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 .
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8-9, 11-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moisa (US 2018/0078218).
Regarding claim 1, Moisa teaches a system comprising:
an input-output device system (par. [0125] system 120);
a memory device system storing a program (program as in par. [0117]); and
a data processing device system communicatively connected to the input-output device system and the memory device system (data processing device system 110), the data processing device system configured at least by the program at least to:
cause, via the input-output device system, reception of tissue contact information indicating degrees of tissue contact between various transducers of a plurality of transducers of a transducer-based device and a tissue surface (par. [0146] degree of electrode-to-tissue contact);
cause, based at least on an analysis of the tissue contact information, a machine selection of a machine-selected group of transducers of the plurality of transducers (machine-based selecting as in par. [0229]), the machine selection selecting the machine-selected group of transducers as having each transducer in the machine-selected group of transducers being associated with an indication of contact with the tissue surface based at least on the analysis of the tissue contact information and as having each transducer in the machine-selected group of transducers meeting or exceeding a threshold degree of tissue contact as indicated by the analysis of the tissue contact information (transducers ready for tissue contact identified as in par. [0194]);
cause, via the input-output device system and after the machine selection, reception of user input indicating a user-deselected transducer set (par. [0281]), each transducer in the user-deselected transducer set being a transducer in the machine-selected group of transducers that is to be deselected (par. [0296]), the machine-selected group of transducers excluding the user-deselected transducer set forming a modified selected transducer set (modified to exclude user deselected elements as in par. [0064]); and
cause, via the input-output device system and at least after the machine selection and after the reception of the user input indicating the user-deselected transducer set, activation of the modified selected transducer set (par. [0064]).
Regarding claim 2, Moisa teaches wherein the machine-selected group of transducers consists of some, but not all, of the transducers of the plurality of transducers (as in Fig. 5U).
Regarding claim 3, Moisa is not explicit, but Reinders teaches wherein each transducer of the plurality of transducers meeting or exceeding the threshold degree of tissue contact as indicated by the analysis of the tissue contact information is selected by the machine selection for inclusion in the machine-selected group of transducers (par. [0145]-[0146] electrodes capable of energy sufficient for tissue ablation based in part on degree of electrode-to-tissue contact).
Regarding claim 4, Moisa teaches wherein the activation of the modified selected transducer set comprises concurrent activation of at least two transducers in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0057]).
Regarding claim 5, Moisa teaches wherein the activation of the modified selected transducer set comprises a transmission of energy between at least two transducers in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0253]).
Regarding claim 6, Moisa teaches wherein the energy is configured to cause tissue ablation (par. [0145]).
Regarding claim 8, Moisa teaches wherein the tissue ablation is thermal ablation (par. [0110]).
Regarding claim 9, Moisa teaches wherein the activation of the modified selected transducer set comprises a transmission of energy from each of at least one transducer in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0293]), the energy configured to cause tissue ablation (par. [0145]).
Regarding claim 11, Moisa teaches wherein the tissue ablation is thermal ablation (par. [0110]).
Regarding claim 12, Moisa teaches wherein the activation of the modified selected transducer set comprises causing a sensing of electrophysiological information by each of at least one transducer in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0255] electrophysiological activity detected).
Regarding claim 13, Moisa teaches wherein the plurality of transducers of the transducer-based device are arranged in a spatial distribution (par. [0162]), and wherein at least one transducer of the plurality of transducers is located between the user-deselected transducer set and the modified selected transducer set in the spatial distribution, the at least one transducer not included in the user-deselected transducer set and not included in the modified selected transducer set (sets of selected transducers spaced from each other as in par. [0050]).
Regarding claim 14, Moisa teaches wherein the plurality of transducers of the transducer-based device are arranged in a spatial distribution (par. [0162]), wherein each particular transducer in the modified selected transducer set is located in the spatial distribution adjacently to another transducer in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0053]), and wherein at least a first transducer in the user-deselected transducer set is not located in the spatial distribution adjacently to any transducer in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0053]).
Regarding claim 15, Moisa teaches wherein at least a second transducer in the user-deselected transducer set is located in the spatial distribution adjacently to at least one transducer in the modified selected transducer set (adjacent as in par. [0053]).
Regarding claim 16, Moisa teaches wherein each transducer in the user-deselected transducer set is not located in the spatial distribution adjacently to any transducer in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0053]).
Regarding claim 17, Moisa teaches wherein the transducers in the modified selected transducer set are arranged in a ring-shaped arrangement in the spatial distribution (par. [0140]).
Regarding claim 18, Moisa teaches wherein the transducers in the modified selected transducer set surround, in the spatial distribution, a particular transducer set of the plurality of transducers, each transducer in the particular transducer set not included in the modified selected transducer set (ring selected, which would surround non selected transducers not in the ring as in par. [0140]).
Regarding claim 19, Moisa teaches wherein each transducer in the particular transducer set is not included in the user-deselected transducer set (sets of selected transducers spaced from each other as in par. [0050]).
Regarding claim 20, Moisa teaches wherein the transducers in the modified selected transducer set are arranged in a clustered arrangement in the spatial distribution (Fig. 5U).
Regarding claim 21, Moisa teaches wherein:
the plurality of transducers of the transducer-based device are arranged in a spatial distribution (par. [0050] spatial relationship between transducers),
the user-deselected transducer set is a user-deselected group of transducers (Fig. 5v deselected elements),
the transducers in the modified selected transducer set are arranged in a first particular arrangement in the spatial distribution (par. [0293]), and
the transducers in the user-deselected group of transducers are arranged in a second particular arrangement in the spatial distribution (Figs. 5u and 5v, par. [0296]), the second particular arrangement separated from the first particular arrangement in the spatial distribution (sets of selected transducers spaced from each other as in par. [0050]).
Regarding claim 22, Moisa teaches wherein:
the plurality of transducers of the transducer-based device are arranged in a spatial distribution (par. [0162]),
the user-deselected transducer set is a user-deselected group of transducers (Fig. 5U-V and par. [0293]),
the transducers in the modified selected transducer set are arranged in a first particular arrangement in the spatial distribution (Fig. 5V), and
the transducers in the user-deselected group of transducers are arranged in a second particular arrangement in the spatial distribution (par. [0293]), the second particular arrangement protruding from the first particular arrangement in the spatial distribution (Figs. 5U-V).
Regarding claim 23, Moisa teaches wherein the number of transducers in the user-deselected transducer set is lower than the number of transducers in the modified selected transducer set (par. [0296] may deselect fewer transistors).
Regarding claim 24, Moisa teaches wherein the user-deselected transducer set is a user-deselected group of transducers (par. [0294]).
Regarding claim 25, Moisa teaches wherein the machine-selected group of transducers comprises a first transducer and a second transducer (Fig. 5V), the first transducer having a first degree of tissue contact as indicated by the analysis of the tissue contact information and the second transducer having a second degree of tissue contact as indicated by the analysis of the tissue contact information (par. [0146]), the second degree of tissue contact being greater than the first degree of tissue contact (different levels of contact to determine selection), and wherein the user-deselected transducer set includes the first transducer (Fig. 5U-V).
Regarding claim 26, Moisa teaches wherein the user-deselected transducer set excludes the second transducer (Fig. 5U-V).
Regarding claim 27, Moisa teaches wherein the machine-selected group of transducers comprises a first transducer and a second transducer (Fig. 5V), the first transducer having a first degree of tissue contact as indicated by the analysis of the tissue contact information and the second transducer having a second degree of tissue contact as indicated by the analysis of the tissue contact information (par. [0146]), the second degree of tissue contact being equal to or greater than the first degree of tissue contact (different levels of contact to determine selection), and wherein the user-deselected transducer set includes the second transducer (Fig. 5U-V).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 7 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moisa (US 2018/0078218) in view of Maor (US 2016/0113709).
Regarding claim 7, Moisa is not explicit wherein the tissue ablation is pulsed field ablation.Maor teaches that ablation via pulsed field ablation as in at least par. [0223].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Moisa such that the ablation is pulsed field ablation, as a known type of ablation to ablate cardiac tissue.
Regarding claim 10, Moisa is not explicit wherein the tissue ablation is pulsed field ablation.Maor teaches that ablation via pulsed field ablation as in at least par. [0223].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Moisa such that the ablation is pulsed field ablation, as a known type of ablation to ablate cardiac tissue.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Reinders (US 2019/0269367) teaches selecting transducers in cardiac treatment.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BO OUYANG whose telephone number is (571)272-8831. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joanne Rodden can be reached at 303-297-4276. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BO OUYANG/Examiner, Art Unit 3794
/MICHAEL F PEFFLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3794
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