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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/30/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment filed 6/30/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-11 remain pending in the current application.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: the optical to electrical conversion module, the electrical to optical conversion module, and projection device in claim 1.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
Claim(s) 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ueda (US 20170168124 A1) in view of Brown (US 20250366755 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ueda teaches an imaging apparatus for a magnetic resonance device ([0045] a medical image diagnostic apparatus includes an image providing apparatus and control circuitry; [0047] It is possible to view the image through the mirror mounted to the head coil during MR imaging)
having an examination table (13) ([0045] a subject placed on a couch top)
and a magnetic resonance chamber ([0082] an examination room 300 in which the MR imaging is performed)
an image broadcast apparatus located in a first space ([0083] projector 100, and the projector control apparatus 200 are installed in the control room 400)
an optical-to-electrical conversion module, which is connected to the image broadcast apparatus using an optical fiber ([0050] a projector 100, and a projector control apparatus 200 which are connected in a wired or wireless manner to be capable of communicating with each other; [0052] The projector control apparatus 200 is a computer apparatus that controls the projector 100. The projector control apparatus 200 supplies data relating to the image as a projection target to the projector 100; [0213] The first optical fiber 83 is an optical waveguide which guides light from the first objective lens 81)
an electrical-to-optical conversion module, which is connected to the optical-to-electrical conversion module and is configured to convert the electrical signals into the image to restore the image broadcast by the image broadcast apparatus ([0054] the imaging control unit 17 reconstructs a medical image relating to the patient P based on raw data collected by the gantry 11 in the medical imaging. Incidentally, the imaging control unit 17 may be configured to be capable of controlling the projector 100 via the projector control apparatus 200. In addition, the imaging control unit 17 may supply data relating to an image as a projection target to the projector 100. In this case, the projector 100 projects the image corresponding to the data supplied from the imaging control unit 17 on the screen of the movable screen apparatus 15)
and a projection device (15), which is connected to the electrical-to-optical conversion module using an image transmission assembly, and is configured to project the image to a top wall of the magnetic resonance chamber ([0050] a movable screen apparatus (video projection apparatus) 15; [0054] projector 100 projects the image corresponding to the data supplied from the imaging control unit 17 on the screen of the movable screen apparatus 15)
wherein the image transmission assembly comprises an image transmission lens group or an image transmission optical fiber bundle ([0209] the first camera 80 includes a first objective lens 81, a first optical fiber 83)
wherein the magnetic resonance device, the optical-to-electrical conversion module, the electrical/optical conversion module, and the projection device are located in a second space, and the first space and the second space are electromagnetically shielded from each other (see configuration in Fig. 3).
Ueda fails to teach receive, via the optical fiber, optical signals representing the image broadcast by the image broadcast apparatus, and convert the optical signals into electrical signals.
However, Brown teaches receive, via the optical fiber, optical signals representing the image broadcast by the image broadcast apparatus, and convert the optical signals into electrical signals ([0041] The optical demodulator 232 is configured to receive optical ECG signals from the measurement nodes 110, 120 and 130 via the respective output fiber-optic cables 112, 122 and 132, respectively, and to convert the ECG signals into corresponding electrical signals; [0046] Referring to FIG. 3, the measurement node 130 includes a DC power converter 310 and a clock recovery circuit 315, which are connected to the input fiber-optic cable 131. The DC power converter 310 is configured to receive the modulated optical signal from the optical modulator 231 of the ECG module 230 via the input fiber-optic cable 131, and to convert the modulated optical signal to a corresponding electrical signal …The DC power converter 310 may be a photovoltaic cell, for example, which converts optical signals directly into electrical signals using photovoltaic effect).
Ueda and Brown are considered analogous because both disclose systems for processing medical image data. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to equip the camera which generates a digital image in Ueda with a power converter such as a photovoltaic cell to directly convert optical signals into electrical signals for processing in order to recover DC power embedded within the modulated optical signal (Brown [0046]).
Regarding claim 2, Ueda teaches the electrical-to-optical conversion module is a Digital Light Processing (DLP) optical engine ([0052] a digital light processing (DLP) system)
Regarding claim 3, Ueda teaches the projection device is arranged at an end of a table body of the examination table that is adjacent to the magnetic resonance chamber (configuration of movable screen apparatus 15 and couch 13 in fig. 3)
Regarding claim 4, Ueda teaches an electromagnetic shielding box, which is mounted inside a base of the examination table, wherein the optical-to-electrical conversion module and the electrical-to-optical conversion module are arranged inside the electromagnetic shielding box ([0083] The examination room 300 is a shielded room that can shield a leaked magnetic field from the gantry 11, an electromagnetic field from the outside, and the like. A door D1, configured to allow entrance and exit, is provided in the examination room 300. In addition, a door D2, configured to allow coming and going between the examination room 300 and the control room 400, is provided between the examination room 300 and the control room 400. The console 27, the projector 100, and the projector control apparatus 200 are installed in the control room 400. The projector 100 is installed at the rear side of the gantry 11 being spaced apart from a wall 500 between the examination room 300 and the control room 400)
Regarding claim 5, Ueda teaches wherein the image transmission lens group is mounted inside a base of the examination table or on a table body of the examination table ([0210] The first objective lens 81 is provided at the end of the reflecting plate 67 on the couch 13 side so as to be capable of photographing the face of the patient P placed on the couch top 131 in the reflecting plate 67 arranged at the first angle)
Regarding claim 6, Ueda teaches the image transmission assembly comprises an image transmission lens group and an image transmission optical fiber bundle, and two ends of the image transmission optical fiber bundle are respectively connected to the image transmission lens group and the projection device ([0209] the first camera 80 includes a first objective lens 81, a first optical fiber 83; [0210] The first objective lens 81 is provided at the end of the reflecting plate 67 on the couch 13 side so as to be capable of photographing the face of the patient P placed on the couch top 131 in the reflecting plate 67 arranged at the first angle)
Regarding claim 7, Ueda teaches the projection device comprises a support ([0058] the gantry 11)
and an image projection lens group ([0060] an exterior illuminator 56)
the support being mounted at an end of a table body of the examination table that is adjacent to the magnetic resonance chamber, and the image projection lens group is fixed on the support (observe configurations of couch top 13, external illuminator 56, and gantry 11 in fig. 3)
Regarding claim 8, Ueda teaches wherein the support comprises an optical fiber bundle fixing structure, and an end of the image transmission optical fiber bundle that is remote from the image transmission lens group is fixed on the optical fiber bundle fixing structure ([0213] The first optical fiber 83 is an optical waveguide which guides light from the first objective lens 81. The first optical fiber 83 connects the first objective lens 81 and the first CCD so as to guide the light from the first objective lens 81 to the first CCD provided at the outside of the gantry 11)
Regarding claim 9, Ueda teaches an axis of an end of the image transmission optical fiber bundle that is fixed on the optical fiber bundle fixing structure is collinear with an axis of the image projection lens group ([0209] the first camera 80 includes a first objective lens 81, a first optical fiber 83; both of these features have a transmission trajectory in the Y axis as illustrated in Fig. 30)
Regarding claim 10, Ueda teaches the support is detachably mounted on the table body, and the support comprises a support base and a mounting frame, the support base being detachably mounted on the table body, and the mounting frame being rotatably connected to the support base ([0108] the support arm 65 may support the reflecting plate 67 in a detachable manner)
Regarding claim 11, Ueda teaches a projection film arranged on a top wall of the magnetic resonance chamber, wherein the image is projectable to the projection film ([0113] The film 672 is installed at the back of the beam splitter 671. The film 672 transmits light 6731 generated by the light guide plate 673. A predetermined image is provided in the film 672. Incidentally, the predetermined image may be printed on the film 672 or may be pasted thereto)
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5-6, filed 6/30/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of independent claim 1 under 35 USC 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of the newly cited Brown reference.
Applicant has amended the independent claim to more adequately reflect the conversion of optical signals into electrical ones as is being performed in the claimed optical-to-electrical module, a feature which is interpreted under 112f. applicant argues that Ueda’s CCD camera, which captures an image in a digital format, differs from the claimed subject matter. The office maintains that the manner in which this feature is claimed is written rather broadly, however, in the interest of advancing prosecution, an additional reference has been cited which provides detail into how optical signals are to be converted into electrical signals, thus, should the system disclosed in Ueda be equipped with a camera that performs optical to electrical conversion in a manner as disclosed in Brown, the independent claim as amended is obviated to one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the claims remain rejected under 35 USC 103.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lane (US 20230393225 A1) teaches [0028] a signal converter, such as an optical-to-electrical converter, to provide an example, to convert the ECG signal 350.1, the PPG signal 350.2, and/or the RESP signal 350.3 into electrical signals; [0056] a signal converter, such as an electrical-to-optical converter, to provide an example, to convert the signals from the analog processing circuitry 504 and/or the signals from the trigger generation circuitry 506 into optical signals for transmission to the communication receiver
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL VICTOR POPESCU whose telephone number is (571)272-7065. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anne Kozak can be reached at (571) 270-0552. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GABRIEL VICTOR POPESCU/Examiner, Art Unit 3797
/SERKAN AKAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
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