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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-13 and 26 drawn to an analysis system for a translucent bodily fluid in the reply filed on 04/20/2026 is acknowledged.
Preliminary Amendment
The preliminary amendment filed on 08/16/2024 has been entered into this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 08/16/2024 has been entered and considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 08/16/2024, has been accepted for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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) 1-9, 12-13 and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lewis et al. (2015/0362421 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Lewis discloses an analysis system (figs. 1-14) (see abstract) for a translucent bodily fluid, comprising:
a flow chamber is a microfluidic detection cell 20 for the translucent bodily fluid (allowing light to pass through) defining an imaging section therein [pars. 0065-70];
an illumination source is included in a source 16 arranged to provide illumination light to said imaging section window shaft 27 or detection region or a larger single detection area or more than one detection area [par. 0071] that is included in the microfluidic detection cell 20 of said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20 [pars. 0065-70];
an optical sensor a two-dimensional array detector 24 arranged proximate to said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20 and arranged to receive light after passing through said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20, said optical sensor the two-dimensional array detector 24 providing detection signals [pars. 0065-70]; and
a processor a particle characterization subsystem 42 included in a particle characterization system 10 or processor [pars. 0089-90] arranged to communicate with said optical sensor the two-dimensional array detector 24 to receive said detection signals therefrom, wherein said illumination source that included in the source 16 provides at least partially coherent light that is included in a coherent scattering illumination source [pars. 0008-9, 0066] to said imaging section of said flow chamber such that said detection signals correspond to a two-dimensional image by the two-dimensional array detector 24, and wherein said processor the particle characterization subsystem 42 included in a particle characterization system 10 or processor is configured to extract information from said two-dimensional image by the two-dimensional array detector 24 for particles/samples when present within the translucent bodily fluid the allowing light to pass through fluid samples passing through said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20 [pars. 0009-12].
As to claim 2, Lewis also discloses wherein said illumination source that is included in a source 16 comprises a substantially monochromatic light-emitting diode (LED) [par. 0087] and a pinhole aperture stop a window bolt 28 slid into the window shaft 27 [pars. 0068-69] or a single illumination window 94 (although multiple illumination windows and/or multiple illumination sources may also be used) [par. 0106] arranged between said LED (16) and said imaging section of said flow chamber window shaft 27 or detection region or a larger single detection area or more than one detection area [par. 0071] that is included in the microfluidic detection cell 20 [pars. 0067-70].
As to claim 3, Lewis also discloses wherein said illumination source 16 comprises light from a laser [par. 073] is a laser diode directed onto said imaging section of said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20.
As to claim 4, Lewis also discloses wherein said illumination source comprises a plurality of different wavelengths a variety of different spectral characteristics [par. 0066], and each being directed onto said imaging section of said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20.
As to claim 5, Lewis further discloses wherein said imaging section the window shaft 27 or detection region or a larger single detection area or more than one detection area [par. 0071] that is included in the microfluidic detection cell 20 or a window bolt 28 slid into the window shaft 27 [pars. 0068-69] or a single illumination window 94 as can be seen in the depicted drawing 9figs. 1- 2B, and 3) of said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20 defines a substantially rectangular lumen therein that is arranged to have a flat surface oriented substantially orthogonal to illumination light from said illumination source (16), said substantially rectangular lumen being thinner in a thickness direction of light travel therethrough to said optical sensor the two-dimensional array detector 24 than a cross direction that is substantially orthogonal to said direction of light travel therethrough and substantially orthogonal to a direction of flow of the translucent bodily fluid microfluidic through said substantially rectangular lumen [pars. 0065-70].
As to claim 6, Lewis further discloses wherein said information extracted from said two-dimensional image from/by the two-dimensional array detector 24 comprises implicitly at least one of an output of said translucent bodily fluid microfluidic particles, a flow rate of said translucent bodily fluid, a translucence of said translucent bodily fluid [pars. 0005-6, 0029, 0037-39 and 0071].
As to claim 7, Lewis further discloses wherein said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20 further comprises a first end configured to attach to and to be detached from a sipper tube 106 functionally equivalent to a catheter (i.e. rubber or plastic tube) and a second end configured to attach to and to be detached from a fluid collection device pressure source 104 or a multi-well plate 114 or carousel [par. 0108-110].
As to claim 8, Lewis further discloses wherein said flow chamber the microfluidic detection cell 20 is an interchangeable flow chamber that is sample selectable from a reversible pressure source 104 [par. 0110] that is capable of being interchanged while reusing the illumination source (16), optical sensor (24), and processor the particle characterization subsystem 42 included in a particle characterization system 10 or processor [pars. 0089-90].
As to claim 9, Lewis also discloses wherein the interchangeable flow chamber the sample selectable from the reversible pressure source 104 is aligned (i.e. arrangement of components so they function optimally together) with respect to the optical sensor the two-dimensional array detector 24 (see fig. 2A-2B) with the use of (i.e. one of alignment rails and magnets).
As to claims 12-13 and 26, Lewis further discloses a structure that is use in the analysis system that is implementing limitations such as, wherein the translucent (allowing light to pass through) bodily fluid is biological materials, microbiological and cells one of (i.e. urine, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, vitreous humor, pleural effusion, peritoneal lavage, peritoneal dialysate, pericardial fluid, serous fluid, and seminal fluid) (claim 12); and wherein said particles the biological particles comprise at least one of (i.e. bacteria, red blood cells, white blood cells, crystalline particles, urinary casts, bacteria, fungi, parasites, ascites, tumor cells, and birefringent crystals) [pars. 0003, 0005, 0007, 0034] (claim 13); and non-transient, computer a user computer or general-purpose computer platforms executable code which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 13 [pars. 0005, 0090, 0101 and 0117] (claim 26).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-11 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.
As to claim 10, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious wherein said processor is further configured to extract information from said two-dimensional image by performing an adaptive sparse reconstruction, said adaptive sparse reconstruction comprising: receiving the two-dimensional image; and applying an unsupervised learning model to obtain phase retrieval, point spread function (PSF) estimation, and holographic reconstruction, wherein said PSF is a generalized PSF that accounts for two-dimensional imaging through a system, in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim. Claim 11 is/are allowable by virtue of their /its dependency.
Additional Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references listed in the attached form PTO-892 teach of other prior art analysis system for a translucent bodily fluid.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Isiaka Akanbi whose telephone number is (571) 272-8658. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tarifur R. Chowdhury can be reached on (571) 272-2287. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 703-872-9306.
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/ISIAKA O AKANBI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877
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