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.
(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) 1-6, 8 and 11-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 a1/a2 as being anticipated by U. S. Publication No. 2017/0055956 to Osumi et al.
Regarding claim 1, 15, and 16, Osumi teaches an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprising: transmitter/receiver circuitry configured to transmit an ultrasound wave to an inside of an examined subject and to receive an echo signal emitted in response to the ultrasound wave (Figs. 1, 2, 10 and 36); and processing circuitry configured to extract, with respect to each spatial point, information that is related to motion velocity of a target inside the examined subject and included in a signal data sequence obtained from the echo signal, to calculate periodicity information of a movement of the examined subject on a basis of the information (para 036, 042-045 teaches calculating periodicity information), and to generate a spatial distribution of the periodicity information (para 043, 094, and 0121 teaches generating spatial distribution of periodicity information).
Regarding claim 2, Osumi teaches that the processing circuitry is configured to apply a Moving Target Indicator (MTI) filter to the signal data sequence and to extract information related to a blood flow signal as the information related to the motion velocity (para 0037 teaches an MTI filter).
Regarding claim 3, Osumi teaches that the processing circuitry is configured to extract a time waveform of Doppler velocity, as the information related to the motion velocity (para 038 teaches doppler velocity).
Regarding claim 4, Osumi teaches that the processing circuitry is configured to extract an echo signal intensity after the MTI filter is applied, as the information related to the motion velocity (para 043 and 094 teaches MTI filter and motion velocity).
Regarding claims 5, 6, and 8, Osumi teaches that the processing circuitry is configured to further calculate information related to a stationary component among chronological changes in motion of the target (para 043-044 teaches chronological changes).
Regarding claim 11, Osumi teaches that the processing circuitry is configured to control the display unit so as to display said at least one type of information by using a first color bar and to display the periodicity information by using a second color bar (para 0075 and 076 teaches color scales).
Regarding claim 12-14, Osumi teaches that the processing circuitry is configured to extract a signal included in the signal data sequence with respect to each of motion directions of the target, and the processing circuitry is configured to generate the spatial distribution of the periodicity information with respect to each of the motion directions of the target (para 0036 teaches motion of target region, including blood vessels in heart and other organs).
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Publication No. 2017/0055956 to Osumi et al. in view of U. S. Publication No. 2018/0242951 to Hiroshima et al.
Regarding claim 7, Osumi teaches all of the above claimed limitations but does not expressly teach that the processing circuitry is configured to calculate the average frequency as the periodicity information, by performing a Fourier analysis on the information related to the motion velocity extracted with respect to each spatial point, so as to calculate frequency spectra with respect to a plurality of frequencies, and further adding together the frequencies while applying weights thereto by using magnitudes of the frequency spectra.
Hiroshima teaches performing a Fourier analysis on the data and applying weights using frequency spectra (para 0064).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify Osumi with performing a Fourier analysis on the data and applying weights using frequency spectra as taught by Hiroshima, since such a setup would result in better image clarity, resulting in better diagnosis.
Claim(s) 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Publication No. 2017/0055956 to Osumi et al. in view of U. S. Publication No. 2005/0137479 to Haider.
Regarding Claim 9 and 10, Osumi teaches all of the above claimed limitations but does not expressly teach that the processing circuitry is configured to further calculate one of a Pulsatility Index (PI) and a Resistance Index (RI), as an index indicating pulsatility of a blood flow.
Haider teaches calculating a Pulsatility Index (PI) and a Resistance Index (RI), as an index indicating pulsatility of a blood flow (para 011 an d015 teaches pulsatility index and resistance index).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify Osumi with a setup of calculating a Pulsatility Index (PI) and a Resistance Index (RI), as an index indicating pulsatility of a blood flow as taught by Haider, since such a setup would result in easy evaluation of spectral changes in the doppler data.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANJAY CATTUNGAL whose telephone number is (571)272-1306. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5 EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Raymond can be reached at 571-270-1790. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SANJAY CATTUNGAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3798