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 Objections
Claim 1, 2 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 line 1, limitation "that acquires" should read "configured to acquire".
Claim 1 line 1 – 2, limitation "that processes and displays" should read "configured to process and display".
Claim 2 line 2, limitation "extends" should read "is extended".
Claim 11 line 3 – 4, limitation "that holds" should read "that is configured to hold".
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites limitation “a display region” in line 2. It is unclear the above “display region” is a newly introduced different “display region” or the same “display region” as recited in claim 1 line 5.
Claim 4 line 2 – 3 recites limitation “in the display region”. It is unclear this “display region” is referring to the display region as recited in claim 4 line 2, or the display region as recited in claim 1 line 5.
Thus, the above limitations render claim indefinite. For the purpose of examination, the limitation “a display region” in claim 4 line 2 is interpreted as a display section which is part of the display region as recited in claim 1, and the limitation “in the display region” is interpreted as the same display region as recited in claim 1.
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 1 – 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wodecki (US 2018/0228469 A1; published on 08/16/2018) in view of Ishihara et al. (US 2020/0222125 A1; published on 07/16/2020) (hereinafter "Ishihara").
Regarding claim 1, Wodecki teaches a medical apparatus ("FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an ultrasound imaging system 200 in accordance with various embodiments described herein." [0027]) that acquires biological information of a patient ("... by adjusting a position of a patient for varying ultrasound examinations (e.g., cardiovascular examination, obstetrics examination, gynaecology examination, general ultrasound examination, abdominal examination)." [0051]) and that processes and displays the biological information ("The ultrasound imaging system 900 also includes a processor or the controller circuit 936 to process the acquired ultrasound information (e.g., RF signal data or IQ data pairs) and prepare frames of ultrasound information for display on the display 938." [0062]), the medical apparatus comprising:
a handle including a grip portion ("… the arm mount 210 may be coupled with a position handle 212 …" [0035]); and
a main body portion ("… includes a curved housing 203 that extends along a non-zero, non-orthogonal curvature angle." [0027]) that includes:
a display region ("… a front panel 205 having a curved touchscreen 202." [0027]) for displaying the biological information ("The first interface section 204 may be configured to display one or more ultrasound images 502." [0041]);
a front portion at least partially extending in a vertical direction ("The curved housing 203 includes … and the front panel 205." [0028]; see Fig.3, the front panel is also the front surface of the housing 203);
a side end portion located at an end of the front portion in a lateral direction intersecting a normal direction of the front portion and intersecting the vertical direction (see Fig.2 and Fig.3, the curved housing 203 has thickness, which defines the side portion); and
a back portion located on an opposite side of the front portion in the normal direction ("… a back surface 302 …" [0028]; see Fig.3),
wherein the display region is provided on at least a part of the front portion ("The curved touchscreen 202 may comprise one or more displays 312 …" [0030]; see Fig.2 and Fig.3),
the handle is attached to the back portion, and an attachment position of the handle is fixed relative to the display region (see Fig.2, the handle 212 is connected to the back of curved housing 203), and
a length of the display region in a longitudinal direction is longer than a length of the display region in a width direction (see Fig.2).
Although as shown in Fig.2, another handle-like object is arranged higher than the lower end of the display, Wodecki does not explicitly specify that object is a handle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ishihara teaches the handle is attached to the side end portion or the back portion ("The grip section 32 is provided on a lateral side or back side of the display 3 so as not to interfere with viewing the display 31 a (31 b)." [0048]; see Fig.12), and
a lower end of the display region is provided below the grip portion of the handle in the vertical direction (see Fig.12, the lower end of display 31b is lower than the grip 32).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the position of grip handle as taught by Wodecki with the side arrangement of grip portion as taught by Ishihara. Providing the grip section on side of the display, "so that the operator O sitting in front of the display 3 can grip any grip section 32 with either right or left hand" (see Ishihara; [0048]).
Regarding claim 2, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Ishihara further teaches wherein the grip portion extends in the vertical direction (see Fig.12, the grip 32 is extending vertically).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the position of grip handle as taught by Wodecki with the side arrangement of grip portion as taught by Ishihara. Providing the grip section on side of the display, "so that the operator O sitting in front of the display 3 can grip any grip section 32 with either right or left hand" (see Ishihara; [0048]).
Regarding claim 3, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches wherein the front portion has a first surface portion extending in the vertical direction ("The curved touchscreen 202 includes at least a first interface section 204 …" [0027]; see position of 204 in Fig.2 and Fig.3) and a second surface portion provided to be bent or curved relative to the first surface portion ("… a second interface section 206 …" [0027]; see position of 206 in Fig.2 and Fig.3), and
the display region is provided on the first surface portion and the second surface portion ("Each display 312 of the curved touchscreen 202 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to one of the interface sections (e.g., the first interface section 204, the second interface section 206, the third interface section 208)." [0030]).
Regarding claim 4, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 3, and Wodecki further teaches wherein a display region corresponding to the second surface portion in the display region has a variable angle relative to the first surface portion (see Fig.3, the second interface section 206 is curved which is not a fixed angle in vertical direction; "… the curvature of the curved touchscreen, such as a curvature angle, may be adjusted to avoid light reflection on the surface." [0025]).
Regarding claim 5, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches wherein the display region is formed of a plurality of connected display panels ("The curved touchscreen 202 may comprise one or more displays 312 … Each display 312 of the curved touchscreen 202 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to one of the interface sections …" [0030]; see Fig.3, there are three display panels 312 connected by the housing).
Regarding claim 6, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches wherein the front portion is configured with a third surface portion extending in the vertical direction ("The curved touchscreen 202 includes … and a third interface section 208 …" [0027]; see Fig.3), and
the display region is provided on the third surface portion ("Each display 312 of the curved touchscreen 202 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to one of the interface sections (e.g., the first interface section 204, the second interface section 206, the third interface section 208)." [0030]).
Regarding claim 7, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches a plurality of casters provided below the main body portion in the vertical direction ("The movable cart 214 may include a plurality of wheels 216 …" [0040]).
In addition, Ishihara further teaches wherein the grip portion is provided inside a caster region having installation positions of the respective casters as vertices ("The grip section 32 is provided on a lateral side or back side of the display 3 ... the display 31 a (31 b)." [0048]; see Fig.12; considering the position of display and wheel in Fig.2 of Wodecki, the grip portion is inside the caster region).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the position of grip handle as taught by Wodecki with the side arrangement of grip portion as taught by Ishihara. Providing the grip section on side of the display, "so that the operator O sitting in front of the display 3 can grip any grip section 32 with either right or left hand" (see Ishihara; [0048]).
Regarding claim 8, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches a plurality of casters provided below the main body portion in the vertical direction ("The movable cart 214 may include a plurality of wheels 216 …" [0040]),
wherein the grip portion is provided outside a caster region having installation positions of the respective casters as vertices (see Fig.2).
Regarding claim 9, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches wherein at least a part of the display region is provided outward of a first surface defined by an axis in the vertical direction and an axis in the lateral direction that pass through a center-of-gravity position of the medical apparatus ("… includes a curved housing 203 that extends along a non-zero, non-orthogonal curvature angle." [0027]; see Fig.2 and Fig.3, the curved display is off-set from the center of the cart).
Regarding claim 10, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches a plurality of casters provided below the main body portion in the vertical direction ("The movable cart 214 may include a plurality of wheels 216 …" [0040]),
wherein the display region is provided outward of a second surface defined by an axis in the vertical direction and an axis in the lateral direction that pass through a center position of a caster region having installation positions of the respective casters as vertices ("… includes a curved housing 203 that extends along a non-zero, non-orthogonal curvature angle." [0027]; see Fig.2 and Fig.3, the curved display is off-set from the center position of four wheels).
Regarding claim 11, Wodecki in view of Ishihara teaches all claim limitations, as applied in claim 1, and Wodecki further teaches wherein the medical apparatus is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus (FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an ultrasound imaging system 200 in accordance with various embodiments described herein. [0027]; "The first interface section 204 may be configured to display one or more ultrasound images 502." [0041]) and has a probe holding portion ("For example, the peripheral support structure 512 may be configured to hold the ultrasound probe 518." [0049]) that is provided below the grip portion in the vertical direction (see Fig.2, the support structure 512 is below the back surface of third interface section, and therefore below the grip; also considering the side mount of grip as taught by Ishihara, the position of grip, e.g. Ishihara 32 as shown in Fig.12, is higher than the position of support structure, e.g. Wodecki 512 as shown in Fig.2) and that holds a probe ("… may be configured to hold the ultrasound probe 518." [0049]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Huster et al. (US 2018/0228687 A1; published on 08/16/2018) teach a movable medical system with display and two handles arranged on both side of the display.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHAO SHENG whose telephone number is (571)272-8059. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anne M. Kozak can be reached at (571) 270-0552. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHAO SHENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
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