Appeal No. 97-1871
Application 08/325,847
1. A method for producing blunt tip surgical needles, comprising:
a) providing a curved surgical needle with a sharp pointed tip;
b) forming a substantially hemispherical radius on the tip of said surgical needle by a first
tumbling operation in a tumbler with a first medium for a first duration of tumbling time, wherein the ratio
of the radius after tumbling to the diameter of the needle ranges from about 0.15 to about 0.29.
The references applied in the final rejection are:
Schulte 1,678,359 July 24, 1928
Balz et al. (Balz) 2,318,580 May 11, 1943
Baylin 2,435,488 Feb. 3, 1948
Gillette et al. (Gillette) 2,683,343 July 13, 1954
Gleszer 2,978,850 Apr. 11, 1961
Bishop 3,239,970 Mar. 15, 1966
Kittredge et al. (Kittredge) 3,613,317 Oct. 19, 1971
Samsel et al. (Samsel) 5,447,465 Sept. 5, 1995
(filed Aug. 19, 1993)
Smith et al. (Smith) 5,477,604 Dec. 26, 1995
(filed Nov. 1, 1993)
Additional references applied herein in rejections pursuant to 37 CFR §1.196(b) are: 2
McIntosh 5,123,910 June 23, 1992
Stametz et al. (Stametz) 5,601,475 Feb. 11, 1997
(effective filing date July 27, 1994)
The appealed claims stand finally rejected as follows:
(I.) Claims 1 to 18, 20, 21 and 30 to 32, unpatentable as being based on a specification which fails to
2The McIntosh patent is of record in the application; a copy of Stametz is enclosed herewith.
2
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