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 Objections
Claims 1-10 objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1, the limitation “and has a first face and a second face opposing each other…” should be changed to “wherein the casing has a first face and second face, wherein the first face and the second face oppose each other…” in order to correct a minor informality. Claims 2-10 are objected to by virtue of their dependency.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1, 3-5, and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye (U.S. 2019/0072679) in view of Ikhlef (U.S. 2019/0350545).
Regarding claim 1:
Ye discloses a detector module unit comprising:
a detecting element array (Fig. 6, 606) in which a plurality of detecting elements each configured to convert radiation into an electrical signal are arranged ([0100], detection layer);
signal processing circuitry ([0066], data acquisition circuitry) configured to process the electrical signals;
a holding plate (Fig. 7A and 7B, 706 is held by a plate 703) configured to hold the detecting element array and the signal processing circuitry; and
a casing (Fig. 6, 604) that is thermally connected to the signal processing circuitry and has a first face and a second face opposing each other while the holding plate is interposed therebetween (Fig. 6, frame 604 has two faces; Fig. 11B, 1104 has two faces),
wherein the first face have a fin (Fig. 6, 605).
However, Ye fails to disclose wherein the first face and the second face of the casing each have a fin.
Ikhlef teaches wherein the first face and the second face of the casing each have a fin (Fig. 8B, both sides of 508 has fins 514).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the detector module of Ye with the two fins taught by Ikhlef in order to improve dose efficiency by improving thermal management of the detector (Ikhlef; [0009]). KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007).
Regarding claim 3:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses the detector module unit according to claim 1, wherein the casing further includes heat transfer members (Ye; [0091], graphite used as a heat dissipation material) having a high heat conduction rate (Ye; [0091], graphite used as a heat dissipation material) and being provided on the first face and the second face (Ye; [0091], graphite used as a heat dissipation material).
Regarding claim 4:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses the detector module unit according to claim 1, wherein the casing further has a rail-shaped member provided on an outer lateral face of each of the first and the second faces (Ikhlef; Fig. 5, rail shaped plate attached to 502).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the detector module of Ye with the rail shaped piece taught by Ikhlef in order to improve dose efficiency by improving thermal management of the detector (Ikhlef; [0009]). KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007).
Regarding claim 5:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses the detector module unit according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a box-like shape structured by joining the first face and the second face together while using a joining member (Ikhlef; Fig. 7B, 508 has a box shaped structure).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the detector module of Ye with the box shaped structure taught by Ikhlef in order to improve dose efficiency by improving thermal management of the detector (Ikhlef; [0009]). KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007).
Regarding claim 7:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses the detector module unit according to claim 1, wherein a fin is further provided on a lateral face of the holding plate facing an inside of the casing (Ye; Fig. 13B, multiple fins on the inside).
Regarding claim 8:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses a radiation detector comprising:
a plurality of detector module units arranged in a channel direction (Ye; Fig. 3, multiple detector units),
wherein as each of the plurality of detector module units, the radiation detector comprises the detector module unit according to claim 1 (as rejected above).
Regarding claim 9:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses the radiation detector according to claim 8, wherein, among the plurality of detector module units, the fins of adjacently-positioned detector module units are provided in such a manner that a protrusion part included in the fin of a first one of the detector module units opposes a gap between protrusion parts included in the fin of a second one of the detector module units (Ye; [0091], fins attached on opposite sides).
Regarding claim 10:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses an X-ray computed tomography apparatus comprising:
an X-ray tube (Ye; Fig. 2, 202) configured to emit X-rays onto an examined subject; and
an X-ray detector (Ye; Fig. 2, 208) configured to detect X-rays that were emitted from the X-ray tube and have passed through the examined subject,
wherein the X-ray computed tomography apparatus comprises the radiation detector according to claim 8 as the X-ray detector (as rejected above).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye (U.S. 2019/0072679) in view of Kawaguchi (U.S. 2015/0156920).
Regarding claim 2:
Ye discloses a detector module unit comprising:
a detecting element array (Fig. 6, 606) in which a plurality of detecting elements each configured to convert radiation into an electrical signal are arranged ([0100], detection layer);
signal processing circuitry ([0066], data acquisition circuitry) configured to process the electrical signals;
a holding plate (Fig. 7A and 7B, 706 is held by a plate 703) configured to hold the detecting element array and the signal processing circuitry; and
a casing (Fig. 6, 604) that is thermally connected to the signal processing circuitry and has a first face and a second face opposing each other while the holding plate is interposed therebetween (Fig. 6, frame 604 has two faces; Fig. 11B, 1104 has two faces).
However, Ye fails to disclose the first face and the second face of the casing each have a flow path.
Kawaguchi teaches the first face and the second face of the casing each have a flow path (Fig. 4, wind).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the detector module of Ye with the flow path taught by Kawaguchi in order to improve the stabilization of detection characteristics by suppressing temperature change (Kawaguchi; [0007]). KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007).
Allowable Subject Matter
Regarding claim 6:
The combination of Ye and Ikhlef discloses the detector module unit according to claim 5, further comprising:
a circuitry substrate disposed in the casing (Ikhlef ; Fig. 5, circuity is covered by plate near 506); and
a blocking member (Ikhlef; Fig. 6, 612) configured to block radiation from becoming incident to the circuitry substrate.
However, the combination of Ye and Ikhlef fails to disclose wherein the joining member is positioned between the holding plate and the circuitry substrate, and the blocking member is held by the joining member.
Since the prior art of record fails to teach the details above, nor is there any reason to modify or combine prior art elements absent of applicant’s disclosure, the claim is deemed patentable over the prior art of record, if rewritten in independent form to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claim.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOORENA KEFAYATI whose telephone number is (469)295-9078. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.
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/S.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2884
/DAVID J MAKIYA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884