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 .
Claims 1-16 of U.S. Application 19/013,890 filed on January 08, 2025 are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/04/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
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.
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 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.
Claims 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being unpatentable over Sun et al (USPGPub 20210313161).
Regarding claim 12, Sun discloses an ion mobility analysis method (using 104), comprising: an ion filtering step of filtering (abstract discloses a filter mode), by a first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer (par 47 discloses U-shaped) configured in a filter mode (par 47 discloses operating in a filter mode), target ions having ion mobility within a target mobility range from an ion beam (par 11 discloses an ion beam); an ion dissociation step (using 108) of receiving and dissociating the target ions filtered by the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer to obtain fragment ions corresponding to the target ions (par 7 discloses obtaining dissociated ions); and a fragment ion analysis step of performing ion mobility analysis on the fragment ions (par 65 discloses the dissociation device can be a host of fragment devices. Therefore, would fragment ions after dissociation).
Regarding claim 13, Gilling discloses wherein the fragment ion analysis step is performed by a second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer (par 15 discloses second collection of data from the dissociation device).
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 of this title, 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.
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 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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilling et al (US Pat No 10739308) in view of Sun et al (USPGPub 20210313161).
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Prior Art: Gilling
Regarding claim 1, Gilling discloses a tandem a-shaped ion mobility spectrometer (shown in figs 1-4B), comprising: a first U-shaped (shown in figs 1-4B and col 8 lines 22-25 discloses U-shaped ions. Therefore a u-shaped analyzer) ion mobility analyzer (using 8 and 9) and including a first channel (top of 8) and a second channel (between 8 and 9), the first channel being provided with a first ion inlet (shown in 2B), and the second channel being provided with a first ion outlet (shown as the way current flows); a second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer(using 10 and 11) including a third channel (between 9and 10) and a fourth channel (between 10 and 11), the third channel being provided with a second ion inlet (as shown in figs 2B as ions flows from first analyzer to second), the fourth channel being provided with a second ion outlet( as shown as the way the ions flow), and the second ion inlet being disposed corresponding to the first ion outlet (shown in figs 2B and 4B); a gas flow supply unit (using 4 and 5) configured to supply gas flow to the first channel, the second channel, the third channel, and the fourth channel (shown in figs 2B-4B); a power supply (col 7 lines 20-50 discloses applying an electric field. Therefore, a power supply) electrically connected to the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer and the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer and configured to apply an electric field force to ions in the first channel, the second channel, the third channel, and the fourth channel, the electric field force having a direction opposite to a direction of a force of the gas flow acting on the ions (shown in figs 1-4B as electric field having directions opposite of the gas). Gilling does not fully disclose configured to operate in a filter mode and an ion dissociation device configured to receive and dissociate ions from the first U- shaped ion mobility analyzer and release fragment ions generated by the dissociation device to the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer.
However, Sun discloses configured to operate in a filter mode (abstract and par 47 discloses operating in a filter mode) and an ion dissociation device (108) configured to receive and dissociate ions from the first U- shaped ion mobility analyzer (106) and release fragment ions generated by the dissociation device to the second U-shaped ion mobility (110) analyzer (par 95 discloses the dissociation device passing ions from the first analyzer to the second analyzer).It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gilling in view of Sun in order to improve the dynamic range of mass spectrometry analysis (Sun abstract).
Regarding claim 2, Gilling discloses a wherein the first channel, the second channel, the third channel and the fourth channel are disposed side by side in parallel to each other, and a path of the gas flow generated by the gas flow supply unit includes four gas flow sub- paths along respectively the first channel, the second channel, the third channel and the fourth channel (shown in in figs 1-4B as multiple channels and flow paths are side by side).
Regarding claim 3, Gilling discloses wherein a path of the gas flow generated by the gas flow supply unit includes a gas flow path passing through both the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer and the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer (abstract and figs 1-4B discloses being multiple channels and flow path).
Regarding claim 4, Gilling discloses wherein the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer includes a first ion through path from the first ion inlet to the first ion outlet, the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer includes a second ion through path from the second ion inlet to the second ion outlet, and the first ion through path and the second ion through path are disposed correspondingly to form an ion through path, and the second channel and the third channel are respectively disposed on two sides of the ion through path, and are collinearly butted end-to-end along a length direction (shown in figs 1-4B as being collinear and butted end to end).
Regarding claim 6, Gilling does not fully disclose wherein the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer operates in a filter mode.
However, Sun discloses wherein the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer operates in a filter mode (par 86 discloses the second analyzer operates in filter mode). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gilling in view of Sun in order to improve the dynamic range of mass spectrometry analysis (Sun abstract).
Regarding claim 9, Gilling does not fully disclose wherein the ion dissociation device dissociates ions in a target region, and the target region is disposed between the first ion outlet and the second ion inlet.
However, Sun discloses wherein the ion dissociation device dissociates ions in a target region, and the target region is disposed between the first ion outlet and the second ion inlet (par 11 discloses ions in a stage. Therefore, a region would be between first and second inlets). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gilling in view of Sun in order to determine mobility in a sample.
Regarding claim 10, Gilling does not fully disclose wherein the ion dissociation device is one or more of a collision-induced dissociation device, an electron dissociation device, a free radical dissociation device, and a migratory dissociation device.
However, Sun discloses wherein the ion dissociation device is one or more of a collision-induced dissociation device, an electron dissociation device, a free radical dissociation device, and a migratory dissociation device (par 59 discloses at least CID). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gilling in view of Sun because it is known in the art as an efficient way to measure ions.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilling et al (US Pat No 10739308) in view of Sun et al (USPGPub 20210313161) in further view of Park et al (USPGPub 20190265195).
Regarding claim 5, Gilling in view of Sun does not fully disclose a housing including a first chamber, a second chamber and a gas flow guiding portion, wherein the first chamber covers an outer surface of the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, and has one end provided with a gas flow inlet, and the other end in communication with the gas flow guiding portion, and a first through hole is provided in the first chamber at a position corresponding to the first ion outlet, and the second chamber covers an outer surface of the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, and has one end provided with a gas flow outlet, and the other end in communication with the gas flow guiding portion, and a second through hole is provided in the second chamber at a position corresponding to the second ion inlet.
However, Park discloses a housing (using 604c) including a first chamber, a second chamber and a gas flow guiding portion, wherein the first chamber covers an outer surface of the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, and has one end provided with a gas flow inlet, and the other end in communication with the gas flow guiding portion, and a first through hole is provided in the first chamber at a position corresponding to the first ion outlet, and the second chamber covers an outer surface of the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, and has one end provided with a gas flow outlet, and the other end in communication with the gas flow guiding portion, and a second through hole is provided in the second chamber at a position corresponding to the second ion inlet (par 102 discloses having housing for the gas). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gilling in view of Sun in further view of Park because it is known to protect the circuitry.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 8, and 14-16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest a tandem U-shaped ion mobility spectrometer, comprising: wherein the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer is configured in a filter-selected ion monitoring mode, and the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer is configured in a filter-scan mode in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 8, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest a tandem U-shaped ion mobility spectrometer, comprising: wherein both the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer and the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer are configured in a filter-selected ion monitoring mode in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest an ion mobility analysis method, comprising: wherein the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer is configured in a filter-selected ion monitoring mode, and the second U- shaped ion mobility analyzer is configured in a filter-scan mode in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 15, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest an ion mobility analysis method, comprising: wherein both the first U- shaped ion mobility analyzer and the second U-shaped ion mobility analyzer are configured in a filter-selected ion monitoring mode in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest an ion mobility analysis method, comprising: wherein the fragment ion analysis step is performed by the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, and an ion dissociation device performing the ion dissociation step is disposed between two ion through ports of the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, in the ion filtering step, the target ions are stored in a second channel of the first U- shaped ion mobility analyzer, in the ion dissociation step, the target ions stored in the second channel are dissociated to obtain the fragment ions when passing through the ion through ports, and the fragment ions are transferred back to a first channel of the first U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, and in the fragment ion analysis step, the ion mobility analysis is performed on the fragment ions by causing the fragment ions to pass through a specified path sequentially from the first channel to the second channel in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Reasons for Allowance
Claim 11 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 11, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest a U-shaped ion mobility analyzer, comprising: the power supply is configured to apply an electric field such that: in a first time period, the U-shaped ion mobility analyzer is configured in a filter mode, and stores target ions obtained by the filtering in the second channel, in a second time period after the first time period, the target ions stored in the second channel is dissociated by the ion dissociation device to obtain fragment ions, and the fragment ions are transferred back to the first channel, and in a third time period after the second time period, ion mobility analysis is performed on the fragment ions by causing the fragment ions to pass through a specified path sequentially from the first channel, the ion transfer port, the second channel, to the ion outlet in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Okumura et al (USPGPub 20090184241): discloses tandem ion mobility spectrometer.
Jarrold et al (USPGPub 20200357626): discloses linear ion traps with ion inlets and outlets.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOMINIC E HAWKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-2647. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:00pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached at (571) 272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DOMINIC E HAWKINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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