Appeal No. 1999-2540
Application 08/770,411
THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus and method for
cooled, radio frequency generated ablation of heart tissue.
Claims 1 and 6 are illustrative and read as follows:
1. A radio frequency generator and pump apparatus for
cooled ablation for ablating tissue in the wall of the heart
of a patient, an ablation catheter comprising a flexible
elongate member having proximal and distal extremities, an
ablation electrode formed of a conductive material and carried
by the distal extremity, said ablation electrode having a
cavity therein, an electrical conductor carried by the
flexible elongate member and coupled to the ablation
electrode, a radio frequency generator coupled to said
electrical conductor, said flexible elongate member having a
liquid carrying lumen extending from the proximal extremity to
the distal extremity and opening into the cavity of the
ablation electrode, a pump coupled to the liquid lumen for
supplying a cooling liquid to the lumen and to the cavity of
the ablation electrode and automatic control means for
controlling the operation of the radio frequency generator and
the pump to supply pre-cooling, cooling and post-cooling in
(...continued)1
subsequent to final rejection. The examiner and the
appellants appear to agree that claims 2 and 5 as so amended
do not accurately reflect what was intended by the appellants.
See page 3 in the examiner’s answer, Paper No. 10, and page 1
in the appellants’ reply brief, Paper No. 12. The
discrepancies should be resolved upon return of the
application to the technology center. In the meantime, we
have assumed for purposes of this appeal that claims 2 and 5
read as shown in the appendix to the reply brief.
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