DETAILED ACTION
Notice of 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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-7) in the reply filed on 07/02/2026 is acknowledged.
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 may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tyler (US 2012/0289869, of record) in view of Iwata (US 2021/0373092).
Regarding claim 1, Tyler discloses a coupling apparatus comprising: a holder unit comprising one or more transducers (Fig. 1A); and an attachment puck comprising at least one layer (Fig. 1A: device holding US transducers is considered an attachment puck). Tyler does not explicitly disclose one or more neuronavigational indicators. However, Iwata teaches tracking the position of a head-mounted system using inertial/optical means which may include fiducials or lights ([0063]…[0070]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to apply the indicators of Iwata to the system of Tyler, as to provide robust indicators.
Regarding claim 2, Tyler discloses that the attachment puck is configured to interface with a head and comprises a liquid (Fig. 1A, [0046]: “fluid filled”).
Regarding claim 3, Tyler does not explicitly disclose explicitly disclose that the coupling apparatus is configured to be prepared for activation by inspecting a liquid bag associated with the attachment puck. However, visual inspection of a liquid bag which may risk leakage would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, as to provide a conventional way of inspecting a liquid-filled container.
Regarding claim 4, Tyler does not explicitly disclose the use of adhesive tape to attach a layer to the holder. However, adhesive tape is a common and well-known tool that is used to attach things. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to apply adhesive tape, because it is well-known, commonly used, and serves as a robust manner of attaching objects.
Regarding claim 6, Tyler discloses generating ultrasound waveforms to stimulate target structures ([0051]: “stimulate various somatosensory experiences”).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tyler (US 2012/0289869, of record) in view of Iwata (US 2021/0373092), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Sato (US 2015/0135840).
Regarding claim 5, neither Tyler nor Iwata explicitly disclose releasing gel from the attachment puck using pressure when placed on a head, wherein the pressure is generated using springs or screws. However, Sato teaches a couplant device that releases gel through a semi-permeable membrane when pressure is applied to it ([0130], [0131]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to apply the couplant of Sato to the system of Tyler, as to provide a pressure-sensitive acoustic couplant device.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tyler (US 2012/0289869, of record) in view of Iwata (US 2021/0373092), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Costa (US 2018/0103928).
Regarding claim 7, neither Tyler nor Iwata explicitly disclose at least one screw, wherein removing the at least one screw creates negative pressure with respect to the head. However, Costa teaches the use of adjustment screws on a headset to control the pressure applied to a subject’s head ([0132]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to apply the adjustment mechanism of Costa to the headset of Tyler, as to provide a robust means of applying pressure to the head.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jason Ip whose telephone number is (571) 270-5387. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9a-5p PST.
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/JASON M IP/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3793
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