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
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.
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.
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shaber (US 2016/0084703), and further in view of Audebert et al. (US 2007/0158551) hereinafter known as Audebert.
With regards to claim 1 and 14, Shaber discloses a radiation detection device (Abstract; FIG. 2; PET imaging system) and a non-transitory computer readable medium including a set of instructions that is executable by one or more processors of an apparatus to cause the apparatus to perform a method ([0027][0067]; claim 14), comprising:
a plurality of detection elements (FIG. 2; [0040]; gamma photon modules 24, 25) configured to generate an electrical signal in response to a particle/photon being incident on a detection element of the plurality of detection elements ([0040]; “Each gamma photon detector within a gamma photon detector module 24, 25 produces electrical signals indicative of the reception of gamma photons,…”);
a plurality of current sources ([0048]; FIG. 4; current sources S1A-S1D) configured to drive a current in response to the electrical signal ([0046]; “ When an optical photon is received by avalanche photodiode 65, avalanche photodiode 65 transitions into a triggered state in which an avalanche current flows in avalanche photodiode 65. Comparator 68 is configured to sense the avalanche current, and to cause switch 66 to transition into a conductive state such that current source 67 is connected to first output 64 and consequently the digital current signal generated at first output 64 has the first predetermined amplitude.”),
outputs of the plurality of current sources being connected to enable combining current output by the plurality of current sources to create a combined current , the plurality of current sources being connected to respective ones of the plurality of detection elements ([0048]; “The position of each current source is identified in each of the two rows as S1A-S1D, and S2A-S2D respectively. In the radiation detection device 61 shown in FIG. 4, the digital currents generated by each of the individual pixel cell circuits 60 are summed together by a summing unit implemented by summing junction 73 at which the total current represents the combined status of all of the pixel cells in the exemplary array.”); and
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the combined current to a digital value that is indicative of the electrical signals output by the plurality of detection elements ([0048][0051]; “…current to digital converter circuit 71 connected to radiation detection device 61 in FIG. 4 may be used to provide a digitized signal at output 74, wherein the digitized signal is indicative of the current at summing junction 73.”).
Shaber teaches of gamma photon detection in PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging and further discloses that the invention is applicable in high energy particle physics, including the detection of Cherenkov radiation [0037]. Further, the reference teaches that a positron interacts with an electron in an annihilation event that produces two gamma photons. The two photons are detected by gamma photon detectors (utilized by the PET imaging system) and produces an electrical signal and representing the said photons [0002].
Shaber do not specifically disclose particle detection.
In the same field of endeavor, Audebert discloses a device for the detection of photon and particle radiation (Abstract). Such particle and photon radiation can be electron or positron radiation and gamma radiation [0001].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill within the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adopt the teachings of Audebert to the radiation detection device of Shaber to gain a detector capable of detecting both particle and photon radiation. The motivation is to obtain a radiation detection device capable of detecting both particle and photon radiation.
With regards to claim 2 and 15, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 and 14, wherein the particle is a charged particle. (Audebert; [0001]; proton, electron or positron radiations)
With regards to claim 3, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 1, wherein the particle is a photon. (Shaber; [0001]; optical photon)
With regards to claim 4, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of detection elements are further configured to determine a value associated with the corresponding current based on the generated electrical signal. (Shaber; [0065][0066]teaches or predetermined accumulated count conditions and being compared to a range of predetermined values.) (Audebert; [0088][0089][0197])
With regards to claim 5, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 4, wherein the value is an integer that represents of a number of charged particles or photons detected. (Shaber; [0048][0049][0052]) (Audebert; [0012][0035][0114][0140])
With regards to claim 6 and 16, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 and 14, wherein converting the combined current to a digital value comprises determining a number of particles being incident on the plurality of detection elements based on a resistance and a voltage of the plurality of detection elements. (Shaber; [0059][0062])
With regards to claim 7 and 17, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 and 16, further comprising a resistor coupled to the plurality of current sources, wherein the resistance corresponds to the resistor. (Shaber; [0059]; “…summing junctions 83, 93 may alternatively each comprise an additional resistor connected to a fixed potential such as ground potential…”; The summing junctions 83, 93 are connected to current sources S1A-S1D and S2A-S2D.)
With regards to claim 8, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 6, wherein the voltage is measured over the resistor. (Shaber; [0059][0062])(Audebert; [0129])
With regards to claim 9 and 19, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 and 14, wherein the plurality of detection elements comprises greater than 1,000 detection elements (Shaber; [0064]; “An optical detector pixel may therefore comprise thousands of pixel cells.”) and the plurality of current sources comprises greater than 1,000 current sources ([0064]; FIG. 4 eight pixel cell circuits wherein each circuit utilizes current sources S1A-S1D, and S2A-S2D, therefore the number of current sources can number in the thousands according to [0064] which discloses thousands of pixel cells.)
With regards to claim 10, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of detection elements is a first group of detection elements. (Shaber; [0039]; scintillator elements 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d)([0046][0053][0056]; avalanche photodiode 65)
With regards to claim 11, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 10, further comprising a second group of detection elements configured to generate an electrical signal in response to a particle being incident on a detection element of the second group of detection elements (Shaber; [0039] optical detector pixel array 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d); and
the second group of detection elements having corresponding current sources configured to drive a current in response to the electrical signal generated by a detection element of the second group of detection elements. (Shaber; [0048]; current sources S1A-S1D and S2A-S2D)
With regards to claim 12, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 11, wherein the current sources corresponding to the second group of detection elements is configured to be connected in parallel (Shaber; FIG. 4; S1A-S1D and S2A-S2D) to create the combined current ([0048]; The currents are combined at summing junction 73).
With regards to claim 13, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the detector of claim 11, wherein converting the combined current to a digital value comprises determining a number of particles being incident on the plurality of detection elements based on a first resistance and a first voltage of the first group of detection elements and a second resistance and a second voltage of the second group of sensing elements. (Shaber; [0056][0063])
With regards to claim 18, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the set of instructions that is executable by at least one processor of a computing device (Shaber; [0027]) to cause the computing device to further perform measuring the voltage over the resistor (Shaber; [0059][0062])(Audebert; [0129]).
With regards to claim 20, Shaber, in view of Audebert, discloses a system for particle counting (see the rejection of claim 1), comprising:
a detector comprising a plurality of detection elements (see the rejection of claim 1);
a plurality of current sources, where each current source of the plurality of current sources is associated with a detection element of the plurality of detection elements (see the rejection of claim 1);
a discriminator (coincidence determination unit 29) configured to output a first value when a particle is detected to be incident on a detection element and output a second value when no particle is detected to be incident on a detector element (Shaber; [0040][0043][0065]);
a corresponding current source configured to drive a current when the first value is outputted (see the rejection of claim 1); and
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to determine a number of particles incident on the plurality of detection elements based on a combined driven current of the plurality of current sources (see the rejection of claim 1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Guo et al. (US 2015/0108328)
Melen et al. (US 6,175,611)
Jarron (US 2005/0104003)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUGH H MAUPIN whose telephone number is (571)270-1495. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uzma Alam can be reached at 571-272-3995. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUGH MAUPIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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