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 papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Drawings
The drawings filed 2-27-24 have been accepted by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Keller (US 2016/0055303).
Regarding claim 1, Keller (Fig. 3, 5, and 7) discloses a medical device comprising:
regions (302, 304, etc.);
components located in the regions (eg. 205 located inside 302, 203 located inside 304, etc.);
a control unit (702) configured to determine a state of the medical device (“for example, in the case of a malfunction of certain parts, which can be detected by corresponding sensors” discussed in [0017]), determine at least one component of the components that is related to the state of the medical device (eg. determine if the heparin pump 205 has failed, as seen in Fig. 5), and determine display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (as seen in Fig. 5, when determining 205 has failed, items 501, 502, and 503 are displayed, see also [0073-0074]);
a display unit (including 201 and part of 302 and 304, eg. “the transparent display, which is integrated into the door 302” discussed in [0073]) configured to simultaneously display the display items (as discussed above and seen in Fig. 3 and 5, 501, 502, and 503 are displayed simultaneously), the display items comprising:
a detail view area (207) comprising a representation of the at least one component (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, 207 includes a detailed representation of the failed component, similar to the “symbolic diagram 108 of the heparin pump 105 is also displayed in the field 107” seen in Fig. 1 and discussed in [0055]), and an information area (to the right of the component image) comprising information related to the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (eg. an “alarm message” which includes the name of the component and the “failure” state, corresponding to the “Heparin FAILURE!” message seen in Fig. 3),
the display items comprising an overall view area (corresponding to the area of 302 and 304) with sub-areas which are representations of the regions (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the overall view includes sub-areas for the various components such as 203 and 205), wherein at least one sub-area of the sub-areas is configured to indicate a region of the regions where the at least one component is located (as seen in Fig. 3, “hatched area 305” indicates the region of the failed component, which is a heparin pump in this case, see also “displaying an area of any desired shape in front of the respective part” discussed in [0068]).
Regarding claim 10, Keller (Fig. 3, 5, and 7) discloses a method of controlling a medical device comprising regions (302, 304, etc.) and components located in the regions (eg. 205 located inside 302, 203 located inside 304, etc.), the method comprising steps of:
determining a state of the medical device (“for example, in the case of a malfunction of certain parts, which can be detected by corresponding sensors” discussed in [0017]);
determining at least one component of the components that is related to the state of the medical device (eg. determine if the heparin pump 205 has failed, as seen in Fig. 5);
determining display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (as seen in Fig. 5, when determining 205 has failed, items 501, 502, and 503 are displayed, see also [0073-0074]); and
displaying the display items simultaneously (as discussed above and seen in Fig. 3 and 5, 501, 502, and 503 are displayed simultaneously), the display items comprising:
a detail view area (on the right of 207) comprising a representation of the at least one component (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, 207 includes a detailed representation of the failed component, similar to the “symbolic diagram 108 of the heparin pump 105 is also displayed in the field 107” seen in Fig. 1 and discussed in [0055]);
an information area (to the right of the component image) comprising information related to the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (eg. an “alarm message” which includes the name of the component and the “failure” state, corresponding to the “Heparin FAILURE!” message seen in Fig. 3); and
an overall view area (corresponding to the area of 302 and 304) with sub-areas which are representations of the regions of the medical device (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the overall view includes sub-areas for the various components such as 203 and 205), wherein at least one sub-area is configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the at least one component is located (as seen in Fig. 3, “hatched area 305” indicates the region of the failed component, which is a heparin pump in this case, see also “displaying an area of any desired shape in front of the respective part” discussed in [0068]).
Regarding claim 3, Keller discloses a medical device as discussed above, wherein:
the control unit is configured to identify an error according to the state of the medical device (eg. “the case of a malfunction of certain parts, which can be detected by corresponding sensors” as discussed in [0017]), and the information area (as part of 207) comprises information of the error (eg. the name of the element that is triggering an alarm state, as discussed above, such as the “Heparin pump” in the example of Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 4, Keller discloses a medical device as discussed above, wherein the detail view area further comprises:
a representation of at least a part of the region of the regions where the at least one component is located (eg. “indicating where the heparin pump is located, namely behind the hatched area 305” as discussed in [0064]); and
an indicator indicating a position of the representation of the at least one component (eg. by adding a “hatched area” over the position of the element, eg. “illustrate the location of the respective component” as discussed in [0065]).
Regarding claim 9, Keller discloses a medical device as discussed above, wherein the at least one sub-area is marked differently that other sub-areas of the sub-areas (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the sub-area corresponding to the 205 is marked by a “hatched area” as discussed in [0064], while the sub-area corresponding to 203 is not).
Regarding claim 12, Keller discloses a method as discussed above, further comprising the step of identifying an error according to the state of the medical device (eg. “the case of a malfunction of certain parts, which can be detected by corresponding sensors” as discussed in [0017]), wherein the information area comprises information about the error (eg. the name of the element that is triggering an alarm state, as discussed above, such as the “Heparin pump” in the example of Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 15, Keller discloses a method as discussed above, further comprising the step of:
highlighting the at least one component in the detail view area with a flashlight effect (this limitation is not being examined due to the alternative language “and/or”); and/or
marking the at least one sub-area differently from the residual sub-areas (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the sub-area corresponding to the 205 is marked by a “hatched area” as discussed in [0064], while the sub-area corresponding to 203 is not).
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 2 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keller as applied to claim 1 and 10 above, and further in view of O’Mahony et al. (US 2002/0151804).
Regarding claim 2, Keller discloses a medical device as discussed above, however fails to teach or suggest wherein the control unit is configured to determine a next step to be performed according to the state of the medical device, and the information area further comprises information of the next step.
O’Mahony (Fig. 3-17) discloses a medical device comprising:
regions (501, 702, 804, etc.);
components located in the regions (eg. region 501 includes an “air detector element” as discussed in [0069], region 804 includes a blood pump as discussed in [0072], etc.);
a control unit (205) configured to determine a state of the medical device (eg. “CPU 205 software to detect disconnections and occlusions” discussed in [0077]), determine at least one component of the components that is related to the state of the medical device (eg. detecting if there is “a jammed rotor of the blood pump 804” as discussed in [0072]), and determine display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (as seen in Fig. 12, when determining 804 has failed, display items 403, 404, and 405 in Fig. 4 will be changed);
a display unit (127) configured to simultaneously display the display items (as discussed above and seen in Fig. 4 and 12), the display items comprising:
a detail view area comprising a representation of the at least one component (eg. with 404, see also Fig. 12 which shows “Pictograph 803 of the system shows that there is a detected a jammed rotor of the blood pump 804” as discussed in [0072]), and an information area (403 and 405) comprising information related to the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (eg. “text of the active alarm” as discussed in [0068], which includes the name of the component and the “alert” state, such as “Blood Pump Jammed” as seen in Fig. 12),
the display items comprising an overall view area with sub-areas which are representations of the regions (eg. as seen in Fig. 12, the overall view includes multiple sub-areas of the device, for example a sub-area corresponding to 804 which is clearly labelled, but also sub-areas corresponding to 704, with both the blood pump 707 and blood withdrawal line 704 shown together more clearly in Fig. 10), wherein at least one sub-area of the sub-areas is configured to indicate a region of the regions where the at least one component is located (as discussed above, 804 indicates the region of the failed component, which is a blood pump in the case of Fig. 12),
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a next step to be performed according to the state of the medical device (eg. as seen in Fig. 5-16, the information displayed on 405 changes according to the state of the device, ie. which element is triggering an alarm state), and the information area (including 405) further comprises information of the next step (“405 displays suggested fixes for alarms” discussed in [0068]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller in view of O’Mahoney to determine a next step to be performed according to the state of the medical device, wherein the information area comprises information about the next step because this “improves the user friendliness of the device by providing helpful data to the user on how to solve each alarm condition” (see [0067]).
Regarding claim 11, Keller discloses a method as discussed above, however fails to teach or suggest the method further comprising the step of determining a next step to be performed according to the state of the medical device, wherein the information area comprises information about the next step.
O’Mahony (Fig. 3-17) discloses a method comprising wherein a control unit (205) is configured to determine a next step to be performed according to the state of the medical device (eg. as seen in Fig. 5-16, the information displayed on 405 changes according to the state of the device, ie. which element is triggering an alarm state), and the information area (including 405) further comprises information of the next step (“405 displays suggested fixes for alarms” discussed in [0068]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller in view of O’Mahoney to include determining a next step to be performed according to the state of the medical device, wherein the information area comprises information about the next step because this “improves the user friendliness of the device by providing helpful data to the user on how to solve each alarm condition” (see [0067]).
Claims 5, 6, 13, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keller as applied to claim 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Schaefer et al. (US 2023/0030992) and O’Mahony.
Regarding claim 5, Keller discloses a medical device as discussed above, wherein:
the display items are first display items (eg. the display items related to the heparin pump, as discussed above),
the overall view area is a first overall view area (as seen in Fig. 3), the at least one component is a first component (eg. a heparin pump 205),
the control unit is configured to determine at least a second component of the components that is also related to the state of the medical device (eg. in Fig. 3, the second component may be hose roller pumps 203).
However, Keller fails to teach or suggest the device wherein the control unit is configured to determine second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component,
the display unit being configured to display the first display items simultaneously and subsequently display the second display items simultaneously,
the detail view area of the first display items comprising an indicator indicating a position of the second component relative to the first component,
the information area of the first display items being a first information area comprising first information related to the state of the medical device and concerning the second component, and
at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items being configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located.
Schaefer (Fig. 1-3, and 6) discloses a medical device, comprising:
regions (eg. corresponding to different elements, such as 10 and 132, as seen in Fig. 2);
components located in the regions (eg. each region 120 has a corresponding pump, each region 132 has a corresponding reservoir, etc.);
a control unit (12) configured to determine a state of the medical device (eg. using a “weight signal from each reservoir scale 130 being indicative of the weight of a reservoir 132” discussed in [0057]), determine at least one component of the components that is related to the state of the medical device (eg. determine if a pre-filter limit has been reached, as seen in Fig. 6), and determine display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (as seen in Fig. 6, when determining a pre-filter limit has been reached, item 268 “PRE-FILTER LIMIT REACHED” is displayed INSIDE 265, see “provide information relevant to the limit being met” discussed in [0084]);
a display unit (160) configured to display the display items (as seen in Fig. 6), wherein:
the display items are first display items (eg. the display items corresponding to a first component, such as a “pre-filter” as discussed above),
the at least one component is a first component (eg. the “pre-blood pump citrate (PBPcit) fluid area 270” seen in Fig. 6, see [0080]),
the control unit is configured to determine at least a second component of the components that is also related to the state of the medical device (eg. a second component corresponding to the “Rep fluid area 280” seen in Fig. 6) and determine second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component (second display items including the “REP (REPLACMENT)” message in 265, as well as 284, 285, and 286),
the display unit being configured to display the first display items simultaneously and subsequently display the second display items simultaneously (as seen in Fig. 6, all of the first and second display items are display simultaneously),
a detail view area (seen better in Fig. 3) of the first display items comprising an indicator indicating a position of the second component relative to the first component (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the first component PBPCIT includes a detailed view 220 of the reservoir, and is located to the left of the second component, the REP pump, eg. connected via 210, 212, 214, etc.),
the information area of the first display items (265) being a first information area comprising first information related to the state of the medical device (eg. that the “PBPCIT (CITRATE DOSE)” can be “decreased” as displayed in 266) and concerning the second component (eg. that the “REP (REPLACEMENT)” can also be “decreased”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller to including determining second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component, the display unit being configured to display the first display items simultaneously and subsequently display the second display items simultaneously, the detail view area of the first display items comprising an indicator indicating a position of the second component relative to the first component, the information area of the first display items being a first information area comprising first information related to the state of the medical device and concerning the second component as taught by Schaefer because this allows messages for multiple components to be brought to the user’s attention simultaneously, to “help operators” use the device (see [0023]).
However, Keller and Schaefer still fail to teach or suggest wherein at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items being configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located.
O’Mahony discloses a medical device as discussed above, wherein:
the display items are first display items (eg. as seen in Fig. 10, when the system detects a state of “disconnection in the blood withdrawal line,” display items such as “blood withdrawal line 704 flashing” are displayed, see [0071]),
the overall view area is a first overall view area (703), the at least one component is a first component (704),
the control unit is configured to determine at least a second component of the components that is also related to the state of the medical device (eg. in Fig. 10, the second component may be blood pump 707) and determine second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component (eg. the display of 707 is seen as part of 703 in Fig. 10),
wherein at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items being configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located (as seen in the overall view area of Fig. 10, both the blood pump 707 and the blood withdrawal line 704 are displayed to show the user their location).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller and Schaefer so at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items being configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located as taught by O’Mahoney because this allows for a “location of a trouble spot is easily identified” (see abstract).
Regarding claim 6, Keller, Schaefer, and O’Mahony discloses a medical device as discussed above, and Keller discloses a second overall view area (eg. the combined 302 and 304, seen in Fig. 3) that is equal to the first overall view area of the first display items (as discussed above, including the same view of both 205 and 203).
Additionally, Schaefer further discloses wherein the second display items comprise:
a detail view area (corresponding to 220 as seen in Fig. 3) comprising a representation of the second component (REP includes a detailed view 220, similar to as discussed above) and an indicator indicating a position of the first component relative to the second component (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the second component REP includes a detailed view 220 of the reservoir, and is located to the right of the first component, eg. connected via 210, 212, 214, etc.);
a second information area (266) comprising second information that is identical to the first information of the first information area (as seen in Fig. 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller, Schaefer, and O’Mahony for the same reasons as discussed above.
Regarding claim 13, Keller discloses a method as discussed above, wherein:
the display items concerning the at least one component are first display items (eg. the display items related to the heparin pump, as discussed above),
the at least one component is a first component (eg. a heparin pump 205), and
the method further comprises the steps of:
determining a second component of the components that is also related to the state of the medical device (eg. in Fig. 3, the second component may be hose roller pumps 203).
However, Keller fails to teach or suggest the device wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
determining second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component; and
displaying the second display items simultaneously after displaying the first display items simultaneously, wherein:
the detail view area of the first display items further comprises an indicator indicating a relative position of the second component regarding the first component,
the information area of the first display items further comprises information related to the state of the medical device and concerning the second component, and
at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items is configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located.
Schaefer (Fig. 1-3, and 6) discloses a method comprising regions (eg. corresponding to different elements, such as 10 and 132, as seen in Fig. 2) and components located in the regions (eg. each region 120 has a corresponding pump, each region 132 has a corresponding reservoir, etc.), the method comprising steps of:
determining a state of the medical device (eg. using a “weight signal from each reservoir scale 130 being indicative of the weight of a reservoir 132” discussed in [0057]);
determining at least one component of the components that is related to the state of the medical device (eg. determine if a pre-filter limit has been reached, as seen in Fig. 6); and
determining display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (as seen in Fig. 6, when determining a pre-filter limit has been reached, item 268 “PRE-FILTER LIMIT REACHED” is displayed INSIDE 265, see “provide information relevant to the limit being met” discussed in [0084]);
displaying (with 160) the display items (as seen in Fig. 6), wherein:
the display items comprising:
first display items (eg. the display items corresponding to a first component, such as a “pre-filter” as discussed above),
the at least one component is a first component (eg. the “pre-blood pump citrate (PBPcit) fluid area 270” seen in Fig. 6, see [0080]),
determining at least a second component of the components that is also related to the state of the medical device (eg. a second component corresponding to the “Rep fluid area 280” seen in Fig. 6);
determining second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component (second display items including the “REP (REPLACMENT)” message in 265, as well as 284, 285, and 286),
displaying the second display items simultaneously after displaying the first display items simultaneously (as seen in Fig. 6, all of the first and second display items are display simultaneously), wherein:
a detail view area (seen better in Fig. 3) of the first display items further comprises an indicator indicating a relative position of the second component regarding the first component (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the first component PBPCIT includes a detailed view 220 of the reservoir, and is located to the left of the second component, the REP pump, eg. connected via 210, 212, 214, etc.),
the information area of the first display items (265) further comprises information related to the state of the medical device (eg. that the “PBPCIT (CITRATE DOSE)” can be “decreased” as displayed in 266) and concerning the second component (eg. that the “REP (REPLACEMENT)” can also be “decreased”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller to include determining second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component, displaying the second display items simultaneously after displaying the first display items simultaneously, wherein the detail view area of the first display items further comprises an indicator indicating a relative position of the second component regarding the first component, the information area of the first display items further comprises information related to the state of the medical device and concerning the second component, and at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items is configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located as taught by Schaefer because this allows messages for multiple components to be brought to the user’s attention simultaneously, to “help operators” use the device (see [0023]).
However, Keller and Schaefer still fail to teach or suggest wherein at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items being configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located.
O’Mahony discloses a method as discussed above, wherein:
the display items concerning the at least one component are first display items (eg. as seen in Fig. 10, when the system detects a state of “disconnection in the blood withdrawal line,” display items such as “blood withdrawal line 704 flashing” are displayed, see [0071]),
the overall view area is a first overall view area (703), the at least one component is a first component (704),
determining a second component of the components that is also related to the state of the medical device (eg. in Fig. 10, the second component may be blood pump 707);
determining second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component (eg. the display of 707 is seen as part of 703 in Fig. 10), and
at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items being configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located (as seen in the overall view area of Fig. 10, both the blood pump 707 and the blood withdrawal line 704 are displayed to show the user their location).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller and Schaefer so at least one of the sub-areas of the overall view area of the first display items being configured to indicate in which of the regions of the medical device the second component is located as taught by O’Mahoney because this allows for a “location of a trouble spot is easily identified” (see abstract).
Regarding claim 14, Keller, Schaefer, and O’Mahony disclose a method as discussed above, and Keller discloses wherein second display items comprise an overall view area (eg. the combined 302 and 304, seen in Fig. 3) that is equal to the first overall view area of the first display items (as discussed above, including the same view of both 205 and 203).
Additionally, Schaefer further discloses wherein the second display items comprise:
a detail view area (corresponding to 220 as seen in Fig. 3) comprising a representation of the second component (REP includes a detailed view 220, similar to as discussed above) and an indicator indicating a relative position of the first component regarding the second component (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the second component REP includes a detailed view 220 of the reservoir, and is located to the right of the first component, eg. connected via 210, 212, 214, etc.);
an information area (266) that comprises the same information as the information area of the first information area of the first display items (as seen in Fig. 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller, Schaefer, and O’Mahony for the same reasons as discussed above.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keller as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Schaefer.
Regarding claim 7, Keller discloses a medical device as discussed above, however fails to teach or suggest wherein the detail view area is configured to highlight the representation of the at least one component with a flashlight effect.
Schaefer (Fig. 1- 3, and 6) discloses a medical device, comprising:
regions (eg. corresponding to different elements, such as 10 and 132, as seen in Fig. 2);
components located in the regions (eg. each region 120 has a corresponding pump, each region 132 has a corresponding reservoir, etc.);
a control unit (12) configured to determine a state of the medical device (eg. using a “weight signal from each reservoir scale 130 being indicative of the weight of a reservoir 132” discussed in [0057]), determine at least one component of the components that is related to the state of the medical device (eg. determine if a pre-filter limit has been reached, as seen in Fig. 6), and determine display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the at least one component (as seen in Fig. 6, when determining a pre-filter limit has been reached, item 268 “PRE-FILTER LIMIT REACHED” is displayed INSIDE 265, see “provide information relevant to the limit being met” discussed in [0084]);
a display unit (160) configured to display the display items (as seen in Fig. 6), wherein:
the display items are first display items (eg. the display items corresponding to a first component, such as a “pre-filter” as discussed above),
the at least one component is a first component (eg. the “pre-filter,” corresponding to a “pump element 242 of the BFR fluid area 241” in [0080]),
the control unit is configured to determine at least a second component of the components that is also related to the state of the medical device (eg. a second component corresponding to the “Rep fluid area 280” seen in Fig. 6) and determine second display items derived from the state of the medical device and concerning the second component (second display items including the “REP (REPLACMENT)” message in 265, as well as 284, 285, and 286),
the display unit being configured to display the first display items simultaneously and subsequently display the second display items simultaneously (as seen in Fig. 6, all of the first and second display items are display simultaneously),
a detail view area (seen better in Fig. 3) of the first display items comprising an indicator indicating a position of the second component relative to the first component (eg. as seen in Fig. 3, the first component 241 is located to the left of the second component, the REP pump),
wherein the detail view area is configured to highlight the representation of the at least one component with a flashlight effect (eg. with 286 as seen in Fig. 6, where the examiner interprets the “graphical animation as represented by the concentric rings 276, 286” to read upon the claimed “flashlight effect”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller so the detail view area is configured to highlight the representation of the at least one component with a flashlight effect as taught by Schaefer because Schaefer teaches both a “flash” and a flashlight effect (ie. the concentric rings 286) can be used to indicate a specific area of interest to a user (see [0081]).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keller and Schaefer as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Ubillos et al. (US 2013/0235071).
Regarding claim 8, O’Mahony and Schaefer disclose a medical device as discussed above, however fail to teach details about the flashlight effect, and so fail to teach or suggest wherein the flashlight effect is generated by at least one virtual highlight layer and a virtual dark layer overlapping with each other in the detail view area.
Ubillos (Fig. 41) discloses a method of generating a flashlight effect (called a “vignette effect” in [0389], but Fig. 41 shows a “bright circle” or “spotlight” effect, see also “spotlighted” discussed in [0394], and so the examiner interprets the “vignette effect” to read upon the claimed flashlight effect”), wherein the flashlight effect is generated by at least one virtual highlight layer (“an invisible geometric shape (i.e., the shape does not have a visible borderline) that encloses the touched location of the image” and “the area of the image that is inside the geometric shape look brighter” [0390]) and a virtual dark layer (“darkens the area of the image that is outside the geometric shape” discussed in [0390]) overlapping with each other (as seen in Fig. 41, eg. so “the left person's face appears spotlighted” as discussed in [0394]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Keller and Schaefer so the flashlight effect is generated by at least one virtual highlight layer and a virtual dark layer overlapping with each other in the detail view area as taught by Ubillos because this allows for a specific location of an image to be “spotlighted” (see [0394]), allowing a user to notice that specific location more easily.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN M BLANCHA whose telephone number is (571)270-5890. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 9-5.
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/JONATHAN M BLANCHA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623
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