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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 8-12, filed 2/25/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-26 under 35 U.S.C. 102, 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Granfors et al (US 5751783 A) and Preston et al (US 2016/0266260 A1). Thus, a Final Rejection is made necessitated by amendment.
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) 27-31, 33, 39, 43, 46-51 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Granfors et al (US 5751783 A) in view of Preston et al (US 2016/0266260 A1).
Regarding claims 27, Granfors et al discloses a radiation imaging apparatus (x-ray system) comprising a plurality of receptor fields for automatic exposure control (AEC) (col. 2, lines 1-8), lines 66-col. 3, lines 18); the radiation imaging apparatus (27) array comprising: a flat panel radiation detector including an effective imaging area in which a plurality of radiation detection pixels are arranged (See Abstract, col. 2, lines 54-65); one or more controllers (27) configured to control radiation imaging (col. 2, lines 38-45). Granfors et al is silent with regards to an external terminal as claimed. Preston et al discloses a SIPM-Based radiation detection system and method comprising an external terminal (logic device) (110), provided on a side surface of housing (108) (paragraph [0057]), configured to communicate with at least one of the radiation imaging apparatus and the radiation imaging control apparatus via a communication unit, and to display information (paragraph [0059]). Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Granfors et al with the teaching of Preston et al so as to enable remote monitoring of AEC for digital imaging systems to manage radiation safety and image quality.
Regarding claim 28, Granfors et al discloses wherein the information about the AEC includes information about the plurality of receptor fields (col. 3, lines 50-col. 4, line 18).
Regarding claim 29, Granfors et al discloses wherein the information about the plurality of receptor fields includes information indicating at least one receptor field selected for AEC among the plurality of receptor fields (col. 3, lines -col. 4, line 18).
Regarding claims 30-31, Preston et al discloses wherein the display device is provided on a surface opposite the radiation incident surface of the housing (paragraph [0057]).
Regarding claim 33, Granfors et al discloses further comprising, on the radiation incident surface of the housing, a plurality of markers, respectively corresponding to the plurality of receptor fields, wherein each of the plurality of markers is provided with identification information for identifying a corresponding receptor field Regarding claim 50, Granfors et al discloses wherein the information about the AEC includes information about the plurality of receptor fields (col. 3, lines 50-col. 4, line 18).
Regarding claim 39, Preston et al discloses wherein the display device is a touch panel display (mobile phone, smartphone, tablet computer, etc.) (paragraph [0068).
Regarding claim 43, Preston et al discloses wherein the one or more controllers control the information displayed by the display device according with a target imaging region (paragraphs [0136]-[0137]).
Regarding claim 46, Granfors et al discloses notifying information about the plurality of receptor fields (col. 3, line 19-50).
Regarding claim 47, Granfors et al discloses a radiation imaging system (x-ray system) comprising: a radiation imaging apparatus comprising a plurality of receptor fields for automatic exposure control (AEC) (col. 2, lines 1-8), lines 66-col. 3, lines 18); a radiation imaging control apparatus (27) configured to control radiation imaging (col. 2, lines 38-45). Granfors et al is silent with regards to an external terminal as claimed. Preston et al discloses a SIPM-Based radiation detection system and method comprising an external terminal (logic device) (110) configured to communicate with at least one of the radiation imaging apparatus and the radiation imaging control apparatus via a communication unit, and to display information about the AEC (paragraph [0059]). Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Granfors et al with the teaching of Preston et al so as to enable remote monitoring of AEC for digital imaging systems to manage radiation safety and image quality.
Regarding claim 48, Preston et al discloses wherein the external terminal is arranged near the radiation imaging apparatus (paragraph [0057]).
Regarding claim 49, Preston et al discloses wherein the communication unit (112) comprises a communication relay configured to relay communication between the radiation imaging apparatus and the external terminal (paragraphs [0060]-[0064]).
Regarding claim 50, Granfors et al discloses wherein the information about the AEC includes information about the plurality of receptor fields (col. 3, lines 50-col. 4, line 18).
Regarding claim 51, Granfors et al discloses wherein the information about the plurality of receptor fields includes information indicating at least one receptor field selected for AEC among the plurality of receptor fields (col. 3, lines -col. 4, line 18).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 32, 34-38, 40-42, 44-45, 52-56 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.
Regarding claim 32, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the display device is provided on the radiation incident surface of the housing, in an edge region outside a region corresponding to the effective imaging area.
Regarding claim 34, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the one or more controllers control the display device to display the identification information corresponding to a receptor field selected for AEC among the plurality of receptor fields.
Regarding claims 35-38, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the display device includes a plurality of display portions corresponding to the plurality of receptor fields; wherein the one or more controllers control the display device such that only one or more of the plurality of display portions corresponding to a receptor field selected for AEC are lit while remaining display portions are extinguished; wherein the one or more controllers control the display device such that none of the plurality of display portions is lit in a state in which no receptor field is selected for AEC; wherein the one or more controllers sequentially change a lighting pattern of the plurality of display portions in accordance with a change of a receptor field selected for AEC.
Regarding claim 40, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein, in response to a touch operation on the display device indicating a desired receptor field, the one or more controllers change a receptor field selected for AEC to select the desired receptor field.
Regarding claims 41-42, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein further comprising an operation device, wherein the one or more controllers sequentially change a receptor filed selected for AEC in accordance with an operation input to the operation device; wherein the receptor field selected for AEC is changed by cycling through a plurality of predetermined selection states.
Regarding claims 44-45, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein further comprising a detection unit configured to detect an orientation of the radiation imaging apparatus, wherein the one or more controllers control the information displayed by the display device based on a detection result of the detection unit; wherein the one or more controllers change the information displayed by the display device based on a detection result of a change of the orientation of the radiation imaging apparatus in a vertical direction.
Regarding claim 52, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the external terminal displays the information about the plurality of receptor fields in a manner that enables identifying each of the plurality of receptor fields.
Regarding claim 53, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the external terminal is configured to change a display content of the information about the AEC based on orientation information of the radiation imaging apparatus.
Regarding claims 54-56, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the external terminal is configured to accept an operation input for changing a receptor field used for AEC; wherein the external terminal is configured to transmit, via the communication unit, information indicating the change of the receptor field to at least one of the radiation imaging apparatus and the radiation imaging control apparatus; wherein the external terminal is configured to display the information about the AEC and to accept the operation input.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/F.P.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2884
/UZMA ALAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884