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 without traverse of group I, claims 1-13 in the reply filed on 7 July 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1, 4, 6, and 8-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lesic, US 10,654,075 in view of Cornacchia, US 7,117,971.
Regarding claim 1, Lesic discloses an apparatus (20) for disinfecting stethoscope heads configured to interface with a container having at least one sanitation cloth therein (Abstract, container 8a, cloth 3; see Figures), the apparatus comprising: a main body (7) comprising a wipe plate (support 7e, see Figure 3B; column 18 lines 21-24); a dispensing head extending from the main body (bay 8; see Figures 3A, 3C-3D), the dispensing head having a dispensing aperture at a first end proximal to the main body (at 6, column 20 lines 5-7; Figure 1B) and a rim at a second end different than the first end (rim of lower half of 8, Figures 3C-3D), the rim is configured to interface with the container (interfaces with the container in that the container rests within the lower half of 8, Figure 3D), a motor (9) coupled to at least one roller of the main body to cause a rotary motion of the at least one roller (rollers 7a, 7c via cogwheels 10; column 18 line 64 to column 19 line 21), the at least one roller configured to receive at least one sanitation cloth (Figures 3B and 3E; column 18 lines 46-59); an actuator electrically or mechanically coupled to the motor (lever 1 or push button 2; column 18 lines 60-64); and wherein the at least one sanitation cloth is provided proximal to the wipe plate (at 7f). Regarding claim 4, the wipe plate further comprises a sanitizing surface for receiving the at least a portion of the at least one sanitation cloth (surface of 7e at 7f, column 18 lines 10-24; also cloth 3, column 18 lines 46-59). Regarding claim 6, the at least one sanitation cloth is provided between the wipe plate and a diaphragm of the stethoscope such that the at least one sanitation cloth is in direct contact with the diaphragm (column 18 lines 46-57, see Figures). Regarding claim 8, the at least one roller provides tension to the at least one sanitation cloth (in that it is wound and kept “tightly flat”, column 18 lines 46-53). Regarding claim 9, the at least one roller is configured to grip the at least one sanitation cloth and, based on the rotary motion of the motor, draw the at least one sanitation cloth across the wipe plate (column 18 line 60 to column 19 line 9). Regarding claim 10, when the actuator is actuated, the motor is configured to run for a predetermined amount of time to draw a predetermined amount of the at least one sanitation cloth through the apparatus (column 14 lines 26-32, 35-38; also in that the motor runs to allow for “one entire length of a disinfecting wipe” to be wound, column 18 line 67 to column 19 line 9). Regarding claim 11, when the actuator is actuated, the motor is configured to run continuously (column 14 lines 32-35). Regarding claim 12, the actuator is a button (2, column 18 lines 60-64) or a proximity sensor (column 19 line 64 to column 20 line 2). Regarding claim 13, the wipe plate is movable (column 16 lines 38-67 discuss a number of embodiments not shown where the wipe plate is moved in reaction to a user applying a normal force against the cleaning surface), the actuator is activated by the movement of the wipe plate such that pressing the stethoscope head onto the wipe plate causes activation of the actuator (column 14 lines 43-49, column 19 line 64 to column 20 line 2).
Lesic does not disclose one or more arms provided on opposing sides of the wipe plate, the one or more arms extending away from the main body.
Cornacchia teaches a device (10) for applying dispensed covers from a membrane (12) to a diaphragm (1) of a stethoscope (2), including a main body (18) having a plate surface (upper planar portion of the base, at 32), the plate having a surface to receive a portion of the membrane, the membrane is provided in between the plate and a diaphragm of the stethoscope to place the cover on the stethoscope (Figures 1 and 5; column 3 lines 27-40). Further regarding claim 1, on the main body with a plate (18) there are one or more arms provided on opposing sides of the plate (40, Figure 1), the one or more arms extending away from the main body (via riser 42 and extension portions 44, Figures 1-3; column 3 lines 5-20), the arms maintain alignment of the membrane along the upper planar portion of the base as it passes over that surface (column 3 lines 16-20).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the main body of Lesic by providing one or more arms provided on opposing sides of the plate, the arms extending away from the main body, as Cornacchia teaches, in order to improve alignment of the cloth as it is dispensed and positioned along the wiper plate surface for contact with a stethoscope.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5, and 7 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: None of the prior art made of record discloses, teaches or suggests the invention of claims 2-3, 5, and 7. Neither Lesic or Cornacchia disclose (a) a dispensing head that is substantially conical with a larger diameter at the second end proximal the rim and a smaller diameter at the first end; (b) that the wipe plate is provided on a hinged support such that the wipe plate can rotate between a first position and a second position; (c) a coupling member to couple the dispensing head to the container, wherein the rim couples the dispensing member to the container using a threaded coupling, a press-fit coupling, a friction fit coupling, and/or an interference fit coupling.
US 11,464,371 to Jin et al. teach devices for disinfection (Abstract), the embodiments of Figures 11A-11G show a wiper container (c) coupled to a main body (417) that includes a motor (434), rollers (438) and actuator (button 431) to guide and dispense at least one sanitation cloth (W; see especially Figure 11D). Jin et al. fail to disclose a wiper plate and one or more arms.
US 2006/0237475 to Agarwal teach a dispenser of disinfectant wipes (Title, Figures) and particularly in Figures 10-15 a dispensing head (110) having a dispensing aperture on a perimeter (at 130, when opened as in Figure 12B) and a rim at a second end different than the dispensing aperture (at 120), the rim is configured to interface with the container (Figure 10).
US 6,018,835 to Schonfeld also teach an apparatus for cleaning a stethoscope that includes a main body (20), wipe plate (64, Figure 6), a motor (68) coupled to at least one roller (56, 58) to cause rotary motion of the at least one roller (Figure 3 shows the mechanical arrangement of the motor and rollers), the roller is configured to receive a sanitation cloth (52), an actuator coupled to the motor (sensor 86 detects the presence of the stethoscope), and wherein the at least one sanitation cloth is provided proximal to the wipe plate (Figure 6). Schonfeld does not disclose a dispensing head or arms provided on opposing sides of the wipe plate.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Laura C Guidotti whose telephone number is (571)272-1272. The examiner can normally be reached typically M-F, 6am-9am, 10am-4:30pm.
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/LAURA C GUIDOTTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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