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 .
Response to Amendment
This action is in response to the amendment filed on July 28, 2025. Claims 1 and 12 are amended. Claims 13 and 14 are added. Claims 1, 3-9, and 12-14 are pending.
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(s) 1, 4-6, 8, and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tokunaga (JP 2007-065334), and further in view of Itoi et al. (U.S. Publication No.: 2018/0302563).
Regarding claim 1:
Tokunaga discloses a camera accessory (FIGS. 1, 2, (11), [0026]) that is attachable to and detachable from a camera body ((1), [0031]), the accessory comprising: a correction optical system that is movable in a direction intersecting an optical axis thereof ((13), [0032]); a vibration detection unit that detects a vibration of the camera accessory and outputs a detected signal ((18), (19), [0034, 0053]); a microcomputer ((120), [0050-0054]) programmed to calculate a moving amount of the correction optical system based on the detected signal (lens microcomputer (120) utilizes output from lens shake sensors (18)/(19) and ratio (r) received from camera microcomputer (100) to calculate target position (D) for comparing with detected current position C, [0097-0109]; correction lens (13) is driven for shake correction, [0110]); and a first communication unit ((10)/(L4), [0051]) that transmits accessory side information for calculating the moving amount with the microcomputer (reliability level of lens shake sensor is transmitted to camera microcomputer (100) for determining ratio (r), [0077-0083]; ratio (r) is transmitted to lens microcomputer (120), [0084], for shake correction calculation, [0099-0110]),
Tokunaga does not specifically disclose selecting accessory side information from the detected signal; and wherein the accessory side information indicates at least one of (i) whether or not a shooting composition is being changed, (ii) whether or not the shooting composition is stable, and (iii) whether or not the camera body is fixed to a tripod.
Itoi teaches an image pickup apparatus (FIG. 1), comprising: a microcomputer ((203), [0143]) programmed to select accessory side information from the detected signal (“lens controller” (203) obtains/determines “reliability information” from the result of detection by “lens shake detection section” (205), [0143]); and wherein the accessory side information indicates at least one of (i) whether or not a shooting composition is being changed, (ii) whether or not the shooting composition is stable, and (iii) whether or not the camera body is fixed to a tripod (FIG. 13, “reliability information” of (205) is utilized in judgement in step S1301, [0149]; in step S902, it is judged whether the device is attached to a tripod (S904) or not attached to a tripod (S903), [0126]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the feature of Itoi’s with the camera accessory taught by Tokunaga for the purpose of preventing an unnatural image from being photographed when both of an image pickup apparatus body and an interchangeable lens are each equipped with an image blur correction function (Itoi: [0012]).
Regarding claim 4:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: the first communication unit ((10)/(L4), contact for data transmission from lens to camera body, [0051]) transmits a reliability of the accessory side information to the camera body (reliability level of lens shake sensor is transmitted to camera microcomputer (100) for determining ratio (r), [0077-0083]).
Regarding claim 5:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: the first communication unit transmits to the camera body a moving state of the correction optical system in the direction intersecting the optical axis (reliability/level of lens shake sensor (18)/(19) detects correction lens (13) moving in pitch/yaw direction, [0034]).
Regarding claim 6:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: the vibration detection unit periodically outputs the detected signal in a cycle (shake sensors (18)/(19) are vibration gyros that constantly output shakes detected in pitch/yaw directions, [0034]) shorter than a cycle in which the first communication unit transmits the accessory side information (level of lens shake sensor transmitted from lens microcomputer (120) to camera body in step #304, [0096]).
Regarding claim 8:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: a second communication unit that receives an instruction from the camera body (FIG. 2, contact for data transmission from camera body to lens, (L3), [0051]), wherein: the second communication unit receives from the camera body a start instruction to start correction of the vibration (SW1 serves as a switch for starting image stabilization, [0048]; camera microcomputer (100) communicates with lens microcomputer (120) and performs image stabilization operation, [0050]).
Regarding claim 12:
Claim 12 is similarly rejected as claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 13:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: the first communication unit transmits the detected signal to the camera body ([0096]).
Regarding claim 14:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: the first communication unit transmits the detected signal to the camera body ([0096]).
Tokunaga and Itoi do not specifically disclose transmitting a position of the correction optical system to the camera body.
Since Tokunaga already discloses that the “lens microcomputer” (120) obtaining the current position of the “correction lens” (13), (see paragraph [0105]), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to enable the camera accessory taught together by Tokunaga and Itoi to enable the first communication unit to also transmit a position of the correction optical system to the camera body since a mere data transfer between a lens and a camera body is well known in the art. Furthermore, Applicant has not established the criticalness of such transmission.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tokunaga (JP 2007-065334) and Itoi et al. (U.S. Publication No.: 2018/0302563) as applied to claims 1, 4-6, 8, and 12-14 above, and further in view of Miyahara (JP 2018-105938).
Regarding claim 3:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: a position detection unit that detects a position of the correction optical system (FIGS. 1, 2, (21), [0032, 0052, 0105]); the first communication unit transmits to the camera body the accessory side information (see claim 1 above).
Tokunaga and Itoi do not specifically disclose that the first communication unit repeatedly transmits to the camera body a position information representing the position of the correction optical system detected by the position detection unit.
Miyahara teaches an imaging device wherein: the first communication unit repeatedly transmits to the camera body position information, which represents the position of the correction optical system detected by the position detection unit, and the accessory side information (angular velocity data and position data transmitted from interchangeable lens to camera body whenever shake correction processing is started by lens control unit (111), [0078]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the feature of Miyahara’s with the camera accessory taught by Tokunaga and Itoi for the purpose of enabling the use of a shake correction function having sufficient performance in a short time after the interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body (Miyahara: [0085]).
Claim(s) 7 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tokunaga (JP 2007-065334) and Itoi et al. (U.S. Publication No.: 2018/0302563) as applied to claims 1, 4-6, 8, and 12-14 above, and further in view of Oikawa et al. (U.S. Publication No.: 2012/0294598).
Regarding claim 7:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 1, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: the first communication unit transmits data including at least the accessory side information to the camera body (see claim 1 above).
Tokunaga and Itoi do not specifically disclose that the data is of a fixed length.
Oikawa teaches an exchangeable lens and camera body, wherein: a first communication unit periodically transmits data of a fixed length including at least an accessory side information to the camera body (FIG. 8, drive condition transmission unit (222) transmits drive condition information (80) to camera body (100) over, e.g., 1ms cycles through hotline communication, [0122]; drive condition information (80) is four-byte data, [0123]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the feature of Oikawa’s with the camera accessory taught by Tokunaga and Itoi for the purpose of improving communication by enabling simultaneously more than one communication (command data communication and hotline communication) between the lens and the camera body (Oikawa: [0097]).
Regarding claim 9:
Tokunaga and Itoi disclose and teach of the camera accessory according to claim 8, wherein Tokunaga further discloses: the first communication unit transmits the accessory side information (see claim 1 above), and the second communication unit receives the instruction from the camera body (see claim 8 above).
Tokunaga and Itoi do not specifically disclose that the first communication unit periodically transmits the accessory side information in a cycle shorter than a cycle in which the second communication unit receives the instruction from the camera body.
Oikawa teaches an exchangeable lens and camera body, wherein: the first communication unit periodically transmits an accessory side information in a cycle (hotline communication over 1ms cycles: lens control unit (203) transmits lens position data to second body-side communication unit (118), [0089, 0091, 0094]; drive condition transmission unit (222) transmits drive condition information (80) to camera body (100), [0122]) shorter than a cycle in which the second communication unit receives an instruction from the camera body (command communication over 16ms cycles: lens control unit (203) receives control data from first body-side communication unit (117), [0070, 0071]; body control unit (103) transmits initialization status request command (50) to exchangeable lens (200), [0104, 0106]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the feature of Oikawa’s with the camera accessory taught by Tokunaga and Itoi for the purpose of improving communication by enabling simultaneously more than one communication (command data communication and hotline communication) between the lens and the camera body (Oikawa: [0097]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-9, and 12-14 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FANG-CHI CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5299. The examiner can normally be reached MRF 9am-5pm.
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/FANG-CHI CHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2852
/STEPHANIE E BLOSS/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852