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.
Claims 1-6 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.
AS to the claim 1, the claim further recites “an enclosure configured to house at least a multi-angle light scattering instrument comprising a read head”.
However, it is not clear whether the applicant tries to claim the multiangle light scattering instrument comprising a read head or it is claimed as a part of intended use of the enclosure (i.e., currently, multiangle light scattering instrument comprising a read head are not positively claimed structure).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
For the examination purposes, it would be interpreted as the claim does not require to have “multiangle light scattering instrument comprising a read head”.
Clarification of above recited limitations are required.
Claims 2-6 have been rejected also based upon their dependencies.
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 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Graham et al. (US 20160011098 hereinafter Graham).
As to claim 1, Graham teaches a skid (examiner’s notes: a skid was understood as a chemical injection skid) attachment (optical and physical arms directed to 62, 70, 85 LSD1 and LSD3, P1-P6 etc.in FIG.3) comprising:
a plurality of arms (physical and optical arms directed to 62, 70, 85 LSD1 and LSD3, P1-P6 etc.) connected to an enclosure (dumbbell shape outside of T or 18 in FIG. 3) configured to house at least a multi-angle light scattering instrument ([0071] and [0085]) comprising a read head ([0083] electrodes 34 and 35 is for reading the signal, and is internal as described in “[0083] As shown in FIG. 3, within the interior chambers in cap elements 34 and 35 are respective internal electrodes 40 and 38 that are operationally connected to a DC/RF circuit 41. Materials for electrodes, and electrode extensions through the walls of said chambers in cap elements 34 and 35 to form operative connections with DC/RF circuit 41” so the electrodes are working as a read head for the system.”, and the examiner interpret a read head as ‘That part of several electromechanical devices that converts digital or analog information stored on a magnetic or optical medium into electrical signals’ from yourdictionary.com).
As to claim 2, Graham teaches the skid attachment of claim 1.
Graham further teaches the plurality of arms comprise at least four arms (arms directed to 62, 70, 85 LSD1 and LSD3, P1-P6 etc.).
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Graham in view of Phillips et al. (US 4616927 hereinafter Phillips).
As to claim 3, Graham teaches the skid attachment of claim 2.
Graham further teaches the plurality of arms comprise at least two sets of arms wherein each of the at least two sets of arms comprise two arms (there are at least 4 arms in FIG.3)
However, Graham does not explicitly disclose, two arms connected to an enclosure holder configured to be connected to the enclosure.
Phillips teaches two arms (7 and 6 in each side) connected to an enclosure holder (3) configured to be connected to the enclosure (FIGURE 2)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the attachment of Graham by having the plurality of arms comprise at least two sets of arms, wherein each of the at least two sets of arms comprise two arms connected to an enclosure holder configured to be connected to the enclosure for the benefit including secure and protected positioning of connected parts.
As to claim 4, Graham when it modified by Phillips teaches the skid attachment of claim 3.
However, Graham does not explicitly disclose, the enclosure being configured to be connected to a skid via the plurality of arms.
Phillips teaches the enclosure (3) being configured to be connected to a skid (9) via the plurality of arms (7 and 6 in each side) (FIGURE 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the attachment of Graham by having the enclosure being configured to be connected to a skid via the plurality of arms for the benefit of using a conventional way of connecting tubing from one side of enclosure to the other side.
As to claim 5, Graham when it modified by Phillips teaches the skid attachment of claim 4.
Graham further teaches the skid is configured to house chemical processing equipment (16 in FIG. 3).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Graham in view of Phillips and in further view of Janik et al. (US 5404217 hereinafter Janik).
As to claim 6, Graham when it modified by Phillips teaches the skid attachment of claim 4 and connecting the plurality of arms and the enclosure to the skid as in the claim 4.
However, Graham does not explicitly disclose at least two pins are configured to couple together the at least two sets of arms.
Janik teaches at least two pins (39 and 41 in Fig. 1) are configured to couple together the at least two sets of arms (abstract and Fig.1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the attachment of Graham by having at least two pins are configured to couple together the at least two sets of arms for the benefit of utilizing a conventional compact and secure connection method.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUNGHEE Y GRAY whose telephone number is (571)270-3211. The examiner can normally be reached on T-R, 8:00 am-4:00 pm and F 8 :00 to 2:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kara Geisel can be reached on (571) 272-2416. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-270-4211.
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/SUNGHEE Y GRAY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2886