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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 22-29, 36-37, 39-40 in the reply filed on 05/18/2026 is acknowledged.
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) 22-29, 36-37, 39-40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2020/0138553 by Fan et al.
Regarding claim 22, an inspection device for oral tissues or deposits, the inspection device comprising:
a detection element for obtaining information on an oral tissue or a deposit that is an inspection target (fig. 2, 5-6, paragraph 0053 teaches “The schematic diagram of FIG. 2 shows, for the example of a single line of light L that is projected from an illumination array 110, how patterned light is used for obtaining surface contour information when using a conventional array source. A mapping is obtained as illumination array 110 directs a pattern of light from projector 22 onto a surface S and a corresponding image of a line L′ is formed on an imaging sensor array 30 of camera 34. Each pixel 32 on imaging sensor array 30 maps to a corresponding pixel 112 on illumination array 110 according to modulation by surface S.”, paragraph 0068 teaches “The schematic diagram of FIG. 6 shows components of the imaging apparatus for providing the scan sequence of FIGS. 5A and 5B. In a bite portion 66 of an intraoral imaging fixture 62, a transport apparatus 52, driven by an actuator 54, conveys a camera or other image sensor 34 along one or more tracks, shown as A1, A2, and A3. A laser 20 or other suitable light source is directed to the patient's dentition from transport apparatus 52. Laser 20 may be stationary on transport apparatus 52 or remotely located and coupled to a fiber optic for conveying the light energy to transport apparatus 52. Actuator 54 can be a stepper motor or other device and may be mounted in stationary position, as shown in FIG. 6, or can alternately be mounted to transport apparatus 52.”);
a case body internal of which is provided with the detection element or an information transmission line for transmitting information to the detection element (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0068 teaches “A variety of mechanical couplings can be provided for moving transport apparatus 52 along the arcuate tracks A1, A2, A3. Control of actuator 54 and acquisition of image data from image sensor 34 can be provided by a control logic processor 70, which may be a dedicated microprocessor device or may be provided by software running on a computer or other apparatus. Processor 70 is in signal communication with display and storage components of the imaging apparatus, as described in more detail subsequently.”); and
an inspection auxiliary member that includes a path or a guide along which the detection element or the information transmission line is movable, and that has a shape following a dentition (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0069-0070 teaches “Transport apparatus 52 can be configured for transit over a single track in a single direction. However, improved coverage of the tooth surface is available when using multiple tracks, or with some alternate arrangement that positions camera or other image sensor 34 at different angles. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, transport apparatus 52 travels down each of three tracks A1, A2, and A3, switching from one track to the next at a transition T. Each track offers imaging of the tooth surface from a different perspective, allowing improved coverage of buccal, lingual, and occlusal surfaces.”).
Regarding claim 23, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits wherein the inspection auxiliary member has a transmitting portion or a gap that transmits light or an acoustic wave from the oral tissue or the deposit (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0067-0068 teaches “A laser 20 or other suitable light source is directed to the patient's dentition from transport apparatus 52. Laser 20 may be stationary on transport apparatus 52 or remotely located and coupled to a fiber optic for conveying the light energy to transport apparatus 52.”).
Regarding claim 24, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits further comprising a light source or an oscillator element disposed inside or outside the case body (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0068 teaches “The schematic diagram of FIG. 6 shows components of the imaging apparatus for providing the scan sequence of FIGS. 5A and 5B. In a bite portion 66 of an intraoral imaging fixture 62, a transport apparatus 52, driven by an actuator 54, conveys a camera or other image sensor 34 along one or more tracks, shown as A1, A2, and A3. A laser 20 or other suitable light source is directed to the patient's dentition from transport apparatus 52. Laser 20 may be stationary on transport apparatus 52 or remotely located and coupled to a fiber optic for conveying the light energy to transport apparatus 52.”, paragraph 0080).
Regarding claim 25, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits further comprising a light source or an oscillator element disposed inside or outside the case body, wherein an oral cavity is irradiated with light from the light source or an acoustic wave from the oscillator element, via the path or the guide (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0068 teaches “The schematic diagram of FIG. 6 shows components of the imaging apparatus for providing the scan sequence of FIGS. 5A and 5B. In a bite portion 66 of an intraoral imaging fixture 62, a transport apparatus 52, driven by an actuator 54, conveys a camera or other image sensor 34 along one or more tracks, shown as A1, A2, and A3. A laser 20 or other suitable light source is directed to the patient's dentition from transport apparatus 52. Laser 20 may be stationary on transport apparatus 52 or remotely located and coupled to a fiber optic for conveying the light energy to transport apparatus 52.”, paragraph 0080).
Regarding claim 26, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits wherein the inspection auxiliary member or the case body is made from at least any one of a predetermined resin, ceramic, and metal that are safe for the oral tissues (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0061, 0081).
Regarding claim 27, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits wherein the case body further includes a directing portion that reflects or refracts light or an acoustic wave from the oral tissue or the deposit that is the inspection target and directs the light or the acoustic wave to the detection element (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0045, paragraph 0073 teaches “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preview camera 94 displays a reflective image that is indicative of fixture 62 position on display 50 (FIG. 7). The image can be in two or more colors (polychromatic) or monochrome, for example.”).
Regarding claim 28, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits further comprising: an image processing unit that generates an image or a spectrum of the oral tissue or the deposit that is the inspection target, based on an output signal from the detection element; a determination unit that determines or aids determination of presence of a disease of an oral tissue that is the inspection target including a tooth, based on the image or the spectrum generated by the image processing unit; and a display unit that displays the image or the spectrum generated by the image processing unit and/or a determination result of the determination unit (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0073 teaches “An optional preview camera 94 can be mounted within fixture 62 for providing a preview image that shows at least some portion of the scan area. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, preview camera 94 displays a reflective image that is indicative of fixture 62 position on display 50 (FIG. 7). The image can be in two or more colors (polychromatic) or monochrome, for example. This display allows the viewer or other technician or practitioner to determine whether or not further adjustment or re-positioning of the fixture 62 would be useful for subsequent scanning. This feature can be of particular utility where it is useful to place fixture 62 for scanning a partial subset of the dental arch, such as where one or more teeth are to be scanned. Additionally, color images captured by preview camera 94 can provide color texture corresponding to the final surface contour.”, paragraph 0085 teaches “FIG. 13 shows an exemplary operator interface for controlling operation of the imaging apparatus and controlling the scan pattern within fixture 62 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A touch screen version is shown. A graphic template 120 enables the operator or practitioner to specify the dental arch for scanning and to identify a region of interest of the arch. A display portion 130 displays the point cloud that is generated. According to an embodiment, selection buttons 122 are provided that allow control of various parameters such as resolution for particular teeth, scan surfaces for the arch or arch portion, and other parameters.”, paragraph 0051, 0012, 0070,0076, ).
Regarding claim 29, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits wherein, the detection element is an imaging sensor that captures an image of the oral tissue that is the inspection target (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0062 teaches “In operation, each image capture obtains the surface profile along a single projected line. Sweeping the scan unit across the tooth 14 or other object obtains successive surface profiles along adjacent lines, showing the 3D shape of the object.”).
Regarding claim 36, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposit the inspection device for oral tissues or deposit according to wherein the case body moves along the path or the guide of the inspection auxiliary member, and the inspection device further comprises a position information detection unit capable of obtaining position information of the case body inside the path or the guide (in addition to discuss above, paragraph 0065 teaches “The schematic top view diagram of FIGS. 5A and 5B give two examples of a sweep scheme for scan positions 44 along the tooth arch for teeth numbered 1-16. For this scan sequence, scanning apparatus 40 is translated along a curved or arcuate track A2 that approximates the overall curvature of the dental arch. A representative number of scan positions 44 are shown. In practice, individual scan positions 44 would be tightly spaced and would cover all of the arch, or some designated portion of the dental arch that is of interest.”).
Regarding claim 37, the inspection device for oral tissues or deposits wherein the detection element is provided at a plurality of positions on the case body (in addition to discussion above, paragraph 0010 teaches “Data processed from the scanner is used to generate point cloud data that can be used to provide a 3D mesh that models the scanned surface contour. Point cloud generation is typically performed synchronously with scanning. Obtaining high resolution for point cloud generation requires careful, coordinated movement of the intraoral scan device, including device positioning and orientation that obtains image content from the scanned teeth and related features.”, paragraph 0053 teaches “The schematic diagram of FIG. 2 shows, for the example of a single line of light L that is projected from an illumination array 110, how patterned light is used for obtaining surface contour information when using a conventional array source. A mapping is obtained as illumination array 110 directs a pattern of light from projector 22 onto a surface S and a corresponding image of a line L′ is formed on an imaging sensor array 30 of camera 34. Each pixel 32 on imaging sensor array 30 maps to a corresponding pixel 112 on illumination array 110 according to modulation by surface S. Shifts in pixel position, as represented in FIG. 2, yield useful information about the contour of surface S.”).
Claim 39 is rejected for the same reason as discussed in the corresponding claim 22 above.
Claim 40 is rejected for the same reason as discussed in the corresponding claim 23 above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NIGAR CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)272-8890. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thai Tran can be reached at 571-272-7382. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NIGAR CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484
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