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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group III in the reply filed on 09/14/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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) 123-127 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Collinson et al (US 2014/0316359).
Regarding Claim 123, Collinson discloses a wound dressing apparatus (Fig. 5A) comprising:
a wound dressing (500, Fig. 5A) configured to be positioned over a wound (¶ [0096-0097]), the wound dressing (500, Fig. 5A) comprising:
a cover layer (510, Fig. 5A; ¶ [0091]); and
an absorbent layer (combination of main portion 520, bridge portion 530, and additional portion 540, Fig. 5A; ¶ [0091]) having a shape comprising two elongate portions (the combination of main portion 520 and bridge portion 530 is the first elongate portion, and additional portion 540 is the second elongate portion) arranged at an angle to one another (since the bridge portion 530 intersects the additional portion 540, the first elongate portion is at a 90 degree angle/perpendicular to the second elongate portion);
wherein the cover layer (510, Fig. 5A) overlaps the absorbent layer (520, 530, and 540, Fig. 5A; ¶ [0091-0092]) and the cover layer (510, Fig. 5A) has a quadrilateral shaped periphery (as seen in Fig. 5A).
Regarding Claim 124, Collinson discloses the cover layer (510, Fig. 5A) comprising a first wound facing side and an opposite second side, wherein the absorbent layer (520, 530, and 540, Fig. 5A) is on the first side of the cover layer (510, Fig. 5A; ¶ [0091-0092] indicates the backing layer and the wound contact layer create an enclosed chamber for the absorbent layer, and therefore the absorbent layer would be on the wound facing side of the cover layer).
Regarding Claim 125, Collinson discloses the absorbent layer (520, 530, and 540, Fig. 5A) comprising a first wound facing side and an opposite second side; and further comprising a second dressing layer on the first side of the absorbent layer (520, 530, and 540, Fig. 5A), the second dressing layer comprising a transmission layer (¶ [0006, 0062-0063, 0093]; a transmission layer can be present under the absorbent layer to draw wound exudate away from the wound site and into the absorbent layer, and therefore the transmission layer will be on the wound facing side of the absorbent layer).
Regarding Claim 126, Collinson discloses the second dressing layer comprising a first wound facing side and an opposite second side; further comprising a third dressing layer on the first side of the second dressing layer, the third dressing layer comprising a wound contact layer (¶ [0092-0093]; the backing layer and wound contact layer create an enclosed chamber for the absorbent layer and any other layers of the dressing; since the wound contact layer forms the bottom of the enclosed chamber it would be on the wound facing side of the transmission layer).
Regarding Claim 127, Collinson discloses a lower layer comprising an adhesive configured to adhere the dressing to the skin (¶ [0092-0093] indicates the dressing 500 can have a wound contact layer; ¶ [0076-0077] indicate the wound dressing of Fig. 4A can have a wound contact layer with a lower adhesive layer to adhere the dressing to the patient’s skin, and ¶ [0076] indicates that the construction of the layers of the dressing of 4A can be applied to the embodiment of dressing 5A).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jessica Arble whose telephone number is (571)272-0544. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM.
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/JESSICA ARBLE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3781
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