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 (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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 8-17, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Spartiotis et al (US 11,241,204 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Spartiotis et al discloses an adjustable x-ray sensor holder apparatus (See Fig. 1b) comprising: an aiming module (x-ray tube alignment ring) further comprising: a perimeter length of material (3) having a substantial aperture through which x-ray imaging may be oriented (See Fig. 7), a guide rail (5) located on a portion of the perimeter length of material (See Fig. 5) (col. 7, lines 15-16), and wherein the guide rail comprises notches (9a) (See Fig. 12 and col. 8, lines 1-4) located substantially along a guide rail length of the guide rail relative to guide rail sections (See Fig. 12); a slider selectively positioned about one of the guide rail sections; and an arm (2) operatively connected to the slider at a variable arm depth via a slider arm segment and extending outwardly from the slider to a sensor arm segment.
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Regarding claim 2, Spartiotis et al discloses a sensor attachment module is provided by interchangeable sensor holders (1) (WIOS) (wireless intraoral imaging sensors) selectively installed to the arm (2) via the sensor arm segment (See Fig. 1b).
Regarding claim 3, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the interchangeable sensor holders provide functionality for an intraoral horizontal bitewing view, an intraoral vertical bitewing view, an intraoral endodontic view, an intraoral anterior view, and/or an intraoral posterior view (col. 6, lines 45-57).
Regarding claim 4, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the sensor attachment module further comprises a bite block (4) (col. 6, lines 45-53).
Regarding claim 5, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the sensor attachment module further comprises a removable sensor for intraoral x-ray imaging Wireless IntraOral x-ray imaging Sensors (“WIOS”) (See Abstract and col. 7, lines 41-42).
Regarding claim 8, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the perimeter length of material (3) is substantially circumferential (see Fig. 12).
Regarding claim 9, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the aiming module includes at least one section marking to indicate the guide rail section to which the slider is locatable (col. 6, lines 45-57).
Regarding claim 10, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the notches (8) are provided by a change in guide rail depth in an otherwise continuous surface of the guide rail (See Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 11, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the slider comprises at least one protruded slider notch that corresponds with at least one depressed guide rail notch of the guide rail (col. 7, lines 53-56).
Regarding claim 12, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the slider includes at least one depressed slider notch that corresponds with at least one protruded guide rail notch of the guide rail (col. 7, lines 53-56).
Regarding claim 13, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the arm further comprises a wire receiving inlet to removably hold a communication wire (See Fig. 7 and col. 1, 65- col. 2, line 7).
Regarding claim 14, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the arm further comprises a bend located between the slider arm segment and the sensor arm segment (See Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 15, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the bend is approximately ninety-degrees, and; wherein a wire receiving inlet is provide at the bend to removably hold a communication wire is known in prior art (See Fig. 7 and col. 1, 65- col. 2, line 7).
Regarding claim 16, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein an adjustable x-ray sensor holder apparatus comprising (See Fig. 1b): an aiming module (x-ray tube alignment ring) further comprising: a perimeter length of material (3) having a substantial aperture through which x-ray imaging may be oriented (See Fig. 7), a guide rail (5) located on a portion of the perimeter length of material (See Fig. 5) (col. 7, lines 15-16), wherein the guide rail comprises notches (9a) (See Fig. 12 and col. 8, lines 1-4) located substantially along a guide rail length of the guide rail relative to guide rail sections (See Fig. 12), and wherein the notches (9a) (See Fig. 12 and col. 8, lines 1-4) are provided by a change in guide rail depth in an otherwise continuous surface of the guide rail (See Fig. 7); a slider selectively positioned about one of the guide rail sections; an arm extending outwardly from the slider, the arm having a slider arm segment distal to a sensor arm segment (See Fig. 7); a sensor attachment module provided by interchangeable sensor holders selectively installed to the arm via the sensor arm segment; and wherein the interchangeable sensor holders provide functionality for an intraoral horizontal bitewing view, an intraoral vertical bitewing view, an intraoral endodontic view, an intraoral anterior view, and/or an intraoral posterior view (col. 6, lines 45-57).
Regarding claim 17, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein the sensor attachment module further comprises a removable sensor for intraoral x-ray imaging Wireless IntraOral x-ray imaging Sensors (“WIOS”) (See Abstract and col. 7, lines 41-42).
Regarding claim 19, Spartiotis et al discloses wherein a method of using an adjustable x-ray sensor holder apparatus (See Fig. 1b) comprising: (a) orienting an aiming module (x-ray tube alignment ring), the aiming module comprising: a perimeter length of material (3) having a substantial aperture (See Fig. 7), and a guide rail (5) located on a portion of the perimeter length of material (See Fig. 5) (col. 7, lines 15-16) that comprises notches (9a) (See Fig. 12 and col. 8, lines 1-4) located substantially along a guide rail length of the guide rail; (b) positioning a slider about the guide rail; (c) positioning a depth of insertion of the arm within the slider (See Fig. 7), the arm comprising a sensor arm segment distal to a slider arm segment (See Fig. 7); and (d) configuring a sensor attachment module (1) to the sensor arm segment of the arm for intraoral x-ray imaging, the sensor attachment module further comprises a sensor holder (1) (See Fig. 7).
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.
Claim(s) 6-7, 18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Spartiotis et al (US 11,241,204 B2) in view of Winters et al (US 2013/0089185 A1).
Regarding claims 6, 18, Spartiotis et al discloses all of the limitations of claims 2, 17, as disclosed supra however, Spartiotis et al is silent with regards to compression element as claimed. Winters et al discloses a dental x-ray receptor positioning device, comprising: a compression element having elastic properties removably attached to an interchangeable sensor holder; and a removable sensor for intraoral x-ray imaging reversibly attached to the sensor attachment module via the compression element (paragraph [0041]). Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Spartiotis et al with the teaching of Winters et al so as to enable a versatile means of interchanging sensors by conforming to respective dimension of various sensors.
Regarding claim 7, Winters et al discloses wherein the interchangeable sensor holders further comprise: a first sensor holder portion; a second sensor holder portion; and wherein at least part of the first sensor holder portion linearly moves in relation to the second sensor holder portion to selectively hold the removable sensor via compression (paragraph [0041]).
Regarding claim 20, Spartiotis et al discloses all of the limitations of independent claim 19, as disclosed supra however, Spartiotis et al is silent with regards to compression element as claimed. Winters et al discloses a dental x-ray receptor positioning device, comprising: (e) attaching a sensor to the sensor attachment module via compression; (f) positioning at least part of the adjustable x-ray sensor holder apparatus for the intraoral x-ray imaging; and (g) aiming an x-ray machine to the sensor via the aiming module (paragraph [0041]). Thus, it would have been obvious to modify Spartiotis et al with the teaching of Winters et al so as to enable a versatile means of interchanging sensors by conforming to respective dimension of various sensors.
Conclusion
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/F.P.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2884
/UZMA ALAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884