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 § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Urakabe (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0286174).
Regarding claim 1, Urakabe discloses an intraoral dental procedures comprising: a wireless probe and mirror system integrated into a single electronic probe apparatus that is operable with one hand to enable improved clinical assessment and visualization (Figs. 3 and 8; paragraph [0103] – the intraoral imaging inputting means 11 is, for example, a reflection type of dental camera which uses a convex mirror such as shown in Fig. 3C or another camera for capturing an image of the oral cavity using a fisheye’s lens and outputs a digital image of all teeth; paragraph [0123] – reference numeral 302 is a reflecting mirror unit – at its front end, a flat mirror 303 which is arranged at a for example 45 degree angle is connected; paragraph [0124] – the reflecting mirror unit 302 can be suitably replaced; paragraph [0181] – the intraoral camera 901 which uses the reflecting mirror which is shown in Fig. 8 is configured as shown in Fig. 3 as one example, that is, is configured by a modular CCD camera or CMOS camera around which a plurality of light source LEDs are arranged; paragraph [0182] – the intraoral camera 901 which is used here is illustrated as one which is configured with a reflecting mirror unit 903 (302 of Fig. 3) which is provided with a flat type reflecting mirror 902 (303 of Fig. 3) attached interchangeably at the front end of a body 904 (301 of Fig. 3)); a plurality of cameras configured to provide real-time visualization of the oral cavity (Figs. 3, 8, and 14; paragraph [0103] – the intraoral imaging inputting means 11 is, for example, a reflection type of dental camera which uses a convex mirror such as shown in Fig. 3C or another camera for capturing an image of the oral cavity using a fisheye’s lens and outputs a digital image of all teeth; paragraph [0181] – the intraoral camera 901 which uses the reflecting mirror which is shown in Fig. 8 is configured as shown in Fig. 3 as one example, that is, is configured by a modular CCD camera or CMOS camera around which a plurality of light source LEDs are arranged; paragraph [0182] – the intraoral camera 901 which is used here is illustrated as one which is configured with a reflecting mirror unit 903 (302 of Fig. 3) which is provided with a flat type reflecting mirror 902 (303 of Fig. 3) attached interchangeably at the front end of a body 904 (301 of Fig. 3) – the body 904 is provided at its front end with a camera unit 905 (309 of Fig. 3) which combines a CCD camera, CMOS camera, or other camera and four to eight light emitting diodes arranged around the camera; paragraph [0235] – reference numeral 1401 indicates a camera data input means – this connects a stereo image capturing camera which is provided with a plurality of cameras such as shown in Fig. 14 and simultaneously forms the seine number of images as the number of cameras); a sensor suite comprising sensors positioned proximal to and are operatively connected with an interchangeable probe tip (Figs. 3, 8, 14, and 19; paragraph [0047] – in the present invention, an angular acceleration sensor (gyro sensor), acceleration sensor, or other position sensor is used – specifically, rate gyros which output angular acceleration, rate integrating gyros which output angle, posture gyros, MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) type or other mechanical type, optical type, and other angular acceleration sensors, piezoresistance type, electrostatic capacity type, and heat sensing type MEMS sensor, and other acceleration sensors can be mentioned); one or more interchangeable probe tips (Figs. 3, 8, and 14 – interchangeable probe end configurations); one or more communication modules or a radio component for wirelessly transmitting data to external devices (paragraph [0053] – the present invention forms a terminal which connects with a computer terminal wirelessly or by cable, is sometimes provided with a liquid crystal display, tenkeys, etc., and can be worn at the user arm, leg, or other part so as to enable input and output of patient information etc. with the computer terminal at one’s fingertips, enable the dentist to obtain past data necessary for treatment and background information for when explaining treatment to individual patients in a manner not visible to the patients, and enable accurate diagnosis and treatment and treatment and explanation to the patients); a software application in communication with the communication module and including a software application interface for processing and displaying data from the probe (paragraph [0054] – a dental diagnosis and treatments system may be formed comprised of a mobile terminal which is provided with an input part for inputting dental related information and a display part for displaying dental rental information, a host terminal which is provided with a recording medium for temporarily or continuously recording dental related information and a processing means for processing dental related information based on a predetermined algorithm, and an information transmitting means for transmitting information between the mobile terminal and a center terminal wirelessly or by cable; paragraph [0056] – a mobile terminal is a terminal which enables input and output and enables information processing, so enables centralized management of intraoral information, dental diagnosis and treatment information, dental office information, dental employee information, and other dental practice related informaition), and at least one visual or audiovisual interface in communication with the software application and capable of display of information generated by the apparatus in real time (Fig. 3; paragraph [0040] – “image forming” indicates conversion to image data which can be output to and displayed on a computer monitor (display) device or mobile phone and also a state printed on paper or other state displayed two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally; paragraph [0130] – reference number 314 indicates a computer which is formed integrally with a monitor (display) 314A; paragraphs [0162] and [0163] – unit image forming means, and diagnosis and treatment image selecting means for selecting a tooth for diagnosis and treatment of tooth decay, loss, etc.; paragraph [0445] – real time display); wherein the apparatus is configured as a system when connected to and in communication with one or more CPUs (Fig. 3; paragraph [0027] – the present invention proposes preparing data for using a monitor of a computer, etc. to explain details of treatment using the above-mentioned method etc. to the patient, and have a dental employee process data using a computer by a compact mobile terminal which is provided with a processor, memory, communicating means, inputting means, and display means).
Regarding claim 2, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1 including that wherein the sensor suite further comprises instructions and components to sense and capture pocket depth determination, doctor awareness of applied force to a periodontal pocket or gingival sulcus, and oral temperature perception, and comprises one or more of the following sensors: thermal sensor, biopotential sensor, probe long-wave infrared image sensor, probe long-wave infrared image sensor, load cell sensor, Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor (Urakabe: Figs. 3, 8, 14, and 19; paragraph [0047] – in the present invention, an angular acceleration sensor (gyro sensor), acceleration sensor, or other position sensor is used – specifically, rate gyros which output angular acceleration, rate integrating gyros which output angle, posture gyros, MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) type or other mechanical type, optical type, and other angular acceleration sensors, piezoresistance type (force sensor), electrostatic capacity type, and heat sensing type MEMS sensor (thermal sensor), and other acceleration sensors can be mentioned; paragraph [0423] – periodontal pocket depth; paragraph [0446] – probes for periodontal pocket examination).
Regarding claim 4, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1 including that the apparatus further comprises a gyroscope and accelerometer positioned near the probe tip for detecting the orientation and movement of the probe during use (Urakabe: Figs. 3, 8, 14, and 19; paragraph [0047] – in the present invention, an angular acceleration sensor (gyro sensor), acceleration sensor, or other position sensor is used – specifically, rate gyros which output angular acceleration, rate integrating gyros which output angle, posture gyros, MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) type or other mechanical type, optical type, and other angular acceleration sensors, piezoresistance type, electrostatic capacity type, and heat sensing type MEMS sensor, and other acceleration sensors can be mentioned).
Regarding claim 7, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1 including that wherein the probe tip is metal, is constructed in a series of graduated sizes, and removeably attached using one or more probe tip fasteners (Urakabe: Figs. 3, 8, and 14 – a few examples of interchangeable probe end configurations; paragraph [0423] – periodontal pocket depth; paragraph [0446] – probes for periodontal pocket examination).
Regarding claim 8, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1 including that wherein the software application interface includes a photogrammetry module for creating multi-dimensional models of the oral cavity (Urakabe: Fig. 3; Fig. 13 – 3D image forming means; paragraph [0040] – “image forming” indicates conversion to image data which can be output to and displayed on a computer monitor (display) device or mobile phone and also a state printed on paper or other state displayed two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally; paragraph [0246] – reference number 1405 indicates a 3D image forming means – by making the 3D panoramic tooth row data three-dimensional on 3D coordinates, curved rows of teeth can be displayed).
Regarding claim 11, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1 including that the apparatus further comprises an auxiliary adapter for connecting to a computer, enabling data storage and processing for clinical diagnostics and training purposes (Urakabe: Figs. 3 and 24 – external connections and storage; paragraph [0053] – the present invention forms a terminal which connects with a computer terminal wirelessly or by cable, is sometimes provided with a liquid crystal display, tenkeys, etc., and can be worn at the user arm, leg, or other part so as to enable input and output of patient information etc. with the computer terminal at one’s fingertips, enable the dentist to obtain past data necessary for treatment and background information for when explaining treatment to individual patients in a manner not visible to the patients, and enable accurate diagnosis and treatment and treatment and explanation to the patients).
Regarding claim 12, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1 including that wherein the system further comprises one or more CPUs communicatively connected with embedded software for processing and storing information (Urakabe: Figs. 3 and 24 – external connections and storage; paragraph [0053] – the present invention forms a terminal which connects with a computer terminal wirelessly or by cable, is sometimes provided with a liquid crystal display, tenkeys, etc., and can be worn at the user arm, leg, or other part so as to enable input and output of patient information etc. with the computer terminal at one’s fingertips, enable the dentist to obtain past data necessary for treatment and background information for when explaining treatment to individual patients in a manner not visible to the patients, and enable accurate diagnosis and treatment and treatment and explanation to the patients).
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.
Claims 5, 10, 13, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Urakabe (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0286174) in view of Kopelman et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018/0168781).
Regarding claim 5, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the visual or audiovisual interface further comprises virtual and augmented reality PPE/AR goggles that protect as well as provide for display of the visualization data captured by the probe to a practitioner and a patient in real-time.
Referring to the Kopelman et al. reference, Kopelman et al. discloses an intraoral dental procedure comprising: wherein the visual or audiovisual interface further comprises virtual and augmented reality PPE/AR goggles that protect as well as provide for display of the visualization data captured by the probe to a practitioner and a patient in real-time (Fig. 1; paragraph [0054] – Fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an AR system 100 for providing augmented reality enhancements to a dental practitioner; paragraph [0070] – in one embodiment, the AR system 100 additionally includes a virtual reality (VR) display 152 that may be worn by a patient – the image data from the image capture device 160 and/or visual overlay generated based on the image data may be output to the VR display 152 – this may enable the patient to view dental conditions of his teeth or gums that a dental practitioner is seeing (and possibly describing)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have had the visual or audiovisual interface further comprise virtual and augmented reality PPE/AR goggles as disclosed by Kopelman et al. in the apparatus disclosed by Urakabe in order provide additional information to the dental practitioner more efficiently.
Regarding claim 10, Urakabe discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claim 1 including that wherein the probe's software is configured with machine-learning models for automated optical inspection and oral-cavity health classification.
Referring to the Kopelman et al. reference, Kopelman et al. discloses an intraoral dental procedure comprising: wherein the probe's software is configured with machine-learning models for automated optical inspection and oral-cavity health classification. (Fig. 1; paragraph [0043] – the AR system may analyze an image or stream of images of a patient’s oral cavity and dental arch and determine an area of interest present in the image data – the AR system may determine if one or more teeth in an image indicate excessive wear, plaque, deposits, cracks, cavities, or other characteristics of interest to dental practitioners – the AR system may analyze an image of a tooth, multiple teeth, or a dental arch using dental condition profiles generated using machine learning techniques and training data of previous images of teeth).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have had used machine-learning models for automated optical inspection and oral-cavity health classification as disclosed by Kopelman et al. in the apparatus disclosed by Urakabe in order provide quickly diagnosis the patient.
Regarding claim 13, Urakabe in view of Kopelman et al. discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claims 1 and 5, including that wherein the PPE/AR goggles further comprise a microphone; and wherein the communication modules and software include speech synthesis and translation language processing components to capture and process microphone data, and are in communication with the microphone (Kopelman et al.: Fig. 27; paragraph [0277] – Fig. 27 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 2700 of attaching audio notes (also referred to voice notes) to image data from an image capture device associated with an augmented reality display, in accordance with an embodiment – at block 2720, processing logic receives an instruction to generate a note for a current image – the command to generate the note may be issued via a voice command, a gesture command, or a press of a button on an input device; paragraph [0279] – method 2700 provides the advantage that a dental practitioner’s hands may remain free while taking the audio notes). However, Urakabe in view of Kopelman et al. fails to disclose rendering the system capable of translating practitioners' speech for non-English or native-language speaking patients. Official Notice is taken that both the concept and advantages of rendering and translating speech into another language is well-known in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have had included rendering the system capable of translating practitioners' speech for non-English or native-language speaking patients in the apparatus disclosed by Urakabe in view of Kopelman et al. in order to be able to provide a detailed analysis and explanation to all patients regardless of their preferred language.
Regarding claim 20, Urakabe in view of Kopelman et al. discloses all of the limitations as previously discussed with respect to claims 1 and 5, but fails to explicitly disclose a kit for storing and transporting the apparatus of claim 1, including one or more of the apparatus of claim 1, PPE/AR goggles, replacement components including batteries, probes and probe tips, sensors, a video or audiovisual interface, a video or audiovisual monitor adapter, an external data storage drive, and electronic connecting and charging components; all of which are removeably positioned in a durable and protective case. Official Notice is taken that both the concept and advantages of providing a kit to store and protect an apparatus along with all of its essential components is well-known in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have had included a storage kit to store and protect the apparatus along with all of its essential components in the apparatus/system disclosed by Urakabe in view of Kopelman et al. in order to be able to easily protect and transport the equipment efficiently.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6, and 9 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Prior art, alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combination with all of the other elements claimed:
wherein the multi-platform software application includes instructions that enable the system to perform, process, capture and analyze multiple levels of redundancy for pocket depth estimation, including machine-vision analysis of graduated probe tip markers, machine vision depth analysis, and a probe-tip electrical resistance-to-depth relationship, along with ToF distance estimation (dependent claim 3, which depends from claim 1).
wherein the PPE/AR goggles further comprise a motorized optical lens arrangement that provides a single AR viewing mode which is enabled by optical wave guides built into the main lens enabling simultaneous view of two light sources, or multiple viewing modes to avoid the concerns of motion sickness associated with AR, wherein the multiple viewing modes can switch between alternate birdbath-image projection mode (BIPM) and horizontal- split screen mode (HSSM) (dependent claim 6, which depends from claims 1 and 5).
further comprising a hot-swap battery subsystem configured to allow battery replacement without interrupting the operation of the device, and wherein the probe apparatus and PPE/AR goggles 40 integrates global positioning capacity, and incorporates private GNSS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi-based tracking features, enabling a single doctor or an office to locate their devices indefinitely, ensuring device security (dependent claim 9, which depends from claim 1).
Claims 14-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: prior art, alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest:
A method for using the apparatus of claim 1 for intraoral dental examination, the method comprising the steps of:
Device activation: initially turning on the probe and augmented reality (AR) goggles by inputting a charged battery or connecting the device to an outlet, while powering the auxiliary computer adapter; and waking up the device by pressing a capacitive button or utilizing a low-power speech command;
Device pairing: pairing the probe, goggles, and adapter via wireless communication, enabling bidirectional peer-to-peer wireless communication through function-specific wireless transmitters once paired;
Biometric data acquisition: employing a comprehensive sensor suite on the probe, including thermal imagery sensors, visible-light image sensors, biopotential sensors, a load cell sensor, a time-of-flight (tof) sensor, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, and a microphone to acquire crucial biometric data for assessing the patient's oral health;
Wireless data transmission: transmitting the captured visual and biometric data wirelessly to external devices including the AR/PPE goggles and auxiliary computer adapter, ensuring seamless integration with the practitioner's existing digital infrastructure;
Data processing and display: processing the data using an embedded software application on the CPU of the probe, goggles, and adapter to enhance clinical assessments and decision-making by providing detailed patient health insights;
Multi-dimensional including 3D model generation: utilizing a desktop software application with photogrammetry technology to generate multi-dimensional models of the oral cavity, requiring the probe to wirelessly connect to the auxiliary adapter and initialize in photogrammetry mode to capture a series of still images for comprehensive diagnostic and treatment planning;
Data storage and processing: storing and processing the captured data on a connected computer using internal memory on the probe, goggles, or auxiliary adapter and wi-fi- based cloud storage services, supporting clinical diagnostics and training for practitioner education and patient record management;
Communication of results: sharing patient photos from the probe or goggles via SMS messaging leveraging the internal electronic SIM card, or from cloud storage services; integrating the desktop software application into video-conferencing workflows for teaching and remote practitioner participation; and
Device global positioning: integrating private GNSS, Bluetooth, and wi-fi-based tracking features within the probe and goggles to enable device location by a single doctor or an office indefinitely (Independent claim 14; claims 15-19 depend from claim 14).
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HEATHER R JONES whose telephone number is (571)272-7368. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri.: 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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/HEATHER R JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481
May 31, 2026
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