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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/18/24 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-5, 10, 13-15, 19, 22, 25-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morley et al., US 20230400534 in view of Hanssen et al., “Recent strategies…electrochemical detection systems”
Regarding claim 1, Morley discloses a sensor assembly comprising: diamond material, the diamond material comprising a surface (Fig. 1; diamond 6), the surface comprising a sensing surface region (Fig. 1; diamond 6 having asurfaces), wherein the diamond material comprises a plurality of quantum spin defects in proximity to the sensing surface region (Fig. 1; defect centers 8); a first electrode (¶[0075]; Fig. 1; magnet 15 may be an electromagnet i.e coil); a second electrode wherein the electrodes are located such that, in use (¶[0075]; Fig. 1; magnet 18 may be an electromagnet), they generate an electric field proximate to a surface of the sensing surface region (¶[0142]; sensing a physical properties including an electric field).
Morley is silent in a single crystal diamond surface configured in use to contact a fluid, the electric field being sufficient to generate oxidising species in the fluid for removing contaminant material from the sensing surface region. Hanssen teaches a single crystal diamond surface configured in use to contact a fluid (Pg. 19 Col. 2: boron-doped diamond electrode contacts bio sample), the electric field being sufficient to generate oxidising species in the fluid for removing contaminant material from the sensing surface region (Electrochemical activation; Pg. 19 Col. 2 - Pg. 20 Col. 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Hanssen into Morley for the benefit of removing contaminants to improve functionality of the sensor.
Regarding claim 2, Morley is silent in wherein the contaminant material comprises organic material. Hanssen wherein the contaminant material comprises organic material (Pg. 19 Col 2 – bio sample being urine which contains organic matter). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Hanssen into Morley for the benefit of removing contaminants to improve functionality of the sensor.
Regarding claim 3, Morley teaches wherein the first electrode is located at a first electrode surface region of the single crystal diamond material (Fig. 3; coil 15). Morley is silent in the surface region comprises any of: electrically conducting boron doped diamond; graphite; and a metal material deposited on the surface of the sensor. Hanssen teaches a surface region comprises any of: electrically conducting boron doped diamond; graphite; and a metal material deposited on the surface of the sensor (Pg. 19 Col. 2: boron-doped diamond electrode contacts bio sample). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Hanssen into Morley for the benefit of removing contaminants to improve functionality of the sensor.
Regarding claim 4, Morley teaches wherein the second electrode is located at a second electrode surface region of the diamond material (¶[0142]), Morley is silent in the surface region comprises electrically conducting boron doped diamond; graphite; and a metal material deposited on the surface of the sensor. Hanssen teaches a surface region comprises any of: electrically conducting boron doped diamond; graphite; and a metal material deposited on the surface of the sensor (Pg. 19 Col. 2: boron-doped diamond electrode contacts bio sample). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Hanssen into Morley for the benefit of removing contaminants to improve functionality of the sensor.
Regarding claim 5, Morley teaches wherein the quantum spin defects are selected from any of: silicon containing defects; nickel containing defects; chromium containing defects; germanium containing defects; tin containing defects; nitrogen containing defects; and negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy defects, NV.sup.− (¶[0013]).
Regarding claim 10, Morley teaches further comprising a plurality of sensing surface regions, wherein the first electrode surface region is located such that, in use, it generates an electric field over a surface of the plurality of sensing surface regions (¶[0023]).
Regarding claim 13, Morley discloses a diamond (Fig. 1; diamond 6) comprising: a surface, the surface comprising a sensing surface region (Fig. 1; diamond 6 having multiple surfaces), wherein the diamond comprises a plurality of quantum spin defects in proximity to the sensing surface region (Fig. 1; defect centers 8); the surface further comprising at least one electrode region, the at least one electrode region configured, in use, to generate an electric field proximate to the sensing surface region (¶[0075]; Fig. 1; magnet 15 may be an electromagnet i.e coil).
Morley is silent in a single crystal diamond surface configured in use to contact a fluid, the electric field being sufficient to generate oxidising species in the fluid for removing contaminant material from the sensing surface region. Hanssen teaches a single crystal diamond surface configured in use to contact a fluid (Pg. 19 Col. 2: boron-doped diamond electrode contacts bio sample), the electric field being sufficient to generate oxidising species in the fluid for removing contaminant material from the sensing surface region (Electrochemical activation; Pg. 19 Col. 2 - Pg. 20 Col. 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Hanssen into Morley for the benefit of removing contaminants to improve functionality of the sensor.
Regarding claim 14, Morley is silent in the surface region comprises any of: electrically conducting boron doped diamond; graphite; and a metal material deposited on the surface of the sensor. Hanssen teaches a surface region comprises any of: electrically conducting boron doped diamond; graphite; and a metal material deposited on the surface of the sensor (Pg. 19 Col. 2: boron-doped diamond electrode contacts bio sample). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Hanssen into Morley for the benefit of removing contaminants to improve functionality of the sensor.
Regarding claim 15, Morley teaches wherein the quantum spin defects are selected from any of: silicon containing defects; nickel containing defects; chromium containing defects; germanium containing defects; tin containing defects; nitrogen containing defects; and negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy defects, NV.sup.− (¶[0013]).
Regarding claim 19, Morley teaches further comprising a plurality of sensing surface regions (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 22, Morley discloses a method of using a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising diamond material (Fig. 1; diamond 6 having multiple surfaces), a first electrode and a second electrode (¶[0075]; Fig. 1; magnet 18 may be an electromagnet; magnet 15 may be an electromagnet i.e coil), the single crystal diamond material comprising a sensing surface region comprising a plurality of quantum spin defects (Fig. 1; defect centers 8); the method comprising: generating an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode and proximate to the sensing surface region (¶[0142]; sensing a physical properties including an electric field).
Morley is silent in the method comprising: allowing a fluid to pass over the sensing surface region of a single crystal diamond material; and the field generates oxidising species in the fluid, the oxidising species for removing contaminant material from the sensing surface region. Hanssen teaches a single crystal diamond surface configured in use to contact a fluid (Pg. 19 Col. 2: boron-doped diamond electrode contacts bio sample), the electric field being sufficient to generate oxidising species in the fluid for removing contaminant material from the sensing surface region (Electrochemical activation; Pg. 19 Col. 2 - Pg. 20 Col. 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Hanssen into Morley for the benefit of removing contaminants to improve functionality of the sensor.
Regarding claim 25, Morley teaches comprising, prior to generating the electric field, determining that the electric field is to be generated (inherent when generating field).
Regarding claim 26, Morley teaches wherein the determining step comprises determining that a measurement obtained from the sensing surface region has deviated from a predetermined value by a predetermined amount (Fig. 7; ¶[0091]; voltage shifts measured ).
Claim(s) 23, 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morley et al., US 20230400534 in view of Hanssen et al., “Recent strategies…electrochemical detection systems” in view of Kiran et al. , “Boron Doped Diamond Electrodes for Direct Measurement in biological Fluids”:
Regarding claim 23, Morley is silent in further comprising alternating the electric field polarity between the first and second electrodes. Kiran teaches alternating the electric field polarity between the first and second electrodes (Page H70, Col. 1; alternating positive, negative pulses). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Kiran into Morley for the benefit of determining changes in the properties of the sample.
Regarding claim 24, Morley is silent in wherein the electric field is generated periodically. Kiran teaches wherein an electric field is generated periodically (Page H70, Col. 1; alternating positive, negative pulses). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to incorporate the teaching of Kiran into Morley for the benefit of determining changes in the properties of the sample.
Conclusion
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/FEBA POTHEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2858