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 .
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to the communications filed on 10/03/2025, concerning Application No. 18/010,002. The amendments to the claims filed on 10/03/2025 are acknowledged. Presently, claims 1-4, 8, and 10-17 are pending for examination purposes.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 8, and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, lines 7-8, the limitation “wherein each of the plurality of the analog I/Q mixers are configured to generate” should be changed to “wherein each of the plurality of the analog I and Q mixers are configured to generate”;
Claim 8, lines 2-3, the limitation “coupled to the plurality of analog I/Q mixers in parallel” should be changed to “coupled to the plurality of analog I and Q mixers in parallel”; and
Claim 10, line 3, the limitation “with the analog I and Q mixers” should be changed to “with the plurality of analog I and Q mixers”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
35 U.S.C. 112(a):
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 17 recites the limitation “wherein a number of the second plurality of conductors in the connecting cable are reduced compared to a known ultrasound probe”, which does not appear to have support in the originally filed specification. Specifically, Examiner notes that the originally filed specification does not appear to disclose any teachings of a “known ultrasound probe” with relation to a reduction (or any type of change) in a number of conductors. Clarification is required.
35 U.S.C. 112(b):
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 17 recites the limitation “a known ultrasound probe” in lines 2-3, which renders the scope of the claim indefinite as the specification does not define what is meant by a “known US probe” and it is unclear how one of ordinary skill in the art would define a “known US probe”, let alone the number of cables that are associated with a “known US probe”. It is further unclear how a number of conductors gets reduced compared to an ultrasound probe (i.e., a number of conductors is not equivalent to a “known ultrasound probe”). For examination purposes, the Examiner is interpreting the claimed “known ultrasound probe” as being any ultrasound probe invention found in relevant prior art made of record. Clarification is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-4, 8, and 10-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fazioli et al. (US Patent 6,527,722 B1, of record, hereinafter Fazioli) in view of Freiburger (US 2005/0203404 A1, of record, hereinafter Freiburger), and further in view of the NPL reference by Texas Instruments Inc. (NPL: “Understanding CW Mode for Ultrasound AFE Devices”, Texas Instruments Inc., Application Report SLOA253, Aug. 2017; a copy of which is herein provided by the examiner, hereinafter “Texas Instruments”).
Regarding claim 1, Fazioli discloses an ultrasound probe (probe assembly 106, transducer 202) in communication with an ultrasound system (processing unit 102, ultrasound scanner 112, ultrasound system 100) (see, e.g., Figs. 1-2, and Col. 4, lines 66-67 and Col. 5, lines 1-8, “Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a graphical view illustrating an ultrasound system 100 in which the invention resides. The ultrasound system 100 may be a conventional system as used in a medical office or hospital, or may be a compact, portable system. The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound scanner 112 and a processing unit 102 connected via interface cable 104 to probe assembly 106. The probe assembly 106 includes transducer array 202, which transmits ultrasonic energy to target 108 and receives reflected ultrasonic energy from target 108”), the ultrasound probe (106, 202) comprising:
a transducer array (transducer array 202) configured to generate analog ultrasound signals from a plurality of receive elements (see, e.g., Col. 5, lines 3-17, “The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound scanner 112 and a processing unit 102 connected via interface cable 104 to probe assembly 106. The probe assembly 106 includes transducer array 202, which transmits ultrasonic energy to target 108 and receives reflected ultrasonic energy from target 108. The transducer array 202 can be any of a number of different types of ultrasonic transducer arrays, including, but not limited to, a sector array, a curved array, a curvilinear array, a matrix array, or a single element, specialized CW Doppler transducer, sometimes referred to as a "pencil probe" transducer. The transducer 202 can be used in a mode of operation referred to as CW Doppler. The CW Doppler mode is useful for detecting the flow of blood within a human- body”, and Col. 5, lines 28-39, “The ultrasound system 100 includes a transducer 202 coupled via connection 204 to the ultrasound scanner 112. The ultrasound scanner 112 includes an RF transmitter/receiver 206 and CW Doppler processing circuitry 300. The transducer 202 couples to the RF transmitter/receiver 206 via connection 204. As described above, the transducer 202 can be any commonly used and widely available transducer used with ultrasound imaging systems, or can be a specialized "pencil probe" transducer specifically designed to perform CW Doppler ultrasound imaging. The RF transmitter/receiver 206 includes circuitry (not shown) to generate, transmit and receive CW Doppler ultrasound signals”, and Figs. 2-3);
an analog in-phase (I) mixer and an analog quadrature (Q) mixer (in-phase mixer 314, quadrature-phase mixer 316 of CW Doppler processing circuitry 300) in communication with the transducer array (202), wherein each of the analog I/Q mixers (314, 316, 300) are configured to generate analog continuous wave (CW) Doppler signals based on the analog ultrasound signals from a respective one of the plurality of receive elements (of transducer array 202) (see, e.g., Abstract, “the invention is a wide dynamic range continuous wave (CW) Doppler receiver, comprising […] an in-phase mixer and a quadrature-phase mixer, each configured to receive a differential signal output of the differential fixed frequency bandpass filter; at least one in-phase filter configured to receive the output of the in-phase mixer and supply a filtered in-phase signal; at least one quadrature-phase filter configured to receive the output of the quadrature-phase mixer and supply a filtered quadrature-phase signal”, and Fig. 2 and Col. 5, lines 26-50, “The ultrasound scanner 112 includes an RF transmitter/receiver 206 and CW Doppler processing circuitry 300. The transducer 202 couples to the RF transmitter/receiver 206 via connection 204. […] The RF transmitter/receiver 206 is coupled to CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 via connection 208. As will be described below with reference to FIG. 3, the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 resides in a receive signal path and operates in differential mode. The CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 uses a simplified filter arrangement, made possible in part due to the differential mode operation (to be described in detail below) and employs a high-precision analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, thereby allowing the CW Doppler processing circuitry to be greatly simplified in both structure and operation”, and Col. 7, lines 48-67 and Col. 8, lines 1-3, “The 1 MHz signal on connection 312 is supplied to a pair of mixers 314 and 316. The mixer 314 operates on the in-phase (I) component of the signal while the mixer 316 operates on the quadrature-phase (Q) component of the signal to mix the signal on connection 312 to a baseband frequency centered around DC (0 Hz). The in-phase mixer 314 receives a local oscillator (LO) signal at a frequency of 1 MHz via connection 318 and the quadrature-phase mixer 316 receives a local oscillator signal at a frequency of 1 MHz via connection 322. The local oscillator signal supplied to mixer 314 is offset in phase by 90.degree. from the local oscillator signal supplied to the quadrature-phase mixer 316. Through the operation of the in-phase mixer 314 and the quadrature-phase mixer 316, a pair of baseband frequencies on connections 324 and 326 are generated that are 90.degree. out of phase with respect to each other. The signals on connections 324 and 326 are centered at DC (0 Hz), where any frequency offset from DC is the signal that represents the flow of blood and any low frequency clutter detected by the transducer 202 (FIG. 1). The signal on connection 324 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 328 and the signal on connection 326 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 332”, and Fig. 3, where the corresponding outputs of each mixer 314, 316 are signals representative of the flow of blood and any low frequency clutter detected by the transducer 202), wherein respective outputs of the analog I and Q mixers (314, 316, 300) are summed together as summed I and Q signals (see, e.g., Col. 7, lines 48-67 and Col. 8, lines 1-11, “The 1 MHz signal on connection 312 is supplied to a pair of mixers 314 and 316. The mixer 314 operates on the in-phase (I) component of the signal while the mixer 316 operates on the quadrature-phase (Q) component of the signal to mix the signal on connection 312 to a baseband frequency centered around DC (0 Hz). […] The signal on connection 324 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 328 and the signal on connection 326 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 332. The signals on connections 324 and 326 are supplied to differential low-pass filters to remove any unwanted mixing terms introduced to the signal via the mixers 314 and 316. These undesirable mixing terms are a result of the mixers providing the sum of the frequencies of the local oscillator signal and the input on connection 312, as well as the difference of the frequencies of the signal on connection 312 and the local oscillator signal”, and Fig. 3, where the disclosed output of the in-phase mixer 314 would be outputs of I signals that are summed via the respective mixer 314, and where the disclosed output of the quadrature-phase mixer 316 would be outputs of Q signals that are summed via the respective mixer 316, and where the corresponding outputs of each mixer 314, 316 are transmitted on different connections 324, 326 from one another); and
a cable (interface cable 104) coupled to a housing of the ultrasound probe (106, 202), wherein the cable (104) is configured to transmit the analog CW Doppler signals from the ultrasound probe (106, 202) to the ultrasound system (102, 112, 100) (see, e.g., Figs. 1-2, and Col. 5, lines 3-52, “The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound scanner 112 and a processing unit 102 connected via interface cable 104 to probe assembly 106. The probe assembly 106 includes transducer array 202, which transmits ultrasonic energy to target 108 and receives reflected ultrasonic energy from target 108. […] The transducer 202 can be used in a mode of operation referred to as CW Doppler. The CW Doppler mode is useful for detecting the flow of blood within a human- body. Processing circuitry in the ultrasound system 100 processes the received CW Doppler signals and provides both visual and audible representations of any detected blood flow. […] The ultrasound system 100 includes a transducer 202 coupled via connection 204 to the ultrasound scanner 112. The ultrasound scanner 112 includes an RF transmitter/receiver 206 and CW Doppler processing circuitry 300. The transducer 202 couples to the RF transmitter/receiver 206 via connection 204. As described above, the transducer 202 can be any commonly used and widely available transducer used with ultrasound imaging systems, or can be a specialized "pencil probe" transducer specifically designed to perform CW Doppler ultrasound imaging. The RF transmitter/receiver 206 includes circuitry (not shown) to generate, transmit and receive CW Doppler ultrasound signals. The RF transmitter/receiver 206 is coupled to CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 via connection 208. […] The CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 is coupled to the processing unit 102 via connection 212 and via connection 232”),
wherein the analog CW Doppler signals comprise the summed I and Q signals, and wherein a plurality of conductors comprises a first conductor (connection 324) configured to transmit the summed I signals and a second conductor (connection 326) configured to transmit the summed Q signals (see, e.g., Abstract, “the invention is a wide dynamic range continuous wave (CW) Doppler receiver, comprising […] an in-phase mixer and a quadrature-phase mixer, each configured to receive a differential signal output of the differential fixed frequency bandpass filter; at least one in-phase filter configured to receive the output of the in-phase mixer and supply a filtered in-phase signal; at least one quadrature-phase filter configured to receive the output of the quadrature-phase mixer and supply a filtered quadrature-phase signal; and an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the filtered in-phase signal and the filtered quadrature-phase signal and supply a corresponding in-phase digital output and a corresponding quadrature-phase digital output, the outputs of the analog-to-digital converter supplied to a memory element”, and Col. 7, lines 48-67 and Col. 8, lines 1-11, “The 1 MHz signal on connection 312 is supplied to a pair of mixers 314 and 316. The mixer 314 operates on the in-phase (I) component of the signal while the mixer 316 operates on the quadrature-phase (Q) component of the signal to mix the signal on connection 312 to a baseband frequency centered around DC (0 Hz). The in-phase mixer 314 receives a local oscillator (LO) signal at a frequency of 1 MHz via connection 318 and the quadrature-phase mixer 316 receives a local oscillator signal at a frequency of 1 MHz via connection 322. The local oscillator signal supplied to mixer 314 is offset in phase by 90.degree. from the local oscillator signal supplied to the quadrature-phase mixer 316. Through the operation of the in-phase mixer 314 and the quadrature-phase mixer 316, a pair of baseband frequencies on connections 324 and 326 are generated that are 90.degree. out of phase with respect to each other. The signals on connections 324 and 326 are centered at DC (0 Hz), where any frequency offset from DC is the signal that represents the flow of blood and any low frequency clutter detected by the transducer 202 (FIG. 1). The signal on connection 324 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 328 and the signal on connection 326 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 332. The signals on connections 324 and 326 are supplied to differential low-pass filters to remove any unwanted mixing terms introduced to the signal via the mixers 314 and 316. These undesirable mixing terms are a result of the mixers providing the sum of the frequencies of the local oscillator signal and the input on connection 312, as well as the difference of the frequencies of the signal on connection 312 and the local oscillator signal”, and Fig. 3, where the corresponding outputs of each mixer 314, 316 are transmitted on different connections 324, 326 from one another).
Fazioli does not specifically disclose [1] a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers; [2] wherein the analog I and Q mixers are specifically disposed within the housing of the ultrasound probe; [3] wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals; and [4] wherein the cable specifically comprises a second plurality of conductors configured to transmit the analog CW Doppler signals.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses a housing (probe housing 17) of the ultrasound probe (transducer assembly 14) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0023], “The ultrasound transducer probe assembly 14 includes the transducer probe housing 17”, and Para. [0024], “The transducer probe housing 17 is plastic, metal, rubber, combinations thereof or any other now-known or later-developed material for housing a multidimensional transducer array 12 of elements. In one embodiment, the transducer probe housing 17 is shaped for hand-held use. In other embodiments, the transducer probe housing 17 is shaped for use internal to a patient, such as shaped as an endoscope or catheter. The transducer probe housing 17 at least partially houses the multidimensional array 12 of elements, such as covering a portion of the array 12 and allowing a face of the array 12 acoustical access for scanning a patient”), such that the analog I/Q mixers (steered continuous wave receive beamformer 34) are disposed within the housing (17) of the ultrasound probe (14) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0019], “The steered continuous wave receive beamformer 26 may be at least partly in the transducer assembly 14 as designated by 34. For example, the steered continuous wave beamformer 34 includes a pre-amplifier, a delay or phase rotator, a summer or combinations thereof in a probe housing 17 of the transducer assembly 14”); and
a cable (cable 18) coupled to the housing (17) of the ultrasound probe (14), wherein the cable (18) comprises a second plurality of conductors configured to transmit the analog CW Doppler signals from the ultrasound probe (14) to the ultrasound system (imaging system 16) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Abstract, “at least part of the steered continuous wave beamformer is provided within a transducer assembly. The transducer assembly includes a probe housing and a connector housing electrically connected by a cable”, and Para. [0022], “The connector 22 is one of any now-known or later-developed mechanical and electrical connectors for detachably connecting and removing the transducer probe assembly 12. […] A plurality of male or female electrical connections for connecting with individual digital traces, such as in a circuit board configuration, or for connecting with coaxial cables is provided”, and Para. [0023], “The ultrasound transducer probe assembly 14 includes the transducer probe housing 17, a cable 18, and a connector housing 20”, and Para. [0025], “The elements of the array 12 are piezoelectric, capacitive membrane ultrasound transducer or other now-known or later-developed elements for converting between electrical and acoustical energies. […] The transducer array 12 includes a flex circuit, signal traces or other structures for electrical interconnection from the elements of the array 12 to other electronics of the probe assembly 12. For example, the flex circuits are connected to a plurality of coaxial cables in the cable 18 or to electronics or connector within the connector housing 20”, and Para. [0030], “The cable 18 includes a plurality of coaxial cables. For example, 64, 128, 192 or other number of coaxial cables are provided for transmitting electrical signals representing acoustic energy received at elements of the array 12. Each coaxial cable receives information for one element, information from a sub-array or multiplexed information representing a plurality of different elements. In alternative embodiments, the cable 18 is a flexible circuit, optical data path, fiber optic, insulated wires or other now-known or later-developed structure. For example, analog-to-digital converters are provided in the transducer probe housing 17, and digital signals are transmitted along now-known or later-developed digital paths through the cable 18. The cable 18 electrically connects the ultrasound transducer array 12 to the electronics of the connector housing 20 or imaging system 16. […] In the embodiment with a dedicated steered continuous wave receive aperture, the cables associated with the dedicated aperture may be shielded from other cables to reduce any cross-talk”, and Para. [0031], “The connector housing 20 is connected at the end of the cable 18, so that the connector housing 20 is spaced from the ultrasound transducer array 12 and associated probe housing 17”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli by including [2] wherein the plurality of analog I/Q mixers are specifically disposed within the housing of the ultrasound probe; and [4] wherein the cable specifically comprises a second plurality of conductors configured to transmit the analog CW Doppler signals, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide the desired shape of the transducer probe, such as a transducer probe housing shaped for hand-held use or a transducer probe housing shaped for use internal to a patient (such as shaped as an endoscope or catheter); in order to overcome hardware size, channel count, and steering difficulties; in order to desirably form signals representing one or different spatial locations along one or more receive beams; and in order to provide fewer cables than imaging elements within the probe and provide shielding between cables to reduce any cross-talk, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0005], [0017], [0024], and [0030]).
Fazioli modified by Freiburger still does not disclose [1] a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers; and [3] wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Texas Instruments discloses a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers, wherein each of the plurality of the analog I and Q mixers are configured to generate analog continuous wave (CW) Doppler signals based on the analog ultrasound signals from a respective one or the plurality of receive elements, wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals (see, e.g., Figs. 1 and 4 with corresponding disclosure, where each input signal (from 16 channels labeled LNA1 to LNA16) is associated with a respective I-channel mixer and Q-channel mixer (i.e. “two passive mixers (per channel)” as stated in lines 1-2 of the 1.Introduction section on Page 2), and wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I-channel mixers are summed together as summed I signals (“summed in-phase” as stated in Fig. 4) and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q-channel mixers are summed together as summed Q signals (“summed quadrature” as stated in Fig. 4)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger by including [1] a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers; and [3] wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals, as disclosed by Texas Instruments. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because “All 16 I-channel current outputs and 16 Q-channel current outputs are summed by two separate summing amplifiers at the CW beam-former output in order to improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)”, as recognized by Texas Instruments (see, e.g., Page 6, lines 1-2 of last paragraph on page).
Regarding claim 2, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 1, as set forth above. Fazioli further discloses further comprising: an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) (A/D converter 350 within CW Doppler processing circuitry 300) in communication with the transducer array (transducer array 202), wherein the ADC (350, 300) is configured to convert the analog ultrasound signals to digital ultrasound signals, and wherein the cable (interface cable 104) is configured to transmit the digital ultrasound signals to the ultrasound system (processing unit 102, ultrasound scanner 112, ultrasound system 100) (see, e.g., Col. 3, lines 29-52, “The invention is a Doppler receiver that has a wide dynamic range and operates in a fully differential mode. In one embodiment, the invention is a wide dynamic range continuous wave (CW) Doppler receiver, comprising […] an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the filtered in-phase signal and the filtered quadrature-phase signal and supply a corresponding in-phase digital output and a corresponding quadrature-phase digital output, the output of the analog-to-digital converter supplied to a memory element”, and Figs. 2-3, and Col. 5, lines 3-52, “The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound scanner 112 and a processing unit 102 connected via interface cable 104 to probe assembly 106. The probe assembly 106 includes transducer array 202, which transmits ultrasonic energy to target 108 and receives reflected ultrasonic energy from target 108. […] The transducer 202 can be used in a mode of operation referred to as CW Doppler. The CW Doppler mode is useful for detecting the flow of blood within a human- body. Processing circuitry in the ultrasound system 100 processes the received CW Doppler signals and provides both visual and audible representations of any detected blood flow. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the novel CW Doppler processing circuitry is greatly simplified and provides wide dynamic range, improved sensitivity, and improved signal-to-noise ratio over conventional CW Doppler processing circuitry. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an ultrasound system 100 constructed in accordance with an aspect of the invention. The ultrasound system 100 includes a transducer 202 coupled via connection 204 to the ultrasound scanner 112. The ultrasound scanner 112 includes an RF transmitter/receiver 206 and CW Doppler processing circuitry 300. The transducer 202 couples to the RF transmitter/receiver 206 via connection 204. As described above, the transducer 202 can be any commonly used and widely available transducer used with ultrasound imaging systems, or can be a specialized "pencil probe" transducer specifically designed to perform CW Doppler ultrasound imaging. The RF transmitter/receiver 206 includes circuitry (not shown) to generate, transmit and receive CW Doppler ultrasound signals. The RF transmitter/receiver 206 is coupled to CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 via connection 208. […] The CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 uses a simplified filter arrangement, made possible in part due to the differential mode operation (to be described in detail below) and employs a high-precision analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, thereby allowing the CW Doppler processing circuitry to be greatly simplified in both structure and operation. The CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 is coupled to the processing unit 102 via connection 212 and via connection 232”, and Col. 9, lines 25-58, “the A/D converter 350 has a high sample rate, dual input, and is capable of operating in a differential mode. Preferably, the A/D converter is a 24-bit, 100 kilosample per second, (ks/s) differential A/D converter; however any wide dynamic range A/D converter 350 can be used. The analog-to-digital converter 350 takes the analog voltage waveform inputs on connections 346 and 348 and provides digital bit streams on connections 212a and 212b, respectively, that are digital representations of the signals on connections 346 and 348, respectively. The output on each of connections 212a and 212b is a serial binary output that represents the voltage levels on connections 346 and 348, respectively, sampled every 10 microseconds. The output of the A/D converter 350 is supplied to the memory controller 216 (FIG. 2), which then supplies the output of the A/D converter 350 to the memory element 218 (FIG. 2) for processing by the processor 214 (FIG.2). In accordance with CW Doppler processing, the digital bit stream supplied to the memory controller 216 from the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 is processed by the processor 214 so that both audible and visual outputs corresponding to the blood flow can be presented to a user. The high precision A/D converter 350 allows the use of a simple, one stage, high-pass filter 342 and 344, which then allows both the high-pass filters 342 and 344 to operate differentially. As mentioned above, the differential operation of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 allows significantly simplified fixed frequency filters to be used in place of conventional complicated programmable filters. The 24-bit capability of the A/D converter 350 allows the A/D converter 350 to handle an extremely wide dynamic range, such as the wide dynamic range of the signals on connections 346 and 348”).
Fazioli does not specifically disclose wherein the ADC is disposed within the housing of the ultrasound probe.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses a housing (probe housing 17) of the ultrasound probe (transducer assembly 14) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0023], “The ultrasound transducer probe assembly 14 includes the transducer probe housing 17”, and Para. [0024], “The transducer probe housing 17 is plastic, metal, rubber, combinations thereof or any other now-known or later-developed material for housing a multidimensional transducer array 12 of elements. In one embodiment, the transducer probe housing 17 is shaped for hand-held use. In other embodiments, the transducer probe housing 17 is shaped for use internal to a patient, such as shaped as an endoscope or catheter. The transducer probe housing 17 at least partially houses the multidimensional array 12 of elements, such as covering a portion of the array 12 and allowing a face of the array 12 acoustical access for scanning a patient”), such that the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is disposed within the housing (17) of the ultrasound probe (14) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0030], “The cable 18 includes a plurality of coaxial cables. […] analog-to-digital converters are provided in the transducer probe housing 17, and digital signals are transmitted along now-known or later-developed digital paths through the cable 18. The cable 18 electrically connects the ultrasound transducer array 12 to the electronics of the connector housing 20 or imaging system 16”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments by including wherein the ADC is disposed within the housing of the ultrasound probe, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide the desired shape of the transducer probe, such as a transducer probe housing shaped for hand-held use or a transducer probe housing shaped for use internal to a patient (such as shaped as an endoscope or catheter), and in order to overcome hardware size, channel count, and steering difficulties, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0005] and [0024]).
Regarding claim 3, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 2, as set forth above. Fazioli does not specifically disclose the ultrasound probe further comprising: at least one of a digital beamformer or a multiplexor in communication with the ADC.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses the ultrasound probe (transducer assembly 14) further comprising: at least one of a digital beamformer or a multiplexor in communication with the ADC (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0019], “The steered continuous wave receive beamformer 26 may be at least partly in the transducer assembly 14 as designated by 34. For example, the steered continuous wave beamformer 34 includes a pre-amplifier, a delay or phase rotator, a summer or combinations thereof in a probe housing 17 of the transducer assembly 14”, and Para. [0030], “The cable 18 includes a plurality of coaxial cables. […] Each coaxial cable receives information for one element, information from a sub-array or multiplexed information representing a plurality of different elements. In alternative embodiments, the cable 18 is a flexible circuit, optical data path, fiber optic, insulated wires or other now-known or later-developed structure. For example, analog-to-digital converters are provided in the transducer probe housing 17, and digital signals are transmitted along now-known or later-developed digital paths through the cable 18. The cable 18 electrically connects the ultrasound transducer array 12 to the electronics of the connector housing 20 or imaging system 16. Where multiplexing or partial beamforming is provided, fewer cables than elements may be used”, and Para. [0032], “The connector housing 20 is shaped to allow detachment and attachment to the imaging system 16. In one embodiment, now-known connector housings are extended in length away from the connector 28 to accommodate the additional electronics, such as extending by twice the distance used for connectors without electronics to accommodate demultiplexers, partial beamformers, analog-to-digital converters or other components”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments by including the ultrasound probe further comprising: at least one of a digital beamformer or a multiplexor in communication with the ADC, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide fewer cables than imaging elements within the probe, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0030]).
Regarding claim 4, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 2, as set forth above. Fazioli does not specifically disclose wherein the cable comprises a first plurality of conductors configured to transmit the digital ultrasound signals.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses wherein the cable (cable 18) comprises a first plurality of conductors configured to transmit the digital ultrasound signals (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0022], “The connector 22 is one of any now-known or later-developed mechanical and electrical connectors for detachably connecting and removing the transducer probe assembly 12. […] A plurality of male or female electrical connections for connecting with individual digital traces, such as in a circuit board configuration, or for connecting with coaxial cables is provided”, and Para. [0025], “The elements of the array 12 are piezoelectric, capacitive membrane ultrasound transducer or other now-known or later-developed elements for converting between electrical and acoustical energies. […] The transducer array 12 includes a flex circuit, signal traces or other structures for electrical interconnection from the elements of the array 12 to other electronics of the probe assembly 12. For example, the flex circuits are connected to a plurality of coaxial cables in the cable 18 or to electronics or connector within the connector housing 20”, and Para. [0030], “The cable 18 includes a plurality of coaxial cables. For example, 64, 128, 192 or other number of coaxial cables are provided for transmitting electrical signals representing acoustic energy received at elements of the array 12. Each coaxial cable receives information for one element, information from a sub-array or multiplexed information representing a plurality of different elements. In alternative embodiments, the cable 18 is a flexible circuit, optical data path, fiber optic, insulated wires or other now-known or later-developed structure. For example, analog-to-digital converters are provided in the transducer probe housing 17, and digital signals are transmitted along now-known or later-developed digital paths through the cable 18. The cable 18 electrically connects the ultrasound transducer array 12 to the electronics of the connector housing 20 or imaging system 16. Where multiplexing or partial beamforming is provided, fewer cables than elements may be used. In the embodiment with a dedicated steered continuous wave receive aperture, the cables associated with the dedicated aperture may be shielded from other cables to reduce any cross-talk. The shielding is in addition to the coaxial shielding, such as a sheet of dielectric material separating dedicated receive cables from other cables. In other embodiments, such as the selectable aperture embodiments, the shielding between cables is provided by the coaxial or other shielding resulting from the cables being used”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments by including wherein the cable comprises a first plurality of conductors configured to transmit the digital ultrasound signals, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide fewer cables than imaging elements within the probe, and in order to provide shielding between cables to reduce any cross-talk, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0030]).
Regarding claim 8, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 4, as set forth above. Fazioli further discloses wherein the first conductor (connection 324) and the second conductor (connection 326) are electrically coupled to the plurality of analog I/Q mixers (in-phase mixer 314, quadrature-phase mixer 316) in parallel (see, e.g., Col. 7, lines 48-67 and Col. 8, lines 1-3, “The 1 MHz signal on connection 312 is supplied to a pair of mixers 314 and 316. The mixer 314 operates on the in-phase (I) component of the signal while the mixer 316 operates on the quadrature-phase (Q) component of the signal to mix the signal on connection 312 to a baseband frequency centered around DC (0 Hz). The in-phase mixer 314 receives a local oscillator (LO) signal at a frequency of 1 MHz via connection 318 and the quadrature-phase mixer 316 receives a local oscillator signal at a frequency of 1 MHz via connection 322. The local oscillator signal supplied to mixer 314 is offset in phase by 90.degree. from the local oscillator signal supplied to the quadrature-phase mixer 316. Through the operation of the in-phase mixer 314 and the quadrature-phase mixer 316, a pair of baseband frequencies on connections 324 and 326 are generated that are 90.degree. out of phase with respect to each other. The signals on connections 324 and 326 are centered at DC (0 Hz), where any frequency offset from DC is the signal that represents the flow of blood and any low frequency clutter detected by the transducer 202 (FIG. 1). The signal on connection 324 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 328 and the signal on connection 326 is supplied to a differential low-pass filter 332”, and Fig. 3, where the corresponding outputs of each mixer 314, 316 are transmitted on different connections 324, 326 from one another that are each respectively coupled in parallel with the corresponding mixer 314, 316).
Regarding claim 10, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 1, as set forth above. Fazioli does not specifically disclose the ultrasound probe further comprising: a quadrature clock generator disposed within the housing and in communication with the analog I and Q mixers.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses the ultrasound probe (transducer assembly 14) further comprising: a quadrature clock generator (steered continuous wave beamformer 34, receive beamformer 26) disposed within the housing (probe housing 17) and in communication with the analog I and Q mixers (steered continuous wave beamformer 34, receive beamformer 26) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0017], “The receive beamformer 26 is an analog or digital receive beamformer. The receive beamformer 26 includes a plurality of delays, amplifiers and one or more summers. The receive beamformer 26 is configured to receive analog signals, but may be configured to receive digital signals. The electrical signals representing different elements or groups of elements are relatively delayed, apodized and then summed to form samples or signals representing one or different spatial locations along one or more receive beams”, and Para. [0019], “The steered continuous wave receive beamformer 26 may be at least partly in the transducer assembly 14 as designated by 34. For example, the steered continuous wave beamformer 34 includes a pre-amplifier, a delay or phase rotator, a summer or combinations thereof in a probe housing 17 of the transducer assembly 14”, and Para. [0020], “The components of the steered continuous wave receive beamformer 26, 34 have a dynamic range for continuous wave imaging, such as providing a type of preamplifier, sufficient power supply and minimal noise components for continuous wave imaging. The delays may be implemented with a single wavelength delay or phase capability. For comparison, the components for a pulsed wave or multi-dimensional imaging receive beamformer have multiple cycle delays with a higher resolution of delay and have a lesser dynamic range. In one embodiment, one or more of the components of the steered continuous wave beamformer 34, 26 and a pulsed wave beamformer are shared, such as preamplifiers, delays, amplifiers, summers or the entire receive channel path”, and Para. [0028], “at least a portion of the steering continuous wave beamformer 34 is provided in the probe housing 17 or transducer assembly 14. For example, pre-amplifiers, delays, phase rotators amplifiers and summers are provided for partially beamforming a plurality of sub-apertures of a receive aperture”, and Para. [0029], “the probe electronics include delays, amplifiers and summers for performing beamforming functions for sub-arrays or across the entire array”, where the claimed quadrature clock generator may produce a delay difference between the output signals (see Para. [0045] of current application’s specification), such that the operations of claimed quadrature clock generator correspond to the disclosed probe electronics that provide the delay functions of the steered continuous wave beamformer 34 / receive beamformer 26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments by including the ultrasound probe further comprising: a quadrature clock generator disposed within the housing and in communication with the analog I and Q mixers, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to desirably form signals representing one or different spatial locations along one or more receive beams, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0017]).
Regarding claim 11, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 10, as set forth above. Fazioli does not specifically disclose wherein the cable comprises a plurality of conductors configured to transmit power, clock and control signals from the ultrasound system to the quadrature clock generator.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses wherein the cable (cable 18) comprises a plurality of conductors configured to transmit power, clock and control signals from the ultrasound system (imaging system 16) to the quadrature clock generator (steered continuous wave beamformer 34, receive beamformer 26) (see, e.g., Para. [0033], “The releasable connector 28 electrically connects with the ultrasound transducer array 12 without any detachable connections. Alternatively, one or more detachable connections are provided, such as at the interface between the cable 18 and the probe housing 17. The connector 28 is releasably connectable with the imaging system 16. The connector 28 includes mechanical and electrical structures corresponding to the mechanical and electrical structures of the connector 22 of the imaging system 16. For example, a plurality of electrical signal lines for connection with exposed traces on a circuit board protrudes from the connector housing 20 for insertion into the connector 22. The connectors 22, 28 include power, clock, synchronization or other control lines for implementing the digital processing within the connector housing 20 or the transducer probe assembly 12 in synchronization with a format usable by the imaging system 16”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments by including the ultrasound probe further comprising: a quadrature clock generator disposed within the housing and in communication with the analog I/Q mixers, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to desirably form signals representing one or different spatial locations along one or more receive beams, and in order to desirably implement digital processing, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0017] and [0033]).
Regarding claim 12, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 1, as set forth above. Fazioli does not specifically disclose the ultrasound probe further comprising: an analog beamformer disposed within the housing and in communication with the transducer array.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses the ultrasound probe (transducer assembly 14) further comprising: an analog beamformer (steered continuous wave beamformer 34, receive beamformer 26) disposed within the housing (probe housing 17) and in communication with the transducer array (multidimensional transducer array 12) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0017], “The receive beamformer 26 is an analog or digital receive beamformer. The receive beamformer 26 includes a plurality of delays, amplifiers and one or more summers. The receive beamformer 26 is configured to receive analog signals, but may be configured to receive digital signals. The electrical signals representing different elements or groups of elements are relatively delayed, apodized and then summed to form samples or signals representing one or different spatial locations along one or more receive beams”, and Para. [0019], “The steered continuous wave receive beamformer 26 may be at least partly in the transducer assembly 14 as designated by 34. For example, the steered continuous wave beamformer 34 includes a pre-amplifier, a delay or phase rotator, a summer or combinations thereof in a probe housing 17 of the transducer assembly 14”, and Para. [0022], “While one connector 22 is shown, a plurality of different connectors may be provided for connecting to a same type or different types of transducer probe assemblies 12. The connector 22 electrically connects with the receive beamformer 26 for communicating analog or digital signals”, and Para. [0030], “The cable 18 includes a plurality of coaxial cables. […] Each coaxial cable receives information for one element, information from a sub-array or multiplexed information representing a plurality of different elements. In alternative embodiments, the cable 18 is a flexible circuit, optical data path, fiber optic, insulated wires or other now-known or later-developed structure. For example, analog-to-digital converters are provided in the transducer probe housing 17, and digital signals are transmitted along now-known or later-developed digital paths through the cable 18. The cable 18 electrically connects the ultrasound transducer array 12 to the electronics of the connector housing 20 or imaging system 16. Where multiplexing or partial beamforming is provided, fewer cables than elements may be used”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments by including the ultrasound probe further comprising: an analog beamformer disposed within the housing and in communication with the transducer array, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide fewer cables than imaging elements within the probe, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0030]).
Regarding claim 13, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 1, as set forth above. Fazioli further discloses an apparatus (ultrasound system 100), comprising: the ultrasound probe (probe assembly 106, transducer 202) of claim 1; and the ultrasound system (processing unit 102, ultrasound scanner 112) (see, e.g., Figs. 1-2, and Col. 4, lines 66-67 and Col. 5, lines 1-8, “Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a graphical view illustrating an ultrasound system 100 in which the invention resides. The ultrasound system 100 may be a conventional system as used in a medical office or hospital, or may be a compact, portable system. The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound scanner 112 and a processing unit 102 connected via interface cable 104 to probe assembly 106. The probe assembly 106 includes transducer array 202, which transmits ultrasonic energy to target 108 and receives reflected ultrasonic energy from target 108”; also see the claim rejection of Claim 1, as set forth above), wherein the ultrasound system (102, 112) is spaced from the ultrasound probe (106, 202) such that the cable (interface cable 104) extends between the ultrasound probe (106, 202) and the ultrasound system (102, 112) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Col. 5, lines 3-8, “The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound scanner 112 and a processing unit 102 connected via interface cable 104 to probe assembly 106. The probe assembly 106 includes transducer array 202, which transmits ultrasonic energy to target 108 and receives reflected ultrasonic energy from target 108”; also see the claim rejection of Claim 1, as set forth above).
Regarding claim 14, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the apparatus of claim 13, as set forth above. Fazioli further discloses wherein the ultrasound system (processing unit 102, ultrasound scanner 112) comprises a processor circuit (processor 214) configured to: generate a graphical representation of a distribution of blood flow velocities based on the analog CW Doppler signals; and output the graphical representation to a display (display 262) in communication with the processor circuit (214) (see, e.g., Fig. 2, and Col. 5, lines 53-67 and Col. 6, line 1, “The processing unit 102 includes a processor 214, a memory controller 216, a memory element 218, a user interface 226, and a software controlled frequency generator 228 coupled together over logical interface 224. The logical interface 224 can represent one or more communication and/or signal busses, and is shown as a single interface for simplicity. The user interface 226 receives input commands from a keyboard 234 via connection 236 and/or a mouse 238 via connection 242. Further, the user interface 226 is coupled to a speaker 244 via connection 246 and to a display 262 via connection 264. The speaker 244 and the display 262 are used to provide the CW Doppler ultrasound output to a user of the system 100. As will be described in greater detail below, the flow of blood in a body, when processed by the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, can be represented as both a visual and an audible output”, and Col. 6, lines 35-49, “The processor 214 also provides control over the logical interface 224 so that the memory controller 216 can forward the output of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 to the memory 218. The output of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, when stored in the memory 218, can be modified and adjusted by the processor 214, via commands from the control and processing software 380. For example, the control and processing software 380 can be used to adjust the gain of the displayed signal supplied by the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, or it can be used to adjust various aspects of the manner in which information is displayed to a user, such as the velocity ranges. Software may also exist which performs analytical measurements of the spectral data that result from the CW Doppler processing”).
Regarding claim 15, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the apparatus of claim 14, as set forth above. Fazioli further discloses wherein the ultrasound probe (probe assembly 106, transducer 202) is configured to convert the analog ultrasound signals to digital ultrasound signals, wherein the cable (interface cable 104) is configured to transmit the digital ultrasound signals from the ultrasound probe (106, 202) to the ultrasound system (processing unit 102, ultrasound scanner 112, ultrasound system 100) (see, e.g., Col. 3, lines 29-52, “The invention is a Doppler receiver that has a wide dynamic range and operates in a fully differential mode. In one embodiment, the invention is a wide dynamic range continuous wave (CW) Doppler receiver, comprising […] an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the filtered in-phase signal and the filtered quadrature-phase signal and supply a corresponding in-phase digital output and a corresponding quadrature-phase digital output, the output of the analog-to-digital converter supplied to a memory element”, and Figs. 2-3, and Col. 5, lines 3-52, “The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound scanner 112 and a processing unit 102 connected via interface cable 104 to probe assembly 106. The probe assembly 106 includes transducer array 202, which transmits ultrasonic energy to target 108 and receives reflected ultrasonic energy from target 108. […] The transducer 202 can be used in a mode of operation referred to as CW Doppler. The CW Doppler mode is useful for detecting the flow of blood within a human- body. Processing circuitry in the ultrasound system 100 processes the received CW Doppler signals and provides both visual and audible representations of any detected blood flow. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the novel CW Doppler processing circuitry is greatly simplified and provides wide dynamic range, improved sensitivity, and improved signal-to-noise ratio over conventional CW Doppler processing circuitry. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an ultrasound system 100 constructed in accordance with an aspect of the invention. The ultrasound system 100 includes a transducer 202 coupled via connection 204 to the ultrasound scanner 112. The ultrasound scanner 112 includes an RF transmitter/receiver 206 and CW Doppler processing circuitry 300. The transducer 202 couples to the RF transmitter/receiver 206 via connection 204. As described above, the transducer 202 can be any commonly used and widely available transducer used with ultrasound imaging systems, or can be a specialized "pencil probe" transducer specifically designed to perform CW Doppler ultrasound imaging. The RF transmitter/receiver 206 includes circuitry (not shown) to generate, transmit and receive CW Doppler ultrasound signals. The RF transmitter/receiver 206 is coupled to CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 via connection 208. […] The CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 uses a simplified filter arrangement, made possible in part due to the differential mode operation (to be described in detail below) and employs a high-precision analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, thereby allowing the CW Doppler processing circuitry to be greatly simplified in both structure and operation. The CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 is coupled to the processing unit 102 via connection 212 and via connection 232”, and Col. 9, lines 25-58, “the A/D converter 350 has a high sample rate, dual input, and is capable of operating in a differential mode. Preferably, the A/D converter is a 24-bit, 100 kilosample per second, (ks/s) differential A/D converter; however any wide dynamic range A/D converter 350 can be used. The analog-to-digital converter 350 takes the analog voltage waveform inputs on connections 346 and 348 and provides digital bit streams on connections 212a and 212b, respectively, that are digital representations of the signals on connections 346 and 348, respectively. The output on each of connections 212a and 212b is a serial binary output that represents the voltage levels on connections 346 and 348, respectively, sampled every 10 microseconds. The output of the A/D converter 350 is supplied to the memory controller 216 (FIG. 2), which then supplies the output of the A/D converter 350 to the memory element 218 (FIG. 2) for processing by the processor 214 (FIG.2). In accordance with CW Doppler processing, the digital bit stream supplied to the memory controller 216 from the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 is processed by the processor 214 so that both audible and visual outputs corresponding to the blood flow can be presented to a user. The high precision A/D converter 350 allows the use of a simple, one stage, high-pass filter 342 and 344, which then allows both the high-pass filters 342 and 344 to operate differentially. As mentioned above, the differential operation of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 allows significantly simplified fixed frequency filters to be used in place of conventional complicated programmable filters. The 24-bit capability of the A/D converter 350 allows the A/D converter 350 to handle an extremely wide dynamic range, such as the wide dynamic range of the signals on connections 346 and 348”), and
wherein the processor circuit (processor 214) is configured to: generate an ultrasound image of a heart based on the digital ultrasound signals; and output the ultrasound image to the display (display 262) (see, e.g., Fig. 2, and Col. 5, lines 53-67 and Col. 6, line 1, “The processing unit 102 includes a processor 214, a memory controller 216, a memory element 218, a user interface 226, and a software controlled frequency generator 228 coupled together over logical interface 224. The logical interface 224 can represent one or more communication and/or signal busses, and is shown as a single interface for simplicity. The user interface 226 receives input commands from a keyboard 234 via connection 236 and/or a mouse 238 via connection 242. Further, the user interface 226 is coupled to a speaker 244 via connection 246 and to a display 262 via connection 264. The speaker 244 and the display 262 are used to provide the CW Doppler ultrasound output to a user of the system 100. As will be described in greater detail below, the flow of blood in a body, when processed by the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, can be represented as both a visual and an audible output”, and Col. 6, lines 35-49, “The processor 214 also provides control over the logical interface 224 so that the memory controller 216 can forward the output of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 to the memory 218. The output of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, when stored in the memory 218, can be modified and adjusted by the processor 214, via commands from the control and processing software 380. For example, the control and processing software 380 can be used to adjust the gain of the displayed signal supplied by the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, or it can be used to adjust various aspects of the manner in which information is displayed to a user, such as the velocity ranges. Software may also exist which performs analytical measurements of the spectral data that result from the CW Doppler processing”, and Col. 8, lines 23-35, “The in-phase baseband signal on connection 334 is supplied to a differential high-pass filter 342 and the quadrature-phase baseband signal on connection 336 is supplied to a differential high-pass filter 344. The differential high-pass filters 342 and 344 are known as "clutter filters" or "wall filters." As mentioned above, when operating in a continuous wave (CW) mode, it is desirable to discriminate the high power, continuous transmit signal from the blood flow signal. Further, in addition to the blood flow, which is typically a very small signal, other slow moving elements near the blood flow also cause clutter. For example, the motion of heart valves and vein walls in the vicinity of the imaged blood flow contribute to clutter in the receive signal”).
Regarding claim 16, Fazioli discloses a method (similarly to the ultrasound probe of claim 1, as set forth above), comprising:
generating analog ultrasound signals from a plurality of receive elements in a transducer array (transducer array 202) of an ultrasound probe (probe assembly 106, transducer 202) (see, e.g., Col. 5, lines 3-17, and Col. 5, lines 28-39, and Figs. 2-3);
generating analog continuous wave (CW) Doppler signals based on each of the analog ultrasound signals with a respective one of an analog in-phase (I) mixer and an analog quadrature (Q) mixer (in-phase mixer 314, quadrature-phase mixer 316 of CW Doppler processing circuitry 300) (see, e.g., Abstract, and Fig. 2 and Col. 5, lines 26-50, and Col. 7, lines 48-67 and Col. 8, lines 1-3, and Fig. 3, where the corresponding outputs of each mixer 314, 316 are signals representative of the flow of blood and any low frequency clutter detected by the transducer 202);
summing the respective generated outputs of the analog I and Q mixers (314, 316) together as summed I and Q signals (see, e.g., Col. 7, lines 48-67 and Col. 8, lines 1-11, and Fig. 3, where the claimed “summed I signals” corresponds to the disclosed output of the in-phase mixer 314 which would be outputs of I signals that are summed via the respective mixer 314, and where the claimed “summed Q signals” corresponds to the disclosed output of the quadrature-phase mixer 316 which would be outputs of Q signals that are summed via the respective mixer 316, and where the corresponding outputs of each mixer 314, 316 are transmitted on different connections 324, 326 from one another);
transmitting the analog CW Doppler signals from the ultrasound probe (106, 202) to an ultrasound system (processing unit 102, ultrasound scanner 112, ultrasound system 100) spaced from the ultrasound probe (106, 202) by a cable (interface cable 104) coupled to a housing of the ultrasound probe (106, 202) (see, e.g., Figs. 1-2, and Col. 5, lines 3-52),
wherein a plurality of conductors comprises a first conductor (connection 324) transmitting the summed I signals and a second conductor (connection 326) configured to transmit the summed Q signals (see, e.g., Abstract, and Col. 7, lines 48-67 and Col. 8, lines 1-11, and Fig. 3, where the claimed “summed I signals” corresponds to the disclosed output of the in-phase mixer 314 which would be outputs of I signals that are summed via the respective mixer 314, and where the claimed “summed Q signals” corresponds to the disclosed output of the quadrature-phase mixer 316 which would be outputs of Q signals that are summed via the respective mixer 316, and where the corresponding outputs of each mixer 314, 316 are transmitted on different connections 324, 326 from one another);
generating, with a processor circuit (processor 214) of the ultrasound system (102, 112, 100), a graphical representation of blood flow velocities based on the analog CW Doppler signals; and outputting the graphical representation to a display (display 262) in communication with the processor circuit (214) (see, e.g., Fig. 2, and Col. 5, lines 53-67 and Col. 6, line 1, “The processing unit 102 includes a processor 214, a memory controller 216, a memory element 218, a user interface 226, and a software controlled frequency generator 228 coupled together over logical interface 224. The logical interface 224 can represent one or more communication and/or signal busses, and is shown as a single interface for simplicity. The user interface 226 receives input commands from a keyboard 234 via connection 236 and/or a mouse 238 via connection 242. Further, the user interface 226 is coupled to a speaker 244 via connection 246 and to a display 262 via connection 264. The speaker 244 and the display 262 are used to provide the CW Doppler ultrasound output to a user of the system 100. As will be described in greater detail below, the flow of blood in a body, when processed by the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, can be represented as both a visual and an audible output”, and Col. 6, lines 35-49, “The processor 214 also provides control over the logical interface 224 so that the memory controller 216 can forward the output of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300 to the memory 218. The output of the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, when stored in the memory 218, can be modified and adjusted by the processor 214, via commands from the control and processing software 380. For example, the control and processing software 380 can be used to adjust the gain of the displayed signal supplied by the CW Doppler processing circuitry 300, or it can be used to adjust various aspects of the manner in which information is displayed to a user, such as the velocity ranges. Software may also exist which performs analytical measurements of the spectral data that result from the CW Doppler processing”).
Fazioli does not specifically disclose [1] a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers; [2] wherein the analog I and Q mixers are specifically disposed within the housing of the ultrasound probe; [3] wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals; and [4] wherein the cable specifically comprises the first conductor and the second conductor.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses a housing (probe housing 17) of the ultrasound probe (transducer assembly 14) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0023-0024]), such that the analog I/Q mixers (steered continuous wave receive beamformer 34) are disposed within the housing (17) of the ultrasound probe (14) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Para. [0019]); and a cable (cable 18) coupled to the housing (17) of the ultrasound probe (14), wherein the cable (18) comprises a plurality of conductors configured to transmit the analog CW Doppler signals from the ultrasound probe (14) to the ultrasound system (imaging system 16) (see, e.g., Fig. 1, and Abstract, and Para. [0022-0023], and Para. [0025], and Para. [0030-0031]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Fazioli by including [2] wherein the analog I/Q mixers are specifically disposed within the housing of the ultrasound probe; and [4] wherein the cable specifically comprises the first conductor and the second conductor, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide the desired shape of the transducer probe, such as a transducer probe housing shaped for hand-held use or a transducer probe housing shaped for use internal to a patient (such as shaped as an endoscope or catheter); in order to overcome hardware size, channel count, and steering difficulties; in order to desirably form signals representing one or different spatial locations along one or more receive beams; and in order to provide fewer cables than imaging elements within the probe and provide shielding between cables to reduce any cross-talk, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0005], [0017], [0024], and [0030]).
Fazioli modified by Freiburger still does not disclose [1] a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers; and [3] wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Texas Instruments discloses a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers, wherein each of the plurality of the analog I and Q mixers are configured to generate analog continuous wave (CW) Doppler signals based on the analog ultrasound signals from a respective one or the plurality of receive elements, wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals (see, e.g., Figs. 1 and 4 with corresponding disclosure, where each input signal (from 16 channels labeled LNA1 to LNA16) is associated with a respective I-channel mixer and Q-channel mixer (i.e. “two passive mixers (per channel)” as stated in lines 1-2 of the 1.Introduction section on Page 2), and wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I-channel mixers are summed together as summed I signals (“summed in-phase” as stated in Fig. 4) and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q-channel mixers are summed together as summed Q signals (“summed quadrature” as stated in Fig. 4)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the method of Fazioli modified by Freiburger by including [1] a plurality of analog in-phase (I) mixers and a plurality of analog quadrature (Q) mixers; and [3] wherein respective I outputs of the plurality of analog I mixers are summed together as summed I signals and wherein respective Q outputs of the plurality of analog Q mixers are summed together as summed Q signals, as disclosed by Texas Instruments. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because “All 16 I-channel current outputs and 16 Q-channel current outputs are summed by two separate summing amplifiers at the CW beam-former output in order to improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)”, as recognized by Texas Instruments (see, e.g., Page 6, lines 1-2 of last paragraph on page).
Regarding claim 17, Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments discloses the ultrasound probe of claim 1, as set forth above. Fazioli does not specifically disclose wherein a number of the second plurality of conductors in the connecting cable are reduced compared to a known ultrasound probe.
However, in the same field of endeavor of continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging, Freiburger discloses wherein a number of the second plurality of conductors in the connecting cable are reduced compared to a known ultrasound probe (see, e.g., Para. [0030], “The cable 18 includes a plurality of coaxial cables. For example, 64, 128, 192 or other number of coaxial cables are provided for transmitting electrical signals representing acoustic energy received at elements of the array 12. […] In the embodiment with a dedicated steered continuous wave receive aperture, the cables associated with the dedicated aperture may be shielded from other cables to reduce any cross-talk”, and Para. [0036], “Channels connected to other portions of the multidimensional transducer array may have reduced size and complexity for other imaging modes or transmission of steered continuous waves”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the ultrasound probe of Fazioli modified by Freiburger and Texas Instruments by including wherein a number of the second plurality of conductors in the connecting cable are reduced compared to a known ultrasound probe, as disclosed by Freiburger. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide the desired shape of the transducer probe, such as a transducer probe housing shaped for hand-held use or a transducer probe housing shaped for use internal to a patient (such as shaped as an endoscope or catheter); in order to overcome hardware size, channel count, and steering difficulties; in order to desirably form signals representing one or different spatial locations along one or more receive beams; and in order to provide fewer cables than imaging elements within the probe and provide shielding between cables to reduce any cross-talk, as recognized by Freiburger (see, e.g., Para. [0005], [0017], [0024], and [0030]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks filed 10/03/2025, with respect to the claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Examiner notes that claims 1-4, 8, and 10-17 are now rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fazioli et al. (US Patent 6,527,722 B1) in view of Freiburger (US 2005/0203404 A1), and further in view of the NPL reference by Texas Instruments Inc. (NPL: “Understanding CW Mode for Ultrasound AFE Devices”, Texas Instruments Inc., Application Report SLOA253, Aug. 2017), as set forth above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Blalock et al. (US 2012/0053460 A1); Carlson (US Patent No. 4,833,479 A); Imbornone et al. (US Patent No. 7,502,278 B1); and Rajab et al. (WO 2018/206934 A1, a copy of which is herein provided by the examiner).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/T.D./Examiner, Art Unit 3798
/PASCAL M BUI PHO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3798