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 § 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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2010/0072379 (Nishino) in view of WO2009/125632 (Sumi).
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Regarding claim 1, Nishino)disclose a flexible detector comprising:
a panel part (Fig. 2-5) comprising a detection panel (36) configured to detect radiation [0070], and first (34) and second (38) protection panels respectively provided at first and second surface sides of the detection panel (Fig. 2-5), the panel part being configured to be deformable [0068];
a main frame part coupled to one side of the panel part (42a); and
an end frame part coupled to an end of the other side of the panel part (42b), wherein the detection panel, the first protection panel, and the second protection panel extend in a first direction (Fig. 2-5).
Nishino fail to teach the details of wherein a slide structure is provided on the end frame part and configured to support an end of the first protection panel such that the end of the first protection panel is slidable in the first direction, or a slide structure is provided at an end of the panel part directed toward the end frame part and configured to support an end of the detection panel such that the end of the detection panel is slidable in the first direction.
Sumi disclose a detection panel (31), a main frame part coupled to one side of the detection panel (32), and an end frame part coupled to the other side of the rigid detection panel (33), wherein a slide structure is provided at an end of the panel part directed toward the end frame part and configured to support an end of the detection panel such that the end of the detection panel is slidable in the first direction (Fig. 2, wherein end frame and detection panel slide with respect to one another via slide structure shown in which 325/335 engage with 315/316).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the invention of Nishimo with a slide structure taught by Sumi. One would have been motivated to make such modification to prevent dust or water from entering the detection panel.
Regarding claim 2, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 1, wherein the slide structure is a first slide structure configured to couple the end of the first protection panel to the end frame part such that the end of the first protection panel is slidable (Sumi, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 2, wherein the first slide structure comprises a stopper provided at the end of the first protection panel (315/316), and the stopper is guided to slide in the end frame part (Sumi Fig. 2, via 325/335).
Regarding claim 4, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 3, wherein the stopper has a slide protrusion, and the end frame part has a slide guide having a groove shape into which the slide protrusion is inserted and guided (Sumi Fig. 2, via 325/335).
Regarding claim 5, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 4, wherein the end frame part comprises:
an end frame main body fixed to the end of the panel part (Sumi Fig. 2); and
an end frame cover coupled to accommodate the stopper between the end frame main body and the end frame cover, and wherein the slide guide is formed on at least one of an upper surface of the end frame main body and a lower surface of the end frame cover (Sumi, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 4, wherein the stopper is coupled to the end of the first protection panel, a stopper coupling hole, into which the slide protrusion is inserted, is provided at the end of the first protection panel, and the stopper is coupled to the end of the first protection panel (Sumi, Fig. 2, and as made obvious above).
Regarding claim 7, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 3, wherein a maximum movement range of the stopper is restricted by the first slide structure (Sumi, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 2, wherein one side of the first protection panel is fixed to the main frame part, one side of the second protection panel is fixed to the main frame part with the panel part interposed therebetween, and the other side of the second protection panel is fixed to the end frame part (Nishino, Fig. 2-5).
Regarding claim 9, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 1, wherein the slide structure comprises a second slide structure configured to support the end of the detection panel such that the end of the detection panel is slidable in the first direction (Sumi, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 9, wherein the second slide structure comprises: a slide panel to which the end of the detection panel is coupled (Sumi, Fig. 2); and an inner end frame part provided at the end of the detection panel and configured to support the slide panel such that the slide panel is slidable (Sumi, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 11, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 10, wherein the panel part comprises: the detection panel (36); first and second inner protection panels respectively provided on the first and second surfaces of the detection panel (34 and 38); and a detection panel part (36) comprising the inner end frame part (Fig. 2-5).
Regarding claim 12, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 11, wherein the panel part comprises: the detection panel part (Fig. 2-5); and a radiation detection part having a protection sheath configured to accommodate the detection panel part and the inner end frame part (Fig. 2-5).
Regarding claim 13, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 12, wherein the end frame part is coupled to an end of the protection sheath of the radiation detection part (Nishino Fig. 2-5, Sumi Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 14, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 11, wherein the second slide structure comprises a guide protrusion protruding from the inner end frame part (Sumi Fig. 2), and the inner end frame part, the first inner protection panel, and the second inner protection panel have slide long holes penetrated by the guide protrusion (Sumi Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 15, Nishino in view of Sumi disclose the flexible detector of claim 14, wherein the inner end frame part comprises: an inner frame main body having the guide protrusion (Sumi, Fig. 2); and an inner frame cover coupled to the inner frame main body (Sumi, Fig. 2).
Conclusion
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/DANI FOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884