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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on September 16, 2024 is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takechi et al. (US 5,237,275 A).
Takechi et al. teaches a magnetic field correction device comprising:
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With regard to claim 1, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device (FIG. 7) comprising: a frame assembly (FIG. 7, magnet housing 1); a magnet assembly (FIG. 7, magnet housing 1 including solenoid coil (not shown)) supported by the frame assembly (FIG. 7, magnet housing 1) and configured to generate a primary magnetic field; and shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) configured to generate an ancillary magnetic field supplementing the primary magnetic field, wherein the shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) are adjustably supported by the frame assembly (FIG. 7, magnet housing 1) such that the shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) are repositionable in relation (relative axial positions of the two bars) thereto in order to increase uniformity of the primary magnetic field (For more details, please read: Abstract; column 1, lines 5-55; column 3, lines 39-59; column 4, lines 24-31; column 4, lines 37-40; column 6, lines 53-64; and claims 1-5).
With regard to claim 2, the magnet assembly (FIG. 7, magnet housing 1 including solenoid coil (not shown)) includes a plurality of magnetic blocks (FIG. 7, facets of magnet housing 1), and the shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) are positioned between the plurality of magnetic blocks (FIG. 7, facets of magnet housing 1) (For more details, please read: Abstract; column 1, lines 5-55; column 3, lines 39-59; column 4, lines 24-31; column 4, lines 37-40; column 6, lines 53-64; and claims 1-5).
With regard to claim 3, the shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) are rotatably adjustable (axial positioning means) (Column 4, lines 24-31) (For more details, please read: Abstract; column 1, lines 5-55; column 3, lines 39-59; column 4, lines 37-40; column 6, lines 53-64; and claims 1-5).
With regard to claim 5, actuators (axial positioning means) (Column 4, lines 24-31) connected to the shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) to facilitate repositioning thereof (For more details, please read: Abstract; column 1, lines 5-55; column 3, lines 39-59; column 4, lines 37-40; column 6, lines 53-64; and claims 1-5).
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.
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takechi et al.
Takechi et al. teaches all that is claimed as discussed in the rejections of claims 1-3 and 5 above including the shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) attached to the frame assembly (FIG. 7, magnet housing 1) such that rotation of the shim magnets (FIG. 7, magnetic shim elements 5) causes axial displacement thereof, but it does not specifically teach the following feature:
The shim magnets threadably engage the frame assembly.
With regard to claim 4, it is well-known to one having ordinary skill in the art that using thread as an attachment type (such as a threaded insert or fastener) provides superior holding power, infinite reusability without material damage, and excellent load distribution.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the magnetic field correction device of Takechi et al. to threadably engage the shim magnets to the frame assembly since such an arrangement is beneficial to assemble and disassemble parts repeatedly without weakening the connection, and to spread the clamping force of a bolt over a much larger surface area, preventing material cracking, thread stripping, or pull-out.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
With regard to claim 6, the prior art does not teach, suggest or render obvious the claimed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device in combination as claimed including:
An inner shield supported by the outer frame and the inner frame, wherein the inner shield collects and distributes magnetic flux from the magnet assembly about the scanning area to thereby reduce magnetic flux leakage; and
An outer shield extending about the outer frame, wherein the outer shield further reduces magnetic flux leakage and inhibits external electromagnetic interference with the MRI device.
With regard to claim 11, the prior art does not teach, suggest or render obvious the claimed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device in combination as claimed including:
The inner frame includes: an upper tray; and a lower tray spaced from the upper tray along a longitudinal axis of the MRI device; an upper magnet assembly positioned within the upper tray; a lower magnet assembly positioned within the lower tray, wherein the upper magnet assembly and the lower magnet assembly collectively generate a primary magnetic field;
An inner shield supported by the outer frame and the inner frame, wherein the inner shield collects and distributes magnetic flux from the upper magnet assembly and the lower magnet assembly about the scanning area to thereby reduce magnetic flux leakage and contain the primary magnetic field withing a generally closed magnetic circuit in order to reduce a 5 Gauss line of the MRI device;
An outer shield extending about the outer frame, wherein the outer shield further reduces magnetic flux leakage and inhibits external electromagnetic interference with the MRI device; and
The shim magnets include: upper shim magnets positioned between magnetic blocks of the upper magnet assembly; and lower shim magnets positioned between magnetic blocks of the lower magnet assembly.
With regard to claims 7-10 and 12-20, these claims are allowed at least by virtue of their dependencies directly or indirectly from the base claims, respectively.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicants’ attention is invited to the followings whose inventions disclose similar devices.
Tsuda et al. (US 7,034,537 B2) teaches a MRI apparatus correcting vibratory static magnetic field fluctuations, by utilizing the static magnetic fluctuation itself.
Morich et al. (WO 2006/097864 A1) teaches a minimum energy shim coils for magnetic resonance.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOAI-AN D. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571) 272-2170. The examiner can normally be reached MON-THURS (7:00 AM - 5:00 PM).
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, LEE E. RODAK can be reached at 571-270-5628. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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HOAI-AN D. NGUYEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2858
/HOAI-AN D. NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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