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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/11/24 and 10/15/25 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-6, 14 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inuzuka JP 2019051299 in view of Gohno et al. US 2002/0027639.
As to claim 1, Inuzuka teaches a portable Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system comprising: a main body in which an optical part and a control part of an OCT device are mounted, the main body comprising a stepped part having a protruding lower front side so that an examinee is capable of loading, through the stepped part, an area to be examined, and the main body allowing a light source of the optical part to be incident on a sample of the examinee through a hole formed in a front upper side at which the stepped part is disposed; [figs. 1-6; ¶ 0019-0020; ¶ 0042] a display part disposed such that a screen for displaying an image captured by the optical part of the OCT device faces a side surface part of the main body; [figs. 1-6; ¶ 0038-0041; ¶ 0042] and at least one display movement part connected to one edge of the main body and one end of the display part so that a position of the display part is capable of being moved, wherein the display part is configured to be rotated with respect to the display movement part so as to display an image of the examinee according to an exposure of the screen to an examiner, and is configured to be re-rotated by the display movement part in order to store the display part, so as to be rearranged such that the screen faces the side surface part of the main body. [figs. 1-6; ¶ 0038-0042]
Inuzuka does not explicitly teach a portable Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system.
Gohno teaches a portable Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system. [abstract; ¶ 0042-0044]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the techniques of Gohno with the teachings of Inuzuka allowing for improved usability and carry/portability capability.
As to claim 2, Inuzuka (modified by Gohno) teaches the limitations of claim 1. Inuzuka teaches wherein the display movement part is formed as a hinge, the display part is configured to be moved to a rear surface part of the main body by the hinge, and a center of the display part is in close contact with the rear surface part of the main body. [figs. 1-2; figs. 5-6; ¶ 0024-0026; ¶ 0041-0042]
As to claim 3, Inuzuka (modified by Gohno) teaches the limitations of claim 2. Inuzuka teaches wherein the main body further comprises: a slide panel formed such that the slide panel is disposed in close contact with the rear surface part of the main body, the slide panel being mounted such that the slide panel is capable of being optionally slid in a direction parallel to a plane of the rear surface part of the main body; [figs. 1-6; ¶ 0042-0045] and a rail part mounted on the rear surface part of the main body and configured to slide the slide panel, and the display movement part is mounted on an edge of the slide panel, the display part is configured to be slid in a direction parallel to the plane of the rear surface part of the main body by the rail part and the slide panel after the display part is rotated by the display movement part. [figs. 1-6; ¶ 0024-0026; ¶ 0042-0045]
As to claim 4, Inuzuka (modified by Gohno) teaches the limitations of claim 3. Inuzuka teaches further comprising a clasp structure and a protrusion part that are formed between the rear surface part of the main body and the slide panel, wherein, when the display part is disposed in close contact with the side surface part of the main body, the clasp structure and the protrusion part are coupled to each other, thereby preventing the slide panel from being moved, and when the display part is rotated by the display movement part and is disposed such that the display part faces the rear surface part of the main body, coupling between the clasp structure and the protrusion part are released, thereby allowing the slide panel to be moved. [fig. 6; ¶ 0042-0045]
As to claim 5, Inuzuka (modified by Gohno) teaches the limitations of claim 4. Inuzuka teaches wherein the display part is disposed such that the display part is positioned on a center of the rear surface part of the main body by being slid by the slide panel after the display part is folded at least 90 degrees by the hinge. [figs. 1-6; ¶ 0030; ¶ 0042-0045]
As to claim 6, Inuzuka (modified by Gohno) teaches the limitations of claim 1. Inuzuka teaches further comprising a display fixing part configured to fix the display part to a rear surface part of the main body after the display part is rotated toward the rear surface part of the main body. [figs. 1-6; ¶ 0042-0045]
As to claim 14, Inuzuka (modified by Gohno) teaches the limitations of claim 1. Inuzuka teaches further comprising a forehead fixing part having a plate structure that protrudes from a front surface part of the main body on one region of the front surface part of the main body, [figs. 1-4; ¶ 0019]
Inuzuka does not explicitly teach the forehead fixing part having a structure capable of being detached from and attached to the main body.
Gohno teaches the forehead fixing part having a structure capable of being detached from and attached to the main body. [figs. 1-4; ¶ 0024-0027]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the techniques of Gohno with the teachings of Inuzuka allowing for improved usability and carry/portability capability.
As to claim 16, Inuzuka (modified by Gohno) teaches the limitations of claim 1. Inuzuka teaches wherein a main body supporting part having a plate structure formed at a predetermined length and a predetermined width is further provided on a lower surface of the main body, [figs. 1-3; fig. 5; the chin rest has a plate structure of a determined length and width and is attached to the base of the device via the integrated structure of the headrest and chin rest] and one region of the main body supporting part and one region of a lower surface part of the main body are coupled to each other. [figs. 1-3; fig. 5; the chin rest has a plate structure and is attached to the base of the device via the integrated structure of the headrest and chin rest]
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 18 is allowed.
Claims 7-13, 15 and 17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/ANNER HOLDER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2483
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