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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 25-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 25-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted elements are: the cooling assembly. Claim 25 recites “at least one of the second electronics units is detachably connected with the detector apparatus”. The detector apparatus comprises multiple elements, including the multiple second electronics units (MSEU). Thus the claim fails to make clear to what the at least one of the multiple second electronics units are detachably connected. The scope of the claim includes (1) the MSEU are connected to the detecting module, (2) the MSEU are detachably connected to itself, or (3) the MSEU are detachably connected to an element not specified. The Applicant’s specification clearly explains that the multiple second electronics units are detachably connected to the cooling assembly 660 (FIG 6A-D). The disclosure does not appear to provide any alternative embodiments that could support the claim. Thus, the cooling assembly is essential to the invention, and is missing from the claims.
Claim 44 recites the phrase “wherein the plurality of detecting cells are arranged along an axial direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction, and at least one of the plurality of detecting cells is detachable from the detecting module”. The claim fails to establish in relation to what the axial and circumferential directions are defined. Furthermore, “the circumferential direction” lacks antecedent basis in the claim.
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)(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) 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 43, 44 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by MCBROOM et al. (US 20130284936 A1).
Regarding claim 25, MCBROOM discloses a detector apparatus, comprising:
a detecting module including multiple detecting cells each of which includes a detecting unit configured to detect radiation rays emitted from a subject and a first electronics unit configured to generate electrical signals in response to detection of radiation rays (Fig. 10 shows detector units 110 including a scintillator crystal array 132 detecting radiation and photodiode arrays 133 generating electrical signals; [0031-0033]); and
an electronics module configured to process the electrical signals generated by the detecting module, wherein the electronics module includes multiple second electronics units configured to process the electrical signals, wherein the multiple second electronics units are detachably connected (readout electronics 112 (PCB) includes multiple electronics units (ADCs, amplifiers, associated electronics, etc.) wherein the PCB attaches/detaches to cold plate 100 via threaded fastener (screws 118); [0030, 0035-0036]; FIG. 11).
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Figs. 10-11 show the detector modules 110 and PCB 112 sandwiching cold plate 100.
Regarding claim 26, MCBROOM discloses wherein each of the multiple second electronics units is configured to process electrical signals generated by at least one of the multiple detecting cells (ADCs; [0030]).
Regarding claim 28, MCBROOM discloses wherein a number of the multiple second electronics units is less than a number of the multiple detecting cells (scintillator array 132 comprises significantly more cells than associated electronics units (e.g. ADCs; FIG 9), and one single second electronics unit is coupled to at least two of the detecting units or at least two of the multiple detecting cells (FIG 9 shows the readout electronics 112 coupled to a plurality of detector units 110).
Regarding claim 29, MCBROOM discloses a cooling assembly configured to cool the electronics module, and at least one of the multiple second electronics units is connected with the cooling assembly detachably via one or more second connecting mechanisms (readout electronics 112 is detachably connected to cold plate 100 via threaded fastener; FIG 11).
Regarding claim 30, MCBROOM discloses wherein the cooling assembly 100 includes a first layer (cooling tube 150) and a second layer (plate 100), the first layer is thermally connected with the detecting module (110), and the at least one of the multiple second electronics units (readout electronics 112) is connected with the second layer detachably via the one or more second connecting mechanisms (treaded fasteners)(FIG 11).
Regarding claim 31, MCBROOM discloses wherein the first layer includes a first cooling plate, and at least one of the detecting units is connected with the first cooling plate detachably via one or more first connecting mechanisms (plate 100 includes alignment pins 140 and grommets 158 for securing the detector unit 100).
Regarding claim 32, MCBROOM discloses wherein the first cooling plate 100 is mounted between the detecting module 110 and the electronics module (112)(FIG 11).
Regarding claim 34, MCBROOM discloses wherein the first layer is spatially separate from the second layer (FIG 11 shows the plate 100 having a tube 150 nested inside separate from the plate 100).
Regarding claim 43, MCBROOM discloses a detector apparatus, comprising: a detecting module configured to detect radiation rays emitted from a subject and generate electrical signals in response to detection of radiation rays, and a cooling assembly, wherein the detecting module includes a plurality of detecting cells, and at least one of the plurality of detecting cells is connected with the cooling assembly detachably via one or more connecting mechanisms (Fig. 10 shows detector units 110 including a scintillator crystal array 132 detecting radiation and photodiode arrays 133 generating electrical signals, cold plate 100, and the plurality of detecting cells 133 connected with cooling assembly detachably via alignment pins 140 and grommets 158; [0031-0034, 0037]).
Regarding claim 44, MCBROOM discloses wherein the plurality of detecting cells are arranged along an axial direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction, and at least one of the plurality of detecting cells is detachable from the detecting module (Fig 1-2).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MCBROOM et al. (US 20130284936 A1).
Regarding claim 27, MCBROOM discloses the readout electronics112 having a plurality of ADCs that sample the signals received from detector units 110, the ADCs corresponding to the multiple second electronics units (MSEUs). MCBROOM appears to show equivalent circuitry numbers for each of the MSEUs to detector units 110 (FIG 9 shows repeated circuitry for each of the sections corresponding to modules 110; [0030]), but does not specify wherein the number of MSEUs is exactly the same as a number of detecting units or a number of the multiple detecting cells. However, the use of known technique (providing a dedicated readout for a detector module) to improve similar devices (modular detector and partially integrated readout electronics) in the same way (1-to-1 detector module and readout electronics providing enhanced speed and performance). KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007).
Claim(s) 33, 35, 36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MCBROOM et al. (US 20130284936 A1) in view of SUN (CN 208837979 U).
Regarding claim 33, MCBROOM does not specify wherein the cooling mechanism including a second layer having a second cooling plate, and at least one of the multiple second electronics units is connected with the second cooling plate of the cooling assembly detachably via the one or more second connecting mechanisms. In the same field of endeavor, SUN discloses a detector module comprising a detector assembly and cooling assembly, the cooling assembly comprising a first layer 21 adjacent adjacently attached to detector unit 11 and second layers adjacently attached to electronics card 12 (FIG 6), with the benefit of improved imaging quality. In light of the teachings of SUN, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to combine with the teachings of MCBROOM.
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Fig. 6 of SUN shows a two-layer cold plate sandwiched between electronics card 12 and detector units 11.
Regarding claim 35, SUN the detector unit and cold plate arrangement disclosed above in claim 33, wherein the first layer and the second layer are part of a cooling plate, the first layer and the second layer are thermally disconnected from each other (thermally insulating layer 24), and the cooling plate is mounted between the detecting module 10 and the electronics module 12 (FIG 3).
Regarding claim 36, SUN discloses the detector unit and cold plate arrangement disclosed above in claim 33, wherein the first layer further includes a first flow channel and the second layer includes a second flow channel, the first flow channel and the second flow channel being configured to accommodate one or more cooling mediums (FIG 6).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CASEY BRYANT whose telephone number is (571)270-7329. The examiner can normally be reached M-F // 7-3P EST.
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CASEY BRYANT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2884
/CASEY BRYANT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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