Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/885,547

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROTOCOL PARAMETER DETERMINATION OF CARDIAC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 13, 2024
Priority
Sep 25, 2023 — CN 202311245030.4
Examiner
VARGAS MONTALVO, DIXOMARA
Art Unit
2858
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
93%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 93% — above average
93%
Career Allowance Rate
945 granted / 1021 resolved
+24.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
1049
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
16.4%
-23.6% vs TC avg
§103
25.5%
-14.5% vs TC avg
§102
36.8%
-3.2% vs TC avg
§112
15.9%
-24.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1021 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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. Claims 1, 5, 9-10, 14, 27 and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hsiao et al. (US 2020/0219262 A1). With respect to claim 1, Hsiao discloses a system for determining a protocol parameter of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, comprising (MR system #200 as seen on Figure 17): at least one storage device storing a set of instructions; and at least one processor configured to communicate with the at least one storage device, and when executing the set of instructions, the at least one processor is configured to direct the system to perform operations including (see processor #202 having storage #212 with instructions to operate as discussed on paragraphs 0043-0045): in response to detecting that a user operation satisfies a first condition, obtaining an inversion time scout (TI-Scout) sequence for cardiac scanning; obtaining a plurality of first scan images by performing a first scan on a target object based on the TI-Scout sequence protocol (see paragraphs 0047-0050); and generating a first target parameter for a phase sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) protocol using a target parameter determination model based on the plurality of first scan images (see paragraph 0008), the first target parameter including an inversion time (TI) corresponding to an image of myocardial inversion recovery zero-crossing (see paragraphs 0047-0050), and the target parameter determination model being a machine learning model (see paragraphs 0013-0017, 0041, 0080 and 0084). With respect to claims 5, 14 and 29, Hsiao discloses the first condition includes: detecting a user's operation of selecting a first binding group, the first binding group reflecting a binding relationship between at least one parameter of the TI-Scout sequence protocol and the first target parameter (see paragraph 0012). With respect to claim 9, Hsiao discloses a display for displaying the first target parameter marked with a binding identifier or a linking identifier, the binding identifier or the linking identifier being configured to indicate the first target parameter is shared with at least another sequence protocol (se paragraphs 0044, 0078-0079; see Figure 16). With respect to claim 10, Hsiao discloses a method for determining a protocol parameter, comprising: in response to detecting that a user operation satisfies a first condition, obtaining an inversion time scout (TI-Scout) sequence for cardiac scanning; obtaining a plurality of first scan images by performing a first scan on a target object based on the TI-Scout sequence protocol (see paragraphs 0047-0050); and generating a first target parameter for a phase sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) protocol using a target parameter determination model based on the plurality of first scan images (see paragraph 0008), the first target parameter including an inversion time (TI) corresponding to an image of myocardial inversion recovery zero-crossing (see paragraphs 0047-0050), and the target parameter determination model being a machine learning model (see paragraphs 0013-0017, 0041, 0080 and 0084). With respect to claim 27, Hsiao discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, direct the at least one processor to perform operations including: in response to detecting that a user operation satisfies a first condition, obtaining an inversion time scout (TI-Scout) sequence for cardiac scanning; obtaining a plurality of first scan images by performing a first scan on a target object based on the TI-Scout sequence protocol (see paragraphs 0047-0050); and generating a first target parameter for a phase sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) protocol using a target parameter determination model based on the plurality of first scan images (see paragraph 0008), the first target parameter including an inversion time (TI) corresponding to an image of myocardial inversion recovery zero-crossing (see paragraphs 0047-0050), and the target parameter determination model being a machine learning model (see paragraphs 0013-0017, 0041, 0080 and 0084). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-4, 11-13, 21-26, and 28 are 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. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additional prior art cited in the PTO 892 not relied upon discloses the MR system using phase sensitive inversion recovery protocol and inversion time scout. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIXOMARA VARGAS whose telephone number is (571)272-2252. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Raymond Keith can be reached at 571-270-1790. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DIXOMARA VARGAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3798
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 13, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
93%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+8.4%)
2y 8m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1021 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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