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
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, 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugiura (US-20130134976-A1) in view of Hoshino (CN-103930023-A) in view of Kishiyu (JP-2006087825-A).
Regarding claim 1
Sugiura discloses
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus ([0002]) comprising:
an imaging unit ([0002]—[0003]) that executes a fat suppression pulse sequence ([0101]) including an IR pulse ([0066]) and a data collection sequence ([0024]); and
one or more processors ([0024]—[0026], processor collects signal data and does image reconstruction) that control the imaging unit ([0011]),
wherein the one or more processors execute control of causing the imaging unit to execute the fat suppression pulse sequence ([0101]),
Although strongly implied, Sugiura, does not explicitly disclose
“including a blood flow suppression sequence after the IR pulse is applied and before the data collection sequence is started and adjust at least one of a duration of the blood flow suppression sequence or a delay time from end of the blood flow suppression sequence to end of application of a preparation pulse”.
Hoshino, however, teaches
including a blood flow suppression sequence after the IR pulse is applied and before the data collection sequence is started ([0074]),
Sugiura in view of Hoshino do not teach
“adjust at least one of a duration of the blood flow suppression sequence or a delay time from end of the blood flow suppression sequence to end of application of a preparation pulse,”
Kishiyu, however, discloses
adjust at least one of a duration of the blood flow suppression sequence or a delay time from end of the blood flow suppression sequence to end of application of a preparation pulse (¶ 13 under BACKGROUND-ART).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the “blood flow suppression sequence” as taught by Hoshino as well as the “duration adjustment” of Kishiyu in the apparatus of Sugiura.
The justification for this modification would be to 1) reduce signal from moving blood to easier image stationary tissues like vessel walls, and 2) adjust contrast by altering T1 and T2 values.
Regarding claim 13
Sugiura discloses
A control method of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus ([0002]) including an imaging unit that executes a fat suppression pulse sequence ([0101]) including an IR pulse ([0066]) and a data collection sequence ([0024]), the control method comprising:
Although strongly implied, Sugiura, does not explicitly disclose
“executing a blood flow suppression sequence of suppressing signals from moving spins after the IR pulse is applied and before the data collection sequence is started; and
controlling at least one of a duration of the blood flow suppression sequence or a delay time from end of the blood flow suppression sequence to start of the data
collection sequence, in accordance with contrast of an image obtained in the data collection sequence”.
Hoshino, however, teaches
executing a blood flow suppression sequence of suppressing signals from moving spins after the IR pulse is applied and before the data collection sequence is started ([0074]),
Sugiura in view of Hoshino do not teach
“controlling at least one of a duration of the blood flow suppression sequence or a delay time from end of the blood flow suppression sequence to start of the data collection sequence, in accordance with contrast of an image obtained in the data collection sequence,”
Kishiyu, however, discloses
controlling at least one of a duration of the blood flow suppression sequence or a delay time from end of the blood flow suppression sequence to start of the data collection sequence (¶ 13 under BACKGROUND-ART), in accordance with contrast of an image obtained in the data collection sequence (¶ 2 under BACKGROUND-ART).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the “blood flow
suppression sequence” as taught by Hoshino as well as the “duration adjustment” of Kishiyu in the apparatus of Sugiura.
The justification for this modification would be to 1) reduce signal from moving blood to easier image stationary tissues like vessel walls, and 2) adjust contrast by altering T1 and T2 values.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugiura (US-20130134976-A1) in view of Hoshino (CN-103930023-A) in view of Kishiyu (JP-2006087825-A) in view of Wang (WO-2009117211-A2).
Regarding claim 2
Sugiura in view of Hoshino in view of Kishiyu teach the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
Sugiura in view of Hoshino in view of Kishiyu do not teach
“wherein the blood flow suppression sequence is an MSDE sequence or a bipolar MPG pulse”.
Wang, however, teaches
wherein the blood flow suppression sequence is an MSDE sequence or a bipolar MPG pulse ([0007]—[0009]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the “MSDE sequence” as taught by Wang in the apparatus of Sugiura in view of Hoshino in view of Kishiyu.
The justification for this modification would be to achieve blood-suppression imaging ([0005], Wang).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugiura (US-20130134976-A1) in view of Hoshino (CN-103930023-A) in view of Kishiyu (JP-2006087825-A) in view of Herzka (CN-101836123-A)
Regarding claim 7
Sugiura in view of Hoshino in view of Kishiyu teach the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
Sugiura in view of Hoshino in view of Kishiyu do not teach
“wherein the data collection sequence is a three-dimensional RSSG sequence”.
Herzka, however, discloses
wherein the data collection sequence is a three-dimensional RSSG sequence ([0038]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the “RSSG sequence” as taught by Herzka in the apparatus of Sugiura in view of Hoshino in view of Kishiyu.
The justification for this modification would be to added blood signal suppression.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 6 & 8 – 12 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.
Regarding claim 3
Nothing in the prior art of record teaches or discloses
“wherein the blood flow suppression sequence adjustment unit
estimate contrast of an image to be obtained through imaging based on imaging conditions set for the fat suppression pulse sequence, and
determine the duration of the blood flow suppression sequence and the delay time by using the contrast.”
In conjunction with the rest of the claim language.
Regarding claims 4 – 6
The claims are allowable due to their dependencies on objected-to claim 3.
Regarding claim 8
Nothing in the prior art of record teaches or discloses
“the one or more processors execute control of repeatedly executing, for a plurality of slices, a one-shot sequence of consecutively applying the IR pulse for
selecting each slice, executing the blood flow suppression sequence, and then consecutively executing the two- dimensional data collection sequence of each slice after the delay time that is determined, by changing an IR pulse application order for each slice and an execution order of the data collection sequence”.
In conjunction with the rest of the claim language.
Regarding claim 9
The claim is allowable due to its dependency on objected-to claim 8.
Regarding claim 10
Nothing in the prior art of record teaches or discloses
“execute control of causing the imaging unit to execute a first fat suppression pulse sequence including the blood flow suppression sequence and a second fat suppression pulse sequence not including the blood flow suppression sequence, and
further generate diagnosis support information by using measurement data or an image obtained by the first fat suppression pulse sequence and measurement data or an image obtained by the second fat suppression pulse sequence”.
In conjunction with the rest of the claim language.
Regarding claims 11 & 12
The claims are allowable due to their dependencies on objected-to claim 10.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FREDERICK WENDEROTH whose telephone number is (571)270-1945. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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/WALTER L LINDSAY JR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2852
/Frederick Wenderoth/
Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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