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 § 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 are 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.
Claim 5 recites “the elastic component” in line 1. However; claim 1 recites “at least one elastic component”. It is unclear to the examiner as to what is being claimed. For the purposes of this examination, the examiner is interpreting the claim to be claiming --the at least one elastic component”.
Claim Objections
Claims 18 and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities: reference character “a” for a liquid passing port must be in parenthesis. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: reference character “b” for a liquid passing port must be in parenthesis. The claim must also be amended to recite --a second liquid port (b)--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 21 is objected to because of the following informalities: the preamble of claim 21 must be amended to match the claim it depends from. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 9-15, 17-19, 21, 24, and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Denton et al. (US Patent No. 8,820,751).
Regarding claim 1, the Denton et al. (hereinafter Denton) reference discloses a sealing device (Fig. 2), comprising an inner core (e.g. axially extending portion and diagonally extending portion of 39) and at least two elastic components (e.g. 66 and/or 64 and 54 and/or 46) spaced apart on a side wall of the inner core (Fig. 2); the elastic components can be fully or partially elastically deformed in a direction toward the inner core (Fig. 2); an end of the inner core is provided with a sealing component (36/38).
Regarding claim 2, the Denton reference discloses the side wall of the inner core is symmetrically provided with at least one pair of the elastic components (78, e.g. through other components).
Regarding claim 3, the Denton reference discloses the side wall of the inner core is also provided with at least one pair of fixing components (12,14, e.g. through other components).
Regarding claim 4, the Denton reference discloses each pair of the fixing components is arranged coplanarly, and each pair of the elastic components is arranged coplanarly (Fig. 2, e.g. at least partially).
Regarding claim 5, the Denton reference discloses the elastic component comprises a rigid piece (52) and an elastic strip (e.g. any elastic part of 62);
one side of the rigid piece is connected with the side wall of the inner core (e.g. Fig. 2 through other elements), and the other side is connected to the elastic strip (e.g. Fig. 2 through other elements).
Regarding claim 6, the Denton reference, as best understood, discloses the elastic component at least comprises a connecting piece (e.g. piece immediately radially outward of 39) and a cantilever piece (e.g. base part of the elastic lips that will flex), one end of the connecting piece is provided on the side wall of the inner core (Fig. 2), and the other end is provided with the cantilever piece (Fig. 2), and there is a gap between the cantilever piece and the inner core (e.g. Fig. 2);
wherein the cantilever piece and/or the connecting piece can be elastically deformed in the direction toward the inner core (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 9, the Denton reference discloses in a non-stressed state, the cantilever piece and the inner core are arranged in parallel (e.g. at least parts).
Regarding claim 10, the Denton reference discloses the cantilever piece extends toward a side where the sealing component is located (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 11, the Denton reference discloses the connecting piece is fixedly connected with the side wall of the inner core (Fig. 2), the cantilever piece and the connecting piece are integrally provided (Fig. 2), and the cantilever piece can be elastically deformed in the direction toward the inner core (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 12, the Denton reference discloses the connecting piece is fixedly connected with the side wall of the inner core (Fig. 2), the cantilever piece and the connecting piece are integrally provided (Fig. 2), and the connecting piece can be elastically deformed in the direction toward the inner core (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 13, the Denton reference discloses the connecting piece is fixedly connected with the side wall of the inner core (Fig. 2), the cantilever piece and the connecting piece are integrally provided (Fig. 2), and the connecting piece and the cantilever piece can be elastically deformed in the direction toward the inner core simultaneously (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 14, the Denton reference discloses the cantilever piece is made of elastic material (Fig. 2); and/or the connecting piece is made of elastic material (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 15, the Denton reference discloses the inner core has a cylindrical structure (Fig. 2), and an end of the inner core away from the sealing component is provided with a handle (e.g. portion of 39 extending radially);
wherein the handle and the inner core are coaxially and integrally provided (Fig. 2), and an outer diameter of a circumscribed circle of the handle is larger than an outer diameter of the inner core (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 17, the Denton reference discloses the sealing component is coaxially and integrally provided at an end of the inner core (Fig. 2), and an outer diameter of the sealing component is uniformly reduced in a direction away from the inner core (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 18, the Denton reference discloses a sealing system comprising the sealing device according to any one of claim 1, further comprising a sealed piece (e.g. 90) and a position limiting device (12 and/or 14) that allows the sealing device to be inserted or pulled out (Fig. 2); a liquid passing port a (e.g. where lips of the seal contact 53) is formed on the sealed piece, the position limiting device is cooperatively provided on an outer side of the sealed piece (Fig. 2);
wherein when the sealing device is inserted into an interior of the position limiting device, the sealing component and the liquid passing port a are sealed with each other (Fig. 2), and cantilever pieces and inner walls of the position limiting device are squeezed against each other (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 19, the Denton reference discloses the position limiting device has a cylindrical structure or a rectangular structure (Fig. 2), and when the sealing device is inserted into the interior of the position limiting device (Fig. 2), fixing components are in close contact with the inner walls of the position limiting device (Fig. 2)
wherein a bottom of the position limiting device is arranged to be in close contact with an outer wall of the sealed piece (Fig. 2), and a through hole (e.g. axial hole) which cooperates and communicates with the liquid passing port a is formed at the bottom of the position limiting device (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 21, the Denton reference discloses a liquid passing port b (e.g. port at end of lead line of 76) is also formed in the sealed piece (Fig. 2), the liquid passing port b and the liquid passing port a are connected inside the sealed piece via a bent liquid channel (Fig. 2);
wherein a pair of position limiting devices (12,14) is provided on the sealed piece, and the pair of position limiting devices is provided in cooperation with the liquid passing port b and the liquid passing port a respectively (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 24, the Denton reference discloses when the sealing component is fitted with the liquid passing port a in a sealed manner, a topmost end (e.g. left end) of a connecting piece (e.g. piece immediately radially outward of 39) is higher than a top rim (e.g. leftmost rim of 14) of the position limiting device (Fig. 2)
and a bottom (e.g. right side of connecting piece) of the connecting piece is lower than the top rim of the position limiting device (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 26, the Denton reference discloses the sealed piece is a microfluidic device (Fig. 4), and a bottom of the position limiting device has a conical cavity structure (Figs. 5,6), and a cone top of the conical cavity structure is in communication with the liquid passing port a of the microfluidic device (Fig. 2).
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) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Denton.
Regarding claim 22, the Denton reference discloses the invention substantially as claimed in claim 18, including an inner diameter of an inscribed circle of the inner walls of the position limiting device is smaller than an outer diameter of a circumscribed circle of the cantilever piece (Fig. 2).
However, the Denton reference fails to explicitly disclose the that an inner diameter of an inscribed circle of the inner walls of the position limiting device is 5%-10% smaller than an outer diameter of a circumscribed circle of the cantilever piece.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to use the claimed range, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art and in order to ensure a proper press fit that allows the seal to stay in place after installation. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GILBERT Y LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-5894. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-430pm.
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/GILBERT Y LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675