positioned along an axis that is non-parallel with respect to the central axis of the inner cylinder (see annotated Fig. 3 below).
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In regard to claim 9, Oginski teaches wherein:
the front base (625) rotatably couples to a front cap (626) with a front hinge (Fig. 9A shows the adaptor parts (625,626) coupled via hinge);
the rear base (625) rotatably couples to a rear cap (626) with a rear hinge (Fig. 9A shows the adaptor parts (625,626) coupled via hinge); and
wherein the front aperture opens by operation of the front hinge, and the rear aperture opens by operation of the rear hinge (Fig. 9A).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oginski et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0112141, hereinafter Oginski) in view of Rockrohr et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0315715, hereinafter Rockrohr).
In regard to claim 3, Oginski is silent with respect to further comprising a belt operatively coupled to the rotational motor, wherein the belt circumferentially wraps around a portion of an outer diameter of the inner cylinder, and wherein the belt is configured to transfer rotation from the rotational motor to the inner cylinder.
Rockrohr teaches an analogous surgical assembly (Figs. 24-26) for rotating an instrument (200) or surgical scope (250). The surgical assembly comprises a carriage (42) configured to rotate a drive belt (122) via motor (118) which engages a pulley (48, i.e. inner cylinder) for rotating the instrument (200) or surgical scope (250) about it’s longitudinal axis (Par. 176).
It would’ve been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to modify the motor/gear arrangement (63,631) of Oginski for the motor/drive belt arrangement (118,122) of Rockrohr as a matter of design choice to use a drive belt as an alternative means for transmitting rotational force to the inner cylinder. There being no unexpected results in using a drive belt of Rockrohr to transfer rotational motion as opposed to the gear of Oginski.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RYAN N HENDERSON whose telephone number is (571)270-1430. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6am-5pm (PST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anhtuan Nguyen can be reached at 571-272-4963. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN N HENDERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3795 May 16, 2026
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