Appeal No. 2007-0204
Application 10/938,966
Claim 44 recites: "if the input is indicative of a desire to acquire 3D
images, apply the common pulse sequence with 3D parameters; and if the
input is indicative of a desire to acquire 2D images, disable slice encoding
and rewinder gradients and apply the common pulse sequence with 2D
parameters." Claim 45 depends on claim 44 and recites that a computer
program causes the computer to "disable 3D parameters in a third dimension
in real-time." The Examiner does not find the limitation of claim 45 is
unclear in and of itself, but finds that it is unclear what the relationship is
between "disable 3D parameters" in claim 45 and "disable slice encoding and
rewinder gradients" in claim 44. Appellant states that the "3D parameters"
refers to the 3D parameters in the limitation "apply the common pulse
sequence with 3D parameters" in claim 44, and claim 45 is merely saying that
the 3D parameters are disabled in "real-time." This does not answer the
Examiner's question about the claim. The question is whether "disable 3D
parameters in a third dimension" in claim 45 refers to "disable slice encoding
and rewinder gradients" in claim 44, so that "3D parameters in a third
dimension" refers to "slide encoding and rewinder gradients," or whether
"disable 3D parameters in a third dimension" refers to disabling something
else. We agree with the Examiner that claim 45 is indefinite for this reason.
The rejection of claim 45 is sustained.
Claims 51-54
The first question is whether, as a matter of claim interpretation,
"reduced" gradients includes "turning off, or disabling" (Specification,
- 4 -
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013