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Claims 1 & 16-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 06/09/2026. Claims being examined are group II: claims 2-15.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 11 recites “the multi-electrode energy-delivery assembly” should read “the multi-electrode energy-delivery treatment system”. 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.
Claims 2-9 & 12-15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (US 20230130692) herein referred to as Wang.
Regarding claim 13, Wang discloses A multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system (Figure 1) comprising: a multi-electrode energy-delivering assembly comprising (Figure 1, 100): one or more electrodes of a first polarity (Figure 10, 25; Paragraph [0084]; wherein electrodes on the same bar have the same polarity); and a support structure coupling said one or more electrodes for delivery as an assembly within a patient (Figure 10, 24b); a power connector configured to deliver energy to said one or more electrodes to generate an electric field among said one or more electrodes (Figure 1, 35; Figure 9); and a tube having a lumen within which said multi-electrode energy- delivering assembly is deliverable to a target site within a patient (Figure 2, 52 & 54); wherein said multi-electrode energy delivering assembly is delivered within the lumen of said tube in an elongated compact delivery configuration (Paragraph [0080]).
Regarding claim 2, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 13, wherein said one or more electrodes include two or more electrodes of the first polarity axially spaced from one another and extending in a linear configuration when in the elongated compact delivery configuration (Paragraph [0080]; wherein ablation assembly is stretched in the axial direction and compressed in the radial direction when in delivery configuration, such that when looking at the embodiment in Figure 14, the electrodes on the arm 241c are axially spaced from each other and would extend in a linear configuration since the entire assembly is stretched in the axial direction and compressed in the radial direction in delivery configuration)
Regarding claim 3, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 2, wherein said two or more electrodes are formed from an elongate electrically- conductive member (Figure 14, 241c) and defined by an insulation member extending over and exposing portions of said elongate electrically-conductive member (Paragraph [0064])
Regarding claim 4, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 3, further comprising at least one electrode of a second polarity axially spaced from at least one of said two or more electrodes of the first polarity (Figure 14, 25; Paragraph [0084]; wherein electrodes on the same bar have the same polarity such that there is 5 bearing bars all adjacent to each other, each containing 3 electrodes, wherein each bearing bar has its own polarity).
Regarding claim 5, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 4, wherein said at least one electrode of a second polarity is formed from a tubular electrically-conductive member positioned over said insulation member (Paragraph [0064]; wherein electrode is formed from a tubular electrically conductive member 241, which the electrode is positioned over the insulation layer).
Regarding claim 6, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 5, further comprising at least one differentiating insulation member extending over a portion of said tubular electrically-conductive member to define two or more spaced apart electrodes of the second polarity (Paragraph [0064]; wherein the insulating layer extends over a portion of the bearing bar such that the portions where the insulating material is not presents, there is an additional electrode).
Regarding claim 7, Wang discloses The multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 2, wherein said two or more electrodes are positioned on a support element expandable from the elongated delivery configuration into an expanded deployed configuration when extended out of the tube to increase the volume of an electric field to be defined by the electrodes when said support element is in the deployed configuration compared with an electric field which would be defined by the electrodes when said support element is in the delivery configuration (Paragraph [0080]; wherein the electrodes are position on support element 24a such that by adjusting the shape and diameter of the support element, expanding into deployed configuration, increases the volume of an electric field defined by the electrodes, such that the expanded configuration would allow for a high volume of an electric field then a deployed configuration)
Regarding claim 8, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 13, wherein said one or more electrodes comprise three or more electrodes movable with respect to one another (Figure 10, 25; wherein each bearing bar contains 3 electrodes such that they move with respect to one another during expansions or compression)
Regarding claim 9, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 8, wherein at least one of said three or more electrodes are configured to engage and remain engaged with tissue (Paragraph [0083]; wherein the ablation electrode of the can be well attached to and compliant with the atrial tissue).
Regarding claim 12, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 13, wherein said multi-electrode energy-delivering assembly is expandable upon deployment from the tube (Paragraph [0086])
Regarding claim 14, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 13, wherein said multi-electrode energy-delivering assembly is expandable upon deployment from the lumen of said tube (Figure 10, 30).
Regarding claim 15, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 13, wherein said one or more electrodes of said multi-electrode energy-delivering assembly comprise two or more electrodes extending axially spaced apart from one another when in the lumen of said tube (Figure 10, 30; Paragraph [0069]).
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.
Claims 10-11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Danitz et al. (US 20200261720) herein referred to as Danitz.
Regarding Claim 10, Wang discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 13. However, Wang does not explicitly disclose wherein said one or more electrodes of a first polarity comprises a fluid containing electrically-conductive particles injectable by the tube into a target site within a patient.
Danitz discloses a multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system (Figure 1) wherein said one or more electrodes of a first polarity comprises a fluid containing electrically-conductive particles injectable by the tube into a target site within a patient (Paragraph [0074]; wherein tube containing electrodes can inject an electrically conductive fluid into the tissue that’s being treated). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Wang to include the fluid taught by Danitz. The motivation being to extend the applied electric field between the electrodes or extend the applied electric field between the electrode and the tissue to improve electrical contact (Danitz, Paragraph [0074]).
Regarding claim 11, Wang in view of Danitz discloses the multi-electrode energy-delivering treatment system of claim 10. Danitz also discloses an additional electrode of a second polarity delivered to the target site with said fluid (Figure 3B, 305; Paragraph [0074]; wherein electrodes are both within the target site of the fluid). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system taught by Wang to include the second electrode taught by Danitz. The motivation being to extend the applied electric field between the electrodes (Danitz, Paragraph [0074]).
Conclusion
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ALYSSA M. PAPE
Examiner
Art Unit 3794
/JOANNE M RODDEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3794
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