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
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 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) 1-5, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Almecija et al. (US 2018/0365025 A1) (hereinafter "Almecija").
Regarding Claim 1: Almecija discloses a medical image diagnostic apparatus comprising processing circuitry (medical imaging systems such as CT, PET, or MR imaging devices with processors for user interface adaptation, see paras. [0046], [0051], [0064]), wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
- acquire skill information regarding a skill of a user who sets the medical image diagnostic apparatus (determines user experience level, which corresponds to skill, based on factors including user interaction history, profile information such as job title, training courses attended, software access level, and behavioral patterns like help menu usage or undo frequency; see paras. [0027]-[0030], [0038]-[0040], [0055]-[0057], Figs. 5-7); and
- provide setting information for the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to the skill of the user based on the acquired skill information to the user (adapts the user interface to provide tailored setting information, such as simplified menus, dynamic shortcuts, automated task settings, and guidance hints for device configuration and operation, based on the determined experience level; beginners receive more detailed guidance and fewer options, while advanced users get expanded settings; this applies to medical imaging workflows including setup and parameter adjustments; see paras. [0031]-[0035], [0041]-[0045], [0060]-[0063], Figs. 3-4, 8-9, 12-15).
Regarding Claim 2: Almecija discloses the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of levels depending on the skill are set as the setting information, and the processing circuitry provides setting information corresponding to any one of the plurality of levels to the user (multiple experience levels are defined, such as beginner, moderate, and advanced; setting information like UI complexity, guidance detail, and automation is provided according to the level; see paras. [0029], [0038], [0042]-[0044], Figs. 3-4).
Regarding Claim 3: Almecija discloses the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting information is set for each of a plurality of users (setting information is personalized per user based on individual profiles, interaction histories, and groupings; see paras. [0027], [0030], [0055]-[0057], Fig. 7).
Regarding Claim 4: Almecija discloses the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting information is set further depending on a use form of the medical image diagnostic apparatus (setting information adapts based on contextual use forms, such as device type (e.g., mobile vs. desktop), workflow urgency (e.g., emergency situations prioritizing speed), or application specifics like imaging modality; see paras. [0046]-[0048], [0052]-[0054], Figs. 10-11).
Regarding Claim 5: Almecija discloses the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry further switches the provided setting information in response to an instruction from the user while the setting information is being provided (users can instruct switches in setting information, such as editing adaptation factors, disabling adaptations, pinning UI elements, or querying for improvements, allowing real-time changes during provision; see paras. [0061]-[0063], [0065], Fig. 16).
Regarding Claim 12: Almecija discloses a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a program to be executed by a computer of a medical image diagnostic apparatus, the program comprising: acquiring skill information regarding a skill of a user who sets the medical image diagnostic apparatus; and providing setting information for the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to the skill of the user based on the acquired skill information to the user (non-transitory medium with instructions for acquiring skill (experience level) and providing adapted settings; see paras. [0066]-[0068], claims 11 and 16).
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.
Claim(s) 6-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Almecija et al. (US 2018/0365025 A1) (hereinafter "Almecija"), in view of Chamarthi et al. (US 2023/0187087 A1) (hereinafter "Chamarthi").
Regarding Claim 6: Almecija discloses the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting information includes guidance set depending on the skill of the user (guidance hints and step-by-step instructions depend on skill level; see paras. [0034], [0043]-[0045], Fig. 14-15).
Almecija does not explicitly disclose advice information regarding setting of the medical image diagnostic apparatus proposed by another user different from the user.
However, Chamarthi teaches advice information regarding setting of the medical image diagnostic apparatus proposed by another user different from the user (remote medical imaging experts provide advice on settings and procedures during an imaging examination via shared interfaces, including guidance on protocols, exam cards, and troubleshooting; see paras. [0025]-[0028], [0034]-[0037], [0052]-[0054], Figs. 1-4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Almecija's adaptive guidance with Chamarthi's inclusion of advice from another user (remote expert) to enable collaborative support for complex or challenging setups, thereby improving examination efficiency, reducing errors, and leveraging external expertise when local skill-based adaptations are insufficient, as motivated by Chamarthi (see paras. [0007]-[0009], [0055]).
Regarding Claim 7: The combination of Almecija and Chamarthi teaches the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the advice information includes at least either image information or verbal information (Chamarthi: advice includes image information via screen-sharing and verbal information via telephonic or video communication; see paras. [0026], [0035]-[0037], [0042], Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 8: The combination of Almecija and Chamarthi teaches the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry provides the verbal information through text or vocal sound (Chamarthi: verbal advice through text (chat) or vocal sound (voice calls); see paras. [0026], [0035], [0042]).
Regarding Claim 9: The combination of Almecija and Chamarthi teaches the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry further transmits a status of setting being performed in the medical image diagnostic apparatus to another user (Chamarthi: transmits setting status to another user (remote expert) via screen-sharing of the device controller; see paras. [0025]-[0027], [0034]-[0036], Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 10: The combination of Almecija and Chamarthi teaches the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry transmits at least one of an image or a sound with respect to the status of setting to the other user (Chamarthi: transmits images (screen-sharing) and sounds (video/audio feeds) regarding status; see paras. [0026], [0035]-[0037], Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 11: The combination of Almecija and Chamarthi teaches the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry further requests a review for obtaining the advice information from the other user (Chamarthi: requests review by selecting and connecting to a remote expert for advice via the UI; see paras. [0028]-[0033], [0038]-[0041], Figs. 2-3).
Conclusion
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/TUNG X NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858 12/12/2025