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
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities: a period is included after wherein in line 1 of the claim. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 9, the claim depends from claim 7 but mentions the second inductor and the fourth inductor, which are introduced in claim 8. Therefore, it is unclear if this claim should actually depend from claim 8.
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)(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.
Claims 1-5, 11-12, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by (“Wideband RF Transmit-Receive Switch for Multi-Nuclei NMR Spectrometers” first published 19 October 2021).
Regarding claim 1, Abou-Khousa teaches a magnetic resonance system, comprising:
a magnetic resonance transmitter configured to generate one or more radio frequency signals [Fig. 2A, see TX1. See also rest of reference.];
a magnetic resonance receiver configured to receive one or more magnetic resonance signals collected by one or more coils [Fig. 2A, see RX1. See also rest of reference.]; and
a magnetic resonance radio frequency power transceiver, including a communication circuit and a control circuit [Fig. 2A, see TR Switch. See also rest of reference.], wherein
the communication circuit provides a first communication circuit and a second communication circuit, the first communication circuit is configured to transmit the one or more radio frequency signals to the one or more coils [Fig. 2A, see signal path to TX1. See also rest of reference.], and the second communication circuit is configured to transmit the one or more magnetic resonance signals to the magnetic resonance receiver [Fig. 2A, see signal path to RX1. See also rest of reference.]; and
the control circuit is configured to send one or more control signals to the communication circuit to control the first communication circuit or the second communication circuit to turn on or cut off [See Fig. 2B, wherein the driver circuit is used to control the switching of the TR switch. See also rest of reference which mentions the driver circuit.].
Regarding claim 2, Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein the one or more radio frequency signals are a plurality of radio frequency signals corresponding to different kinds of nuclides, the one or more magnetic resonance signals are a plurality of magnetic resonance signals sent by the different kinds of nuclides, and the second communication circuit is configured to transmit the plurality of magnetic resonance signals to the magnetic resonance receiver, respectively [See multi-nuclei disclosed throughout reference.].
Regarding claim 3, Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein the one or more coils are provided inside or connected to the magnetic resonance system and configured to generate a magnetic field that excites resonance of the different kinds of nuclides and/or to collect the plurality of magnetic resonance signals sent by the different kinds of nuclides [See multi-nuclei disclosed throughout reference. See also page 905. See also rest of reference.].
Regarding claim 4, Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein the control circuit includes a power supply, and the power supply is configured to output a turn-on signal and/or a cut-off signal to control the first communication circuit and the second communication circuit to turn on and/or cut off [See bias voltages Vc1 and Vc2 which are provided by the driver circuit. See also rest of reference.].
Regarding claim 5, Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein the power supply includes a first direct current power supply and a second direct current power supply, the first direct current power supply is connected to the first communication circuit [See bias voltage Vc1 connected to the transmit path in Fig. 2A. See also rest of reference.], and the second direct current power supply is connected to the second communication circuit [See bias voltage Vc2 connected to the receive path in Fig. 2A. See also rest of reference.].
Regarding claim 11, Abou-Khousa further teaches further comprising a third capacitor, a fourth capacitor, and a fifth capacitor, wherein the third capacitor is connected between the magnetic resonance transmitter and the first communication circuit, and the third capacitor is configured to isolate a first direct current output from the first direct current power supply to avoid the first direct current passing through the magnetic resonance transmitter when the first communication circuit is turned on [See C8. See also rest of reference.]; the fourth capacitor is connected between the magnetic resonance receiver and the second communication circuit, and the fourth capacitor is configured to isolate a second direct current output from the second direct current power supply to avoid the second direct current passing through the magnetic resonance receiver when the second communication circuit is turned on [See C9/C10. See also rest of reference.]; and the fifth capacitor is connected between the one or more coils and the communication circuit, and the fifth capacitor is configured to isolate the first direct current and the second direct current to avoid the first direct current and the second direct current passing through the one or more coils [See C7. See also rest of reference.].
Regarding claim 12, Abou-Khousa further teaches further comprising a radio frequency power amplifier, wherein the radio frequency power amplifier is configured to receive the plurality of radio frequency signals and perform a power amplification [Fig. 1, see PA/LNA. See also rest of reference.].
Regarding claim 19, Abou-Khousa teaches a magnetic resonance circuit applied to a magnetic resonance system, wherein the magnetic resonance system further comprises a magnetic resonance transmitter and a magnetic resonance receiver, and the magnetic resonance circuit includes a communication circuit and a control circuit, wherein:
the communication circuit provides a first communication circuit and a second communication circuit, the first communication circuit is configured to transmit one or more radio frequency signals generated by the magnetic resonance transmitter to one or more coils [Fig. 2A, see signal path to TX1. See also rest of reference.], and the second communication circuit is configured to transmit one or more magnetic resonance signals collected by the one or more coils to the magnetic resonance receiver [Fig. 2A, see signal path to RX1. See also rest of reference.]; and
the control circuit is configured to send one or more control signals to the communication circuit to control the first communication circuit or the second communication circuit to turn on or cut off [See Fig. 2B, wherein the driver circuit is used to control the switching of the TR switch. See also rest of reference which mentions the driver circuit.].
Regarding claim 20, Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein the first communication circuit is configured to transmit a plurality of radio frequency signals corresponding to different kinds of nuclides generated by the magnetic resonance transmitter to the one or more coils, and the second communication circuit is configured to transmit a plurality of magnetic resonance signals sent from different kinds of nuclides collected by the one or more coils to the magnetic resonance receiver, respectively [See multi-nuclei disclosed throughout reference.].
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.
Claims 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over previously cited Abou-Khousa, in view of Gauss (US 6,198,288).
Regarding claim 6, Abou-Khousa teaches the limitations of claim 5, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein the first communication circuit includes a first diode, the first diode is connected to the magnetic resonance transmitter [See D5],; and the second communication circuit includes a third diode, the third diode is connected to the one or more coils [See D6],.
However, Abou-Khousa is silent in teaching a second diode and one end of the second diode is connected to the first diode and another end is connected to the one or more coils; and a fourth diode and one end of the fourth diode is connected to the third diode and another end of the fourth diode is connected to the magnetic resonance receiver.
Gauss, which is also in the field of a T/R switch for MRI, and teaches wherein the first communication circuit includes a first diode and a second diode, the first diode is connected to the magnetic resonance transmitter, and one end of the second diode is connected to the first diode and another end is connected to the one or more coils [Fig. 2, See diodes 14 and 16. See also rest of reference.]; and the second communication circuit includes a third diode and a fourth diode, the third diode is connected to the one or more coils, and one end of the fourth diode is connected to the third diode and another end of the fourth diode is connected to the magnetic resonance receiver [Fig. 2, See diodes 30, 32, 34. See also rest of reference.].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Abou-Khousa and Gauss because both references are in the field of T/R switches for MRI and because Abou-Khousa teaches using diodes to switch between a transmit and receive path and Gauss teaches it is known in the art to bias multiple diodes to switch between the transmit and receive path [Gauss – Fig. 2].
Regarding claim 7, Abou-Khousa and Gauss teach the limitations of claim 6, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein the system further comprises a first inductor, a third inductor, and a fifth inductor, wherein the first inductor is connected between the magnetic resonance transmitter and a ground end [See L5], the third inductor is connected between the magnetic resonance receiver and the ground end [See L4], and the fifth inductor is connected between the one or more coils and the ground end [See L9].
Regarding claim 8, Abou-Khousa and Gauss teach the limitations of claim 7, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa further teaches a fourth inductor and the fourth inductor is connected between the second direct current power supply and the second communication circuit [See L3].
However, Abou-Khousa is silent in teaching a second inductor wherein the second inductor is connected between the first direct current power supply and the first communication circuit.
Gauss further teaches a second inductor wherein the second inductor is connected between the first direct current power supply and the first communication circuit [See inductor 18. See also rest of reference.].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Abou-Khousa and Gauss because both references are in the field of T/R switches for MRI and because Abou-Khousa teaches using diodes to switch between a transmit and receive path and Gauss teaches it is known in the art to bias multiple diodes to switch between the transmit and receive path [Gauss – Fig. 2].
Regarding claim 9, Abou-Khousa and Gauss teach the limitations of claim 7, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa and Gauss further teach further comprising a capacitive element, wherein the capacitive element forms a filter circuit with the second inductor and the fourth inductor, the filter circuit is configured to filter out interferences from other signals other than the one or more control signals, the plurality of radio frequency signals, and the plurality of magnetic resonance signals [Abou-Khousa – see capacitors in Fig. 2A. Gauss – See capacitors in Fig. 2. See also rest of reference].
Regarding claim 10, Abou-Khousa and Gauss teach the limitations of claim 8, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa and Gauss further teach wherein the capacitive element includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor, the first capacitor is connected to the second inductor, and the second capacitor is connected to the fourth inductor, wherein the first capacitor and the second inductor form a first filter circuit, and the second capacitor and the second capacitor form a second filter circuit [Abou-Khousa – see capacitors in Fig. 2A. Gauss – See capacitors in Fig. 2. See also rest of reference].
Claims 13-16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over previously cited Abou-Khousa, in view of Choi (“Design and construction of a novel 1 H/19F double-tuned coil system using PIN-diode switches at 9.4 T” published 2017).
Regarding claim 13, Abou-Khousa teaches the limitations of claim 12, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein a broadband power of the radio frequency power amplifier [See PA/LNA. See also rest of reference.] and a bandwidth of the radio frequency power amplifier is within a range of 30 to 405 MHz [See abstract. See also rest of reference.].
However, Abou-Khousa is silent in teaching 1000 W.
Choi, which is also in the field of MRI, further teaches wherein a broadband power of the radio frequency power amplifier is 1000 W [See page 12 and Methods section].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Abou-Khousa and Choi because both references are in the field of T/R switches for MRI and because Choi teaches it is known to use a 1 kW amplifier for T/R switches in MRI [Choi - See page 12 and Methods section].
Regarding claim 14, Abou-Khousa teaches the limitations of claim 2, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa is silent in teaching wherein the communication circuit further includes a third communication circuit and a fourth communication circuit, and the magnetic resonance transmitter is further configured to output two radio frequency signals with a phase difference of 90 degrees to the magnetic resonance radio frequency power transceiver.
Choi further teaches wherein the communication circuit further includes a third communication circuit and a fourth communication circuit, and the magnetic resonance transmitter is further configured to output two radio frequency signals with a phase difference of 90 degrees to the magnetic resonance radio frequency power transceiver [Fig. 2 and see quadrature disclosed throughout reference. See also rest of reference.].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Abou-Khousa and Choi because both references are in the field of T/R switches for multi-nuclei MRI and Choi teaches it is known in the art to use quadrature components to acquire multi-nuclei signal [Choi - See pages 11-13 and Methods section].
Regarding claim 15, Abou-Khousa and Choi teach the limitations of claim 14, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa further teaches wherein. the first communication circuit is configured to transmit a first radio frequency signal generated by the magnetic resonance transmitter to the one or more coils [Fig. 2A, see signal path to TX1. See also rest of reference.], the second communication circuit is configured to transmit a first magnetic resonance signal sent from the one or more coils to the magnetic resonance receiver [Fig. 2A, see signal path to RX1. See also rest of reference.].
Abou-Khousa is silent in teaching the third communication circuit is configured to transmit a second radio frequency signal generated by the magnetic resonance transmitter to the one or more coils, and the fourth communication circuit is configured to transmit a second magnetic resonance signal sent from the one or more coils to the magnetic resonance receiver, wherein a phase difference between the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal is 90 degrees.
Choi further teaches the first communication circuit is configured to transmit a first radio frequency signal generated by the magnetic resonance transmitter to the one or more coils, the second communication circuit is configured to transmit a first magnetic resonance signal sent from the one or more coils to the magnetic resonance receiver, the third communication circuit is configured to transmit a second radio frequency signal generated by the magnetic resonance transmitter to the one or more coils, and the fourth communication circuit is configured to transmit a second magnetic resonance signal sent from the one or more coils to the magnetic resonance receiver, wherein a phase difference between the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal is 90 degrees [Figs. 1-2, wherein both circuits include components for transmit and receive paths for both 1H and 19F frequencies. See quadrature disclosed throughout reference. See also rest of reference.].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Abou-Khousa and Choi because both references are in the field of T/R switches for multi-nuclei MRI and Choi teaches it is known in the art to use quadrature components to acquire multi-nuclei signal [Choi - See pages 11-13 and Methods section].
Regarding claim 16, Abou-Khousa and Choi teach the limitations of claim 14, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa and Choi both further teach wherein the communication circuit includes two radio frequency power switches, the two radio frequency power switches support signal transmission at multiple frequencies and are configured to control an operating mode of the magnetic resonance radio frequency power transceiver [Abou-Khousa – See PIN diodes. Choi – See PIN diodes. See also rest of both reference.].
Regarding claim 18, Abou-Khousa teaches the limitations of claim 3, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa is silent in teaching wherein the one or more coils includes multiple groups of coils, each group of coils respectively corresponds to the one or more radio frequency signals or the one or more magnetic resonance signals of the different kind of nuclide.
Choi further teaches wherein the one or more coils includes multiple groups of coils, each group of coils respectively corresponds to the one or more radio frequency signals or the one or more magnetic resonance signals of the different kind of nuclide [See single-tuned coils. See also rest of reference.].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Abou-Khousa and Choi because both references are in the field of T/R switches for multi-nuclei MRI and Choi teaches it is known in the art to use multiple single-tuned RF coils for acquiring multi-nuclei signals and have similar signal qualities [Choi – See Abstract].
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over previously cited Abou-Khousa, in view of previously cited Choi, in view of Hetherington (US 2012/0223706).
Regarding claim 17, Abou-Khousa and Choi teach the limitations of claim 14, which this claim depends from.
Abou-Khousa both further teaches wherein a frequency point supported by each of the two radio frequency power switches is within a range of 100-500 MHz [See abstract].
However, Abou-Khousa are silent in teaching a power of the radio frequency power switch is 1000W.
Hetherington further teaches a power of the radio frequency power switch is 1000W [¶0174].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Abou-Khousa and Choi with the teachings of Hetherington because Heatherington teaches 1 kW is a moderate power for a RF switch [Heatherington - ¶0174], wherein Abou-Khousa and Choi both teach RF switches.
Conclusion
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/RISHI R PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896