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
The Examiner recognizes the amendments to the claims. The previous art rejections are maintained. Arguments and amendments are fully addressed herein.
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 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.
Claims 1, 9, 11-13, and 19-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tonar (US 2012/0243093) in view of Fedigan (US2018/0031826) in view of Yamada (US 7,619,821).
Regarding claim 1, Tonar discloses an optical device comprising:
a transparent body (Item 60) disposed in a field of view direction of an optical sensor (Item 12);
a casing that holds the transparent body (Item 14); and
a temperature adjuster (Item 16; Paragraph [0145]) that adjusts a temperature of the transparent body; wherein
the temperature adjuster adjusts the temperature of the transparent body so that the temperature increases from a periphery of the transparent body to a center of the transparent body (Item 16 is in contact on the periphery)
the temperature adjuster includes a planar member having a higher thermal conductivity than the protective cover (Paragraph 88, 89 and 100-110, discusses the different coatings of Tonar, or in a different interpretation, Paragraph 135-136 );
the planar member is provided on an inner surface of the transparent body (Paragraph 92-93 discusses how the coating can be applied to the exterior and/or interior surfaces)
the optical sensor has a field of view; and
the center of the transparent body is provided at a center of the field of view of the optical sensor.
Tonar fails to explicitly disclose such that a center portion (Item 60) of the transparent body becomes hotter than a periphery portion (Item 62) of the transparent body (Please note Tonar does disclose in paragraphs 112, 132, and 134 the ability to optimize how the vibration affects the lens) AND the planar member is provided at a portion that includes the entirety or substantially the entirety of the transparent body, and the portion that includes the center of the transparent body has a higher density and/or a higher thermal conductivity than a portion at a periphery of the transparent body (Paragraph 104 discusses several methods of applying a coating, which make the shape and function of the coating obvious variants)
Fedigan teaches an optical device wherein depending on the frequency and the placement of the temperature adjuster/ vibrating member, more deflection would occur in the center (Paragraph 33-34). With larger deflection comes an increase in temperature). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of Fedigan to use the piezoelectric device to create this type of resonance points which were discussed originally in Tonar (Paragraph 165).
Yamada teaches a lens coating wherein the planar member is provided at a portion that includes the entirety or substantially the entirety of the transparent body, and the portion that includes the center of the transparent body has a higher thermal conductivity than a portion at a periphery of the transparent body (Figures 1a-1b and Column 6 Lines 27-45. Further in Column 4 Lines 5-14 discuss how the coatings can be applied to the interior or the exterior or both surfaces. A list of materials considered to be an anti reflective coating is discussed in Column 5 lines 52-63 but is discussed throughout the patent). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tonar such that the thickness of the coating was dependent on the diameter and inclination angle as taught by Yamada. Such practice would allow for the light entering the camera lens is consistent and not reflected based on various incident angles.
When looking at Tonal in view of Yamada, the casing is connected to a portion of the planar member so as to allow heat conduction between the casing and the planar member. Since the housing and the planar member (coating on the transparent body) is connected together by the transparent body.
Regarding claim 9, Tonar in view of Fedigan in view of Yamada disclose the optical device according to Claim 1, wherein the temperature adjuster is provided on an inner surface of the transparent body or inside the transparent body (Tonar between the transparent body and the optical device).
Regarding claim 11, Tonar in view of Fedigan in view of Yamada disclose the optical device according to Claim 1, further wherein the temperature adjuster includes a driver circuit that performs driving to vibrate the transparent body to remove foreign matter adhering to a surface of the transparent body (Tonar Paragraphs 132-134 discuss how power is delivered to the vibrating device to drive it to actuate).
Regarding claim 12, Tonar in view of Fedigan in view of Yamada disclose the optical device according to Claim 11 wherein the driver performs driving to vibrate the transparent body in a first vibration mode in which a vibration amplitude is larger at the periphery of the transparent body than at the center of the transparent body (Fedigan Figures 7-8) and a second vibration mode in which the vibration amplitude is larger at the center of the transparent body than at the periphery of the transparent; and the driver circuit heats the transparent body by vibrating the transparent body in the second vibration mode (Fedigan Figures 3-4).
Regarding claim 13, Tonar in view of Fedigan in view of Yamada disclose the optical device according to Claim 1, further wherein the driver circuit that performs driving to vibrate the transparent body (Tonar Paragraphs 132-134 discuss how power is delivered to the vibrating device to drive it to actuate) in a vibration mode in which a vibration amplitude is larger at the center of the transparent body than at the periphery of the transparent body (Fedigan Figures 3-4); wherein the temperature adjuster heats the transparent body by vibrating the transparent body using the driver (Tonar Paragraph [0145]).
Regarding claim 19, Tonar discloses an optical device comprising:
a transparent body (60) disposed in a field of view direction of an optical sensor (12);
a casing that holds the transparent body (14);
a temperature adjuster (16) that adjusts the temperature of the transparent body; and wherein the temperature adjuster includes a driver circuit that performs driving to vibrate the transparent body ( Paragraphs 132-134 discuss how power is delivered to the vibrating device to drive it to actuate) and a planar member having a higher thermal conductivity than the transparent cover (Paragraphs 88, 89, 100-110 and 136);
the driver circuit heats the transparent body by vibrating the transparent body;
the planar member is provided on an inner surface of the transparent body (Paragraph 92-93 discusses how the coating can be applied to the exterior and/or interior surfaces)
the optical sensor has a field of view; and
the center of the transparent body is provided at a center of the field of view of the optical sensor.
Tonar fails to explicitly disclose such that a center portion (Item 60) of the transparent body becomes hotter than a periphery portion (Item 62) of the transparent body (Please note Tonar does disclose in paragraphs 112, 132, and 134 the ability to optimize how the vibration affects the lens) AND the planar member is provided at a portion that includes the entirety or substantially the entirety of the transparent body, and the portion that includes the center of the transparent body has a higher density and/or a higher thermal conductivity than a portion at a periphery of the transparent body
Fedigan teaches an optical device wherein depending on the frequency and the placement of the temperature adjuster/ vibrating member, more deflection would occur in the center (Paragraph 33-34). With larger deflection comes an increase in temperature). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of Fedigan to use the piezoelectric device to create this type of resonance points which were discussed originally in Tonar (Paragraph 165).
Yamada teaches a lens coating wherein the planar member is provided at a portion that includes the entirety or substantially the entirety of the transparent body, and the portion that includes the center of the transparent body has a higher thermal conductivity than a portion at a periphery of the transparent body (Figures 1a-1b and Column 6 Lines 27-45. Further in Column 4 Lines 5-14 discuss how the coatings can be applied to the interior or the exterior or both surfaces. A list of materials considered to be an anti reflective coating is discussed in Column 5 lines 52-63 but is discussed throughout the patent). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tonar such that the thickness of the coating was dependent on the diameter and inclination angle as taught by Yamada. Such practice would allow for the light entering the camera lens is consistent and not reflected based on various incident angles.
When looking at Tonal in view of Yamada, the casing is connected to a portion of the planar member so as to allow heat conduction between the casing and the planar member. Since the housing and the planar member (coating on the transparent body) is connected together by the transparent body.
Regarding claim 20, Tonar in view of Fedigan in view of Yamada disclose an optical unit comprising: an optical sensor; and the optical device according to Claim 1 (Tonar Figure 2).
Regarding claim 21, Tonar in view of Fedigan in view of Yamada disclose the optical device according to Claim 19, wherein each of the center of the transparent body and the periphery of the transparent body vibrates in the vibration mode (Fedigan figures 3-4 paragraph 33-34).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tonar (US 2012/0243093) in view of Fedigan (US2018/0031826) in view of Yamada (US 7,619,821) in view of Brentagnol (US2019/0162953).
Regarding claim 10, Tonar discloses the optical device according to Claim 1. Tonar fails to explicitly disclose further comprising a driver that performs driving to rotate the transparent body around an axis at a center of the field of view of the optical sensor in order to remove foreign matter adhering to a surface of the transparent body.
Brentagnol teaches an optical device wherein a driver (Item 5) that performs driving to rotate the transparent body around an axis at a center of the field of view of the optical sensor in order to remove foreign matter adhering to a surface of the transparent body. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Tonar to include the driver as taught by Brentagnol. Such a modification would allow the optical device to have additional cleaning measures by centrifugal force from the rotation (Brentagnol Paragraph [0066]).
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tonar (US 2012/0243093) in view of Yamada (US 7,619,821).
Regarding claim 17, Tonar discloses an optical device comprising:
a transparent body (Item 60) disposed in a field of view direction of an optical sensor (Item 12);
a casing that holds the transparent body (Item 14); and
a temperature adjuster that adjusts the temperature of the transparent body (Item 16); wherein
the temperature adjuster includes a planar body having a higher thermal conductivity than the transparent body; (from the specification of the instant, the planar member is defined to be a coating, Paragraphs [103-110] discuss different coatings)
the planar member is provided at a portion that includes a center of the transparent body
the planar member is provided on an inner surface of the transparent body (Paragraph 92-93 discusses how the coating can be applied to the exterior and/or interior surfaces).
Tonar fails to explicitly disclose such the planar member is provided at a portion that includes the entirety or substantially the entirety of the transparent body, and the portion that includes the center of the transparent body has a higher density and/or a higher thermal conductivity than a portion at a periphery of the transparent body.
Yamada teaches a lens coating wherein the planar member is provided at a portion that includes the entirety or substantially the entirety of the transparent body, and the portion that includes the center of the transparent body has a higher thermal conductivity than a portion at a periphery of the transparent body (Figures 1a-1b and Column 6 Lines 27-45. Further in Column 4 Lines 5-14 discuss how the coatings can be applied to the interior or the exterior or both surfaces. A list of materials considered to be an anti reflective coating is discussed in Column 5 lines 52-63 but is discussed throughout the patent). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tonar such that the thickness of the coating was dependent on the diameter and inclination angle as taught by Yamada. Such practice would allow for the light entering the camera lens is consistent and not reflected based on various incident angles.
When looking at Tonal in view of Yamada, the casing is connected to a portion of the planar member so as to allow heat conduction between the casing and the planar member. Since the housing and the planar member (coating on the transparent body) is connected together by the transparent body.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 10/1/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues Tonar in view of Fedigan in view of Yamada does not disclose the casing is connected to a portion of the planar member so as to allow heat conduction between the casing and the planar member. When looking at the instant application, the multiple embodiments makes it difficult on what the specification means by this support. But the drawings of the instant do not show a direct connection between the coating and the housing or the vibration body (Item 13) and the housing. Tonar has a similar arrangement, wherein the housing and the transparent body and/or the vibrational body are not directly connected to each other, but they are connected to the degree that they are all in the same assembly and thus cooperate with each other to generate vibrations, thus creating heat, and transferring the heat.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 TOM R RODGERS whose telephone number is (313)446-4849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8AM-5PM EST.
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/TOM RODGERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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