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 Species D (Claims 11-19) in the reply filed on 0 is acknowledged.
Presently, Claims 1, 11-16 and 18-19 remain pending and are hereinafter examined on the merits. It is noted that Claim 17 was cancelled in a previous modification and its limitations were incorporated into Claim 16.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 11, Line 4, recites “RF radiation”, which should be changed to “radio frequency (RF) radiation”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saadat et al (US 20090076498 A1; hereafter Saadat).
With regard to Claim 1, Saadat discloses a medical interventional catheter (Saadat, Para 0095; “bipolar ablation and visualization catheter assembly 50”; Fig. 6 shows a diagram for the disclosed catheter),
comprising a catheter body (Saadat, Para 0095; “The assembly 50 is further illustrated where bipolar ablation assembly 52 may be coupled or otherwise in electrical communication with power generator 56 (e.g., RF power generator) through deployment catheter 16 …”) with both diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities (Saadat, Para 0033; “FIG. 6 shows an assembly view of a visualization system configured for tissue ablation utilizing a bipolar electrode configuration.”. Here the disclosed assembly has function of visualizing and ablating tissue, so has the claimed diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities),
the catheter body comprising a functional member at a distal end thereof (Saadat, Para 0095; “… bipolar ablation and visualization catheter assembly 50 illustrates one variation where the visualization hood 12 may incorporate a bipolar ablation assembly 52 within and/or along the hood 12.” The disclosed visualization hood 12 and bipolar ablation assembly 52 combine to correspond to the claimed functional member),
the functional member configured for image-based monitoring of a tubular lumen of interest (vessel lumen 276 in Fig. 26) and for release of a therapeutic source to a target location in the tubular lumen of interest (Saadat, Para 0121; “… anchoring member 272 may be advanced in a low-profile into a vessel lumen 276, such as a lumen of a pulmonary vein, and expanded to temporarily engage the vessel walls. The circumference of membrane 40 in contact against the lumen ostium may comprise one or more return electrodes 274 such that when the electrodes are energized, current may flow between the electrodes via the saline fluid flowing past to ablate the surrounding tissue region T while under direct visualization, e.g., via imaging element 34.”),
the therapeutic source comprising therapeutic energy and/or a therapeutic substance (Saadat, Para 0095; “…bipolar ablation assembly 52 may be coupled or otherwise in electrical communication with power generator 56 (e.g., RF power generator) through deployment catheter 16 …”).
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 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saadat, in view of Plascencia et al (US 20140142569 A1; hereafter Plascencia).
With regard to Claim 11, Saadat discloses the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 1, and further discloses
wherein the functional member comprises an imaging probe (imaging element 34 in Fig. 27A and C-D), an electrode (Saadat, Para 0122; “… current may flow between an ablation instrument extending through hood 12 having an electrode support member 280 with an angled portion 282 and at least one conducting electrode 284 positioned near or at a distal end thereof.”) and a temperature-measuring element (thermocouple 289 in Fig. 27D),
the imaging probe configured to accomplish the image-based monitoring (Saadat, Para 0016; “To provide visualization, an imaging element such as a fiberscope or electronic imager such as a solid state camera, e.g., CCD or CMOS, may be mounted, e.g., on a shape memory wire …”),
the electrode configured to release RF radiation (Saadat, Para 0097; “Upon attaining visual confirmation of the target tissue T surface, RF energy may be generated from power generator 56 such that ablation energy 80 is conducted between central electrode 72 and ring electrode 76 …”),
the temperature-measuring element (Saadat, Para 0124; “A thermocouple 289 may be positioned within for detecting the electrode temperature.”).
Saadat does not clearly and explicitly disclose the temperature-measuring element disposed on the electrode and configured to monitor a surface temperature of the electrode.
Plascencia in the same field of endeavor discloses a temperature-measuring element disposed on the electrode and configured to monitor a surface temperature of the electrode (Plascencia, Para 0036; “thermocouple wire pair 41 and 45”; Para 0040; “The wires 41 and 45 of the wire pair … their distal ends … covered with a short piece of plastic tubing 43 … The plastic tubing 43 is then attached in a blind hole 82 formed in the proximal surface of the tip electrode 17 … Proximal of the control handle, the wires are connected to a connector (not shown) connectable to a temperature monitor”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, as suggested by Plascencia, in order to dispose a temperature sensor on electrode and measure its surface temperature. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of monitoring temperature of electrode in real time so as to avoid overheating and burning of tissue.
Claims 12-13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saadat, in view of Plascencia and Rollins et al (US 20220192743 A1; hereafter Rollins).
With regard to Claim 12, Saadat and Plascencia disclose the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 11. Saadat further discloses
wherein the catheter body further comprises a tubular body (Saadat, Fig. 6 and more closely Fig. 7-9 show that the catheter 16 comprises a tubular body), wherein the imaging probe is provided in the tubular body (Saadat, Para 0087; “FIG. 3B shows another example where an imaging element 34 (e.g., CCD or CMOS electronic imager) may be placed along an interior surface of imaging hood 12 …”; Para 0084; “When deployed, imaging hood 12 may expand into any number of shapes, e.g., cylindrical, conical as shown, semi-spherical, etc. … the contact edge diameter may range anywhere from 1 to 5 times (or even greater, as practicable) a diameter of deployment catheter 16.” When as disclosed the contact edge diameter equals to diameter of deployment catheter 16, the imaging hood 12 is an extension of the tubular body, and the imaging element is disposed in the tubular body), and the electrode is disposed on an outer surface of the tubular body (Saadat, Para 0105; “… ring electrodes 148 can be attached on the distal circumference of the work channel 134 that is exposed and in contact with imaged tissue.”),
the tubular body defines an imaging channel (Saadat, Para 0084; “Deployment catheter 16 may define a fluid delivery lumen 18 as well as an imaging lumen 20 …”) and other channels, which are independent of one another and each extend along an axis of the tubular body of the functional member to a proximal end of the tubular body (Saadat, Para 0015; “The deployment catheter itself may be comprised of a multiple lumen extrusion, such as a four-lumen catheter extrusion …”),
the imaging channel provided therein with an imaging transmission structure connected to the imaging probe (Saadat, Para 0011; “… an imaging lumen within which an optical imaging fiber … may be disposed for imaging tissue.”. The disclosed optical imaging fiber corresponds to the claimed imaging transmission structure), an electrode lead connected to the electrode (Saadat, Para 0096; “… electrodes 72, 76 may be connected by conductive wires which are insulated by a thin layer of insulation such as PET, latex or other biocompatible polymers”), a temperature-control lead connected to the temperature-measuring element (Saadat, Para 0124; “A thermocouple 289 may be positioned within for detecting the electrode temperature.”; Fig. 27D shows that a wire inside the catheter 285 is connected to the disclosed thermocouple 289).
Saadat and Plascencia as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose
an electrode lead channel and a temperature-control lead channel in the tubular body, and
the imaging channel arranged at a center of the tubular body, and the other channels arranged around the imaging channel.
Plascencia further discloses an electrode lead channel (Plascencia, Para 0036; “Off-axis lumen 33 is provided for lead wires 40R for the ring electrodes 21.”) and a temperature-control lead channel (Plascencia, Para 0036; “on-axis lumen 30 for … thermocouple wire pair 41 and 45”) in the tubular body. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat and Plascencia, as further suggested by Plascencia, in order to include a channel for electrode wire and a channel for temperature sensor wires. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of ensuring insulation and structural integrity of the electrical wires of the different components so as to ensure therapeutic effect and avoid tissue injury.
Saadat and Plascencia as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose the imaging channel arranged at a center of the tubular body, and the other channels arranged around the imaging channel.
Rollins in the same field of endeavor discloses the imaging channel arranged at a center of the tubular body, and the other channels arranged around the imaging channel (Rollins, Para 0022; “… a central lumen 116 that is dimensioned and configured to accommodate an imaging probe 118.” Para 0023; “… another lumen (e.g., a slot) 124 formed in the sidewall of the ablation electrode spaced radially apart from and parallel to the larger center lumen 116 …”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat and Plascencia, as suggested by Rollins, in order to dispose imaging channel in a center of a catheter. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of keeping a same distance between the imaging probe and the surrounding tissue of all angles so that the acquired images can be easily interpreted.
With regard to Claim 13, Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins disclose the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 12. Saadat further discloses
wherein the tubular body further defines a temperature-control fluid channel therein, which is independent of the imaging channel, the electrode lead channel and the temperature-control lead channel and arranged beside the imaging channel (Saadat, Para 0084; “Deployment catheter 16 may define a fluid delivery lumen 18 as well as an imaging lumen 20 …”. Fig. 1C shows that the disclosed fluid delivery lumen 18 is an independent lumen),
wherein the electrode defines temperature-control fluid output holes (Saadat, Para 0124; “The electrode distal end may define one or more irrigation lumens 295 through which the cooling fluid may be infused for contacting the underlying tissue (e.g., 6 irrigation holes each having a 0.4 mm diameter).”), and the temperature-control fluid channel extends from the proximal end of the tubular body along the axis thereof and is connected to the temperature-control fluid output holes (Saadat, Para 0124; “… the catheter may define an infusion lumen 291 through which a cooling fluid 293 (e.g., a 7.5 Fr, 3.5 mm electrode with 0.9% NaCl saline infusion) may be flowed through.” Fig. 27D shows that the disclosed infusion lumen 291 delivers fluid to the irrigation holes), and
the temperature-control fluid channel configured for transfer of a temperature-control fluid (Saadat, Para 0124; “… an infusion lumen 291 through which a cooling fluid 293 (e.g., a 7.5 Fr, 3.5 mm electrode with 0.9% NaCl saline infusion) may be flowed through.”) and for release of the temperature-control fluid to the target location through the temperature-control fluid output holes (Saadat, Fig. 27D shows that the disclosed cooling fluid 293 is released from irrigation lumens 295 (with irrigation holes) to the underlying tissue (denoted as T)).
With regard to Claim 19, Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins disclose the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 13. Saadat further discloses
further comprising an interface portion (Saadat, Fig. 6 shows that handle 54, power generator 56, fluid reservoir 60 and image display assembly 62 combine to correspond to the claimed interface portion. More details are in Para 0095),
wherein a proximal end of the catheter body is connected to the interface portion (Saadat, Fig. 6 shows that a proximal end of the catheter 16 is connected to the handle 54), and
the interface portion comprises:
an imaging interface connected to a proximal end of the imaging transmission structure (Saadat, Para 0095; “… image display assembly 62 which may be coupled to an optical fiber bundle or to an electronic imaging sensor …”);
a fluidic interface connected to a proximal end of the temperature-control fluid channel (Saadat, Para 0095; “Fluid reservoir 60 is also illustrated as being coupled to handle 54 and in fluid communication with hood 12 …”); and
an electrical interface connected to proximal ends of the electrode lead and the temperature-control lead (Saadat, Para 0095; “… bipolar ablation assembly 52 may be coupled or otherwise in electrical communication with power generator 56 (e.g., RF power generator) through deployment catheter 16 and handle 54 via cable 58 …”).
Claims 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins, in view of Jimenez et al (US 20210212755 A1; hereafter Jimenez), Sliwa et al (US 20070293855 A1; hereafter Sliwa) and Yu et al (US 20160249970 A1; hereafter Yu).
With regard to Claim 14, Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins disclose the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 13. Saadat further discloses wherein the tubular body is a braided tube (Saadat, Para 0015; “The deployment catheter itself … is reinforced with braided stainless steel fibers to provide structural support.”).
Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose
wherein the tubular body is a single-lumen tube, the tube housing therein a temperature-control fluid tube, an imaging tube, an electrode lead tube and a temperature-control lead tube,
the temperature-control fluid tube defining a lumen providing the temperature-control fluid channel,
the imaging tube defining a lumen providing the imaging channel,
the electrode lead tube defining a lumen providing the electrode lead channel,
the temperature-control lead tube defining a lumen providing the temperature-control lead channel,
each of the temperature-control fluid tube, the imaging tube, the electrode lead tube and the temperature-control lead tube having a wall thickness less than 0.2 mm.
Jimenez in the same field of endeavor discloses
wherein the tubular body is a single-lumen tube (Jimenez, Para 0116-0117; “The outside of catheter body 801 is provided with electrodes 802A and 802B … Inside catheter body 801, at least one wire lumen 902 may extend down the length of the catheter.”. The disclosed catheter body 801 is a braided single-lumen tube, also as shown in Fig. 11), the tube housing therein a temperature-control fluid tube (Jimenez, Para 0057; “… a central cooling channel 306 and cooling communication paths 307 may guide cooling fluid through the shaft 202 to the distal section 201 …”), an imaging tube (Jimenez, Para 0120; “… catheter body 801 may further provide internal optical lumen 903 …”), and an electrode lead tube (Jimenez, Para 0117; “Inside catheter body 801, at least one wire lumen 902 may extend down the length of the catheter”; Fig. 11 shows the cross-sectional view),
the temperature-control fluid tube defining a lumen providing the temperature-control fluid channel (central cooling channel 306),
the imaging tube defining a lumen providing the imaging channel (internal optical lumen 903),
the electrode lead tube defining a lumen providing the electrode lead channel (wire lumen 902),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins, as suggested by Jimenez, in order to use a single tube as outer body of a catheter and insert thinner tubes in the body for housing functional components. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of simplifying the manufacturing process by using single-lumen tubes only and improving flexibility by inserting more or fewer tubes.
Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins and Jimenez as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose
the outer body housing a temperature-control lead tube,
the temperature-control lead tube defining a lumen providing the temperature-control lead channel,
all internal tubes having a wall thickness less than 0.2 mm.
Sliwa in the same field of endeavor discloses
the outer body housing a temperature-control lead tube (tube 326),
the temperature-control lead tube defining a lumen providing the temperature-control lead channel (Sliwa, Para 0197; “Wires 340 extending through the tube 326 couple the temperature sensors 336 to the control system 334.”),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins and Jimenez, as suggested by Sliwa, in order to use an independent tube for wires of temperature sensor. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of improving usage flexibility of temperature sensor and avoiding interference from other wires or leads.
Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins, Jimenez and Sliwa as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose all internal tubes having a wall thickness less than 0.2 mm.
Yu in the same field of endeavor discloses all internal tubes having a wall thickness less than 0.2 mm (Yu, Para 0139; “Each fluid transfer tube has a wall thickness in a range of … preferably between about 0.02 mm and 0.10 mm …” The disclosed internal tubes each have wall thickness of 0.02-0.10 mm). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins, Jimenez and Sliwa, as suggested by Yu, in order to use internal tubes with wall thickness of less than 0.2 mm. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of ensuring multiple internal tubes to be housed in a catheter of diameter of 2-3 mm, so as to execute multiple functions.
With regard to Claim 15, Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins, Jimenez, Sliwa and Yu disclose the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 14, but as discussed above do not explicitly and clearly disclose wherein the temperature-control fluid tube, the imaging tube, the electrode lead tube and the temperature-control lead tube are securely bonded together.
Yu further discloses wherein a plurality of internal tubes are securely bonded together (Yu, Para 0183; “The tubular member 1024 can maintain the transport tube bundle together when the treatment section is articulated or bends. … alternative structures may be utilized to hold the tube bundle together so that it may actuated as a unit”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins, Jimenez, Sliwa and Yu, as further suggested by Yu, in order to bond multiple internal tubes together. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of improving structural integrity of the multiple internal tubes in bending the catheter.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins, in view of Webster (US 5431168 A; hereafter Webster) and Govari et al (US 20150126995 A1; hereafter Govari).
With regard to Claim 16, Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins disclose the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 13, but do not explicitly and clearly disclose
wherein the tubular body has an outer diameter of 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm,
the imaging channel has a diameter not exceeding 1.0 mm,
the temperature-control fluid channel has a diameter not exceeding 0.5 mm,
the electrode lead channel has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, and
the temperature-control lead channel has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, and/or
wherein the temperature-control fluid output holes are micro-holes, the micro-holes having a diameter of 50 μm to 200 μm.
Plascencia further discloses
wherein the tubular body has an outer diameter of 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm (Plascencia, Para 0028; “… the catheter has the outer wall 22 with an outer diameter of from about 0.090 inch to about 0.094 inch …” The disclosed “0.090-0.094 inch” corresponds to 2.3-2.4 mm),
the temperature-control fluid channel has a diameter not exceeding 0.5 mm (Plascencia, Para 0036; “Off-axis lumen 34 is provided for an irrigation tubing 38. … The lumens may have a diameter of ranging between about 0.018 inch and 0.029 inch.” The disclosed 0.018-0.029 inch corresponds to 0.46-0.74 mm),
the electrode lead channel has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm (Plascencia, Para 0036; “Off-axis lumen 33 is provided for lead wires 40R for the ring electrodes 21. … The lumens may have a diameter of ranging between about 0.018 inch and 0.029 inch.” The disclosed 0.018-0.029 inch corresponds to 0.46-0.74 mm), and
the temperature-control lead channel has a diameter of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm (Plascencia, Para 0036; “on-axis lumen 30 for … thermocouple wire pair 41 and 45. … The lumens may have a diameter of ranging between about 0.018 inch and 0.029 inch.” The disclosed 0.018-0.029 inch corresponds to 0.46-0.74 mm)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins, as further suggested by Plascencia, in order to use catheter of the outer diameter of 1-3 mm and internal channels of diameter of 0.1-0.5 mm. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of limiting the outer diameter of a multi-lumen catheter to less than about 3 mm so that it can be inserted through peripheral arteries or veins (typically with lumen diameter of 4-5 mm).
Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose
wherein the imaging channel has a diameter not exceeding 1.0 mm, and/or
the temperature-control fluid output holes are micro-holes, the micro-holes having a diameter of 50 μm to 200 μm.
Webster in the same field of endeavor discloses wherein the imaging channel has a diameter not exceeding 1.0 mm (Webster, Column 3, Lines 61-62; “First lumen 18 has a diameter of at least 0.03 inch and preferably of at least 0.05 inch”; Column 6, Lines 18-20; “an optic fiber may be passed through the first lumen for viewing of or delivery of laser radiation to a selected site”. The disclosed first lumen, with diameter of at least 0.76 mm, houses optic fiber for viewing a selected site). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, Plascencia and Rollins, as suggested by Webster, in order to keep diameter of internal channel of a catheter less than 1.0 mm. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of limiting the overall diameter of a multi-lumen catheter so that it can be inserted through peripheral arteries or veins (typically with lumen diameter of 4-5 mm).
Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins and Webster as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose wherein the temperature-control fluid output holes are micro-holes, the micro-holes having a diameter of 50 μm to 200 μm.
Govari in the same field of endeavor discloses wherein the temperature-control fluid output holes are micro-holes, the micro-holes having a diameter of 50 μm to 200 μm (Govari, Para 0050; “The cap 58 may be perforated by an array of irrigation apertures 60 … apertures 60 of diameter 0.1-0.2 mm.” The disclosed 0.1-0.2 mm corresponds to 100-200 μm). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat, Plascencia, Rollins and Webster, as suggested by Govari, in order to include apertures with diameter of 100-200 μm. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of providing highly targeted and uniform convective cooling and therefore enabling optimal temperature regulation without excessive fluid infusion into target tissue.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saadat and Plascencia, in view of Jimenez.
With regard to Claim 18, Saadat and Plascencia disclose the medical interventional catheter according to Claim 11. Saadat further discloses wherein a plurality of electrodes are provided, the plurality of electrodes are spaced axially and/or circumferentially with respect to the catheter body (Saadat, Para 0103; “The distal end of lumen 146 which contacts against the tissue surface may define one or more ring electrodes 148 surrounding the opening of lumen 146 for ablating the underlying tissue.”).
Saadat and Plascencia as discussed above do not clearly and explicitly disclose wherein at least two of the plurality of electrodes are annular and spaced axially with respect to the catheter body, and the imaging probe is provided between adjacent two of the annular electrodes.
Jimenez in the same field of endeavor discloses wherein at least two of the plurality of electrodes are annular and spaced axially with respect to the catheter body (Jimenez, Para 0114; “The electrodes 802 may partially or fully encircle the body 801”. Fig. 8 shows that the plurality of electrodes 802 are spaced axially with respect to body 801), and the imaging probe is provided between adjacent two of the annular electrodes (Jimenez, Para 0115; “Between each pair of neighboring electrodes 802 is an optical port 803 …”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Saadat and Plascencia, as suggested by Jimenez, in order to position multiple annular electrodes along axial direction of a catheter and dispose optical element between each pair of electrodes. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the modification for the benefit of efficiently applying ablation along the axial direction of a vessel and ensuring safety by monitoring tissue therapy at all axial locations.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEI ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)272-7172. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm E.T..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pascal Bui-Pho can be reached at (571) 272-2714. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/L.Z./Examiner, Art Unit 3798
/PASCAL M BUI PHO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3798
Prosecution Insights