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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the housing contains cooling oil for cooling the x-ray source immersed therein must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. Note the claim requires the enclosure is immersed therein.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1, 3-6, 8, 10-11, 13-16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claims 1 and 11, the specification does not teach the housing contains cooling oil for cooling the x-ray source immersed therein. The amended claims require the enclosure is immersed therein.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 6, 10-11 and 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Anno et al. (US 20150124936).
Regarding claim 1, Anno teaches a rotating anode x-ray generator, comprising:
a rotating anode x-ray source that comprise an x-ray tube 30, stator 9 and a stator cable 61 71;
an x-ray generator housing 20 having an interior volume that houses the x-ray source and is configured to contain electrically insulating cooling oil 7 for cooling the x-ray source immersed therein;
an x-ray source enclosure 6 located within the housing, wherein the x-ray source is located within the x-ray source enclosure;
a radiator exterior to the housing and configured to cool the cooling oil, and having an oil intake and an oil outlet in fluid communication with the interior volume (para 73);
one or more oil pumps configured to pump the cooling oil from the interior volume of the housing into the radiator via the oil intake, such that the cooling oil passes through the radiator and returns back into the interior volume of the housing via from the oil outlet (para 173); and
a fan configured to blow air over vanes of the radiator to cool the radiator and thereby increase an oil cooling capacity of the radiator (para 109-111, 173, 177).
Regarding claim 3, Anno teaches the x-ray source enclosure has an oil inlet port for admitting the cooling oil to an interior of the x-ray source enclosure and an oil outlet port for the cooling oil to exit the interior of the x-ray source enclosure (para 56, 73).
Regarding claim 4, Anno teaches the oil inlet port is proximate one of a cathode end and a stator 9 end of the x-ray source, and the oil outlet port is proximate the other of the cathode end and the stator end of the x-ray source (figure 5).
Regarding claim 6, Anno teaches the one or more oil pumps 221 deliver oil once cooled by the radiator at or towards a part of the x-ray source that is hottest during operation of the x-ray generator (figure 10).
Regarding claim 10, Anno teaches a computed tomography system, comprising the rotating anode x-ray generator of claim 1 (para 3).
Regarding claim 11, Anno teaches a method of cooling a rotating anode x-ray generator, the method comprising: pumping electrically insulating cooling oil from an interior volume of an-ray generator housing 20 that houses a rotating anode x-ray source of the x-ray generator into a radiator external to the housing, so that the cooling oil passes through the radiator (para 73, 109-111, 173 and 177); wherein the x-ray source comprises an x-ray tube 30 and a stator cable 61 71 and is located within an x-ray source enclosure 6 that is within the housing 20; cooling the radiator by blowing air over vanes of the radiator and thereby increasing an oil cooling capacity of the radiator; and returning the cooling oil once cooled by the radiator to the interior volume of the housing (figure 5).
Regarding claim 13, Anno teaches admitting the cooling oil to the x-ray source enclosure via an oil inlet port of the x-ray source enclosure, wherein the cooling oil exits from the x-ray source enclosure via an oil outlet port of the x-ray source enclosure (para 56, 73).
Regarding claim 14, Anno teaches admitting the cooling oil to the x-ray source enclosure proximate one of a cathode end and a stator end of the x-ray source, with the cooling oil exiting the x-ray source enclosure proximate the other of the cathode end and the stator end of the x-ray source (figure 5).
Regarding claim 15, Anno teaches pumping 221 the cooling oil from the interior volume of the housing to one of a cathode end and a stator end of the x-ray source with a first oil pump, and pumping the cooling oil from the other of the cathode end and the stator end of the x-ray source to an oil intake of the radiator (figure 10).
Regarding claim 16, Anno teaches delivering the cooling oil once cooled by the radiator with the one or more pumps at or towards a part of the x-ray source that is hottest during operation of the x-ray generator (figure 10).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 5, 8 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anno in view of Lu et al. (US 6430263).
Regarding claims 5, 8 and 18, Anno teaches an oil pump configured to pump the cooling oil from the other of the cathode end and the stator end of the x-ray source to the oil intake of the radiator (para 173, 177).
However fails to teach a first oil pump arranged to pump the cooling oil from the interior volume of the housing to one of a cathode end and a stator end of the x-ray source.
Lu teaches a first oil pump 38 arranged to pump the cooling oil from the interior volume of the housing to one of a cathode end and a stator end of the x-ray source (figure 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the system of Anno with the second oil pump as taught by Lu, since it would better oil circulation.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-6, 8, 10-11, 13-16 and 18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOON K SONG whose telephone number is (571)272-2494. The examiner can normally be reached M to Th 10am to 7pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Makiya can be reached at 571-272-2273. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HOON K SONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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