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
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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Beck et al. (US 2017/0146631 A1), hereinafter referred to as Beck.
With reference to claim 1, Beck teaches a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising processing circuitry (Fig. 15) configured to: design a first pulse sequence for a slice position relating to a first slice group and a slice for a navigator echo, the first slice group including a plurality of slices for multi-slice imaging by simultaneous multi-slice excitation (¶0084-¶0087); and acquire an echo signal by simultaneously exciting the first slice group and the slice for the navigator echo based on the first pulse sequence (¶0087). With reference to claim 2, Beck further teaches the processing circuitry is further configured to: perform motion correction on the echo signal based on the navigator echo; and generate a reconstructed image by performing multi-slice separation reconstruction on the echo signal subjected to the motion correction (¶0141).
With reference to claim 3, Beck further teaches the processing circuitry is configured to correct a slice position of a second slice group based on the navigator echo, the second slice group including a plurality of slices for the multi-slice imaging by the simultaneous multi-slice excitation that is performed next to the imaging of the first slice group (¶0127).
With reference to claim 4, Beck further teaches he processing circuitry is configured to design the slice for the navigator echo so as to position the slice for the navigator echo in a gap between adjacent slices of the first slice group (Fig. 2). With reference to claim 5, Beck further teaches the processing circuitry is further configured to: design a second pulse sequence corresponding to a slice position of a second slice group and the slice for a navigator echo, the second slice group including a plurality of slices for multi-slice imaging by simultaneous multi-slice excitation that is performed next to the imaging of the first slice group; and acquire an echo signal by simultaneously exciting the second slice group and the slice for a navigator echo based on the second pulse sequence relating to the second slice group (¶0084-¶0087).
With reference to claim 6, Beck further teaches the processing circuitry is further configured to: design a flip angle relating to the slice for the navigator echo so as to make the flip angle relating to the slice for the navigator echo larger than a flip angle relating to each slice of the first slice group; and determine a heartbeat cycle using the navigator echo (¶0065). With reference to claim 7, Beck further teaches the processing circuitry is further configured to: design a flip angle relating to the slice for the navigator echo so as to make the flip angle relating to the slice for the navigator echo smaller than a flip angle relating to each slice of the first slice group, and determine a breathing cycle using the navigator echo (¶0065).
With reference to claim 8, Beck further teaches the processing circuitry is further configured to: perform multi-slice separation reconstruction on the echo signal; generate a reconstructed image; and perform image processing on the reconstructed image based on the navigator echo (¶0141). With reference to claim 9, Beck further teaches the processing circuitry configured to perform, as the image processing, at least one of synchronization of body motion and pulsation, correction of the body motion and the pulsation, or analysis of a signal variation after the synchronization or the correction (¶0127).
With reference to claim 10, Beck teaches An imaging method comprising: designing a first pulse sequence for a slice position relating to a first slice group and a slice for a navigator echo, the first slice group including a plurality of slices for multi-slice imaging by simultaneous multi-slice excitation(¶0084-¶0087); and acquiring an echo signal by simultaneously exciting the first slice group and the slice for the navigator echo based on the first pulse sequence (¶0087).
With reference to claim 11, Beck further teaches generating a reconstructed image by performing multi-slice separation reconstruction on the echo signal; and performing image processing on the reconstructed image based on the navigator echo (¶0141). With reference to claim 12, Beck further teaches image processing, at least one of synchronization of body motion and pulsation, correction of the body motion and the pulsation, or analysis of a signal variation after the synchronization or the correction (¶0127).
With reference to claim 13, Beck teaches a non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising: designing a first pulse sequence for a slice position relating to a first slice group and a slice for a navigator echo, the first slice group including a plurality of slices for multi-slice imaging by simultaneous multi-slice excitation(¶0084-¶0087); and acquiring an echo signal by simultaneously exciting the first slice group and the slice for the navigator echo based on the first pulse sequence (¶0087).
With reference to claim 14, Beck further teaches generating a reconstructed image by performing multi-slice separation reconstruction on the echo signal; and performing image processing on the reconstructed image based on the navigator echo (¶0141). With reference to claim 15, Beck further teaches image processing, at least one of synchronization of body motion and pulsation, correction of the body motion and the pulsation, or analysis of a signal variation after the synchronization or the correction (¶0127).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nielsen et al. (US 10,288,705 B2) teach a corrected multiple-slice magnetic resonance imaging.
Beck (US 10,551,467 B2) teaches a method and apparatus for movement compensation during MRI.
Nitta et al. (US 10,969,452 B2) teach a MRI apparatus and multi-slice imaging method.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY H CURRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7505. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm, EST.
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/GREGORY H CURRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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