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 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Wielopolski et al. (US 5142559).
Regarding claim 1, Wielopolski teaches a quality assurance system adapted for viewing a visible light field and a radiation field generated by a medical accelerator, comprising:
a housing 58;
an image plate 14 supported by the housing wherein the image plate is adapted to display a visible light field image and a radiation field generated by the medical accelerator (col 10 lines 16-21); and
an image capture assembly 16 adapted to capture the visible light field image and the radiation field displayed by the image plate (col 2 lines 23-26).
Regarding claim 19, Wielopolski teaches a method of assuring proper performance of a medical accelerator adapted to generate a visible light field and a radiation field, comprising: positioning a housing 58 and an image plate 14 of a quality assurance system in proper position on a couch 36 of a medical accelerator 40 by aligning alignment markings (col 10 lines 13-15, col 8 lines 13-44) of the quality assurance system with alignment lasers of the medical accelerator (40, figures 1-3 col 4 lines 55-62); displaying on the image plate a visible light field image and a radiation field image (col 10 lines 16-21) generated by the medical accelerator; and capturing 16 the visible light field image and the radiation field image displayed by the image plate (col 2 lines 23-26).
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 Wielopolski in view of Shigyo et al. (US 5077768).
Regarding claim 2, Wielopolski fails to teach the imaging plate includes a semi-transparent phosphor screen adapted to (a) transmit the visible light field image generated by the medical accelerator through the semi-transparent phosphor screen and (b) convert the radiation field generated by the medical accelerator into a corresponding visible light image reproduction of the radiation field generated by the medical accelerator.
Shigyo teaches an imaging plate 10 includes a semi-transparent phosphor screen (A, figure 1) adapted to (a) transmit the visible light field image generated by the medical accelerator through the semi-transparent phosphor screen (col 6 lines 11-31) and (b) convert the radiation field generated by the medical accelerator into a corresponding visible light image (col 6 lines 5-10) reproduction of the radiation field generated by the medical accelerator (control device 16 which houses the laser and the x-ray source 11, figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the imaging plate of Wielopolski with the phosphor screen as taught by Shigyi, since it would enable erase of image data such that the imaging screen can be used again.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wielopolski as modified by Shigyo further in view of Wentz (US 20190239753).
Regarding claim 3, Wielopolski teaches (d) the camera captures the visible light field image and visible light image reproduction of the radiation field.
However, fails to teach the image capture assembly is a small form factor optical tunnel (SFFOT) including a lens, a mirror, an optical tunnel and a camera wherein (a) the lens focuses the visible light field image and the visible light image reproduction of the radiation field, (b) the mirror redirects the visible light field image and the visible light image reproduction of the radiation field from the lens through the optical tunnel, (c) the optical tunnel propagates the visible light field image and the visible light image reproduction of the radiation field from the mirror to the camera and
Wentz teaches the image capture assembly is a small form factor optical tunnel (SFFOT) including a lens 240, a mirror 248, an optical tunnel 264 and a camera 100 wherein (a) the lens focuses the visible light field image and the visible light image reproduction of the radiation field (para 38), (b) the mirror redirects the visible light field image and the visible light image reproduction of the radiation field from the lens through the optical tunnel (para 35), (c) the optical tunnel propagates the visible light field image and the visible light image reproduction of the radiation field from the mirror to the camera (para 35).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the image capture assembly of Wielopolski with the SFFOT as taught by Wentz, since it would provide robust industrial performance with a extended operating temperature range.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-18 are allowed.
Claims 4-13 and 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 4-13, the prior art fails to teach the housing further includes a removable lid that is displaceable between a visible light image reproduction of the radiation field gathering position covering the image plate and a visible light field image gathering position exposing the image plate as claimed in claim 4.
Regarding claims 14-18, the prior art fails to teach a quality assurance system for a medical accelerator adapted to generate a visible light field and a radiation field having a housing; an image plate supported by the housing; and an image capture assembly wherein the housing further includes a removable lid that is displaceable between a radiation field image gathering position covering the image plate and a visible light field image gathering position exposing the image plate as claimed in independent claim 14.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art fails to teach (a) transmitting the visible light field image generated by the medical accelerator through the image (b) converting the radiation field generated by the medical accelerator into a corresponding visible light image reproduction of the radiation field generated by the medical accelerator, and displacing a lid of the quality assurance system between a radiation field image gathering position covering the image plate and a visible light field image gathering position exposing the image plate as claimed in claim 20.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOON K SONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2494. The examiner can normally be reached M to Th 10am to 7pm.
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/HOON K SONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884