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.
Claim(s) 1, 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tang et al. [US 2022/0054156 A1, hereinafter “Tang”].
Re. claim 1, Tang discloses:
Gripping forceps [Fig. 1] comprising:
a sheath [2] which extends in a longitudinal direction [left-right]; and
a gripping portion [3] which has a rod [32] provided at a distal end of the sheath and extending in the longitudinal direction,
a first jaw [31] and a second jaw [31, see annotated Fig. 8] are configured to open or close toward the rod [Figs. 8-9],
wherein the rod has a distal end portion which includes a first convex portion [Annotated Fig. 8] protruding to a first protrusion side toward the first jaw.
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Re. claim 3, Tang discloses: wherein the first convex portion has a fixing portion [Annotated Fig. 8 below] which is provided on a fixed end side of the first convex portion and coupled to the rod, and is turnable to a proximal end side in the longitudinal direction about the fixing portion [by turning the whole device, this is accomplishable].
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-10 are allowed.
Claims 2, 4, and 5 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.
Tang fails to teach or suggest, in combination with the other claim elements, the central axis of the rod being eccentric to a second protrusion side on a side opposite the first protrusion side from a central axis of the sheath in the longitudinal direction.
Tang fails to teach/suggest, in combination with the other claim elements, the convex portion wire interlocking the first convex portion with the first jaw/first wire and turning the first convex portion.
Conclusion
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/ERIN MCGRATH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3771
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