DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Specification
The specification is objected to because of the following informalities:
The specification does not disclose filtering, by the instrumentation controller, the temperature data from the sample wells to remove noise and improve measurement accuracy, as recited in claim 46. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 31, 43, 44, 46, and 48 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 31, “in” should be changed to --of-- in line 7; and there is no relationship between the “temperature difference” recited in line 15 with the temperature data used for generating a thermal profile recited in lines 16-17.
In claims 43 and 44, “heating” should be changed to --the heat-- in line 1, respectively (it is not clear if the claimed ‘heating’ is referring to the heat applied in the step recited in lines 7-8 of base claim 31).
In claim 46, --the-- should be added before “temperature data” in line 2 (it is not clear if the ‘temperature data’ recited in line 2 is referring to the ‘temperature data’ recited in line 12 of base claim 31); and the specification does not disclose “filtering, by the instrumentation controller, temperature data from the sample wells to remove noise and improve measurement accuracy.”
In claim 48, --the-- should be added before “temperature data” in line 2 (it is not clear if the ‘temperature data’ recited in line 2 is referring to the ‘temperature data’ recited in line 12 of base claim 31).
Appropriate correction is required.
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 31-57 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 31, it is not clear if the “temperature data” recited in lines 12 and 17 is referring to the temperatures recited in lines 9-11.
In claim 47, it is not clear if the “thermal data” recited in line 2 is referring to the temperature data recited in lines 12 and 17 of base claim 31.
In claim 54, there is lack of antecedent basis in the claim for a pressure being applied to each sample well, as stated by “the pressure” in line 1.
Claims 32-46, 48-53, and 55-57 are rejected for being dependent on a rejected base claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 31-57 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, and the objections set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not disclose or suggest the following in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims:
A method for conducting thermal measurements of multiple samples with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) system, the DSC system including a DSC and an instrumentation controller that is communicatively coupled to the DSC, the method comprising monitoring, by the DSC, a temperature in each sample well using associated temperature sensors, in which temperatures of the plurality of sample wells are monitored contemporaneously; determining, by a processor within the instrumentation controller, a temperature difference between any two or more sample wells; and generating, by the instrumentation controller, a thermal profile based on the temperature data (claim 31).
Conclusion
The references made of record and not relied upon by the examiner (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0145273 to Atwood et al [closest art] disclosing a DSC with a cartridge; U.S. Patent 6,859,271 to Carney et al disclosing an automatic DSC sampler; and U.S. Patent 6,036,920 to Pantoliano et al disclosing a cartridge for calorimetry) are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, but do not disclose the allowable subject matter stated above.
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/MIRELLYS JAGAN/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
8/18/26
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