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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 6-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Holdsworth et al. (“Readout-segmented EPI for rapid high resolution diffusion imaging at 3T”), hereinafter referred to as Holdsworth, in view of Chen et al. (“Removal of EPI Nyquist Ghost Artifacts With Two-Dimensional Phase Correction”), hereinafter referred to as Chen. With reference to claim 1, Holdsworth teaches a method for recording measurement data of an examination object by a magnetic resonance (MR) system using an echo planar recording technique segmented into at least two segments in a readout direction, the method comprising: recording, using the MR system, the measurement data and associated navigator data in each of the at least two segments after a common radio-frequency (RF) excitation pulse in accordance with the used echo planar recording technique, which is segmented in the readout direction, for all of the at least two segments (Figs. 1 and 2, descriptions thereof); generating, by the MR system, reference data based on the navigator data (Section 2, first paragraph); determining, by the MR system and based on reference data, further information (Section 2); improving, by the MR system and based on the further information, the recorded measurement data to generate improved measurement data (Section 2, fourth paragraph); and providing the improved measurement data in electronic form as a data file (Section 2, fourth paragraph). However, Holdsworth is silent with regards to wherein a sampling pattern, in accordance with which navigator data is recorded, is changed in at least one of the recordings of the measurement data of the at least two segments with their associated navigator data.
Chen teaches a sampling pattern, in accordance with which navigator data is recorded, is changed in at least one of the recordings of the measurement data of the at least two segments with their associated navigator data (Fig. 1, Theory section) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of Chen with the method of Holdsworth so as to reduce Nyquist ghost artifacts.
With reference to claim 2, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the reference data is used as a reference for determining information for a correction method and/or for a supplementing method for supplementing measurement data that is not recorded (Section 2, Fourth paragraph). With reference to claim 3, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches when a sampling pattern is changed, an acceleration factor corresponding to the sampling pattern remains changed (Fig. 1, the readout direction is changed, not the acceleration factor).
With reference to claim 4, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the sampling patterns are changed such that the readout direction in which the navigator data is recorded reverses with the changed sampling pattern (Fig. 1, the readout direction is changed, not the acceleration factor).
With reference to claim 6, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the reference data is usable as a reference for a dual-polarity GeneRalized Autocalibrating Partially Parallel Acquisition (DP GRAPPA) technique, the sampling pattern, in accordance with which navigator data is recorded in the respective segments, being changed for segments such that, due to the changed sampling patterns, overall navigator data is recorded that completely samples k-space for each readout direction in accordance with Nyquist (Section 2). With reference to claim 7, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the reference data is usable as a reference for a supplementing method adapted to supplement unrecorded measurement data, changed sampling patterns together resulting in a combined sampling pattern that completely samples a k-space center in accordance with Nyquist (Section 2, Paragraph 4). With reference to claim 8, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the reference data is usable as a reference for a supplementing method adapted to supplement unrecorded measurement data, the changed sampling pattern corresponding to a sampling pattern used for recording reference measurement data for a parallel acceleration technique, which completely samples a k-space center in accordance with Nyquist (Section 2, Paragraph 4). With reference to claim 9, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the parallel acceleration technique is an in-plane GeneRalized Autocalibrating Partially Parallel Acquisition (GRAPPA) technique (Section 2, Paragraph 4).
With reference to claim 10, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the navigator data is recorded in the segment of the echo planar recording technique, which is segmented into at least two segments in the readout direction and which comprises a k-space center (Section 2, first paragraph). With reference to claim 11, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the measurement data and the associated navigator data is recorded after applying a diffusion preparation block (Section 2, first paragraph). With reference to claim 12, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the echo planar recording technique comprises a Readout SEgmentation Of Long Variable Echo-trains (RESOLVE) recording technique that records navigator data for each of its segments (Figs. 1 and 2, descriptions thereof).
With reference to claim 13, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, that when executed, instructs a processor to perform the method of claim 1 (Section 2, final paragraph).
With reference to claim 14, Holdsworth teaches A magnetic resonance (MR) system comprising: a MR scanner adapted to record measurement data of an examination object using an echo planar recording technique segmented into at least two segments in a readout direction; and a controller adapted to: controller the MR scanner to record the measurement data and associated navigator data in each of the at least two segments after a common radio-frequency (RF) excitation pulse in accordance with the used echo planar recording technique, which is segmented in the readout direction, for all of the at least two segments(Figs. 1 and 2, descriptions thereof);; generate reference data based on the navigator data (Section 2, First Paragraph); determine further information based on reference data (Section 2); and improve, based on the further information, the recorded measurement data to generate improved measurement data (Section 2, Fourth paragraph).
However, Holdsworth is silent with regards to wherein a sampling pattern, in accordance with which navigator data is recorded, is changed in at least one of the recordings of the measurement data of the at least two segments with their associated navigator data.
Chen teaches a sampling pattern, in accordance with which navigator data is recorded, is changed in at least one of the recordings of the measurement data of the at least two segments with their associated navigator data (Fig. 1, Theory section) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of Chen with the system of Holdsworth so as to reduce Nyquist ghost artifacts.
With reference to claim 15, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the MR scanner comprises: a magnetic unit, a gradient unit, and a high-frequency unit (Section 2, final paragraph).
With reference to claim 16, Holdsworth as combined above further teaches the controller comprises a high-frequency transceiver controller adapted to control a high-frequency unit of the MR scanner, and a reference measurement data unit adapted to determine reference measurement data (Section 2, final paragraph).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art does not disclose or suggest the claimed "sampling patterns are changed such that the positions in the phase encoding direction at which the navigator data is recorded shift with the changed sampling pattern" in combination with the remaining claim elements as set forth in claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kuratani (US 11,294,017 B2) teaches a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus.
Zeller (US 11,280,870 B2) teach a correction method and system for slice multiplexing echo planar imaging methods.
Liu et al. (US 10,928,476 B2) teach a readout-segmented diffusion-weighted imaging method, apparatus and storage medium.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY H CURRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7505. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm, EST.
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/GREGORY H CURRAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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