`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria. Virginia 22313—1450
`www.uspto.gov
`
`APPLICATION NO.
`
`FILING DATE
`
`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
`
`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
`
`CONFIRMATION N0.
`
`10/065,277
`
`09/30/2002
`
`Roman Chistyakov
`
`ZON-OOl
`
`5690
`
`RAUSCHENBACH PATENT LAW GROUP, LLC
`Ro-Boxm
`
`BEDFORD, MA 01730
`
`MCDONALD, RODNEY GLENN
`
`1753
`DATE MAILED: 10/1 1/2006
`
`Determination of Patent Term Adjustment under 35 U.S.C. 154 (b)
`(application filed on or after May 29, 2000)
`
`The Patent Term Adjustment to date is 0 day(s). If the issue fee is paid on the date that is three months after the
`mailing date of this notice and the patent issues on the Tuesday before the date that is 28 weeks (six and a half
`months) after the mailing date of this notice, the Patent Term Adjustment will be 0 day(s).
`
`If a Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) was filed in the above-identified application, the filing date that
`determines Patent Term Adjustment is the filing date of the most recent CPA.
`
`Applicant will be able to obtain more detailed information by accessing the Patent Application Information Retrieval
`(PAIR) WEB site (http://pairuspto. gov).
`
`Any questions regarding the Patent Term Extension or Adjustment determination should be directed to the Office of
`Patent Legal Administration at (571)-272-7702. Questions relating to issue and publication fee payments should be
`directed to the Customer Service Center of the Office of Patent Publication at
`1-(888)—786-0101
`or
`(571)—272-4200.
`
`PTOL-85 (Rev. 07/06) Approved for use through 04/30/2007.
`
`Page 3 of 3
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`GILLETTE 1215
`
`GILLETTE 1215
`
`

`

`_
`_
`_
`Notice OfAllowablIIty
`
`. 10/065,277
`Examiner
`
`CHISTYAKOV, ROMAN
`Art Unit
`
`Application No.
`
`Applicant(s)
`
`.
`
`‘
`
`Rodney G. McDonald
`
`1753
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address--
`All claims being allowable. PROSECUTION ON THE MERITS IS (OR REMAINS) CLOSED in this application.
`If not included
`herewith (or previously mailed), a Notice of Allowance (PTOL-85) or other appropriate communication will be mailed in due course. THIS
`NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY IS NOT A GRANT OF PATENT RIGHTS. This application is subject to withdrawal from issue at the initiative
`of the Office or upon petition by the applicant. See 37 CFR 1.313 and MPEP 1308.
`
`1. IX! This communication is responsive to Amendment filed August 8, 2006.
`
`2. X The allowed claim(s) is/are 1-50.
`
`3. E] Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`a) I] All
`b) [:1 Some*
`c) [I None
`of the:
`
`1. I] Certified cOpies of the priority documents have been received.
`
`2. El Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. _
`
`3. I] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this national stage application from the
`
`International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`
`* Certified copies not received: __
`
`Applicant has THREE MONTHS FROM THE “MAILING DATE" of this communication to file a reply complying with the requirements
`noted below. Failure to timely comply will result in ABANDONMENT of this application.
`THIS THREE-MONTH PERIOD IS NOT EXTENDABLE.
`
`4. [:1 A SUBSTITUTE OATH OR DECLARATION must be submitted. Note the attached EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT or NOTICE OF
`q
`INFORMAL PATENT APPLICATION (PTO-152) which gives reason(s) why the oath or declaration is deficient.
`
`5. [:i CORRECTED DRAWINGS (as “replacement sheets”) must be submitted.
`
`(a) I] including changes required by the Notice of Draftsperson’s Patent Drawing Review ( PTO-948) attached
`
`1) E] hereto or 2) CI to Paper No./Mai| Date
`
`.
`
`(b) [:1 including changes required by the attached Examiner’s Amendment / Comment or in the Office action of
`Paper No./Mai| Date
`.
`Identifying indicia such as the application number (see 37 CFR 1.84(c)) should be written on the drawings in the front (not the back) of
`each sheet. Replacement sheet(s) should be labeled as such in the header according to 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`6. [:1 DEPOSIT OF and/or INFORMATION about the deposit of BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL must be submitted. Note the
`attached Examiner’s comment regarding REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEPOSIT OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL.
`
`. 5. El Notice of Informal Patent Application
`6. E Interview Summary (PTO-413).
`Paper No./Mai| Date 9-29-06 .
`7. E Examiner’s Amendment/Comment
`
`8. E Examiner's Statement of Reasons for Allowance
`
`
`
`Attachment(s)
`1. I] Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`2. I] Notice of Draftperson's Patent Drawing Review (PTO-948)
`
`3. IE Information Disclosure Statements (PTO/SB/OB),
`Paper No./Mai| Date 12/03, 5/04
`4. [:1 Examiner's Comment Regarding Requirement for Deposit
`of Biological Material
`
`9. CI Other
`
`.
`
`\/ .
`
`. W1
`
`/’~z’
`RODNEY G. MCDONALD
`PRIMARY EXAMINER
`
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`PTOL-37 (Rev. 08-06)
`
`Notilge of Allzowability
`age
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20060929
`
`Page 2
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 10/065,277
`
`Page 2
`
`Art Unit: 1753
`
`EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT
`
`An examiner’s amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes
`
`and/or additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided
`
`by 37 CFR 1.312. To‘ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be
`
`submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee.
`
`Authorization for this examiner’s amendment was given in a telephone interview
`
`with Kurt Rauschenbach on September 29, 2006.
`
`The application has been amended as follows:
`
`Page 3, paragraph 0020, after “FIG. 13” insert the phrase “includes FIGS. 13 A
`
`and 13B which”.
`
`Page 32, paragraph 0032, after “FIG. 13” insert the phrase “includes FIGS 13A
`
`and 138 which”.
`
`The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
`
`Applicant's arguments filed May 2, 2006 have been fully considered and are
`
`deemed persuasive. Specifically, Claims 1-50 are allowable over the prior art of record
`
`because the prior art of record does not teach the applied prior art applied in the
`
`previous office action does not teach the claimed apparatus or method wherein an
`
`ionization source generates a weakly-ionized plasma proximate to the anode and
`
`cathode assembly and a power supply generating a voltage pulse that produces an
`
`electric field between the cathode assembly and the anode, the power supply being
`
`configured to generate the voltage pulse with an amplitude and a rise time that
`
`increases an excitation rate of ground state atoms that are present in the weakly-ionized
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`Page 3
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`Page 3
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 10/065,277
`
`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 1753
`
`plasma to create a multi-step ionization process that generates a strongly-ionized
`
`plasma, from the weakly ionized plasma, the multi-step ionization process comprising
`
`exciting the ground state atoms to generate excited atoms, and then ionizing the excited
`
`atoms within the weakly-ionized plasma without forming an arc discharge.
`
`Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later
`
`than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably
`
`accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on
`
`Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to Rodney G. McDonald whose telephone number is 571-
`
`272-1340. The examiner can normally be reached on M- Th with Every other Friday off.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s,
`
`supervisor, Nam' X. Nguyen can be reached on 571-272-1342. The fax phone number
`
`for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`Page 4
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`Page 4
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`

`

`_ Application/Control Number: 10/065,277
`
`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 1753
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
`
`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
`
`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
`
`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
`
`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair—direct.uspto.gov. Should
`
`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
`
`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a
`
`USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information
`
`system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
`
`Rodney G. McDonald
`Primary Examiner
`Art Unit 1753
`
`RM
`
`September 29, 2006
`
`Page 5
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`Page 5
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`