CTNF 18/808,315 CTNF 88743 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. Election/Restrictions 08-25-01 AIA Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 21-27) in the reply filed on 14 May 2026 is acknowledged. 12-151 AIA 26-51 12-51 Status of Claims Claims 21-34 are pending; clams 28-34 have been withdrawn; and claims 21-27 currently are under consideration for patentability. Information Disclosure Statement The Information Disclosure Statement submitted on 18 November 2024 has been acknowledged and considered by the Examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-20-02-aia AIA This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 21-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bonde et al. (US 2008/0269763 A1) in view of Farquhar et al. (US 2007/0016097 A1) . Regarding claim 21, Bonde describes contained stimulation system 116, comprising a housing 118 a plurality of electrodes (124A, 124B) supported on the housing an electronics assembly 120 disposed within the housing, the electronics assembly including a power source 122 a controller having a processor ([0092), the processor configured to execute instructions to generate a stimulation signal to stimulate a patient with at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes with energy from the power source ([0092], similar to stimulator 14A as described in [0042]) wherein the housing is configured to be placed adjacent a nerve of a patient ([0092] - [0093]) Regarding claim 21, Bonde does not explicitly disclose wherein each electrode of the plurality of electrodes is positioned about 90 degrees relative to the remaining electrodes of the plurality of electrodes on the housing. However, Farquhar also describes a stimulation system configured to be placed adjacent a nerve of a patient ([0005]), including electrodes positioned about 90 degrees relative to each other ([0006], [0062]; figures 14A-B, electrodes 1402A-D). As Farquhar is also directed towards nerve stimulation systems and is in a similar field of endeavor, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to incorporate orthogonally-disposed stimulation electrode similar to those described by Farquhar when using the system described by Bonde, as doing so advantageously allows the resulting system to better target a particular nerve of interest. Regarding claim 22, Farquhar describes wherein at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes is formed in contact with housing (figure 14A, planar electrodes 1402A-C) and at least another electrode of the plurality of electrodes is formed a distance from the housing (figure 14A, cannula electrode 1404). Regarding claim 23, Farquhar describes wherein at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes is flat (figure 14A, planar electrodes 1402A-C). Regarding claim 24, Bonde describes wherein the housing is overmolded with the plurality of electrodes ([0057], [0074], the housing may be constructed of molded plastic; figure 11 depicts the electrodes integrated with the housing). Regarding claim 25, Bonde describes wherein at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes is formed into the housing (figure 11). Regarding claim 26, Bonde describes a protrusion extending from a surface of the housing, the protrusion configured to engage the patient and stabilize a position of the housing ([0092], housing may contain a fixation mechanism similar to tines 112 as shown in figure 10 in order to stabilize the position of the housing). Regarding claim 27, Bonde describes wherein the housing defines a passage configured to receive a suture or other grasping portion to facilitate removal of the housing relative to the patient ([0089], [0092]). Statement on Communication via Internet Communications via Internet e-mail are at the discretion of the applicant. Without a written authorization by applicant in place, the USPTO will not respond via Internet e-mail to any Internet correspondence which contains information subject to the confidentiality requirement as set forth in 35 U.S.C. 122. Where a written authorization is given by the applicant, communications via Internet e-mail, other than those under 35 U.S.C. 132 or which otherwise require a signature, may be used. USPTO employees are NOT permitted to initiate communications with applicants via Internet e-mail unless there is a written authorization of record in the patent application by the applicant. The following is a sample authorization form which may be used by applicant: “Recognizing that Internet communications are not secure, I hereby authorize the USPTO to communicate with the undersigned and practitioners in accordance with 37 CFR 1.33 and 37 CFR 1.34 concerning any subject matter of this application by video conferencing, instant messaging, or electronic mail. I understand that a copy of these communications will be made of record in the application file.” Please refer to MPEP 502.03 for guidance on Communications via Internet. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to Ankit D. Tejani, whose telephone number is 571-272-5140. The Examiner may normally be reached on Monday through Friday, 8:30AM through 5:00PM EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Carl Layno, can be reached by telephone at 571-272-4949. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (in USA or Canada) or 571-272-1000. /Ankit D Tejani/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3796 Application/Control Number: 18/808,315 Page 2 Art Unit: 3796 Application/Control Number: 18/808,315 Page 3 Art Unit: 3796 Application/Control Number: 18/808,315 Page 4 Art Unit: 3796 Application/Control Number: 18/808,315 Page 5 Art Unit: 3796 Application/Control Number: 18/808,315 Page 6 Art Unit: 3796 Application/Control Number: 18/808,315 Page 7 Art Unit: 3796
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