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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8-9, 14-15 and 17-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Hong et al. (US 20170319156).
Regarding claim 1, Hong teaches a detection device for a radiotherapy apparatus, the detection device comprising:
an arrangement of detectors 350 comprising a plurality of radiation detectors (pixels), each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors arranged and configured to:
detect a projection of a feature of a phantom 500 at the respective detector when a beam of radiation is applied to the phantom; and output a measurement value based on the detected projection; and a controller configured to:
receive the measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of detectors; and determine a position of the phantom in a first coordinate system based on the received measurement values (para 54-55).
Regarding claim 2, Hong teaches the position of the phantom is determined based on a predetermined relationship between phantom position and the measurement values from each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors (figure 3, para 54-55).
Regarding claim 3, Hong teaches the predetermined relationship is based on a calibration between phantom position and the measurement values (para 46).
Regarding claim 4, Hong teaches each respective detector corresponds to a single pixel (para 49).
Regarding claim 5, Hong teaches the measurement value is a measurement of an overlap of the feature of the phantom on a particular respective detector (para 29).
Regarding claim 6, Hong teaches the feature is an edge of a shadow cast by the phantom (para 54-55).
Regarding claim 8, Hong teaches the plurality of detectors are arranged with a pitch that corresponds to a distance between the projected features of the phantom (para 54-55).
Regarding claim 9, Hong teaches the plurality of detectors are arranged around a non-detecting region of the detection device (figure 3).
Regarding claim 14, Hong teaches the controller is configured to; determine a position of the phantom in a second coordinate system using an imaging apparatus; and compare the phantom position in the first coordinate system to the phantom position in the second coordinate system (para 59).
Regarding claim 15, Hong teaches a radiotherapy apparatus comprising: a radiation source configured to emit a beam of radiation; and a detection device including: an arrangement of detectors comprising a plurality of radiation detectors, each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors arranged and configured to: detect a projection of a feature of a phantom at the respective detector when a beam of radiation is applied to the phantom; and output a measurement value based on the detected projection; and a controller configured to: receive the measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of detectors; and determine a position of the phantom in a first coordinate system based on the received measurement values (figure 3, para 54-55).
Regarding claim 17, Hong teaches a method of determining a position of a phantom in a radiotherapy system, the method comprising: receiving a measurement value, from each respective detector of a plurality of radiation detectors of an arrangement of detectors, of a projection of a feature of a phantom at each respective detector when a beam of radiation is applied to the phantom, each respective detector being arranged to detect the respective projection of the feature of the phantom when the beam of radiation is applied to the phantom; and determining the position of the phantom in a first coordinate system based on the received measurement value from each respective detector (figure 3, para 54-55).
Regarding claim 18, Hong teaches the position of the phantom is determined based on a predetermined relationship between phantom position and the received measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors (figure 3, para 54-55).
Regarding claim 19, Hong teaches the predetermined relationship is based on a calibration between the position of the phantom position and measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors (para 46).
Regarding claim 20, Hong teaches each measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors corresponds to a single pixel (para 49).
Regarding claim 21, Hong teaches determining a position of the phantom in a second coordinate system using an imaging apparatus, and comparing the phantom position in the first coordinate system to the phantom position in the second coordinate system (para 59).
Regarding claim 22, Hong teaches the measurement value is a measurement of an overlap of the feature of the phantom on the respective detector (para 29).
Regarding claim 23, Hong teaches the feature is an edge of a shadow cast by the phantom (para 54-55).
Regarding claim 24, Hong teaches a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computer device, cause the computer device to perform the method (para 54-55).
Claim(s) 1, 15 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Marcelis et al. (WO 2016/170115A1).
Marcelis teaches a detection device for a radiotherapy apparatus, the detection device comprising:
an arrangement of detectors comprising a plurality of radiation detectors (pixels), each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors arranged and configured to:
detect a projection of a feature of a phantom (para 26-28) at the respective detector when a beam of radiation is applied to the phantom; and output a measurement value based on the detected projection; and a controller configured to:
receive the measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of detectors; and determine a position of the phantom in a first coordinate system based on the received measurement values (para 17).
Claim(s) 1, 15 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Bani-Hashemi et al. (US 20130229495).
Bani-Hashemi teaches a detection device for a radiotherapy apparatus, the detection device comprising: an arrangement of detectors comprising a plurality of radiation detectors (pixels), each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors arranged and configured to: detect a projection of a feature of a phantom (106) at the respective detector when a beam of radiation is applied to the phantom; and output a measurement value based on the detected projection; and a controller configured to: receive the measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of detectors; and determine a position of the phantom in a first coordinate system based on the received measurement values (para 11-12, 33-36, 46-48).
Claim(s) 1, 15 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Yang (US 20190054322).
Yang teaches a detection device for a radiotherapy apparatus, the detection device comprising: an arrangement of detectors comprising a plurality of radiation detectors (pixels), each respective detector of the plurality of radiation detectors arranged and configured to: detect a projection of a feature of a phantom (710) at the respective detector when a beam of radiation is applied to the phantom; and output a measurement value based on the detected projection; and a controller configured to: receive the measurement value from each respective detector of the plurality of detectors; and determine a position of the phantom in a first coordinate system based on the received measurement values (para 39, 45, 60-62).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 7, 10 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong in view of Cho et al. (US 20050117708).
Regarding claims 7, 10 and 16, Hong fails to teach the plurality of detectors are arranged such that each respective detector can detect a projected feature of the phantom when the phantom is at an isocentre of the radiotherapy apparatus.
Cho teaches detectors 22 are arranged such that each respective detector can detect a projected feature of the phantom 12 when the phantom is at an isocentre of the radiotherapy apparatus (para 115).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the calibration of Hong with the radiotherapy apparatus as taught by Cho, since it would better modality.
Regarding claim 10, Cho teaches the non-detecting region is substantially aligned with a projected isocentre of the radiotherapy apparatus (para 115).
Regarding claim 16, Cho teaches a kit comprising the detection device of claim 1 included in a kit, wherein the kit comprises: a detection device according to any preceding claim; and a complementary phantom (figure 2) configured such that each detector of the detection device detects can detect a projected feature of the phantom when the phantom is at an isocentre of the radiotherapy apparatus and a beam of radiation is applied to the phantom (para 115).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong in view of Mackie et al. (US 20080217561).
Regarding claim 13, Hong fails to teach the position of each detector is configurable in order to complement phantoms having different physical characteristics.
Mackie teaches the position of each detector is configurable in order to complement phantoms having different physical characteristics (para 11).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the calibration of Hong with the different physical characteristics as taught by Mackie, since it would better calibration data.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 11-12, the prior art fails to teach a first pair of detectors of the plurality of detectors are arranged to detect opposing projected features of the phantom, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the phantom in a first dimension of a first coordinate system based on the measurements from the first pair of detectors as claimed in claim 11.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOON K SONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2494. The examiner can normally be reached M to Th 10am to 7pm.
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/HOON K SONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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