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 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.
(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.
Claims 34-53 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by St. Pierre et al. (US 9,265,429).
Regarding claim 34: St. Pierre discloses a patient monitoring device, comprising: a signal acquiring apparatus, which is configured to acquire a physiological parameter signal of at least one physiological parameter for a patient (col. 5, lines 14-16); a processor (102, col. 5, lines 40-49), which is configured to process the physiological parameter signal of the at least one physiological parameter, and generate a first alarm when determining that the physiological parameter signal of the at least one physiological parameter satisfies a first alarm rule (col. 10, lines 5-40); and a display (Fig. 3A), which is configured to display, in a first alarm area (314a), first alarm information in a first presentation mode, wherein the first alarm information represents the first alarm; wherein the processor is further configured to control the display to display the first alarm information in a second presentation mode (322c), when determining that the physiological parameter signal of the at least one physiological parameter simultaneously satisfies the first alarm rule and a second alarm rule (upper alarm limit and lower alarm limit); wherein the second alarm rule is different from the first alarm rule, and the second presentation mode is an upgrade based on the first presentation mode (col. 10, lines 5-40; Fig. 3A-3F).
Regarding claim 35: St. Pierre discloses the first presentation mode comprises displaying the first alarm information in the first alarm area with a first background color; and the second presentation mode comprises one mode of: displaying the first alarm information in the first alarm area with a second background color, wherein the second background color has a stronger warning effect than the first background color (col. 14, line 63-col. 15, line 13); displaying the first alarm information in the first alarm area with the first background color or the second background color, wherein the first background color or the second background color is flashed (col. 15, lines 1-5); and displaying the first alarm information in a second alarm arca which is outside the first alarm area (380) (col. 15, lines 14-21).
Regarding claim 36: St. Pierre discloses the second presentation mode comprises simultaneously displaying second alarm information and the first alarm information in an associated combination mode; wherein the second alarm information represents that the physiological parameter signal of the at least one physiological parameter satisfies the second alarm rule (314a-314d) (Figs. 3A-3F).
Regarding claim 37: St. Pierre discloses the second alarm information is in associated combination with the first alarm information through an associated character string; wherein the associated character string comprises text (334a-334d), symbol(s), and/or mark(s) (col. 18, lines 12-49).
Regarding claim 38: St. Pierre discloses the second alarm information and the first alarm information are simultaneously displayed in the associated combination mode in a second alarm area, wherein the second alarm area is independent from the first alarm area; wherein the first alarm area and the second alarm area are arranged side by side, from up to down or from left to right; wherein a background color of the first alarm area has a stronger warning effect than a background color of the second alarm area; or the second alarm information and the first alarm information are simultaneously displayed in the associated combination mode in the first alarm area (Figs. 3A-3F; col. 14, line 63-col. 15, line 13; col. 16, line 58-col. 17, line 33).
Regarding claim 39: St. Pierre discloses an audio outputting apparatus, wherein the second presentation mode comprises: adding or enhancing, through the audio outputting apparatus, an alarm sound along with a presentation of the first alarm information (col. 15, lines 22-36; col. 16, lines 42-44).
Regarding claim 40: St. Pierre discloses the at least one physiological parameter comprises a first physiological parameter, and the physiological parameter signal comprises a first physiological parameter signal; wherein the first alarm rule (upper alarm limit) and the second alarm rule (lower alarm limit) are both associated with the first physiological parameter (blood pressure, NIBP, with the upper alarm limit of 110 and lower alarm limit of 70) (Fig. 3A).
Regarding claim 41: St. Pierre discloses the first alarm rule is an alarm rule for exceeding a threshold or an alarm rule for an event, which is associated with the first physiological parameter; and the second alarm rule is that a duration of an alarm exceeds a preset time length, when the alarm satisfies the first alarm rule (col. 28, lines 11-29).
Regarding claim 42: St. Pierre discloses the first physiological parameter comprises a blood oxygen saturation parameter (SpO2), an electrocardiogram parameter, a respiratory parameter, or a blood pressure parameter (NIBP); and the first alarm rule comprises that the first physiological parameter signal exceeds an alarm threshold (Figs. 3A-3F).
Regarding claim 43: St. Pierre discloses the at least one physiological parameter comprises a first physiological parameter and a second physiological parameter that is different from the first physiological parameter; the physiological parameter signal comprises a first physiological parameter signal and a second physiological parameter signal; and the first alarm rule is associated with the first physiological parameter, and the second alarm rule is associated with the second physiological parameter (Fig. 3A-3F; col. 10, line 4-col. 11, line 42; col. 18, lines 3-62).
Regarding claim 44: St. Pierre discloses the first physiological parameter is a blood oxygen saturation parameter; and the first alarm comprises an alarm for extremely-low SpO2, an alarm for too-low SpO2, an alarm for extremely-low SpO2b, or an alarm for too-low SpO2b; and the second physiological parameter is a respiratory parameter, and the second alarm rule is that a signal of said respiratory parameter satisfies a threshold for too-high respiratory rate, or a threshold for too-low respiratory rate (Figs. 3A-3F; col. 18, lines 26-49; col. 20, line 50-col. 21, line 8).
Regarding claim 45: St. Pierre discloses the first physiological parameter is a blood pressure parameter (NIBP), and the first alarm rule comprises an alarm rule for too-low arterial pressure; and the second physiological parameter is an electrocardiogram parameter (Pulse Rate); and the second alarm rule comprises at least one of: an alarm rule for too-low HR, an alarm rule for bradycardia, an alarm rule for tachycardia, an alarm rule for atrial fibrillation, an alarm rule for ventricular rhythm, an alarm rule for bigeminy ventricular premature contraction, an alarm rule for trigeminy premature ventricular contraction, an alarm rule for too-high ST, an alarm rule for too- low ST, an alarm rule for a single AST that exceeds a threshold, and an alarm rule for multiple ASTs that exceed threshold(s) (col. 9, line 56-col. 11, line 16; col. 20, lines 36-62).
Regarding claim 46: St. Pierre discloses the processor is further configured to control the display to simultaneously present the first alarm information and second alarm information in an associated combination mode, when determining that the first physiological parameter satisfies the first alarm rule, and the second physiological parameter satisfies the second alarm rule; the second alarm rule comprises: the second physiological parameter satisfies an alarm rule for exceeding a threshold and/or an alarm rule for an event; and duration(s) exceed(s) preset time length(s), in which duration(s) the second physiological parameter satisfies the alarm rule for exceeding a threshold and/or the alarm rule for an event; and the first alarm information represents that the first physiological parameter satisfies the first alarm rule, and the second alarm information represents that the second physiological parameter satisfies the second alarm rule (Figs. 3A-3F; col. 14, line 63-col. 15, line 13; col. 16, line 58-col. 17, line 33; col. 28, lines 11-29)..
Regarding claim 47: St. Pierre discloses the display further comprises an alarm setting interface, wherein the first alarm rule and the second alarm rule are set through the alarm setting interface; wherein the alarm setting interface comprises a setting interface for combined alarm, wherein the setting interface for combined alarm is configured to display a first alarm setting and a second alarm setting in an associated combination mode, wherein the first alarm setting is configured to generate or display the first alarm rule, and the second alarm setting is configured to generate or display the second alarm rule (col. 23, line 51-col. 26, line 21; Figs. 6A-6G).
Regarding claim 48: St. Pierre disclose the first alarm rule comprises: an alarm rule for exceeding a threshold and/or an alarm rule for an event, which alarm rule(s) is(are) associated with a first physiological parameter; and the second alarm rule comprises: an alarm rule for exceeding a threshold and/or an alarm rule for an event, which alarm rule(s) is(are) associated with a second physiological parameter, wherein the second physiological parameter is different from the first physiological parameter (col. 9, line 56-col. 11, line 16; col. 20, lines 36-62; col. 29, lines 4-13).
Regarding claim 49: St. Pierre discloses when at least one of the first alarm rule and the second alarm rule comprises an alarm rule for exceeding a threshold, the processor is further configured to, when receiving an instruction for adjusting a threshold, which instruction is for an alarm threshold of said alarm rule for exceeding a threshold, adjust the alarm threshold of said alarm rule for exceeding a threshold, to a threshold which is instructed by said instruction (col. 9, line 56-col. 11, line 16; col. 20, lines 36-62; col. 29, lines 4-13).
Regarding claim 50: St. Pierre discloses the setting interface for combined alarm further comprises a delay setting option; wherein the delay setting option is configured to indicate or set the first alarm information to be presented in the second presentation mode; when the at least one physiological parameter signal simultaneously satisfies the first alarm rule and the second alarm rule, and a duration exceeds a first preset time length, in which duration the at least one physiological parameter signal simultaneously satisfies the first alarm rule and the second alarm rule; or the delay setting option is configured to indicate or set the first alarm information to be presented in the second presentation mode, when the at least one physiological parameter signal satisfies the first alarm rule, and a duration exceeds a second preset time length, in which duration the at least one physiological parameter signal satisfies the first alarm rule (col. 24, lines 4-col. 25, line 46).
Regarding claim 51: St. Pierre discloses when an instruction for adjusting a time length is inputted through the delay setting option, the processor is further configured to adjust the first preset time length or the second preset time length to a time length which is instructed by said instruction (col. 25, lines 8-46).
Regarding claims 52 and 53: Claims 52 and 53 are rejected for the same reason as claim 34 above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
-Muhsin et al. (US 9,943,269) discloses a system for displaying medical monitoring data.
-Humphrys et al. (US 2015/0257716) discloses a compact technique for visualization of physical clinical and bedside device data using fishbone representation for vitals.
-Al-Ali et al. (US 8,840,549) discloses a modular patient monitor adapted for use in hospital, sub-acute and general floor standalone, multi-parameter measurement applications by physicians, respiratory therapists, registered nurses and other trained clinical caregivers.
-Murai et al. (US 11,006,904) discloses a physiological parameter measuring platform device supporting multiple workflows.
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/TOAN N PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685 2/21/26