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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant alleges that Jones does not disclose or suggest the features of "each of the plurality of buffer members being disposed at a respective position overlapping a region of the heat generation element as viewed from the subject side ... the plurality of buffer members is disposed only in a vicinity of the region of the heat generation element on the surface of the coil cover, and a recess portion is formed between adjacent buffer members of the plurality of buffer members at a position overlapping the region of the heat generation element as viewed from the subject side" as recited in currently presented claim 1, however the Examiner respectfully disagrees. The applicant is respectfully reminded that, while it might be evident, by comparing the patented structure of Jones with the instant specification and drawings, that the claimed invention is different from the Prior Art made of record, that is not the test for patentability. Rather, it is the language of the claims what defines the meets and bounds of the instant invention. In this case, Jones teaches each of the plurality of buffer members (116) being disposed in a respective position overlapping a region of the heating generation element as viewed from the subject side, on a surface of the coil cover that comes in contact with the subject, wherein the plurality of buffer members is disposed only in a vicinity of the region of the heat generation element (the non-grooved regions 116 of the top layer 120 have a thickness that is sufficient to cover, pad, and seal the circuit boards 22, 30, 40, Baluns 50, cables 33 and 52 and clamps 24, para. 72); a recess portion (115) is formed between adjacent buffer members of the plurality of buffer members at a position overlapping the region of the heat generation element (portions of the heat generation element 21, 33 and 52 are housed inside the groove 115, para. 75).
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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jones (US Pub. No. 2013/0137969) in view of Kawai (JP 2014094035).
Regarding claims 1 and 3-14, Jones teaches a receive coil unit comprising:
a coil element (21) that receives a signal generated from a subject;
a heat generation element (22, 30, 40, 50, 33 and 52) that is connected to the coil element;
a coil cover (1B) that covers an outside of the coil element and the heat generation element; and
a plurality of buffer members (116), each of the plurality of buffer members (116) being disposed in a respective position overlapping a region of the heating generation element as viewed from the subject side, on a surface of the coil cover that comes in contact with the subject, wherein the plurality of buffer members is disposed only in a vicinity of the region of the heat generation element (the non-grooved regions 116 of the top layer 120 have a thickness that is sufficient to cover, pad, and seal the circuit boards 22, 30, 40, Baluns 50, cables 33 and 52 and clamps 24, para. 72);
a recess portion (115) is formed between adjacent buffer members of the plurality of buffer members at a position overlapping the region of the heat generation element (portion of the heat generation element 21, 33 and 52 is housed inside the groove 115, para. 75).
wherein each of the plurality of buffer members is fixed to the coil cover (1B) by a structure which each of the plurality of the buffer members is attached to the surface of the coil cover (para. 56) [claim 3];
wherein each of the plurality of buffer members is integrally configured with the coil cover (Fig. 5A) [claim 4];
wherein a plurality of the coil elements (21) and a plurality of the heat generation elements are provided, and
the plurality of buffer members is disposed at a position overlapping a region of each of the plurality of heat generation elements as viewed from the subject side, on the surface of the coil cover (the non-groove regions 116 of the top layer 120 have a thickness that is sufficient to cover, pad and seal the circuit boards, para. 72) [claim 5]
wherein the coil cover (1B) is a flexible bag-shaped cover that is deformable to fit a physique of the subject (para. 56) [claim 6];
wherein at least one of the plurality of buffer members includes air bubbles (para. 72) [claim 7];
wherein at least one of the plurality of buffer members has a hollow structure (para. 72) [claim 8];
wherein each of the plurality of buffer members is formed of a heat insulating member (para. 73) [claim 9];
wherein the buffer member is not disposed at a center position of the region of the heat generating element (there are a plurality of non-groove regions 116, and one of non-groove region is not disposed at the center position of the heat generating element) [claim 10];
wherein each of the plurality of buffer members is not disposed in a region separated from the region of the heat generation element by a predetermined distance or more on the surface of the coil cover (para. 72) [claim 11];
wherein the signal received by the coil element is a nuclear magnetic resonance signal (para. 7) [claim 12];
wherein the heat generation element includes at least one of an inductor, capacitor, or a diode (para. 66) [claim 13];
wherein the heat generation element includes a resonance circuit for removing coupling between a transmission coil that irradiates the subject with a radio frequency magnetic field and the coil element (para. 66) [claim 14].
Jones does not specifically teach the plurality of buffer members each having a convex shape toward a subject side.
Kawai teaches a receive coil unit comprises a plurality of buffer members each having a convex shape toward the subject side (Fig. 6, the cushion material).
It would have been obvious to one having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute a plurality of buffer members as taught by Kawaii for Jones’s buffer member in order to increase the airflow under the coil cover.
Regarding claim 2, Jones, as modified by Kawai, teaches all the claimed limitations except for a thickness of each of the plurality of buffer members is 5 mm or less, however it would have been obvious to one having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the thickness of each of the plurality of buffer members to 5 mm or less as claimed, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only ordinary skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 15, Jones, as modified by Kawai, teaches a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising the receiving coil unit according to claim 1. Jones further teaches a magnetic resonance image is generated from a nuclear magnetic resonance signal receiving by using the received coil unit (para. 7).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 MINH Q PHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3898. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
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MINH Q. PHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2852
/MINH Q PHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
