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
Claims 11-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 4/1/2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 201, 230a, 230b, 231. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it contains legal phraseology. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The specification recites “return fluid 251” and “return fluid 250”; however, both statements cannot be correct.
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) 1-3, 6-9, 11-24, 26, 28-36 and 38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20030028182, Abboud.
In regards to claim 1, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses a connector assembly comprising: a connector housing (704) and a connector manifold (702) disposed within the connector housing (axially), the connector manifold including, a manifold body; a first channel (750) extending through the manifold body to a first chamber (near 711); a second channel (745) extending through the manifold body to a second chamber (near 710); and a third channel (740) extending through the manifold body to a third chamber (near 709), wherein the first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber are coaxial.
In regards to claim 2, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses a spring-loaded interlock assembly (725).
In regards to claim 3, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the manifold body includes an inner manifold body and an outer manifold body.
In regards to claim 6, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses a first sealing member (709) between the first and second chambers and comprising a second sealing member (710) between the second and third chambers.
In regards to claim 7, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the first and second sealing members include an o-ring.
In regards to claim 8, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber are sequentially aligned along a longitudinal axis.
In regards to claim 9, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the first chamber has a larger diameter than the second chamber.
In regards to claim 20, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses fluid connection apparatus, comprising: a connector assembly (701) configured to connect with a thermal fluid generation system, the connector assembly including: a first fluid channel (connected fluidically with 750) and a second fluid channel (connected fluidically with 745); and a hub assembly (700) configured to connect with an ablation tool, the hub assembly comprising: a third fluid channel connected to the first fluid channel and a fourth fluid channel connected to the second fluid channel, wherein the hub assembly and the connector assembly are configured to rotate (limitedly) with respect to each other while maintaining connections for fluid transfer between (a) the first and the third fluid channels and (b) the second and forth fluid channels.
In regards to claim 21, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the first fluid channel and the third fluid channel are connected to provide passage for a return fluid from a catheter coupled to the hub assembly.
In regards to claim 22, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the second fluid channel and the fourth fluid channel are connected to provide passage for a circulating heated fluid.
In regards to claim 23, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the connector assembly is configured to directly couple with the thermal fluid generation system.
In regards to claim 24, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the hub assembly is configured to directly couple with an elongated catheter body.
In regards to claim 26, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the connector assembly includes a connector manifold through which the first and second fluid channels extend and wherein the connector manifold includes an inner manifold body and an outer manifold body.
In regards to claim 28, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the connector assembly includes a connector manifold including a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber, wherein the fluid transfer between the first fluid channel and the third fluid channel is via the first fluid chamber, and wherein the fluid transfer between the second and the fourth fluid channels is via the second fluid chamber.
In regards to claim 29, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the first fluid chamber is sealed from the second fluid chamber by a sealing member.
In regards to claim 30, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the connector manifold includes a first circumferential groove (near 711) sized to receive the sealing member.
In regards to claim 31, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the first fluid chamber has a larger diameter than the second fluid chamber.
In regards to claim 32, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber are coaxial about a longitudinal axis.
In regards to claim 33, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the connector assembly further includes a connector central fluid channel (740), and the hub assembly further includes a hub central fluid channel (740) and wherein the connector central fluid channel is connected to the hub central fluid channel.
In regards to claim 34, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the connector assembly includes a central fluid chamber and wherein fluid transfer between the connector central fluid channel and the hub central fluid channel is via the central fluid chamber.
In regards to claim 35, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the central fluid chamber is generally coaxial with a longitudinal axis about which hub assembly and the connector assembly rotate.
In regards to claim 36, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses the connector central fluid channel is connected with the hub central fluid channel to provide passage for a heated treatment fluid.
In regards to claim 38, in Figures 14A-F and paragraphs detailing said figures, Abboud discloses a portion of at least one of the third and fourth fluid channels extends parallel to the hub central fluid channel.
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) 4 and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abboud.
In regards to claims 4 and 27, Abboud discloses the claimed invention except for the inner manifold body being made of a conductive material and the outer manifold body being made of an insulative material. It 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 to fabricate the inner manifold body of a conductive material and the outer manifold body of an insulative material, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 10, 25, 37, 39-40 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 AARON M DUNWOODY whose telephone number is (571)272-7080. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.
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/AARON M DUNWOODY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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