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
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Pengpeng et al (CN 114081524 A).
Regarding claim 1, Pengpeng et al discloses an oral cone-beam X-ray imaging system (10), wherein working modes (page 11) of the oral cone-beam X-ray imaging system include an oral CT imaging mode, an oral panoramic imaging mode (imaging mode control part) (3002), and a cranial lateral imaging mode (head, oral cavity portion, etc.) (page 3), the oral cone-beam X-ray imaging system comprising: an X-ray source (100) (page 3), configured to emit cone-beam X-rays towards an object being measured; a flat-panel detector (200) (page 12), configured to detect the X-rays passing through the object being measured; a rotation drive device (700) (page 11), configured to rotate the X-ray source and the flat-panel detector, or to control the rotation device to rotate the object being measured; a data processing device (300) (page 11), configured to receive a working mode instruction to select a set of working mode control parameters corresponding to one of the oral CT imaging mode, the oral panoramic imaging mode, and the cranial lateral imaging mode; and a control device (3002) (image mode control section calls up corresponding imaging mode control parameter group based on received image mode selection instruction) (page 12 and page 16, claim 1), configured to receive the set of working mode control parameter set, control the rotation drive device, and control the X-ray source and the flat-panel detector to perform imaging, wherein a quantity of the X-ray source, the flat-panel detector, and the rotation drive device is one, forming a single-channel imaging system.
Regarding claim 7, Pengpeng et al discloses wherein the rotation drive device rotates the object being measured, so that the X-ray source and the flat-panel detector perform imaging along a circular trajectory around a fixed rotation center relative to the object which is rotated (page 11).
Regarding claim 8, Pengpeng et al discloses wherein the oral panoramic imaging mode includes a first oral panoramic imaging mode, wherein the object being measured is rotated SO that the imaging is performed with variable- speed rotation along the circular trajectory (page 17, claim 1).
Regarding claim 9, Pengpeng et al discloses wherein in the first oral panoramic imaging mode, a series of two-dimensional projection data is acquired through the flat-panel detector, and the data processing device performs reordering processing on the series of two-dimensional projection data to generate a first panoramic image; in the second oral panoramic imaging mode, a series of two-dimensional projection data is acquired through the flat-panel detector, and the data processing device performs interpolation processing on the series of two-dimensional projection data to generate a second panoramic image (page 2 and pages 16-17, claims 4-5).
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) 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pengpeng et al (CN 114081524 A) in view of Chukalina et al (US 12,014,449 B2).
Regarding claims 5-6, Pengpeng et al discloses wherein the X-ray cone-beam based X-ray imaging system for arranging a first sequence of two-dimensional projection data based on at least position information of respective imaging points of the imaging portion includes: acquiring the position of an X-ray source corresponding to each imaging point based on the position information of each imaging point of the imaging part; acquiring the projection position of each imaging point on the X-ray detector based on the position of the X-ray source corresponding to each imaging point; and selecting two-dimensional projection data (namely column data, namely a column of projection data of the projection position selected for each imaging point, wherein the width of the column data depends on the interval between the imaging points, and preferably, the intervals between the imaging points are the same) of the projection positions of the imaging points on the X-ray detector for arrangement, so as to obtain the first panoramic image. However Pengpeng et al is silent with regards to the Source-to-Image Distance between x-ray source and flat-panel detector is 1.5m-2.5m and difference between Source-to-image distance and a source-to-axis distance between x-ray source and rotation is 0.2m to 0.4m. Chukalina et al discloses a CT image reconstruction from polychromatic projection data, comprising: Source to object distance 1.2 meter and the object to detector distance at 0.05 meters (col. 14, lines 3-16). Thus, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to enable a range of 1.5-2.5 and 0.2m-0.4m, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Pengpeng et al with the teaching of Chukalina et al, so as to enable a geometrical configuration for fast 3D reconstruction from cone-beam projection data).
Claim(s) 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pengpeng et al (CN 114081524 A) in view of Godzinsky et al (CN 101668485 A).
Regarding claim 12, Pengpeng et al discloses all of the limitations of parent claim 1, as disclosed supra however, Pengpeng et al is silent with regards to obtaining a complete panoramic image as claimed. Godzinsky et al discloses a panoramic x-ray apparatus and positioning of a layer to be imaged for panoramic imaging (See Abstract) comprising: wherein the data processing device is configured to: for each imaging point on the dental arch curve, calculate the X-ray passing through the imaging point during the imaging process and obtain the projection data of the X-ray on the flat- panel detector; accumulate the projection data of the X-ray passing through the imaging point by weight to obtain the imaging value of the imaging point, resulting in a row of data for the dental move the dental arch curve up and down in the vertical direction to obtain multiple rows of data, and arrange these multiple rows of data in sequence to obtain a complete oral panoramic image (pages 7, last paragraph to page 8, page 10, claim 1). Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Pengpeng et al with the teaching of Godzinsky et al so as to enable 3D image of subject’s head.
Regarding claim 13, Godzinsky et al discloses wherein the data processing device is configured to: use the cross-sectional image at the Z-axis coordinate corresponding to the predetermined dental arch position in the three-dimensional image as the first cross-sectional image; or utilize a pre-trained neural network (neural net) (page 4) to process the three-dimensional image to determine the first cross-sectional image (pages 7, last paragraph to page 8, page 10, claim 1).
Regarding claim 14, Godzinsky et al discloses wherein the data processing device is configured to: perform bone threshold segmentation and Gaussian smoothing on the first cross- sectional image to obtain a bone threshold segmentation image that includes the teeth of the object being measured (blur- free imaging) (page 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 10-11, 15-20 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 2, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the working modes further include a quick positioning mode, and the data processing device is configured to select the quick positioning mode based on receiving another one working mode instruction, in the quick positioning mode, an imaging trajectory of the oral CT imaging mode is adopted, and a radiation dose of the X-rays in the quick positioning mode is lower than that of the X-rays in oral CT imaging mode, SO as to perform adaptive positioning of the imaging system based on positioning results of the quick positioning mode.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein a rotation speed controlled by the rotation drive device in the quick positioning mode is faster than that in the oral CT imaging mode, and/or a reconstruction pixel size in the quick positioning mode is larger than that in the oral CT imaging mode.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein further comprising a positioning control device, wherein based on the positioning results, the positioning control device adjusts a height of the X-ray source and controls the rotation device to rotate according to a roll angle and a yaw angle calculated from the imaging of the quick positioning mode, so as to achieve the adaptive positioning.
Regarding claim 10, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein after selecting the oral panoramic imaging mode and performing the adaptive positioning, the data processing device obtains a dental arch curve of the object being measured and determines virtual rotation axis parameters, based on the virtual rotation axis parameters, it calculates the corresponding positions of the X-ray source and the effective positions of the flat-panel detector for each imaging point on the dental arch curve, the rotation drive device rotates the object being measured, so that during the imaging process along the circular trajectory, X-ray projection data at the effective position of the flat-panel detector corresponding to each imaging point is acquired from the corresponding position of the X-ray source, the data processing device processes the X-ray projection data corresponding to each imaging point to obtain the oral panoramic image.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein the data processing device is configured to: obtain a three-dimensional image of the measured part of the object being measured; determine a first cross-sectional image, which is the dental arch layer in the three- dimensional image; process the first cross-sectional image to obtain a bone threshold segmentation image that includes the teeth of the object being measured; determine the polar coordinates of each pixel in the bone threshold segmentation image in a predetermined polar coordinate system; determine the target radius corresponding to each predetermined angle based on the radial distances of non-zero pixel values at the predetermined angle in the bone threshold segmentation image; form a sequence of value pairs with each predetermined angle and its target radius, where the sequence of value pairs constitutes the sampling point data of the dental arch curve; and fit the dental arch curve of the object being measured using the sampling point data.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest wherein a quick positioning method based on the oral cone-beam X-ray imaging system, comprising: activating the quick positioning mode and emitting low-dose X-rays; receiving and reconstructing CT images to obtain the current pose of the object being measured; and based on the current pose, performing the adaptive positioning of the oral cone-beam X- ray imaging system to conduct imaging in the oral panoramic imaging mode or the cranial lateral imaging mode.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest the quick position method wherein a rotation speed controlled by the rotation drive device in the quick positioning mode is faster than the rotation speed controlled by the rotation drive device in the oral CT imaging mode; and/or the reconstruction pixel size in the quick positioning mode is larger than the reconstruction pixel size in the oral CT imaging mode.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest the quick positioning method wherein, when it is necessary to select the oral panoramic imaging mode for imaging, the quick positioning mode is activated, and the CT images are reconstructed to obtain the current dental arch curve of the object being measured, this allows the adaptive positioning of the imaging system based on the current dental arch curve and the required pose for imaging.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest the quick positioning method wherein, when it is necessary to select axial and a cranial lateral cephalometric imaging mode for imaging, the quick positioning mode is activated, and the CT images are reconstructed to obtain a yaw angle and/or a roll angle
Regarding claim 20, the prior art fails to disclose or reasonably suggest the quick positioning method wherein: based on the obtained roll angle, the rotation drive device rotates the object being measured so that left and right cranial parts of the object are symmetrical, where a straight line passing through the center of the cranium divides it into the left and right cranial parts; and/or based on the obtained yaw angle, the position of the X-ray source is adjusted so that the X-ray source, a left ear canal, and a right ear canal of the object being measured are collinear.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Borghese et al (US 2009/0323891 A1) discloses an apparatus and a method comprising: patient positioning based on the selection of a region of interest for the tomographic image of the dentition of a patient. The region of interest is selected on a previously acquired panoramic image of the dentition of the patient.
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Wang et al (CN 113069141 A) discloses an oral panoramic shooting method, comprising: determining a dental arch curve of a measured object; determining a virtual rotation axis parameter, wherein the virtual rotation axis parameter is determined to reduce the imaging result of the imaging point on one side of the dental arch curve affected by the contralateral bony structure; calculating the corresponding position of an X-ray source and the effective position of a detector corresponding to each imaging point of the dental arch curve based on the virtual rotating shaft parameters; rotating the X-ray source relative to the fixed rotating center, and respectively acquiring X-ray projection data of X-rays emitted by the X-ray source corresponding to each imaging point at the effective position of the detector corresponding to each imaging point; and arranging the X-ray projection data corresponding to each imaging point so as to obtain the oral panoramic.
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/F.P.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2884
/UZMA ALAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884