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 Objections
Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 18 recites “the least part surface” this should be “the at least part surface”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4, 6-9, 12, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stefansen (US 2016/0106920).
Regarding claim 1, Stefansen discloses an autoinjector 100 comprising: a housing 110, 120 in which a pre-filled syringe 200, 250 is arranged (fig. 1; page 3, para. 0053; page 4, para. 0055), a drive chassis 300 mounted in said housing (fig. 1; page 4, para. 0058), the drive chassis being biased with respect to said housing by a drive spring 500 (page 4, para. 0059), the drive chassis 300 further being fixed with respect to the housing and with respect to a movement relative to the housing in a storage state of the autoinjector (page 4, para. 0059: “initial state”; fig. 3a), and a release mechanism 312 (fig. 3a), the release mechanism ( comprising a trigger arm 313 engaging a stop feature 403 present in the housing (fig. 3a) in the storage state of the autoinjector for fixing the drive chassis 300 with respect to the housing (fig. 3a; page 5, para. 0068), the drive chassis 300 further comprising a trigger limb 311 adapted to accommodate at least a part of the drive spring 500 (fig. 3a), wherein the trigger arm is arranged to extend proximally from said trigger limb (fig. 3a); and wherein the trigger arm is configured to be disengaged from said stop feature on activation of the autoinjector (page 5, para. 0072).
Regarding claim 2, Stefansen discloses that the stop feature 403 comprises a surface and the trigger arm 313 is configured to cooperate with said surface of said stop feature (fig. 3a).
Regarding claim 4, Stefansen discloses that the trigger arm 311 comprises a projection 312 engaging the stop feature (fig. 3a).
Regarding claim 6, Stefansen discloses a needle guard 150, wherein an axial movement of the needle guard towards the drive chassis engages the release mechanism in order to release the fixing of the drive chassis with respect to the housing on activation of the autoinjector (page 5, para. 0072; fig. 3c).
Regarding claim 7, Stefansen discloses that the axial movement of the needle guard 150 is configured to deflect the trigger arm of the release mechanism in a direction transverse thereto (fig. 3d; page 5, para. 0072).
Regarding claim 8, Stefansen discloses that the needle guard comprises a plunger arm having a blocking rib (see fig. 3a annotated below).
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Regarding claim 9, Stefansen discloses that the plunger arm comprises a cam, the cam having an engagement surface configured to engage the trigger arm (see portion of fig. 3d annotated below).
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Regarding claim 15, Stefansen discloses that the surface of the stop feature 403 comprises at least a part surface inclined with respect to the axial direction (fig. 3a).
Regarding claim 17, Stefansen disclose that the engagement surface 401 is inclined to deflect the trigger arm in a direction different form an axial direction of movement of the needle guard (fig. 3d).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16-18 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 LAURA A BOUCHELLE whose telephone number is (571)272-2125. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 CST.
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LAURA A. BOUCHELLE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3783
/LAURA A BOUCHELLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3783
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