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 § 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) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jockel et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 20150228071) in view of Slagmolen et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 20230263498).
As per claims 1, 9-11,16 and 17, Jockel et al. disclose a system and method respectively, comprising:
a first imaging system including a radiation source (XR) configured to emit radiation toward a subject (PAT) containing the anatomic feature, a radiation detector (D) configured to receive radiation in response to the radiation emitted from the radiation source toward the subject and to generate signals indicative of an attribute of the received radiation (Fig. 1, para. [0039]), and
one or more processors configured to receive the signals from the radiation detector and generate image data corresponding to an image of the anatomic feature based on the received signals (para. [0039]); and
a second imaging system (range camera RC) configured to acquire information relating to a relative position between the subject and the radiation source or radiation detector (paras. [0042-0044]).
Jockel et al. do not explicitly disclose a system and method wherein the one or more processors are configured to derive one or more dimensions of an anatomic feature based on the relative position between the subject and the radiation source or radiation detector.
Slagmolen et al. disclose a system wherein one or more processors are configured to derive one or more dimensions of an anatomic feature based on the relative position between the subject and the radiation source or radiation detector (Abstract).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the system of Jockel et al. such that it incorporated the measurement correction technique of Slagmolen et al. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for the purpose of improving accuracy of anatomical measurements obtained from radiographic images as taught by Slagmolen et al. (Abstract).
As per claims 2-4 and 12-13, Jockel et al. as modified above, disclose a system a) wherein: the first imaging system is an x-ray imaging system, the radiation source comprises an x-ray source, and the radiation detector comprises an x-ray detector, the x- ray source and x-ray detector being disposed to accommodate a subject therebetween; the x-ray source is configured to emit x-ray energy toward the subject; the x-ray detector is configured to receive x-ray energy emitted from x-ray source and passed through the subject and generate signals indicative of the attenuation of the x- ray energy by different portions of the subject; and the one or processors are programmed to receive the signal from the x-ray detector and generate an image of the subject, including the anatomic feature in the subject, within a field-of-view (see Fig.1; paras. [0016-0018]); and
b) wherein the second imaging system includes an optical camera (RC) disposed in a predetermined position relative to the x-ray source, the optical camera being configured to measure the distance between the subject and the optical camera, thereby determining the relative position between the subject and the x-ray source or x-ray detector of the x-ray imaging system (Fig. 1; (paras. [0042-0044]);
c) wherein the one or more processors are further configured to derive one or more dimensions of the anatomic feature based on the size of the image of the anatomic feature and the relative position between the subject and the x-ray source or x-ray detector of the x-ray imaging system acquired from the second imaging system (Slagmolen et al. (Abstract)).
As per claims 5, 14 and 15, Jockel et al. as modified above, disclose a system as recited in claim 1, but do not explicitly disclose a system wherein the second imaging system includes a second optical camera (RC). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to further modify the system of Jockel et al. such that it incorporated a second optical camera. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for the purpose(s) of improving accuracy of patient images, since the modification represents duplication of known components performing the same function (see also Fig. 1; screen/ monitor not shown; see para. [0033]).
As per claims 6 and 8, Jockel et al. as modified above, disclose a system further comprising an x-ray collimator (COL) for the x-ray source, wherein the optical camera is disposed proximate the x-ray collimator (Fig. 1); wherein the one or more processors are configured combine the optical images with the images generated by the first imaging system to create composite images (para. [0041-0044]).
As per claim 7, Jockel et al. as modified above disclose a system as recited in claim 1, but do not explicitly disclose a system wherein the X-ray imaging system comprises a C-arm. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to further modify the system of Jockel et al. such that it incorporated a C-arm. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for the purpose of providing an arcuate support system for the X-ray source and detector, as is conventional and widely used in medical imaging systems.
As per claims 18-20, Jockel et al. disclose a system, comprising:
a first imaging system including a radiation source (XR) configured to emit radiation toward a subject (PAT) containing the anatomic feature, a radiation detector (D) configured to receive radiation in response to the radiation emitted from the radiation source toward the subject and to generate signals indicative of an attribute of the received radiation (Fig. 1, para. [0039]), and
one or more processors configured to receive the signals from the radiation detector and generate image data corresponding to an image of the anatomic feature based on the received signals (para. [0039]); and
a second imaging system (range camera RC) configured to acquire information relating to a relative position between the subject and the radiation source or radiation detector (paras. [0042-0044]).
Jockel et al. do not explicitly disclose a system comprising a C-arm and wherein the one or more processors are configured to derive one or more dimensions of an anatomic feature based on the relative position between the subject and the radiation source or radiation detector.
Slagmolen et al. disclose a system wherein one or more processors are configured to derive one or more dimensions of an anatomic feature based on the relative position between the subject and the radiation source or radiation detector (Abstract).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the system of Jockel et al. such that it incorporated a C-arm and the measurement correction technique of Slagmolen et al. One would have been motivated to make such a modification for the purpose(s) of a) providing an arcuate support system for the X-ray source and detector, as is conventional and widely used in medical imaging systems and b) improving accuracy of anatomical measurements obtained from radiographic images as taught by Slagmolen et al. (Abstract).
Conclusion
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/COURTNEY D THOMAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884