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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claims 12-18 in the reply filed on February 5, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-11 and 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on February 5, 2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on January 29, 2025 is noted. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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) 12-14 and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Crockett (2024/0033055) in view of Suttin, Sr, et al. (2013/0273492).
With respect to claim 12, Crockett teaches a method of performing intraoral scanning on a patient to acquire a digital intraoral topographic impression comprising:
putting multiple mounting platforms on a jaw of the patient (see figs. 7-26b), such that the mounting platforms are either 210 or 207), having multiple scan bodies 203/203’ that comprise:
a) a block having a shape (see figs. 7-26b),
b) a tool channel in the block and a channel port at the top of the block (par. 102, specifically “has a through-hole running longitudinally through the scan body region”, such that the opening of the hole is the channel port),
a base adaptor at the bottom of the block (see figs. 21-26b, pars. 102, 104, such that the bottom of the block has a base adaptor to connected to either the implant or abutment which is the claimed mounting platform), installing the scan bodies on the mounting platforms (see fig. 7, 15, par. 94, 102), performing intraoral optical scanning to capture images of the patient’s oral cavity including the scan bodies (pars. 94, abstract), creating a digital topographic impression using the captured images (see abstract, such images as stitched together to create a 3D image, therefore it is a topographical impression. Crockett teaches the invention as substantially claimed and discussed above, however, does not specifically teach the block is a rectangular block with a substantially rectangular shape. It is noted that the term “substantially rectangular” is interpreted as silhouette shape as viewed form top down as defined by the applicant in the specification.
Suttin teaches a method for performing intraoral scanning on a patient to acquire a digital intraoral topographic impression comprising putting multiple mounting platforms 500 on a jaw of the patient (pars. 45, 48), comprising multiple scan bodies 205 that comprise a) a rectangular block having a substantially rectangular shape (see figs. 5b-5c), b) a tool channel in the rectangular block and a channel port at the top of the rectangular block (see figs. 5b-5c, par. 47, such that the tool channel is 530 and the opening of the channel is the claimed port) and installing the scan bodies on the mounting platforms 500 and performing intraoral optical scanning to capture images of the patient’s oral cavity including the scan bodies (pars. 48-49, abstract, such that it is three dimensional). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the shape of the scan body taught by Crockett with the rectangular shape taught by Suttin as an obvious matter of design choice. It is noted that Crockett teaches the scan body can be chosen form a selection of different shapes and sizes (par. 30 of Crockett) and the shape is elongated. The shape of Suttin is elongated and rectangular as claimed. It is noted that both of the shapes are being used in the same manner and achieving the same outcome. Such that they are both being attached to platforms in the mouth, being scanned, and then used to form a 3D image of the mouth. The applicant does not disclose that the rectangular shape provides an advantage or unexpected result. Therefore, it is noted that the change is shape would have been an obvious matter of design choice as discussed above.
With respect to claim 13, Crockett/Suttin teaches the invention as substantially claimed and discussed above, including Crockett further teaching inserting a fastening screw 202/202’ into the tool channel of the scan body, engaging the base adaptor of the scan body to the mounting platform (207 or 210), inserting a driver tool (pars. 102, 104, such that the screw is tightened which would obvious require using a tool engaged with the head of the screw to tighten it), using the driver tool to fasten the fastening screw to the mounting platform (see par. 102, 104, such that the screw is tightened to attach it to the platform 207 or 210).
With respect to claim 14, Crockett/Suttin teaches the invention as substantially claimed and discussed above, including Crockett further teaching creating the digital topographic impression comprises stitching the captured images together (see abstract, pars. 4-5, 27).
With respect to claim 17, Crockett/Suttin teaches the invention as substantially claimed and discussed above, including Crockett further teaches wherein the mounting platforms are implant abutment 207 (see figs. 21-22, par. 102).
With respect to claim 18, Crockett/Suttin teaches the invention as substantially claimed and discussed above, including Crockett further teaches wherein the mounting platforms are implant fixtures 210 (see fig. 24, par. 104).
Claim(s) 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Crockett (2024/0033055) in view of Suttin, Sr, et al. (2013/0273492) as applied to claim 12 above, and further in view of Kwan (2002/0039718).
With respect to claim 15, Crockett/Suttin teaches the invention as substantially claimed and discussed above, including Crocket further teaches applying an adhesive resin material to the scan bodies to join the scan bodies into a linked assembly (see par. 101, figs. 18-20) and removing the linked assembly from the patient’s mouth (pars. 28, 32, 88, and 94, claim 10), however, does not specifically teach inserting implant analogs into each of the tool channels of the scan bodies, laying the linked assembly into a plaster slab, planting the implant analogs into the plaster slob and removing the linked assembly but leaving the implant analogs planted in the plaster slab.
Kwan teaches a method including putting multiple mounting platforms 10 on a jaw of the patient (see fig. 20), having multiple bodies 40, the bodies each having a tool channel 46 (see fig. 5), installing the bodies on the mounting platforms (see fig. 21, pars. 108-109). With respect to claim 15, Kwan further teaches the method further comprising making a physical master model, comprising applying an adhesive resin material to the bodies to join the bodies into a linked assembly (pars. 108-109, “pattern resin” material, such that it connects the bodies and therefore is adhesive), removing the linked assembly from the patient’s mouth (par. 110), inserting implant analogs 56 into each of the tool channels of the bodies (par. 111, see fig. 19), laying the linked assembly into a plaster slab (see figs, 17-18, pars. 103-104, 111-112), and removing the linked assembly but leaving the implant analogs planted in the plaster slab (see figs. 18, 22, pars. 111-113). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the method of Crockett/Suttin to include the steps of making a physical master model as taught by Kwan in order to have a model to test the designed prosthesis on before installing in the mouth.
With respect to claim 16, Crockett/Suttin/Kwan teaches the invention as substantially claimed and discussed above, including Crockett further teaching the step of removing the linked assembly form the patient’s mouth comprises loosening the fastening screws that join the scan bodies to the mounting platforms (see claim 10, figs. 7-8, 21-22, such that it teaches removing the scan bodies, which are retained using screw 202, therefore, the screws are removed in order to remove the scan bodies from the fastening elements).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/HEIDI M EIDE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3772 3/3/2026