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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the plurality of linkages, wherein a first end of each linkage is coupled to the first end portion of the apparatus as recited in claim 56 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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) 56-59, and 65 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Duindam et al (US 2013/030389).
Duindam et al disclose an apparatus for movably coupling a robotic medical instrument system to an anatomic orifice device, the apparatus comprising: a first end portion (126) configured to connect to the robotic medical instrument system (104); a second end portion (130) configured to connect to the anatomic orifice device (122); and a medial portion (124) extending between the first end portion (126) and the second end portion (130), the medial portion (124) comprising a plurality of linkages (137), wherein a first end of each linkage (137) is coupled to the first end portion (126) of the apparatus, and wherein a second end (130) of each linkage (137) is coupled to the second end portion of the apparatus (see Fig 2).
Re claim 57, each linkage of the plurality of linkages (137) is radially spaced apart from each other around a longitudinal axis of the apparatus (see Fig 2).
Re claim 58, each linkage of the plurality of linkages (137) is a parallelogram linkage (see Fig 2).
Re claim 59, the medial portion (124) is configured to accommodate motion in multiple degrees of freedom (see Fig 2).
Re claim 65, the plurality of linkages (137) includes at least three linkages (see Fig 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 69 and 72 are allowed.
Claims 60-64 and 66-75 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICKY A JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7106. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday.
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, John R Olszewski can be reached at 571-272-2706. 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.
/VICKY A JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
Prosecution Insights