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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 09/07/2024, 12/31/2024, 06/11/2025 and 09/01/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 3, line 2 recites “the intrinsic diffusion coefficient of the liquid”. Claim 2, line 2 recites “an intrinsic diffusion coefficient of the liquid”. For clarity and consistency, claim 3 should depend from claim 2.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because given the broadest reasonable interpretation, the claim is directed to a signal per se. Claim 19 recites a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. The specification, paragraph 0132, recites “A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand that implementation of all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments may be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it may include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Any reference to memory, database or other medium used of the embodiments provided in the present disclosure may include at least one of a non-transitory and a transitory memory. The non-volatile memory may include a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, a flash memory, an optical memory, a high-density embedded non-volatile memory, a resistive memory (ReRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), a ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), a phase change memory (PCM), a graphene memory, etc. The volatile memory may include a random access memory (RAM), an external cache memory, etc. As an illustration and not a limitation, RAM may be in various forms, such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The databases involved in the various embodiments provided in the present disclosure may include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. The non-relational database may include a blockchain-based distributed database or the like, but is not limited thereto. The processor involved in the various embodiments provided in the present disclosure may be a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processor, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic device, a quantum computing-based data processing logic device, or the like, but is not limited thereto. [0133] The technical features in the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. For concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, provided that they do not conflict with each other, all combinations of the technical features are to be considered to be within the scope described in this specification”. As it can be seen from the specification, there is no definitive mentioning of the coverage of the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. Hence, it covers a signal per se.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14, 18 and 21-24 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 1-14, the prior art fails to specifically teach a method for determining a magnetic resonance gradient correction compensation factor, the method comprising: determining, based on the diffusion coefficient calculation value for the liquid in each of the axis directions and a reference diffusion coefficient of the liquid, a gradient correction compensation factor for the respective axis direction, in combination with all the limitations of the claims.
Regarding claims 18 and 21-24, the prior art fails to specifically teach a magnetic resonance system comprising a magnetic resonance scan apparatus and a computer apparatus connected to each other, the magnetic resonance scan apparatus comprising determining, based on the diffusion coefficient calculation value for the liquid in each of the axis directions and a reference diffusion coefficient of the liquid, a gradient correction compensation factor for the respective axis direction, in combination with all the limitations of the claims.
Claim 19 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 19, the prior art fails to specifically teach a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to: determine, based on the diffusion coefficient calculation value for the liquid in each of the axis directions and a reference diffusion coefficient of the liquid, a gradient correction compensation factor for the respective axis direction, in combination with all the limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Feiweier (US Pat. 12,399,246) teaches techniques for diffusion imaging.
Drobnitzky et al. (US PGPUB 2021/0124004) teaches a method for ascertaining a deviation of at least one gradient field from a reference.
Kabasawa (US PGPUB 2005/0134266) teaches a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method.
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/ROBERTO VELEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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