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.
Claim(s) 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Junnarkar et al. (US 2022/0068505).
Regarding claim 16, Junnarkar teaches a method for monitoring blood pressure, comprising (para. 0036; Smart phone 110 also contains application modules for determining pulse rate, temperature, blood pressure and pulse oxygen content of the user from images/videos obtained from a finger-press on camera port 160.):
placing a finger of a user on a pinhole connected to a camera (para. 0036; Smart phone 110 also contains application modules for determining pulse rate, temperature, blood pressure and pulse oxygen content of the user from images/videos obtained from a finger-press on camera port 160.);
applying a pressure to the finger placed on the pinhole while illuminating the finger via a light guide (para. 0054; BP/heart rate/temperature/oximeter block 840 operates to determine the blood pressure (BP), heart rate, body temperature and blood-oxygen saturation level of the user from video/images of a finger press of the user on camera port 160. The examiner notes that the user applies finger pressure to the camera port);
measuring, using the camera, a brightness and a size of an image of the pinhole based on light that is reflected from the finger and reaches the camera through the pinhole (paras. 0055-0057; The signal processing algorithms in block 480 typically select a region of interest around the approximate center of the field of view (FOV) (in this case, approximately the center of the finger pressed). The size of this FOV region directly affects the computational complexity, and an optimum for the size exists which provides diagnostic quality results, with diminishing returns observed with increasing FOV size. Block 840 extracts the average values for Red/Green/Blue (RGB) channels at a high frame rate, as a function of time. The manner in which each of parameters BP, heart rate, body temperature and blood-oxygen saturation level is determined is now described. Each image of the sequence is a function of light intensity I, as well as the contents of the ROI on a macroscopic level. Each of the images contains red, green and blue (RGB) values of the sensor (e.g., CMOS) outputs of the camera, and block 840 extracts the average values for Red/Green/Blue (RGB) channels at high frame rate, as a function of time. Therefore, the light level variations in the sequence of images are also a function of (i.e., correlated with) the user's blood pressure. Thus, the ROI is representative of the heart function and correlates with the blood pressure as a function of time.); and
determining a blood pressure of the user based on the brightness and the size of the image (paras. 0055-0057; The signal processing algorithms in block 480 typically select a region of interest around the approximate center of the field of view (FOV) (in this case, approximately the center of the finger pressed). The size of this FOV region directly affects the computational complexity, and an optimum for the size exists which provides diagnostic quality results, with diminishing returns observed with increasing FOV size. Block 840 extracts the average values for Red/Green/Blue (RGB) channels at a high frame rate, as a function of time. The manner in which each of parameters BP, heart rate, body temperature and blood-oxygen saturation level is determined is now described. Each image of the sequence is a function of light intensity I, as well as the contents of the ROI on a macroscopic level. Each of the images contains red, green and blue (RGB) values of the sensor (e.g., CMOS) outputs of the camera, and block 840 extracts the average values for Red/Green/Blue (RGB) channels at high frame rate, as a function of time. Therefore, the light level variations in the sequence of images are also a function of (i.e., correlated with) the user's blood pressure. Thus, the ROI is representative of the heart function and correlates with the blood pressure as a function of time.).
Regarding claim 17, Junnarkar teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the size of the image corresponds to a pressure applied to an artery in the finger, and a fluctuation in the brightness of the image corresponds to a resulting pulsating blood volume in the artery (paras. 0055-0057 and 0061-0062; the light level variations in the sequence of images is due to the effect of blood flowing in and out of the ROI as the heart goes through the systolic and diastolic phases. Therefore, the light level variations in the sequence of images are also a function of (i.e., correlated with) the user's blood pressure. Thus, the ROI is representative of the heart function and correlates with the blood pressure as a function of time. A region of interest (ROI) is drawn on the approximate center of the finger's image (i.e., in each of the sequence of images). This ROI or the Field of View (FOV) is an arbitrarily small area on the two-dimensional image. The blood flow rate (dV/dt) in and out of this FOV as volumetric change (dV) as function of time (dt) is determined by plotting the corrected (as noted above) red intensities as a function of time by analyzing successive frames thus acquired with its corresponding time stamp (dt). The rates of volumetric change dV/dt corresponding to systolic peak and diastolic peak are then converted to respective values of dP/dt, i.e., rate of change of pressure with time, through a linear transformation assuming first-degree approximation for a very small part of the pressed finger, further miniaturized by arbitrarily choosing a smaller subset of the image called field-of-view as described earlier. The linear transformation constant K is a function of sensor (camera sensor) response characteristics and can vary from one device to another.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-15 are allowed.
Claims 18-21 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: the prior art of record fails to disclose a base clip structured to attach the blood pressure information collection device to the image sensing device, wherein the blood pressure information collection device includes: a light guide configured to guide, toward a contact point of a finger of the user, flashlight generated by a light source associated with the image sensing device; and an imaging path configured to be aligned with a lens of the image sensing device and including a pinhole in contact with the contact point of the finger of the user to allow the image sensing device to capture an image based on light that is reflected from the contact point of the finger of the user and passes through the pinhole; wherein the blood pressure information collection device includes :a first movable part including a first light guide and a first imaging path and a second movable part including a second light guide and a second imaging path, wherein the first light guide and the second light guide constitute the light guide, and the first imaging path and the second imaging path constitute the imaging path; and a spring structure disposed between the first movable part and the second movable part and configured to deform under pressure such that a size of the image increases in response to an increase in the pressure applied to the spring structure.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAINAB M ALDARRAJI whose telephone number is (571)272-8726. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday7AM-5PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Carey Michael can be reached at (571) 270-7235. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZAINAB MOHAMMED ALDARRAJI/ Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3797
