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.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hultgren et al 20150305839.
With regard to claim 1, Hultgren et al discloses a method of predicting a motion adjustment responsive to a restoration preparation, the method comprising:
performing a scan of dentition (see paragraphs 48,49,57);
performing a dentition motion assessment (see paragraph 50, motion data is obtained);
determining a restoration preparation (see restoration site “R”)and a restorative material based on the scan and the dentition motion assessment (see paragraph 53, dental restoration data 124 is determined, paragraph 58, the material of the crown/restoration is determined);
predicting a motion adjustment based on the restoration preparation (see paragraph 134 and fig. 10, which discloses how it is determined if an adjustment is needed to be made based on the restoration preparation “R”;
determining whether the restorative material (of the restoration 134) and the restoration preparation “R” cause an interference based on the predicted motion adjustment (see paragraph 138);
in response to a determination that the restorative material (of the restoration 134) and the restoration preparation “R” cause the interference, modifying one or more of the restorative material and the restoration preparation (paragraphs 139 and 183 discloses how the restoration 134 is adjusted based on a determined interference); and
in response to a determination that the restorative material and the restoration preparation do not cause the interference, proceeding to perform the restoration preparation. See paragraph 139.
With regard to claim 2, note how Hultgren et al discloses wherein determining the restoration preparation comprises: determining a pre-treatment interference boundary 580 based on the scan and the dentition motion assessment; and determining one or more portions of a tooth to one or more of remove and shape based on the pre-treatment interference boundary. See figure 14 and paragraph 129.
With regard to claim 3, note that Hultgren et al discloses that determining the restorative material comprises: determining one or more of a type of the restorative material (see paragraph 58, which discloses materials for the restorative material), a size of the restorative material (this is inherent in the formation of the restoration 134), and a thickness of the restorative material (this is inherent in the formation of the restoration 134) based on the restoration preparation “R” and the pre-treatment interference boundary 580.
With regard to claim 4, note that Hultgren et al discloses that predicting the motion adjustment based on the restoration preparation comprises: predicting a post-preparation interference boundary 580 by analyzing the determined restoration preparation “R” and motion data captured by the dentition motion assessment. See paragraphs 128-132.
With regard to claim 5, note that Hultgren et al discloses wherein if the restoration preparation “R” and the restorative material is a crown preparation and a crown, further comprising: automatically fabricating the crown to correspond to the post-preparation interference boundary. See fig. 10 and paragraph 58.
With regard to claim 6, note that Hultgren et al discloses wherein determining whether the restorative material (inherent in the restoration 134) and the restoration preparation “R” cause an interference based on the predicted motion adjustment comprises determining whether a required clearance to place the restorative material is met based on the post-preparation interference boundary 580. See fig. 14 and paragraphs 128-132.
With regard to claim 7, note that Hultgren et al discloses wherein modifying one or more of the restorative material and the restoration preparation comprises: modifying one of a size, a thickness, and a type of the restorative material (see paragraph 58, the size of the restorative material is modified during fabrication); and modifying one or more of portions of a tooth for removal and a shaping of the tooth. See paragraph 177 which discloses how a portion of a tooth may be removed/shaped in formation/adjustment of the restoration preparation “R”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS D LUCCHESI whose telephone number is (571)272-4977. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 800-430.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eric Rosen can be reached at 571-270-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NICHOLAS D LUCCHESI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3772