Ex Parte Yamada - Page 4

               Appeal 2007-1733                                                                            
               Application 09/978,275                                                                      
               Appellant further contends that Vuylsteke does not teach using pixel values                 
               including information indicating an exposure dose of a radiographic image                   
               signal to adapt a characteristic of the filter, as recited in independent claim 1.          
               (Reply Br. 4.)                                                                              
                                               ISSUE                                                       
                      The pivotal issue in the appeal before us is as follows:                             
               Has Appellant shown that the Examiner failed to establish that the disclosure               
               of Vuylsteke anticipates the claimed invention under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b)?                    
               Particularly, does Vuylsteke’s disclosure anticipate the claimed invention                  
               given that Vuylsteke teaches decomposing a radiographic image into a                        
               sequence of detail images that are filtered according to a locally estimated                
               amount of relevant signal and noise level present?                                          
                                          FINDINGS OF FACT                                                 
                      The following findings of fact are supported by a preponderance of                   
               the evidence.                                                                               
                                                 The Invention                                             
                      1.  Appellant invented an apparatus (100) for suppressing                            
               quantization noise in low density areas of an input signal (Sin)                            
               corresponding to low-intensity exposure in a radiographic image.  As                        
               depicted in Figure 1, the noise suppressing apparatus includes a band-                      
               limited-image-signal generation unit (1), an index-value-obtaining unit                     
               (characteristic calculation unit) (2), a noise suppression processing unit                  
               (smoothing filter) (3), and an image reconstruction unit (4).  (Specification               
               2, 3, and 27.)                                                                              
                      2. The band-limited-image-signal generation unit (1) receives the                    
               input signal (Sin), and generates a plurality of band-limited image signals                 

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