DETAILED ACTION
In response to the Office Action mailed 12/02/2025, the response was received 12/26/2025:
Claims 1-19 have been elected.
Claim 20 has been withdrawn.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi (US 10638984 B2).
Regarding Claim 1: Choi discloses a collimator (Figs. 1-4), comprising:
a shield plate (Fig. 3a, 200) configured to variably shield incident rays projected onto the collimator; and
a driving mechanism configured to drive the shield plate to adjust a shape of a radiating surface of outputting rays penetrating the collimator (Fig. 2, 400).
Regarding Claim 2: Choi discloses the collimator according to claim 1, wherein the shield plate is provided with a window (Fig. 3a, 201, 202), and the driving mechanism is configured to drive the shield plate such that the outputting rays are able to be emitted through the window (Col. 5, lines 20-24: “…the collimator 200 according to the present invention is configured such that at least one shielding metal plate is moved according to the control of the driving unit 400 to provide any one of the through holes 201 and 202 having different sizes and shapes as an opening…”).
Regarding Claim 3: Choi discloses the collimator according to claim 2, wherein the window comprises a first sub-window and a second sub-window, the first sub-window (201) and the second sub-window (202) having different shapes (Col. 5, lines 10-12: “…the at least one shielding metal plate may be formed with through holes 201 and 202 having different sizes and shapes to provide respective openings”).
Regarding Claim 4: Choi discloses the collimator according to claim 3, wherein in at least one direction, the first sub-window and the second sub-window have different sizes (Fig. 3a, 201, 202).
Regarding Claim 5: Choi discloses the collimator according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism is configured to drive the shield plate to move, so as to adjust a shielding area of the shield plate to the incident rays (Fig. 3b).
Regarding Claim 6: Choi discloses the collimator according to claim 5, wherein the shield plate comprises a first sub-shield plate and a second sub-shield plate, and the driving mechanism is configured to drive the first sub-shield plate and the second sub-shield plate to approach each other or move away from each other to adjust the shielding area (Fig. 3b).
Regarding Claim 7: Choi discloses a radioactive source kit, comprising:
the collimator according to claim 1 (Figs. 1-4); and
a radioactive source configured to emit the incident rays (Fig. 1, 10; Figs. 2/4a/4b, 100).
Regarding Claim 17: Choi discloses a detector (300), comprising:
the collimator according to claim 1 (Figs. 1-4); and
a detection element opposite the collimator (300), wherein the detection element is configured to receive at least part of the outputting rays (Figs. 1, 2, 4a, 4b).
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) 8 and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of (Lee KR 100966291 B1).
Regarding Claim 8: Choi discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 7, but Choi fails to teach further comprising:
a protective holder having an accommodating groove, the accommodating groove having a predetermined opening;
wherein the radioactive source is placed in the accommodating groove, the incident rays are emitted from the predetermined opening, and the shield plate is located at the predetermined opening.
However, Lee teaches a radiation source kit comprising:
a protective holder (Fig. 3, 10) having an accommodating groove (Fig. 4, 13), the accommodating groove having a predetermined opening (45);
wherein the radioactive source (30) is placed in the accommodating groove, the incident rays are emitted from the predetermined opening, and the shield plate is located at the predetermined opening (Figs. 3 and 4).
Choi and Lee are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are both in the field of radiation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Lee. One would be motivated to make such a modification on the basis of improving radiation safety and stability of the radiation source.
Regarding Claim 10: Choi in view of Lee discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 8, wherein:
the shield plate is provided with a window and the window comprises a first sub-window and a second sub-window (Choi: Fig. 3b); and
the first sub-window and the second sub-window are distributed along a predetermined direction, and the shield plate is configured to be movable in a straight line along the predetermined direction such that one of the first sub-window and the second sub-window corresponds to the predetermined opening (Choi: Fig. 3b).
Regarding Claim 11: Choi in view of Lee discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 8, wherein the shield plate is configured to shield the predetermined opening, and the driving mechanism is configured to drive the shield plate to move, so as to adjust a shielding area of the shield plate to the predetermined opening in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the radioactive source (Choi: Figs. 3a/3b; Lee: Figs. 3 and 4).
Regarding Claim 12: Choi in view of Lee discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 8, further comprising:
an elastic member (Lee: Fig. 3, 23) located in the accommodating groove, wherein one end of the elastic member is fixedly connected to a bottom of the accommodating groove, and another end of the elastic member is close to the predetermined opening (Lee: Fig. 3, 45); and
a baffle (Lee: 41) located at the predetermined opening, wherein at least part of the baffle is located in the accommodating groove and fixedly connected to the protective holder, the baffle has a baffle opening, the baffle opening corresponds to the predetermined opening, and the shield plate is located on a side of the baffle away from the protective holder (Lee: Fig. 3; Choi: Figs. 2, 3a, and 3b).
Claim(s) 13 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Lee, in further view of Gu (CN 114442140 A).
Regarding Claim 13: Choi in view of Lee discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 8, but both fail to teach further comprising:
a position detector located on at least one side of the protective holder, wherein the position detector is in communication connection with the driving mechanism, and the position detector is configured to detect a position of the radioactive source kit and generate a detection result based on the position of the radioactive source kit;
wherein the driving mechanism is configured to, based on the detection result of the position detector, drive the shield plate to adjust the shape of the radiating surface of the outputting rays.
Gu teaches a radiation device with a radioactive source kit (Fig. 1), comprising:
a position detector located on at least one side of the protective holder (Fig. 1, 11), wherein the position detector is in communication connection with the driving mechanism (via terminal 16), and the position detector is configured to detect a position of the radioactive source kit and generate a detection result based on the position of the radioactive source kit (Fig. 7, detecting position relative to 17);
wherein the driving mechanism is configured to, based on the detection result of the position detector, drive the shield plate to adjust the shape of the radiating surface of the outputting rays (Figs. 7 and 8a; steps 2 and 3: “step 2, the infrared distance measuring module by measuring, sending the instrument to be calibrated distance to the terminal, the terminal receiving input irradiation field radius L; step 3, the terminal is processed, the signal is transmitted to the single chip, the single chip controls the corresponding motor to rotate, the adjustable collimation module starts to adjust the degree, the storage source shifting scattering cavity module adjusts the gear size by rotating; then starting to calibrate;”).
Choi, Lee, and Gu are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are all in the field of radiation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Lee to incorporate the teachings of Gu and provide a position detector on the protective holder. One would be motivated to make such a modification on the basis of simplifying automating the collimation adjustment and preventing the radiation kit from colliding with another object.
Regarding Claim 14: Choi in view of Lee, in further view of Gu, discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 13, but all fail to teach wherein the position detector is one of at least two position detectors, the at least two position detectors being located on two opposite sides of the protective holder respectively.
However, the court has held that mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced (See MPEP 2144.04). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi, Lee, and Gu and provide an additional position detector. One would be motivated to make such a modification on the basis of improving detection accuracy.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Lee and Gu, in further view of Hartman (US 20200164414 A1).
Regarding Claim 15: Choi in view of Lee, in further view of Gu, discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 13, but all fail to teach wherein the position detector is a fiber optic position detector.
However, position detecting by both infrared and fiber optics are known in the art as shown by Hartman ([0060]: “the mobile base (3) can, but need not necessarily, include one or more navigation sensors (62)(“NS”) to sense the position of the mobile panel maintenance unit (2) in spatial relation to a panel (6)… including as illustrative examples: lidar sensor, image sensor (camera), infrared sensor (infrared camera), accelerometer, capacitive or capacitive displacement sensors, doppler effect sensor, eddy current sensors, inductive sensors, magnetic, photoelectric sensors, reflectivity sensors, laser-range finder sensors, infrared sensors, charge coupled sensors, radar sensors, sonar, ultrasonic sensors, fiber optics sensor, hall effect sensors, touch switch, or combinations thereof.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi, Lee, and Gu to substitute the infrared position detector of Gu (abstract) for a fiber optic position detector. One would have been motivated to make such a modification on the basis of providing higher accuracy and enabling more flexible sensing geometries.
Claim(s) 9 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Lee, in further view of Yonekawa (JP 2018087793 A).
Regarding Claim 9: Choi in view of Lee discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 8, wherein:
the shield plate is provided with a window and the window comprises a first sub-window and a second sub-window (Choi: Fig. 3a, 201 and 202); and
the shield plate covers the predetermined opening (Lee: Fig. 3; Choi: Figs. 3a and 3b).
Choi and Lee both fail to teach wherein the first sub-window and the second sub-window are distributed along a circumferential direction of the shield plate, and the shield plate is configured to be rotatable such that one of the first sub-window and the second sub-window corresponds to the predetermined opening.
Yonekawa teaches a shield plate wherein the the first sub-window and the second sub-window are distributed along a circumferential direction of the shield plate, and the shield plate is configured to be rotatable such that one of the first sub-window and the second sub-window corresponds to the predetermined opening (Fig. 2).
Choi, Lee, and Yonekawa are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are all in the field of radiation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Lee to incorporate the teachings of Yonekawa and substitute the shield plate for the rotatable plate of Yonekawa. One would be motivated to make such a modification on the basis of simplifying the driving mechanism to output rotational motion rather than translational.
Regarding Claim 16: Choi in view of Lee discloses the radioactive source kit according to claim 8, but both fail to teach further comprising:
a housing having an accommodating cavity;
wherein the protective holder and the collimator are both located in the accommodating cavity.
Yonekawa teaches a radioactive source kit comprising:
a housing having an accommodating cavity (Fig. 1, 11);
wherein the protective holder and the collimator are both located in the accommodating cavity (Fig. 1, 22 and 15).
Choi, Lee, and Yonekawa are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are all in the field of radiation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Choi and Lee to incorporate the teachings of Yonekawa and place both the protective holder and collimator in the cavity. One would be motivated to make such a modification on the basis of protecting both the collimator and the radiation source.
Claim(s) 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma (CN 115015039 A) in view of Choi.
Regarding Claim 18: Ma discloses a surface density gauge, comprising:
a radioactive source kit comprising a radioactive source configured to emit rays to be projected onto a target object (transmitter in Figure 1 reproduced and machine translated below);
a detector configured to detect information about rays penetrating the target object (Fig. 1: receiving end);
a surface density calculation unit configured to calculate a surface density of the target object based on the information about the rays penetrating the target object that are detected by the detector (Fig. 3, reproduced and translated below).
Ma fails to teach:
a collimator disposed in the radioactive source kit or the detector, and comprising:
a shield plate configured to variably shield the rays emitted by the radioactive source; and
a driving mechanism configured to drive the shield plate to adjust a shape of a radiating surface of rays penetrating the collimator.
However, Choi discloses a collimator (Figs. 1-4), comprising:
a shield plate (Fig. 3a, 200) configured to variably shield the rays emitted by the radioactive source; and
a driving mechanism configured to drive the shield plate to adjust a shape of a radiating surface of rays penetrating the collimator (Fig. 2, 400).
Ma and Choi are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are both in the art of radiation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Ma to incorporate the teachings of Choi and provide a collimator disposed in the source kit. One would have been motivated to make such a modification on the basis of controlling beam direction and divergence and improving spatial resolution.
Regarding Claim 19: Ma discloses a weight detection apparatus, comprising:
the surface density gauge according to claim 18 (Fig. 1), configured to detect surface density information of an electrode plate (Fig. 1: pole piece), wherein a detection element of the detector and the radioactive source are configured to be disposed correspondingly on two opposite sides of the electrode plate (fig. 1); and
a detection unit in communication connection with the surface density gauge and configured to calculate a weight of a slurry on the electrode plate based on the surface density information of the electrode plate calculated by the surface density gauge ([0009]: “The surface density measuring instrument based on the radioactive source is the main device for measuring the weight of the battery pole piece…”).
Ma fails to teach:
a collimator disposed in the radioactive source kit or the detector, and comprising:
a shield plate configured to variably shield the rays emitted by the radioactive source; and
a driving mechanism configured to drive the shield plate to adjust a shape of a radiating surface of rays penetrating the collimator.
However, Choi discloses a collimator (Figs. 1-4), comprising:
a shield plate (Fig. 3a, 200) configured to variably shield the rays emitted by the radioactive source; and
a driving mechanism configured to drive the shield plate to adjust a shape of a radiating surface of rays penetrating the collimator (Fig. 2, 400).
Ma and Choi are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are both in the art of radiation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Ma to incorporate the teachings of Choi and provide a collimator disposed in the source kit. One would have been motivated to make such a modification on the basis of controlling beam direction and divergence and improving spatial resolution.
Conclusion
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/MIYA DOWNING/Examiner, Art Unit 2884
/DAVID J MAKIYA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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