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 .
Response to Amendment
The office action is responsive to the amendment received 02/09/2026.
In the response to the Non-Final Office Action 10/07/2025, the applicant states that claims 1, 7, 12, 18, and 22 are currently amended. No claims have been added or cancelled. The claims 1-25 are presented for examination.
Claims 1, 7, 12, 18, and 22 have been amended. In summary, claims 1-25 are pending in current application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/09/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding to the objection of drawings, the amendment has cured the basis of the objection of drawings. Therefore, the objection of drawings is hereby withdrawn.
Regarding to 35 U.S.C 112 (b) rejection, the amendment has cured the basis of the 35 U.S.C 112 (b) rejection of claims 7 and 22. Therefore, the 35 U.S.C 112 (b) rejection of claims 7 and 22 is hereby withdrawn.
Regarding to claim 1, the applicant argues that the combination of Moshe and Ezhov fail to teach or suggest each and every limitation recited by amended claims 1, 12, and 18. The arguments have been fully considered, but they are not persuasive. The examiner cannot concur with the applicant for following reasons:
Moshe discloses “receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model of a dental site generated from one or more intraoral scans”. For example, in paragraph [0074], Moshe teaches an intraoral scanner captures and images a patient's dental arch and generate a virtual model of that dental arch; Moshe further teaches the model is a three-dimensional (3D) model of the dental arch. In paragraph [0099], Moshe teaches performing a scan of a subject's intraoral cavity to collect images of the subject's teeth. In paragraph [0123], Moshe teaches the displayed images are taken directly from the scanned data. In paragraph [0132], Moshe teaches receive 3D scan data of the teeth.
Moshe discloses “generating a projection target shaped to substantially surround an arch represented by the dental site”. For example, in Fig. 17A, Fig. 17B, and paragraph [0063], Moshe teaches a cylindrical projection of a dental arch. In Fig. 17A and paragraph [0156], Moshe teaches a tube-like screen 1705, i.e., a projection target, is over the dental arch 1703; Moshe further teaches the virtual screen, i.e., a projection target, envelops the dental arch;
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. In Fig. 17B and paragraph [0156], Moshe teaches FIG. 17B shows a top view of the same dental arch and enclosing tube. In Fig. 17C and paragraph [0156], Moshe teaches the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual.
Moshe discloses “computing a surface projection by projecting the 3D model of the dental site onto one or more surfaces of the projection target along a buccal direction or a lingual direction”. For example, in Fig. 17A-17C and paragraph [0063], Moshe teaches a dental arch shown in a 3D projection, and surrounded by a cylindrical screen on the lingual, occlusal and buccal sides of a dental arch. In paragraph [0133], Moshe teaches the selected images for each of the virtual pixels are projected onto corresponding virtual screens and joined together to construct the panoramic view. In paragraph [0139], Moshe teaches two lingual views of the dental arch, including a panoramic view 1400. In paragraph [0146], Moshe teaches inspecting the subject's teeth from a buccal, occlusal, lingual, or other perspective. In Fig. 17A-17C and paragraph [0156], Moshe teaches a 2D projection of the 3D surface of a patient's dental arch; Moshe further teaches the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides. In Fig. 18A and paragraph [0157], Moshe teaches a 2D projection of a 3D model of a dental arch 1803 in an occlusal view, i.e., from top;
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; Moshe further teaches the cylindrical projection 1821 shows lingual, occlusal and buccal faces of the teeth in the same image. In paragraph [0160], Moshe teaches generating a cylindrical projection of a dental arch that includes processing scanned data to form a cylindrical projection of a dental arch including buccal, occlusal, and lingual views. In addition, the “or” is optional.
Moshe discloses “generating at least one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image of the dental site”. For example, in paragraph [0030], Moshe teaches aggregating the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch along a center jaw line. In paragraph [0031], Moshe teaches aggregating the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch. In paragraph [0078], Moshe teaches generating 2D panoramic images. In Fig. 13A, Fig. 13B, and paragraphs [0136-0138], Moshe teaches the synthesized images are used along with the first and second images to generate the panoramic view. In paragraph [0155], Moshe teaches two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; Moshe further teaches a convenient 2D representation, i.e., 2D panoramic view, of the entire dental arch.
Ezhov discloses “generate one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image from the surface projection”. For example, in Fig. 8 and paragraph [0092], Ezhov teaches constructing a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; Ezhov further teaches unfolding the extracted teeth arch into a panoramic ribbon 802. In paragraph [0094], Ezhov teaches final panoramic image is obtained by weighted summation in the direction perpendicular to teeth arch. In Fig. 10 and paragraph [0097], Ezhov teaches extracting a teeth arch from a volumetric image; Ezhov further teaches forming a study image from the extract; Ezhov further more teaches unfolding the study image into a panoramic ribbon.
Regarding to claim 1, the applicant argues even if Moshe were modified in view of Ezhov, the combination would not arrive at the claimed approach. The arguments have been fully considered, but they are not persuasive. The examiner cannot concur with the applicant for following reasons:
In response to applicant's argument that if Moshe were modified in view of Ezhov, the combination would not arrive at the claimed approach, the examiner recognizes that the test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981). The motivation for combining Moshe and Ezhov would have been to construct a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; unfold the study image into a panoramic ribbon; to improve localization as taught by Ezhov in paragraphs [0092], [0097], and [0127].
Claims 12 and 18 are not allowable due to the similar reasons as discussed above.
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.
Claims 1-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moshe (US 20210068773 A1) and in view of Ezhov (US 20220084267 A1).
Regarding to claim 1 (Currently amended), Moshe discloses a method ([0075]: digitally scan a dental arch of a subject; [0077]: capture still images, video, and/or other media of a patient's dental arch; [0085]: project images from the scan of the subject's teeth to form an initial panoramic model for each key camera angle; construct the panoramic model; [0086]: register, deform, and blend the images of the initial panoramic model to create the final panoramic model) comprising:
receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model of a dental site generated from one or more intraoral scans ([0074]: an intraoral scanner captures and images a patient's dental arch and generate a virtual model of that dental arch; the model is a three-dimensional (3D) model of the dental arch; [0099]: perform a scan of a subject's intraoral cavity to collect images of the subject's teeth; [0123]: the displayed images are taken directly from the scanned data; [0132]: receive 3D scan data of the teeth);
generating a projection target shaped to substantially surround an arch represented by the dental site (Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0063]: a cylindrical projection of a dental arch; Fig. 17A; [0156]: a tube-like screen 1705, i.e., a projection target, is over the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen, i.e., a projection target, envelops the dental arch;
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; Fig. 17B; [0056]: FIG. 17B shows a top view of the same dental arch and enclosing tube; Fig. 17C; [00156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual);
computing a surface projection by projecting the 3D model of the dental site onto one or more surfaces of the projection target along a buccal direction or a lingual direction (or is optional; [0133]: the selected images for each of the virtual pixels are projected onto corresponding virtual screens and joined together to construct the panoramic view; [0139]: two lingual views of the dental arch, including a panoramic view 1400; [0146]: inspect the subject's teeth from a buccal, occlusal, lingual, or other perspective; Fig. 17A-17C; [0156]: a 2D projection of the 3D surface of a patient's dental arch; the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides; Fig. 18A; [0157]: a 2D projection of a 3D model of a dental arch 1803 in an occlusal view, i.e., from top;
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; the cylindrical projection 1821 shows lingual, occlusal and buccal faces of the teeth in the same image; [0160]: generate a cylindrical projection of a dental arch that includes processing scanned data to form a cylindrical projection of a dental arch including buccal, occlusal, and lingual views); and
generating at least one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image of the dental site ([0030]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch along a center jaw line; [0031]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch; [0078]: generate 2D panoramic images; Fig. 13A; Fig. 13B; [0136-0138]: the synthesized images are used along with the first and second images to generate the panoramic view; [0155]: two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; a convenient 2D representation, i.e., 2D panoramic view, of the entire dental arch.).
Moshe fails to explicitly disclose from the surface projection.
In same field of endeavor, Ezhov teaches generate one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image from the surface projection (Fig. 8; [0092]: construct a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; unfold the extracted teeth arch into a panoramic ribbon 802; [0094]: final panoramic image is obtained by weighted summation in the direction perpendicular to teeth arch; Fig. 10; [0097]: extract a teeth arch from a volumetric image; form a study image from the extract; unfold the study image into a panoramic ribbon).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Moshe to include generate one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image from the surface projection as taught by Ezhov. The motivation for doing so would have been to construct a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; unfold the study image into a panoramic ribbon; to improve localization as taught by Ezhov in paragraphs [0092], [0097], and [0127].
Regarding to claim 2 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the surface projection is computed based on a projection path surrounding the arch (Moshe; Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0063]: a cylindrical projection of a dental arch; [0156]: a tube-like screen 1705 is over and surrounding the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops the dental arch;
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; Fig. 18A; [0157]: a 2D projection of a 3D model of a dental arch 1803 in an occlusal view).
Regarding to claim 3 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 2, wherein the at least one panoramic 2D image is generated by orthographic rendering of a flattened mesh generated by projecting the 3D model along the projection path (Moshe; Fig. 12; [0131]: scan data of a curved dental arch 1200 is used to generate a bitewing view 1207 with teeth aligned in a row; [0155]: two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; Fig. 18A; [0157]: a 2D projection of a 3D model of a dental arch 1803 in an occlusal view, i.e., flattened from top along vertical projection path).
Regarding to claim 4 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the projection target comprises a cylindrically-shaped surface that substantially surrounds the arch (Moshe; Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0063]: a cylindrical projection of a dental arch; [0156]: a tube-like screen 1705 is over and surrounding the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops and surrounds the dental arch;
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).
Regarding to claim 5 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the projection target comprises a polynomial curve-shaped surface that substantially surrounds the arch (Moshe; Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0063]: a cylindrical projection of a dental arch; [0101]: the center jaw line is a center line of the received scan data; Fig. 5; [0104]: form a line 552 at each segment, the lines 552 being perpendicular to the center jaw line 556;
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; [0156]: a tube-like screen 1705 is over the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops the dental arch;
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).
Regarding to claim 6 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the projection target (same as rejected in claim 1) comprises:
a cylindrically-shaped surface (Moshe; Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0063]: a cylindrical projection of a dental arch; Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0156]: a tube-like screen 1705 is over the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops the dental arch;
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);
a first planar surface that extends from a first edge of the cylindrically-shaped surface (Moshe; Fig. 10; [0128]: a dental arch;
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; the bottom part is first planar surface; Fig. 17B; [0156]: a top (occlusal) view of the same dental arch and enclosing tube;
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; the left part is first planar surface); and
a second planar surface that extends from a second edge of the cylindrically-shaped surface that is opposite the first edge, wherein the cylindrically-shaped surface, the first planar surface, and the second planar surface collectively define a continuous surface that substantially surrounds the arch (Moshe; Moshe; Fig. 10; [0128]: a dental arch;
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; the top part is second planar surface; Fig. 17B; [0156]: a top (occlusal) view of the same dental arch and enclosing tube;
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; the right part is second planar surface).
Regarding to claim 7 (Currently amended), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 6, wherein an angle between the first planar surface and the second planar surface is from 110° to 130° (Moshe; Fig. 8; [0122]:
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; Fig. 10; [0128]: draw a first line 1002 across a selected tooth to pass a first virtual plane through a tooth; draw a second line 1006 across a selected region of dental arch to pass a second virtual plane through the selected region of the arch;
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; the angle is from 110° to 130° as illustrated in Fig. 10; [0145]: angle is between 10-180 and greater than 90 degrees).
Regarding to claim 8 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the dental site corresponds to a single jaw (Moshe; Fig. 5; [0104]; Fig. 10; [0128]; Fig. 17B; [0156]; Fig. 18A; [0157]), wherein a first panoramic 2D image corresponds to a buccal rendering (Moshe; [0139]: two buccal panoramic views of the dental arch; [0146]: inspect the subject's teeth from a buccal, occlusal, lingual, or other perspective; Fig. 17A; [0156]: tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual), and wherein a second panoramic 2D image corresponds to a lingual rendering (Moshe; [0139]: two lingual views of the dental arch, including a panoramic view 1400; [0146]: inspect the subject's teeth from a buccal, occlusal, lingual, or other perspective; [0156]: tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual; Fig. 18B; [0157]).
Regarding to claim 9 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 8, further comprising:
generating for display the buccal rendering, the lingual rendering, and optionally an occlusal rendering of the dental site generated by projecting the 3D model of the dental site onto a flat surface from the occlusal side of the dental site (Moshe; [0139]: two lingual views of the dental arch, including a panoramic view 1400; two buccal panoramic views of the dental arch; Fig. 17B; [0156]: a top, i.e., occlusal, view of the same dental arch and enclosing tube;
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Fig. 18A; [0157]: a 2D projection of a 3D model of a dental arch 1803 in an occlusal view;
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).
Regarding to claim 10 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating for display a panoramic 2D image (Moshe; [0030]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch along a center jaw line; [0031]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch; [0078]: generate 2D panoramic images);
labeling a dental feature at a first location in the panoramic 2D image (Moshe; [0131]: the regions of interest 1210 located at first location are identified, and labeled; the panoramic view is concurrently showing buccal, lingual and occlusal surfaces; [0141]: mark and label a region of interest in one or more panoramic views; label a region of interest in one panoramic view, and the system generates a corresponding label at the corresponding location in another panoramic view);
determining a second location of the 3D model corresponding to the first location of the panoramic 2D image (Moshe; [0131]: the regions of interest 1210 located at second location are identified, and labeled; the panoramic view is concurrently show buccal, lingual and occlusal surfaces; [0141]: mark and label a region of interest in one or more panoramic views; label a region of interest in one panoramic view, and the system generates a corresponding label at the corresponding location in another panoramic view); and
assigning a label for the dental feature to the second location of the 3D model, wherein the 3D model is displayable with the label (Moshe; [0141]: mark and label a region of interest in one or more panoramic views; label a region of interest in one panoramic view, and the system generates a corresponding label at the corresponding location in another panoramic view; [0154]: these suspect regions of interest are indicated in the panoramic views; label, highlight or otherwise mark those regions that are determined to be regions of interest).
Regarding to claim 11 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 10, wherein labeling the dental feature comprises one or more of receiving a user input to directly label the dental feature or using a trained machine learning model that has been trained to identify and label dental features in panoramic 2D images (or is optional; Moshe; [0141]: the user labels a region of interest in one panoramic view, and the system generates a corresponding label at the corresponding location in another panoramic view; [0159]: machine learning engine).
Regarding to claim 12 (Currently amended), Moshe discloses a method ([0075]: digitally scan a dental arch of a subject; [0077]: capture still images, video, and/or other media of a patient's dental arch; [0085]: project images from the scan of the subject's teeth to form an initial panoramic model for each key camera angle; construct the panoramic model; [0086]: register, deform, and blend the images of the initial panoramic model to create the final panoramic model) comprising:
receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model of a dental site generated from one or more intraoral scans ([0074]: an intraoral scanner captures and images a patient's dental arch and generate a virtual model of that dental arch; the model is a three-dimensional (3D) model of the dental arch; [0099]: perform a scan of a subject's intraoral cavity to collect images of the subject's teeth; [0123]: the displayed images are taken directly from the scanned data; [0132]: receive 3D scan data of the teeth);
generating a plurality of vertices along an arch represented by the dental site (Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0063]: a cylindrical projection of a dental arch; Fig. 17A; [0156]: a tube-like screen 1705 is over the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops the dental arch;
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; Fig. 17B; [0056]: FIG. 17B shows a top view of the same dental arch and enclosing tube; Fig. 17C; [00156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual; Fig. 18B; [0157]: the cylindrical projection 1821 shows lingual, occlusal and buccal faces of the teeth with multiple vertices);
computing a projection target comprising a plurality of surface segments connected to each other in series at locations of the vertices ([0091]: divide the center jaw line of the subject into equidistant segments and forming lines at each segment; Fig. 5; [0104]: a two-dimensional grid is formed by dividing the center jaw line 556 into equidistant segments 551; Fig. 4A; Fig. 4B; [0107]: the images corresponding to the vertices of the triangle; Fig. 17A; [0156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides; Fig. 18B; [0157]: the cylindrical projection 1821 shows lingual, occlusal and buccal faces of the teeth with multiple vertices connected to teeth face as illustrated in Fig. 18B;
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);
scaling the projection target with respect to an arch center located within a central region of the arch such that the projection target substantially surrounds the arch ([0133]: the selected images for each of the virtual pixels are projected onto corresponding virtual screens and joined together to construct the panoramic view; Fig. 17A; [0156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides; a tube-like screen 1705 is over the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops the dental arch;
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);
computing a surface projection by projecting the 3D model of the dental site onto each of the surface segments of the projection target along a buccal direction or a lingual direction (or is optional; [0133]: the selected images for each of the virtual pixels are projected onto corresponding virtual screens and joined together to construct the panoramic view; [0139]: two lingual views of the dental arch, including a panoramic view 1400; [0146]: inspect the subject's teeth from a buccal, occlusal, lingual, or other perspective; Fig. 17A; [0156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides; a tube-like screen 1705 is over the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops the dental arch;
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; Fig. 18A; [0157]: a 2D projection of a 3D model of a dental arch 1803 in an occlusal view, i.e., from top; [0160]: generate a cylindrical projection of a dental arch that includes processing scanned data); and
generating at least one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image of the dental site ([0030]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch along a center jaw line; [0031]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch; [0078]: generate 2D panoramic images; Fig. 13A; Fig. 13B; [0136-0138]: the synthesized images are used along with the first and second images to generate the panoramic view; [0155]: two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; a convenient 2D representation, i.e., 2D panoramic view, of the entire dental arch).
Moshe fails to explicitly disclose from the surface projection.
In same field of endeavor, Ezhov teaches generate one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image from the surface projection (Fig. 8; [0092]: construct a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; unfold the extracted teeth arch into a panoramic ribbon 802; [0094]: final panoramic image is obtained by weighted summation in the direction perpendicular to teeth arch; Fig. 10; [0097]: extract a teeth arch from a volumetric image; form a study image from the extract; unfold the study image into a panoramic ribbon).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Moshe to include generate one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image from the surface projection as taught by Ezhov. The motivation for doing so would have been to construct a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; unfold the study image into a panoramic ribbon; to improve localization as taught by Ezhov in paragraphs [0092], [0097], and [0127].
Regarding to claim 13 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the plurality of vertices is positioned at a tooth center, and wherein the number of vertices is greater than 5 (Moshe; [0084]: triangulate the sphere into a plurality of triangles, with the vertices of each triangle representing a key camera angle required for building the panoramic model; [0091]: divide the center jaw line of the subject into equidistant segments and forming lines at each segment; [0096]: the images corresponding to the vertices of the triangle; Fig. 5; [0104]: a two-dimensional grid is formed by dividing the center jaw line 556 into equidistant segments 551; Fig. 4A; Fig. 4B; [0107]: the images corresponding to the vertices of the triangle; Fig. 18B; [0157]: the cylindrical projection 1821 shows lingual, occlusal and buccal faces of the teeth with multiple vertices connected to teeth face as illustrated in Fig. 18B;
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; more than five teeth and vertices).
Regarding to claim 14 (Original), Moshe discloses a method ([0075]: digitally scan a dental arch of a subject; [0077]: capture still images, video, and/or other media of a patient's dental arch; [0085]: project images from the scan of the subject's teeth to form an initial panoramic model for each key camera angle; construct the panoramic model; [0086]: register, deform, and blend the images of the initial panoramic model to create the final panoramic model) comprising:
receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model of a dental site generated from one or more intraoral scans ([0074]: an intraoral scanner captures and images a patient's dental arch and generate a virtual model of that dental arch; the model is a three-dimensional (3D) model of the dental arch; Fig. 13A; Fig. 13B; [0136-0138]: the synthesized images are used along with the first and second images to generate the panoramic view; [0155]: two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; a convenient 2D representation, i.e., 2D panoramic view, of the entire dental arch; [0123]: the displayed images are taken directly from the scanned data; [0132]: receive 3D scan data of the teeth);
generating a projection target shaped to substantially surround an arch represented by the dental site (Fig. 17A; Fig. 17B; [0063]: a cylindrical projection of a dental arch; Fig. 17A; [0156]: a tube-like screen 1705 is over the dental arch 1703; the virtual screen envelops the dental arch;
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; Fig. 17B; [0056]: FIG. 17B shows a top view of the same dental arch and enclosing tube; Fig. 17C; [00156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual);
computing a first surface projection by projecting the 3D model of the dental site onto one or more surfaces of the projection target along a buccal direction (Fig. 10; [0128]: draw a first line 1002 across a selected tooth to pass a first virtual plane through a tooth;
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; [0155]: a panoramic view a dental arch is provided that simultaneously shows two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; [0156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual; Fig. 18A; [0157]: a 2D projection of a 3D model of a dental arch 1803 in an occlusal view, i.e., from top; [0160]: generate a cylindrical projection of a dental arch that includes processing scanned data);
computing a second surface projection by projecting the 3D model of the dental site onto one or more surfaces of the projection target along a lingual direction (Fig. 10; [0128]: draw a second line 1006 across a selected region of dental arch to pass a second virtual plane through the selected region of the arch;
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; [0131]: the panoramic view may concurrently show buccal, lingual and occlusal surfaces; [0137]: a panoramic lingual view of the dental arch; [0155]: a panoramic view a dental arch is provided that simultaneously shows two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; [0156]: the tube-like screen encloses the dental arch on three sides, e.g., buccal, occlusal, and lingual); and
generating at least one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image by combining the first image and the second image ([0030]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch along a center jaw line; [0031]: aggregate the plurality of 2D images to generate a panoramic view of the dental arch; [0078]: generate 2D panoramic images; Fig. 13A; Fig. 13B; [0136-0138]: the synthesized images are used along with the first and second images to generate the panoramic view; [0155]: two or more of the buccal, lingual and occlusal sides of the teeth, laid out in a flattened panoramic view; a convenient 2D representation, i.e., 2D panoramic view, of the entire dental arch.).
Moshe fails to explicitly disclose from the surface projection.
In same field of endeavor, Ezhov teaches generate one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image from the surface projection (Fig. 8; [0092]: construct a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; unfold the extracted teeth arch into a panoramic ribbon 802; [0094]: final panoramic image is obtained by weighted summation in the direction perpendicular to teeth arch; Fig. 10; [0097]: extract a teeth arch from a volumetric image; form a study image from the extract; unfold the study image into a panoramic ribbon).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Moshe to include generate one panoramic two-dimensional (2D) image from the surface projection as taught by Ezhov. The motivation for doing so would have been to construct a 2D panoramic image from a 3D CBCT study image; unfold the study image into a panoramic ribbon; to improve localization as taught by Ezhov in paragraphs [0092], [0097], and [0127].
Regarding to claim 15 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the method of claim 14, wherein generating the at least one panoramic 2D image comprises marking regions of a panoramic 2D image corresponding to overlapping regions of the 3D model identified from the first and second surface projections (Moshe; Fig. 10; [0128]: overlapped regions;
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; [0141]: the panoramic views may be overlappable and displayed as partially transparent; [0161]: overlapping parts of the same scene).
Regarding to claim 16 (Original), Moshe discloses an intraoral scanning system ([0075]: digitally scan a dental arch of a subject; [0077]: capture still images, video, and/or other media of a patient's dental arch; [0085]: project images from the scan of the subject's teeth to form an initial panoramic model for each key camera angle; construct the panoramic model; [0086]: register, deform, and blend the images of the initial panoramic model to create the final panoramic model) comprising:
an intraoral scanner ([0099]: the intraoral scanner); and
a computing device operatively connected to the intraoral scanner ([0076]: the computer-readable medium; Fig. 1A; [0077]: the scanning system 154 includes a computer system configured to capture still images, video, and other media of a patient's dental arch), wherein the computing device is to perform the method of claim 1 responsive to generating the one or more intraoral scans using the intraoral scanner ([0025]: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the one or more processors; [0075]: digitally scan a dental arch of a subject; [0077]: capture still images, video, and/or other media of a patient's dental arch; [0085]: project images from the scan of the subject's teeth to form an initial panoramic model for each key camera angle; construct the panoramic model; [0086]: register, deform, and blend the images of the initial panoramic model to create the final panoramic model).
The same rational used to reject claim 1 is also used to reject claim 16.
Regarding to claim 17 (Original), Moshe discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform the method of claim 1 ([0025]: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the one or more processors; [0075]: digitally scan a dental arch of a subject; [0076]: the computer-readable medium; [0077]: capture still images, video, and/or other media of a patient's dental arch; [0085]: project images from the scan of the subject's teeth to form an initial panoramic model for each key camera angle; construct the panoramic model; [0086]: register, deform, and blend the images of the initial panoramic model to create the final panoramic model; [0112]: a read only memory (ROM) 512 in which fixed instructions are stored.).
The same rational used to reject claim is also used to reject claim 17.
Regarding to claim 18 (Currently amended), Moshe discloses a system ([0025]: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the one or more processors; Fig. 1A; [0075]: a computing environment and system; digitally scan a dental arch of a subject; [0077]: capture still images, video, and/or other media of a patient's dental arch; [0085]: project images from the scan of the subject's teeth to form an initial panoramic model for each key camera angle; construct the panoramic model; [0086]: register, deform, and blend the images of the initial panoramic model to create the final panoramic model; [0119]: the system 500 may include software and/or firmware for executing instructions on the processor(s) for performing any of the methods) comprising:
a memory ([0025]: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the one or more processors; [0112]: a read only memory (ROM) 512 in which fixed instructions are stored); and
a processing device to execute instructions from the memory to perform a method ( [0025]: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the one or more processors; [0112]: a read only memory (ROM) 512 in which fixed instructions are stored; [0119]: the system 500 may include software and/or firmware for executing instructions on the processor(s) for performing any of the methods) comprising:
the rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 1. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 1 is also used to reject claim 18.
Regarding to claim 19 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the system of claim 18,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations in claim 2 and claim 3. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 2 and claim 3 is also used to reject claim 19.
Regarding to claim 20 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the system of claim 18,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 4. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 4 is also used to reject claim 20.
Regarding to claim 21 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the system of claim 18,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 5. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 5 is also used to reject claim 21.
Regarding to claim 22 (Currently amended), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the system of claim 18,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations in claim 6 and claim 7. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 6 and claim 7 is also used to reject claim 22.
Regarding to claim 23 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the system of claim 18,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations in claim 8 and claim 9. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 8 and claim 9 is also used to reject claim 23.
Regarding to claim 24 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the system of claim 18, further comprising:
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 10. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 10 is also used to reject claim 24.
Regarding to claim 25 (Original), Moshe in view of Ezhov discloses the system of claim 24,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 11. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 11 is also used to reject claim 25.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/HAI TAO SUN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2616