DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 8-10, 12, 14-16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Maher US 2023/0055028 A1.
Maher discloses, regarding claims 1, 2, 16, and 20, a fluid management system, the system comprising: a fluid management console 12, comprising: a housing; a controller 52 housed within the housing; an inflow pump 40e disposed within the housing; and a user input interface (see screen on 52); and a fluid cassette 22 configured to be received within a receptacle 20 of the housing of the fluid management console 12, the fluid cassette 22 comprising: a housing (of 22) defining a fluid pathway therethrough (clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5-6); an inflow tubing extending from the housing (clearly shown extending to 22 in Fig. 1); and an outflow tubing 44 extending from the housing (clearly shown coming from 22 in Fig. 1); wherein the controller 52 of the fluid management console 12 is configured to perform a first stage (see steps 100, 102, 104 in Fig. 7) of a priming procedure (see paragraphs [0041]-[0042]) in response to a user input at the user input interface (see screen on 52) and a second stage (see steps 118, 122, 124 in Fig. 7) of the priming procedure in response to a pressure drop (see paragraphs [0043]-[0044] and [0049]-[0050], as well as Fig. 7) within the fluid pathway of the fluid cassette 22; a clamp secured to the outflow tubing (see T-shaped clamps just below 20 on outflow tubing 44 in Fig. 1), the clamp movable between a closed configuration configured to block a flow of fluid through the outflow tubing and an open configuration configured to allow a flow of fluid through the outflow tubing (this is clearly the case); the second stage of the priming procedure configured to begin after a successful completion of the first stage of the priming procedure (substantially broad, this is clearly the case; see Fig. 7 as well as paras. [0043]-[0044] and [0050]); Re claim 4, further comprising one or more pressure sensors 32 disposed within fluid management console 12, the one or more pressure sensors 32 configured to monitor a pressure within the fluid pathway of the fluid cassette 22; Re claim 5, wherein during the first stage of the priming procedure, the controller 52 is configured to activate the inflow pump 40e (see step 100); Re claim 8, wherein during the first stage of the priming procedure, the controller 52 is configured to monitor a pressure within the fluid pathway of the fluid cassette 22 (see sensor assembly 32 as well as para. [0041]); Re claim 9, wherein if the pressure within the fluid pathway exceeds a predetermined maximum pressure, the controller 52 is configured to issue a high-pressure error (see para. [0063]); Re claim 10, wherein if the pressure the fluid pathway drops, the controller 52 is configured to issue a pressure drop error (see para. [0063]); Re claim 12, wherein the controller 52 is configured to increase a revolutions per minute of the inflow pump 40e until a predetermined maximum speed is achieved (see paras. [0052] and [0055]); Re claim 14, wherein during the second stage (see steps 118, 122, 124 in Fig. 7) of the priming procedure a revolutions per minute of the inflow pump 40e is increased until a threshold pressure within the fluid pathway of the fluid cassette 22 is reached (see paras. [0051]-[0052]); Re claim 15, wherein the second stage (see steps 118, 122, 124 in Fig. 7) of the priming procedure is successfully completed when a minimum cycle time has elapsed (see step 122); Re claim 18, wherein the first stage of the priming procedure (see steps 100, 102, 104) is configured to remove air from the inflow tubing, the fluid pathway of the fluid cassette 22, and the outflow tubing to a location of the clamp (substantially broad; this is clearly the case by the nature of the priming procedure starting); Re claim 19, wherein the second stage (see steps 118, 122, 124 in Fig. 7) of the priming procedure is configured to remove air from an entirety of the outflow tubing and a connected device (this is clearly the case by the nature of the priming procedure shown in Fig. 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6-7, 11, 13, and 17 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Peter J Bertheaud whose telephone number is (571)272-3476. The examiner can normally be reached 9am - 5pm M-F.
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PJB
/PETER J BERTHEAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746