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 § 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) 1-3 and 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1/a2 as being anticipated by U. S. Publication No. 2022/0346755 to Perrey in view of U. S. Publication No. 2024/0382176 to Gardner et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Perrey teaches an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising: in a first examination process in a first examination procedure including a plurality of examination processes, acquire first ultrasound data, and store the first ultrasound data linked with the first examination process in the first examination procedure; and in the first examination process of a second examination procedure that is different from the first examination procedure, the second examination procedure including at least the first examination process, acquire second ultrasound data, and store the second ultrasound data linked with the first examination process in the first examination procedure in response a designation of a user or an analysis result of the second ultrasound data (figs. 2, 3, 6, and para 21, 26, 29, 40, 48-52 teaches previously acquired images (first ultrasound data) and real-time images (second ultrasound data) combined to generate a video, where they are analyzed and linked into the correct video slots).
Perrey does not expressly teach linking first and second procedure images.
Gardner teaches linking first and second procedure images (para 0046 and claim 20 teaches a DICOM server for linking ultrasound images).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify Perrey with a DICOM server which links first and second procedure images as taught by Gardner since such a setup would result in an organized patient file, with images in organized format for the physician to access the images.
Regarding Claims 2 and 3, Perrey teaches that the linking unit links an examination process designated by a user with the second ultrasound data (figs. 2, 3, 6, and para 21, 26, 29, 40, 48-52 teaches previously acquired images and real-time images are linked into the correct video slots).
Regarding Claim 5, Perrey teaches that in a case where the second ultrasound data is acquired by the acquisition unit, information indicating the examination process in which the second ultrasound data is acquired is attached to the second ultrasound data as accessory information, and in a case where the examination process indicated by the accessory information is different from the examination process designated by the user, the linking unit corrects the examination process linked to the second ultrasound data by linking the examination process indicated by the accessory information with the second ultrasound data (figs. 2, 3, 6, and para 21, 26, 29, 40, 48-52 teaches previously acquired images and real-time images combined to generate a video, where they are analyzed and linked into the correct video slots).
Regarding Claims 6 and 7, Perrey teaches a display controller, wherein the display controller arranges and displays, on a display unit, an ultrasound data group before the examination process is corrected and an ultrasound data group after the examination process is corrected, and the ultrasound data groups include the first ultrasound data and the second ultrasound data (figs. 2, 3, 6, and para 21, 26, 29, 40, 48-52 teaches previously acquired images (first ultrasound data) and real-time images (second ultrasound data) combined to generate a video, where they are analyzed and linked into the correct video slots). .
Claim(s) 4 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Publication No. 2022/0346755 to Perrey in view of U. S. Publication No. 2024/0382176 to Gardner et al. further in view of U. S. Publication No. 2023/0404541 to Fiegoli et. al.
Regarding Claim 4 and 8, Perrey teaches all of the above claimed limitations but does not expressly teach the linking unit corrects the examination process linked to the second ultrasound data by linking the examination process designated by the user on the screen with the second ultrasound data.
Fiegoli teaches that the linking unit corrects the examination process linked to the second ultrasound data by linking the examination process designated by the user on the screen with the second ultrasound data (para 0235 and claim 9 teaches correcting the ultrasonic procedure based on the data analysis, or previous data and real-time data).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify Perrey with a linking unit corrects the examination process linked to the second ultrasound data by linking the examination process designated by the user on the screen with the second ultrasound data, as taught by Fiegoli, since such a setup would result in better imaging, as the system detects and corrects for errors in imaging.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-8 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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.
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/SANJAY CATTUNGAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3798