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 .
The amendment filed on February 11, 2026 has been received and considered. By this amendment, claim 1 is amended and claims 1-7 are now pending in the application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 12/9/2025 has/have been acknowledged and is/are being considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gross (U.S. 2011/0140912, previously cited). Regarding claim 1, Gross discloses a biological information display system for displaying biological information of a subject on a bed 120 (see Figure 1), the biological information display system comprising: a biological signal acquisition unit 110 configured to acquire a biological signal of the subject (“readings are gathered by an electronic probe or monitor 110”, paragraph [0025]); a biological information acquisition unit configured to acquire biological information of the subject based on the biological signal (“a medical monitor for patients uses measurement devices that measure various physiological parameters”, paragraph [0025]); and a display controller configured to display the biological information at a display unit 100, wherein the display controller is further configured to: determine a first period when the biological information acquisition unit cannot acquire the biological information (“bedside patient monitors and nursing station central monitors display a plurality of physiological parameters for each patient. Some of these parameters are measured continuously and in real time, and others are measured aperiodically”, paragraph [0027], where the broadest reasonable interpretation for “cannot acquire the biological information” is satisfied by a system where some measurements are performed aperiodically, where the system “cannot” acquire the biological information at times during which it is not programmed to acquire the information); display past information being the biological information acquired before the first period at the display unit together with time information indicating a time when the past information is acquired, during the first period (“Using a non-text based intuitive technique to convey the age of data without use of time and date stamps eliminates text from the display screen area and thereby reduces screen clutter.”, paragraph [0028] and “In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a medical reading indicates the age of the displayed data by altering the intensity of the displayed numbers. In the present example, the most recent value is one that is less than 15 minutes old and the most recent value is the most intense, most brightly illuminated reading 210. As the readings age, the intensity decreases such that the reading which is more than 15 minutes old but less than 30 minutes old the displayed reading number 220 is less intense than the previously mentioned reading.”, paragraph [0029]); determine a second period when the biological information acquisition unit can acquire the biological information (“bedside patient monitors and nursing station central monitors display a plurality of physiological parameters for each patient. Some of these parameters are measured continuously and in real time, and others are measured aperiodically”, paragraph [0027], where the broadest reasonable interpretation for “can acquire the biological information” is satisfied by a system where some measurements are performed in real-time, and “In one embodiment, a reading that is new or only a few minutes old is displayed in a full circle background 610.”, where the broadest reasonable interpretation for “can acquire the biological information” is satisfied by the “new” reading, as it is a reading when the information can be acquired); and display latest information among the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit at the display unit without the time information, during the second period (“Relevance of data may be indicated based on a displayed parameter such as brightness, intensity, color intensity relative to the parameter label used in the real-time monitor, by use of a subscript or superscript located on either side of the value, or special icon as a background for the data parameter.”, paragraph [0028], where the “real-time” indication is considered to be the biological information acquired during the second period, and shown as the real-time ECG and SpO2 measurements in Figure 1). It is respectfully submitted that Gross discloses “wherein a parameter of the biological information displayed as the past information is same as a parameter of the biological information displayed as the latest information” because the “latest information” is the new information, whereas the “past information” is the information displayed with its age attached, which are both the same parameter information. Furthermore, the recitation “a parameter of the biological information” is of such breadth that it would cover the real time data being the “latest information”, whereas the recited “parameter of the biological information” could be considered the method by which it is acquired, where the real-time information and the aperiodically acquired information are acquired in the same way.
Regarding claim 2, Gross discloses that the display controller is configured to change a display mode of the time information according to an elapsed time from the time when the past information is acquired (“In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a medical reading indicates the age of the displayed data by altering the intensity of the displayed numbers.”, paragraph [0029], “ In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the aging of the readings is represented not by the fading of the intensity of the readout, but by a change in color of the readout.”, paragraph [0030], and “With reference to FIG. 4, in another embodiment the reading 140 includes a subscript 400. In one embodiment, the subscripts denote the nominal useful life of the aperiodic measurement over which it is aged.”, paragraph [0033]).
Regarding claim 3, Gross discloses that the display controller is configured to display the time information by changing a display mode of the past information (the use of fading, color changing, and subscripts, as described by Gross is considered to satisfy the limitation of “changing a display mode of the past information”, as the fading, color changing, and changing subscripts would be changes in a display mode of the past information).
Regarding claim 4, Gross discloses that the time information is an elapsed time from the time when the past information is acquired (“In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a medical reading indicates the age of the displayed data by altering the intensity of the displayed numbers. In the present example, the most recent value is one that is less than 15 minutes old and the most recent value is the most intense, most brightly illuminated reading 210. As the readings age, the intensity decreases such that the reading which is more than 15 minutes old but less than 30 minutes old the displayed reading number 220 is less intense than the previously mentioned reading. Similarly, a reading 230 that is more than 30 minutes old but less than 45 minutes old is less intense than the previously mentioned reading, while a reading 240 that is more than 45 minutes old but less than 60 minutes old is less intense than the previously mentioned reading so as to be almost invisible. Finally, when the reading is more than 60 minutes old, the displayed completely disappears and is replaced by a symbol indicative of no current reading, such as but not limited to a dashed line 250.“, paragraph [0029]).
Regarding claim 5, Gross discloses that the time information is a date and/or time when the past information is acquired (the clock icons 820/850/920/950 shown in Figures 8 and 9 are considered the recited “time when the past information is acquired”).
Regarding claim 6, Gross discloses that the first period when the biological information acquisition unit cannot acquire the biological information includes at least one of a non-rest period, a bed leaving period when the subject is not present on the bed, a predetermined period after startup of the biological information display system, a predetermined period after the subject lands on the bed, a period when body movement is occurring in the subject, and an error period (all of these periods would be satisfied by the aperiodic nature of the acquisition of Gross).
Regarding claim 7, Gross discloses that the biological signal acquisition unit includes a load detector configured to acquire, as a biological signal of the subject, a load signal varying according to respiration and/or heartbeat of the subject (see heart rate display shown in Figure 1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed February 11, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that claim 1 requires biological information displayed in the first period is identical to biological information displayed in the second period. The Examiner respectfully submits that the claims do not require this, but rather merely require that “a parameter of the biological information displayed as the past information is same as a parameter of the biological information displayed as the latest information”, which does not require that the information be identical. Furthermore, Applicant argues that Gross expressly states that a biological parameter measured by the aperiodic measurement and a biological parameter measured by the real-time measurement are different from each other. The Examiner respectfully submits that the claim limitation “a parameter of the biological information displayed as the past information is same as a parameter of the biological information displayed as the latest information” is of such breadth that it would cover biological information measured by the real-time measurement and biological information measured by the aperiodic measurement that are measured in the same way. Furthermore, as discussed in the rejection above, the aperiodic measurement includes both new data and older data. The new data would satisfy the “latest information” limitation while the older data would satisfy the “past information” limitation. As such, for at least the reasons given above, the rejection stands.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAMMIE K MARLEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1986. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 8 am until 4 pm.
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/TAMMIE K MARLEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3796