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 1-14 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.
In claim 1, line 3, “the electrical input” has no prior antecedent basis. It appears that “the” should be changed to –a--.
In claim 1, lines 15 and 16, “and target contaminants inside the tooth including the root canal is removed” is unclear. It appears that this should be amended to read –and target contaminants inside a tooth including the root canal which are removed--.
In claim 1, line 17, “on a tooth” is unclear if this is referring to the tooth in line 16. It appears that “a” should be –the--.
In claim 5, lines 3 and 4, “the ultrasonic waves” has no prior antecedent basis.
In claim 6, line 3, “the cross section” has no prior antecedent basis and is unclear as to which cross section is being referred to.
In claim 11, lines 3 and 4, “the ultrasonic waves” has no prior antecedent basis.
In claim 12, line 3, “the cross section” has no prior antecedent basis and is unclear as to which cross section is being referred to.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The claims in this application have not been rejected with prior art because the prior art of record does not disclose a root canal cleaning device comprising all of the elements in claim 1. The closest prior art of record appears to be the reference to Khakpour et al 20210386532, which shows a tooth cleaning device that utilizes pressure waves in a medium to clean a tooth/root canal, but does not disclose ultrasonic acoustic pressure applied to a coolant, and then transferred to a cleaning solution including a degassed liquid to generate vapor bubbles in the cleaning solution so that both the cleaning solution and vapor bubbles target and remove contaminants in the tooth and root canal.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS D LUCCHESI whose telephone number is (571)272-4977. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 800-430.
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, Eric Rosen can be reached at 571-270-7855. 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 (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NICHOLAS D LUCCHESI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3772