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 § 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 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by:
Chae et al. (US 20210290116 A1) (disclosed by Applicant) (hereinafter – Chae).
Re. Claim 1: Chae teaches a body-attachable unit configured to be attached to and inserted into a body for measuring biometric information (Paragraph 0020: “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a body attachable unit for continuous glucose measurement…”),
the body-attachable unit comprising:
a housing formed so that a bottom surface is configured to be attached to skin (Paragraph 0020: “…the body attachable unit may comprise: a housing, wherein a bottom surface of the housing is to contact a skin…”);
a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate, which is disposed in the housing (Paragraph 0020: “…a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed inside the housing…”),
with a plurality of electrical contacts formed to protrude from a surface of the PCB substrate (Paragraph 0020: “… electric contact points protruding toward the other end portion of the sensor unit and configured to be contactable with the other end portion of the sensor unit are disposed at the PCB…;” Paragraph 0024: “Additionally, the electric contact points of the PCB may elastically protrude from the PCB and may be configured to be elastically transformable”); and
a sensor member comprising
a sensor body part disposed in the housing (Paragraph 0069: “The sensor unit (520) may comprise a sensor probe unit (521) to be inserted into the human body, and a sensor body unit (522) disposed inside the housing (510)”)
and a sensor probe part formed and extended from a side of the sensor body part to protrude outward from the bottom surface of the housing and configured to be inserted into the skin if the housing is attached to the skin (Paragraph 0123: “… one end portion of the sensor unit (520) externally protrudes from the bottom side of the housing (10) and is inserted into the human body when the housing (510) is attached to the skin… ”),
wherein at least one of the plurality of electrical contacts is formed to make contact with the sensor body part to support the sensor body part (Paragraph 0147: “If the protruding height of at least one of the plurality of electric contact points (531) is higher that the rest of the electric contact points (531) as described above, only the electric contact point (531) having the highest protruding height may contact the sensor body unit (522) and the other electric contact points (531) may maintain a separation state from the sensor body nit (522). This is because the highest protruding contact point (531) can perform the function of upwardly supporting the sensor body unit (522)”),
remaining of the plurality of electrical contacts are formed to be spaced apart from the sensor body part (see previous citation of Paragraph 0147: particularly, “…the other electric contact points (531) may maintain a separation state from the sensor body nit (522)…”), and
the sensor body part is to make contact with all of the plurality of electrical contacts by manipulation by a user (Paragraph 0128: “…the sensor body unit (522), is contacted to the electrical contact point (531) of the PCB board (530) by the manipulation or operation of the user...”).
Re. Claim 2: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 1, and further teaches the invention further comprising a pressing operation module coupled to the housing to be operated by manipulation by the user and configured to press the sensor body part so that the sensor body part makes contact with all of the plurality of electrical contacts (Paragraph 0129: “The housing (510) may have a separate pressurizing operation module (570) activated by the operation of the user to connect the other end portion of the sensor unit (520) and the electrical contact point (531) of the PCB board (530) by the operation of the user”).
Re. Claim 3: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 2, and further teaches the invention wherein the sensor body part is transformed by pressing of the pressing operation module to make contact with all of the plurality of electrical contacts (Paragraph 0150: “When the plurality of electric contact points (531) have different protruding heights from each other, the pressurizing operation module (570) may need to be formed so that the movement distance of the movable pressurizing body (571) can be greater than the separation distance between the lowest protruding electric contact point (531) among the plurality of the electric contact points (531) and the sensor body unit (522)”).
Re. Claim 2: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 3, and further teaches the invention wherein an electrical contact that makes contact with the sensor body part to support the sensor body part among the electrical contacts is elastically transformed while maintaining a state of making contact with the sensor body part as the sensor body part is transformed by the pressing operation module
(Paragraph 0147: “If the protruding height of at least one of the plurality of electric contact points (531) is higher that the rest of the electric contact points (531) as described above, only the electric contact point (531) having the highest protruding height may contact the sensor body unit (522) and the other electric contact points (531) may maintain a separation state from the sensor body nit (522). This is because the highest protruding contact point (531) can perform the function of upwardly supporting the sensor body unit (522). In this embodiment, the plurality of electric contact points (531) may be configured to elastically transformable and be formed to elastically protruding from the PCB board (530), and such an elastic force may perform the desired function of support and contact associated with the sensor body unit (522);” Fig. 34).
Re. Claim 5: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 1, and further teaches the invention wherein the electrical contacts are formed to elastically protrude from the PCB substrate in an elastically transformable shape (Paragraph 0154: “Specifically, the electric contact point (531) of the PCB board (530) is formed to elastically protrude in a direction that the electric contact point (531) can contact the sensor body unit (522)…”).
Re. Claim 6: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 5, and further teaches the invention wherein an electrical contact that makes contact with the sensor body part to support the sensor body part among the electrical contacts is formed to have a protrusion height from the PCB substrate higher than those of the remaining of the plurality of electrical contacts (Paragraph 0147: “If the protruding height of at least one of the plurality of electric contact points (531) is higher that the rest of the electric contact points (531) as described above, only the electric contact point (531) having the highest protruding height may contact the sensor body unit (522) and the other electric contact points (531) may maintain a separation state from the sensor body nit (522). This is because the highest protruding contact point (531) can perform the function of upwardly supporting the sensor body unit (522)”).
Re. Claim 7: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 1, and further teaches the invention Claim 7 differs in reciting “wherein a sensor support member is formed to protrude from the PCB substrate to make contact with the sensor body part and configured to support the sensor body part so that the sensor body part is spaced apart from the electrical contacts, and…”
This limitation is still taught by Chae since an electrical contact may perform an equivalent function to a “sensor support member” (Paragraph 0147: “If the protruding height of at least one of the plurality of electric contact points (531) is higher that the rest of the electric contact points (531) as described above, only the electric contact point (531) having the highest protruding height may contact the sensor body unit (522) and the other electric contact points (531) may maintain a separation state from the sensor body nit (522). This is because the highest protruding contact point (531) can perform the function of upwardly supporting the sensor body unit (522)”).
Re. Claim 8: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 7. Claim 8 recites limitations mutatis mutandis to those of claim 5, and is rejected analogously.
Re. Claim 9: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 8. Claim 9 recites limitations encompassed by citations of claim 6, and is rejected analogously.
Re. Claim 10: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 7. Claim 10 recites a combination of limitations mutatis mutandis to those of claims 2 and 3, and is rejected analogously.
Re. Claim 11: Chae teaches the invention according to claim 10. Claim 11 recites limitations encompassed by citations of claim 4, and is rejected analogously. See interpretation of “sensor support member” in the rejection of claim 7.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
U.S. Patent No. 12/402,814 B2
U.S. Patent No. 12/207,921 B2
U.S. Application No. 18/924,661
The patents and application above each recite similar limitations to the present application, differing substantively in reciting:
“wherein at least one of the plurality of electrical contacts is formed to make contact with the sensor body part to support the sensor body part” as in claim 1, or
“wherein a sensor support member is formed to protrude from the PCB substrate to make contact with the sensor body part and configured to support the sensor body part so that the sensor body part is spaced apart from the electrical contacts…” as in claim 7.
While each of these limitations may be taught in dependent claims of the cited references, their dependency is not identical to what is recited in the independent claims of the present application; additionally, it is not obvious to modify any of the above references with a teaching to include the specific sensor support members claimed.
Thus, a double patenting rejection is not presented; however, Examiner notes that should Applicant amend, any prior art documents cited against the listed patents and application may suitably be used to teach the limitations which are encompassed by the patents and application (pending amendment).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN XU whose telephone number is (571)272-6617. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander Valvis can be reached at (571) 272-4233. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN XU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3791
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