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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2022/0183650 (Saito).
Regarding claim 1, Saito disclose an information processing apparatus comprising:
one or more memories (15 and 212); and
one or more processors (14 and 211), wherein the one or more memories and the one or more processors are configured to, based on a data group that is acquired in a state in which a detection unit configured to detect an orientation is not attached to a radiation imaging apparatus and is acquired by the detection unit detecting a plurality of orientations ([0345], after generating radiation, the second controller 211 stores the inclination information at the time of imaging the subject S together with the information about the subject S”), correct an orientation that is detected by the detection unit after the plurality of orientations is detected and is acquired in a state in which the detection unit is attached to the radiation imaging apparatus ([0148], first controller 14 correct the output value to indicate that the detector is inclined at a known inclination angle when it is stored … in the detector storage 26 of the medical cart” and [0365], “second controller 211 may correct (calibrate) the detection value to the first sensor 17 received from the detector stored in the detector storage).
Regarding claim 3, Saito disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more memories and the one or more processors are further configured to correct an orientation detected by the detection unit after the plurality of orientations is detected based on a correction value that is acquired by approximating a form of the data group to an ellipsoid ([0123]-[0126]).
Regarding claim 4, Saito disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more memories and the one or more processors are further configured to correct an orientation detected by the detection unit after the plurality of orientations is detected based on correction values that are acquired by approximating a form of the data group to an ellipsoid, the correction values being used for correcting center coordinates and diameters of the ellipsoid ([0123]-[0126]).
Regarding claim 5, Saito disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the correction values include an offset correction value for correcting a deviation of the center coordinates of the ellipsoid with respect to origin coordinates and a gain correction value for correcting the diameters of the ellipsoid to be substantially equal ([0123]-[0126]).
Regarding claim 6, Saito disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more memories and the one or more processors are further configured to: perform control to display an attachment/detachment state between the detection unit and the radiation imaging apparatus; and perform control to display an instruction prompting a user to attach the detection unit to the radiation imaging apparatus in a case where the detection unit is not attached to the radiation imaging apparatus after the plurality of orientations is detected (Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 7, Saito disclose a radiation imaging system comprising: a radiation imaging apparatus configured to detect radiation and capture an image (1); and the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is communicably connected to the radiation imaging apparatus (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, Saito disclose a radiation imaging system comprising: a radiation generating apparatus configured to generate radiation (23; and the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is communicably connected to the radiation generating apparatus, wherein the one or more memories and the one or more processors are further configured to acquire a relative orientation between the radiation generating apparatus and the radiation imaging apparatus using information regarding a corrected orientation and an orientation of the radiation generating apparatus (Fig. 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 9, Saito disclose the radiation imaging system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more memories and the one or more processors are further configured to perform control to display the relative orientation on a display unit (Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 10, Saito disclose a radiation imaging system comprising:
a radiation generating apparatus configured to generate radiation (2);
a radiation imaging apparatus configured to detect the radiation and capture an image (1);
a first detection unit configured to detect an orientation of the radiation generating apparatus (27);
a second detection unit configured to detect an orientation of the radiation imaging apparatus; one or more memories (17); and
one or more processors (14 and 211), wherein the one or more memories and the one or more processors are configured to:
correct, based on a first data group acquired by the first detection unit detecting a plurality of first orientations, a first orientation detected by the first detection unit after the plurality of first orientations is detected, correct, based on a second data group acquired by the second detection unit detecting a plurality of second orientations, a second orientation detected by the second detection unit after the plurality of second orientations is detected, and acquire a relative orientation between the radiation generating apparatus and the radiation imaging apparatus using the corrected first orientation and the corrected second orientation ([0148], first controller 14 correct the output value to indicate that the detector is inclined at a known inclination angle when it is stored … in the detector storage 26 of the medical cart” and [0365], “second controller 211 may correct (calibrate) the detection value to the first sensor 17 received from the detector stored in the detector storage).
Regarding claim 11, Saito disclose a method for processing information, the method comprising: based on a data group that is acquired in a state in which a detection unit configured to detect an orientation is not attached to a radiation imaging apparatus and is acquired by the detection unit detecting a plurality of orientations, correcting an orientation that is detected by the detection unit after the plurality of orientations is detected and is acquired in a state in which the detection unit is attached to the radiation imaging apparatus ([0148], first controller 14 correct the output value to indicate that the detector is inclined at a known inclination angle when it is stored … in the detector storage 26 of the medical cart” and [0365], “second controller 211 may correct (calibrate) the detection value to the first sensor 17 received from the detector stored in the detector storage).
Regarding claim 12, Saito disclose a storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 11 (14 and 211).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saito as applied to claim 1, and in further view of US 2020/0170608 (Makino).
Regarding claim 2, Saito disclose the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, but fail to teach wherein the detection unit includes a geomagnetic sensor, and wherein the data group is a data group regarding an azimuth acquired by the geomagnetic sensor detecting the plurality of orientations.
Makino disclose a detection unit including a geomagnetic sensor [0119].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the sensor disclosed by Saito to include a geomagnetic sensor as taught by Makino to produce group data requiring an azimuth acquired by the geomagnetic sensor detecting the plurality of orientations. One would have been motivated to make such a modification to provide accurate, stable, and drift-free orientation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANI FOX whose telephone number is (571)272-3513. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9-5.
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/DANI FOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884