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 .
Response to Amendment
This action is in response to the remarks filed on 3/23/2026. The amendments filed on 3/23/2026 are entered.
The previous rejections of claims 1-15 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) have been withdrawn in light of the applicant’s remarks/amendments.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corl (U.S. Pub. No. 20160029999) hereinafter Corl, in view of Wang, Y., (“Optimizing the Beam Pattern of a Forward-Viewing Ring-Annular Ultrasound Array for Intravascular Imaging,” IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control. Vol 49(12), 2002. P. 1652-1664) hereinafter Wang (see attached NPL reference of the office action of 12/23/2025 for citations).
Regarding claim 1, primary reference Corl teaches:
A medical device for insertion into a patient (abstract; [0003]), the medical device comprising:
a lumen body delimiting a lumen, and having a distal portion ([0050]-[0057], figures 4-6, include the lumen region 408 with a distal portion (transducer region 304, figure 6) being the end portion comprising a carrier mounting the ultrasound transducers) and
further comprising a carrier (figure 3, [0044]-[0047], flex circuit 314 forms a carrier in which the ultrasound transducers 312 are mounted; see also [0050]-[0057]),
carrying an ultrasound transducer arrangement where the ultrasound transducer arrangement is forward-facing and mounted on a distal forward facing edge of said lumen body at said distal portion such that the ultrasound transducer arrangement is positioned around an exit port of the lumen ([0050]-[0057], figures 3 and 4-6, include the lumen region 408 with a distal portion (transducer region 304, figure 6) being the end portion comprising a carrier mounting the ultrasound transducers on a forward facing edge of the lumen body at the distal portion of the device as in figure 6. This forms a “forward-facing” transducer arrangement at the distal end of the device and directed forward out of the distal region. Examiner notes that this limitation is not considered to be required to limit to forward directionality of the transmission and reception of ultrasound signals. As shown in figures 3 and 5, ultrasound transducers are positioned around the lumen region 408 and are forward facing edge of the cylinder; [0051] and [0064], lumen region 408 of figure 5 provides for an exit port of the lumen configured to receive a guidewire; see also [0034]-[0040] and [0044]-[0047]).
Primary reference Corl is silent upon teaching:
An annular ultrasound transducer
And configured such that all ultrasound transducers of the annular ultrasound transducer arrangement transmit and/or receive ultrasound in a forward direction relative to a central axis of the lumen body.
However, the analogous art of Wang of an ultrasound array for interventional intravascular imaging (abstract) teaches:
An annular ultrasound transducer (page 1654, col 1, paragraph 2 and figure 3, “ring-annular array” forms an annular ultrasound transducer; pages 1654-1656, and figure 5, ring annular transducer; figure 1)
And configured such that all ultrasound transducers of the annular ultrasound transducer arrangement transmit and/or receive ultrasound in a forward direction relative to a central axis of the lumen body (page 1653 through page 1654, col 1, paragraph 2 and figures 2-3, “ring-annular array” forms an annular ultrasound transducer in which all of the transducers include elements that simultaneously provide ultrasound transmission and reception in both forward and side facing directions. Since each element provides forward direction imaging, this teaches to the “all transducers” limitation as claimed; pages 1654-1656, and figure 5, ring annular transducer; figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl to incorporate the annular ultrasound transducer as taught by Wang because the use of a forward viewing annular transducer enables higher image quality of an imaged object, such as a lesion, without having to cross or disturb it (Wang, page 1652, col 2, paragraphs 2-3). This leads to more efficient procedures, with a reduced chance of side effects and greater flexibility with traversing spaces with sever stenosis or total occlusion.
Regarding claim 2, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the annular ultrasound transducer arrangement comprises a plurality of ultrasound transducers spatially distributed around the lumen ([0050]-[0057], figures 3 and 4-6, include the lumen region 408 with a distal portion (transducer region 304, figure 6) being the end portion comprising a carrier mounting the ultrasound transducers 312 spatially distributed around the lumen (figure 5). See also [0034]-[0040] and [0044]-[0047]).
Regarding claim 3, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 2. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the ultrasound transducers are individually addressable ([0044]-[0047], ultrasound transducers 312 of the ultrasound array are PMUTs in which drive signals can select one or more of the transducers individually to emit ultrasound and receive the reflected echo; see also figures 3 and 4-6 and [0056]).
Regarding claim 7, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
wherein the carrier comprises an annular ring carrying the ultrasound transducer arrangement
However, the analogous art of Wang of an ultrasound array for interventional intravascular imaging (abstract) teaches:
wherein the carrier comprises an annular ring carrying the ultrasound transducer arrangement (page 1654, col 1, paragraph 2 and figure 3, “ring-annular array” forms an annular ultrasound transducer; pages 1654-1656, and figure 5, ring annular transducer)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl and Wang to incorporate the annular ultrasound transducer as an annular ring carrier array as taught by Wang because the use of a forward viewing annular transducer enables higher image quality of an imaged object, such as a lesion, without having to cross or disturb it (Wang, page 1652, col 2, paragraphs 2-3). This leads to more efficient procedures, with a reduced chance of side effects and greater flexibility with traversing spaces with sever stenosis or total occlusion.
Regarding claim 8, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the carrier further comprises:
at least one contact in between the lumen body and an outer surface of the medical device and a flexible connection between the at least one contact and the ultrasound transducer arrangement ([0050], figure 5, outer membrane 404 forms the outer surface of the medical device, with ground layer 402 as a conductive ground layer contact between the lumen body of flex circuit 314 and the lumen body. The flexible flex circuit 314 forms the flexible connection between the contact portion and the ultrasound transducers 312; see also [0047]-[0054]); and
a wire connected to the at least one contact and extending in a length direction of the medical device over the lumen body ([0036], [0042], [0045]-[0048], includes the cable 114 of figure 3 which provides a wire that connects in the length direction from the transducers 312 and is connected to the conductive film layer of flex circuit 314 in turn connected with the ground layer 402 as in [0050] and [0047]-[0054]).
Regarding claim 9, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 7. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the carrier comprises a double-walled housing in which the annular ring is housed, said housing including an outer wall fitted around the lumen body ([0050], outer membrane 404 and ground layer 402 bounded to the flex circuit 314, forms a outer membrane as the outer wall of the double-walled housing in which the annular ring transducers are housed; see also [0047]-[0057]).
Regarding claim 10, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 9. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement comprises one or more PZT elements ([0035], PZT transducers; [0044], PZT ceramic; [0070]).
Regarding claim 11, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement comprises one or more CMUT elements, PMUT elements or single crystal ultrasound transducer elements ([0035], CMUTs; [0044], CMUTs; [0058]; [0065]).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corl, in view of Wang as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Whiseant (U.S. Pub. No. 20140276015) hereinafter Whiseant ‘015.
Regarding claim 4, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 2. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the ultrasound transducers are slanted relative to a central axis of the medical device such that said ultrasound transducers are aiming away from said central axis
However, the analogous art of Whiseant ‘015 of a ultrasound device for imaging a vessel with a forward-looking imaging element (abstract) teaches:
wherein the ultrasound transducers are slanted relative to a central axis of the medical device such that said ultrasound transducers are aiming away from said central axis ([0029], as shown in figure 5, the slanting angle of the imaging element provides for aiming of the transducers away from the central axis of the device).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl and Wang to incorporate the slanting angle of the imaging element transducers as taught by Whiseant ‘015 because it provides a manipulation of the forward imaging plane to acquire the desired viewing range of the intravascular region (Whiseant ‘015, [0029]). This provides for a more complete image, leading to better visualization of the target regions of interest.
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corl, in view of Wang as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Dekker et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 20170008030) hereinafter Dekker, in further view of Whiseant et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 20140180124) hereinafter Whiseant ‘124.
Regarding claim 5, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further teaches:
wherein the carrier comprises a carrier body mounted on the lumen body ([0057], figure 3, 4-6, transition region 310 connects the transducer region 304 to the control region 308 and rest of the lumen body of the device; [0044]-[0056]) and
Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
a flexible portions incorporating a silicon island extending from said carrier body
each silicon island comprising at least one ultrasound transducer of the ultrasound transducer arrangement,
However, the analogous art of Dekker of a CMUT ultrasound transducer array for use in medical imaging (abstract) teaches:
a plurality of flexible portions incorporating a silicon island extending from said carrier body ([0045], silicon islands connected via flexible connection layer 20 to each of the transducer elements 14; figure 2)
each silicon island comprising at least one ultrasound transducer of the ultrasound transducer arrangement ([0045], silicon islands connected via flexible connection layer 20 to each of the transducer elements 14; figure 2)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl and Wang to incorporate the silicon islands as taught by Dekker because it enables the rigid silicon elements to be wrapped around a cylindrically shaped submount structure (Dekker, [0004]). This provides for positioning of a transducer array for use in catheter devices, and provides for compact and efficient packaging.
Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
A tapered flexible portion, said tapered flexible portions being folded over said forward facing edge of the lumen body
However, the analogous art of Whiseant ‘124 of a steerable catheter delivery system with diagnostic imaging (abstract) teaches:
A tapered flexible portion, said tapered flexible portion being folded over said forward facing edge of the lumen body ([0070], figure 4A, tapered portion 412 includes the circumferentially positioned transducers which are connected to a forward facing edge of the distal portion 404, and tapered/folded over and inward to the center of the device and lumen opening 408; In combination with the teachings of Dekker to the plurality of silicon islands for mounting individual transducer elements, the tapered flexible portion would include a plurality, and the plurality of flexible islands being folded over the tip towards the center of the lumen as taught by Whiseant ‘124)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl, Wang, and Dekker to incorporate the tapered flexible portion folded over the forward facing edge as taught by Whiseant ‘124 because it provides a positioning of the transducers to face an angle that adds side-viewing functionality to the direction of the transducer elements (Whiseant ‘124, [0070]). This expands the viewing field of viewing, leading to a better diagnostic imaging picture to a user.
Regarding claim 6, the combined references of Corl, Wang, Dekker, and Whiseant ‘124 teach all of the limitations of claim 5. Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
further comprising a plurality of wires extending in a length direction of the medical device over said lumen body, each of said wires being connected to one of said silicon islands
However, the analogous art of Dekker of a CMUT ultrasound transducer array for use in medical imaging (abstract) teaches:
further comprising a plurality of wires extending in a length direction of the medical device over said lumen body, each of said wires being connected to one of said silicon islands ([0048]-[0050], ultrasound transducer elements connected to the catheter core wire via connection pads 40 and connection wire 70, as in [0070], which forms the plurality of wires connecting between each of the silicon islands and transducer assemblies; [0081]-[0082]; see also [0065]; In combination with teachings of Corl, the silicon island connections would be combined with the transducer array of figure 3 of Corl and associated wiring in the combined invention).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl, Wang, Dekker, and Whiseant ‘124 to incorporate the wires connecting to the silicon islands across a length direction of the device as taught by Dekker because it provides electrical connection to the transducer elements positioned on the silicon islands. This enables emission and detection of ultrasound signals at the transducer elements by the signal processing system (Dekker, [0045]; [0050]).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corl, in view of Wang as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Johnson et al. (WO2014145469) hereinafter Johnson (see attached WO Publication of the office action of 12/23/2025 for citations).
Regarding claim 12, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
further comprising at least one pressure sensor and/or at least one imaging element on an outer surface of the distal portion of the medical device proximal to the ultrasound transducer arrangement
However, the analogous art of Johnson of a body lumen imaging and treatment device (abstract) teaches:
further comprising at least one pressure sensor and/or at least one imaging element on an outer surface of the distal portion of the medical device proximal to the ultrasound transducer arrangement ([000128], “For example, the IVUS transducer can be located on the distal tip of the catheter while the pressure sensor(s) can be located proximally of the IVUS transducer at one or more locations along the catheter body, from the distal portion of the catheter to an intermediate portion of the catheter to the proximal portion of the catheter.”; see also [000126]-[000127]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl and Wang to incorporate the pressure sensor proximal of the imaging element on the medical instrument as taught by Johnson because it enables measurements of pressure within various positions of the vasculature which can be used to measure blood flow during a procedure leading to additional data when placing or navigating the device (Johnson, [000126]-[000128]). This leads to improved interventional outcomes.
Claims 13 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corl, in view of Wang as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Naghavi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 20080281205) hereinafter Naghavi.
Regarding claim 13, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
wherein the medical device is a micro-catheter
However, the analogous art of Naghavi of a method for analysis of data using a catheter system (abstract) teaches:
wherein the medical device is a micro-catheter ([0050], micro-catheter with an ultrasound probe on the distal end; [0076]-[0080], micro-catheter in use with ultrasound imaging).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl and Wang to incorporate the micro-catheter imaging catheter device as taught by Naghavi because the use of the small micro-catheter enables imaging within small blood vessel regions, leading to better anatomical and functional analysis of the target tissue regions of interest (Naghavi, [0022]-[0023]). This leads to improved diagnostics and better clinical outcomes.
Regarding claim 16, the combined references of Corl, Wang, and Naghavi teach all of the limitations of claim 13. Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
wherein the micro-catheter is operable as an infusion catheter.
However, the analogous art of Naghavi of a method for analysis of data using a catheter system (abstract) teaches:
wherein the micro-catheter is operable as an infusion catheter ([0050], micro-catheter with an ultrasound probe on the distal end and providing injection of contrast agent in to the vessel forms operability as an infusion catheter; [0075]-[0096], micro-catheter in use with ultrasound imaging with contrast agent injection (including microbubbles) which forms an infusion catheter operability).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl, Wang, and Naghavi to incorporate the micro-catheter imaging catheter device including injection of contrast agent as taught by Naghavi because the use of the small micro-catheter enables imaging with contrast agents within small blood vessel regions, leading to better anatomical and functional analysis of the target tissue regions of interest (Naghavi, [0022]-[0023]). This leads to improved diagnostics and better clinical outcomes.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corl, in view of Wang as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Stigall (U.S. Pub. No. 20140180118) hereinafter Stigall.
Regarding claim 14, the combined references of Corl and Wang teach all of the limitations of claim 1. Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
and a control unit adapted to control the ultrasound transducer arrangement of the medical device at least in a Doppler ultrasound mode
However, the analogous art of Stigall of an intraluminal imaging device with a transducer on the distal end of the device (abstract) teaches:
and a control unit adapted to control the ultrasound transducer arrangement of the medical device at least in a Doppler ultrasound mode ([0068]-[0071], processing system or computer; [0072], Doppler echo signals ultrasound mode; [0087], Doppler processing; [0088]; [0097]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl and Wang to incorporate the Doppler ultrasound imaging mode as taught by Stigall because it provides measurements of targets moving within an area of interest or parallel to the imaging device (Stigall, [0072]). This enables enhanced diagnostics of blood flow motion, leading to better cardiovascular monitoring.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Corl, in view of Wang, in further view of Stigall as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Routh (U.S. Pat. No. 5606972) hereinafter Routh.
Regarding claim 15, the combined references of Corl, Wang, and Stigall teach all of the limitations of claim 14. Primary reference Corl further teaches
wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement comprises a plurality of individually addressable ultrasound transducer elements ([0044]-[0047], ultrasound transducers 312 of the ultrasound array are PMUTs in which drive signals can select one or more of the transducers individually to emit ultrasound and receive the reflected echo; see also figures 3 and 4-6 and [0056]), and wherein the control unit is adapted to:
Primary reference Corl further fails to teach:
for each ultrasound transducer element, determine a peak blood flow velocity from the ultrasound data obtained with said ultrasound transducer element
electronically steer an ultrasound beam produced by the plurality of individually addressable ultrasound transducer elements based on the determined peak blood flow velocities
However, the analogous art of Routh of a Doppler signal processing system for use with ultrasound imaging of flow within a body (abstract) teaches:
for each ultrasound transducer element, determine a peak blood flow velocity from the ultrasound data obtained with said ultrasound transducer element (col 3, lines 34-49, “each element of the array will exhibit its own unique angle between the path of its transmitted and received signal and the blood flow direction” with the peak velocity detector detecting based upon echo signal components of each of the transducer elements; col 4, lines 33-67, peak velocity components for each transducer element; col 5, lines 1-36); and
electronically steer an ultrasound beam produced by the plurality of individually addressable ultrasound transducer elements based on the determined peak blood flow velocities (col 3, lines 34-67, “each element of the array will exhibit its own unique angle between the path of its transmitted and received signal and the blood flow direction” with the peak velocity detector detecting based upon echo signal components of each of the transducer elements; col 4, lines 33-67, peak velocity components for each transducer element are utilized for determining the steering angle A and computation of a Doppler angle; col 5, lines 1-36).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the lumen body medical device with an ultrasound transducer of Corl, Wang, and Stigall to incorporate the peak flow velocity measurements for steering of transducer elements as taught by Routh because since the Doppler shift is a function of the angle of incidence between the ultrasound path and the flow direction, each transducer element will detect a slightly different shift, depending upon the angle of incidence of its signal (Routh, col 1, lines 60-67). By utilizing these angles in steering and processing, better quality Doppler data can be produced.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Responses to each of the applicant’s arguments are detailed below.
Regarding the applicant’s arguments on pages 6-9 of the remarks, the applicant argues that the combined references of Corl and Wang fail to teach to the present claim amendments that include transducers that transmit and/or receive ultrasound in a forward direction relative to a central axis. In the current rejections, the Wang reference includes transducer elements that each have configurations enabling combined forward and side propagation of ultrasound imaging signals. Since each of these transducers provide for forward ultrasound imaging, this is sufficient to teach to the present claim amendments, which do not preclude the transducers from also being capable of providing side-viewing imaging. It is the current interpretation that the claim language merely requires all transducers to provide at least forward direction transmission or reception, which is fully provided by the Wang reference teachings.
The applicant further argues that the motivation to combine the Wang reference transducer with the Corl reference is not significant. In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007). In this case, by including the annular transducer arrangement with forward and side propagation of ultrasound signals as taught by Wang, enables higher image quality of an imaged object, such as a lesion, without having to cross or disturb it (Wang, page 1652, col 2, paragraphs 2-3). This leads to more efficient procedures, with a reduced chance of side effects and greater flexibility with traversing spaces with severe stenosis or total occlusion. In response to applicant's argument that the present application addresses misalignment of the ultrasound transducer relative to vessel imaging, the fact that the inventor has recognized another advantage which would flow naturally from following the suggestion of the prior art cannot be the basis for patentability when the differences would otherwise be obvious. See Ex parte Obiaya, 227 USPQ 58, 60 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1985).
For these reasons, the applicant’s arguments have been considered but are not persuasive.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Huang (U.S. Pub. No. 20100262014) teaches to an ultrasonic scanner system that includes a flexible ultrasound transducer for use in ultrasonic catheter systems.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN A FRITH whose telephone number is (571)272-1292. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8:00-5:30 Second Fri 8:00-4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Raymond can be reached at 571-270-1790. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SEAN A FRITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3798
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