DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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 Arguments
2. The applicant’s arguments (see Remarks dated 01/06/2026) have been considered, but are moot because of the new grounds of rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
4. Claims 1, 9, 14, and 18-19 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Sik et al. (KR 20200031512 A, of record) in view of Yang et al. (KR 20190070230 A).
Regarding claim 1, Sik discloses a lens assembly, comprising:
a lens barrel ([0060]);
lenses accommodated in the lens barrel ([0060], L1 and L2); and
a spacer (Figs. 22 & 28, S1) disposed between neighboring lenses among the lenses (Fig. 22), and having an incident hole (Fig. 28, 60),
wherein an inner side surface (Fig. 28, 40) of the spacer surrounding the incident hole (Fig. 28, 40 surrounds 60) includes a first inner side surface (Fig. 28, bottom of 40) and a second inner side surface (Fig. 28, top of 40) facing each other (Fig. 28), and a third inner side surface (Fig. 28, left side of 40; see Image 1 below) and a fourth inner side surface (Fig. 28, right side of 40; Image 1) facing each other (Fig. 28),
wherein each of the first inner side surface and the second inner side surface are straight (Fig. 28), and each of the third inner side surface and the fourth inner side surface includes a concavely curved region (Fig. 28 & Image 1), facing a center of the spacer (Fig. 28),
wherein the first inner side surface, the second inner side surface, the third inner side surface, and the fourth inner side surface have radii of curvature R1, R2, R3, and R4 (), respectively, and
wherein the lens assembly satisfies the expressions:
R1 = R2 (Fig. 28);
R3 ≠ R1 (Fig. 28); and
R4 ≠ R1 (Fig. 28).
Sik fails to disclose wherein the spacer includes a cutout portion that extends through the spacer from a first exterior surface of the spacer adjacent to a first lens of the neighboring lenses to a second exterior surface of the spacer adjacent to a second lens of the neighboring lenses, and a width of the cutout portion at the first exterior surface is different from a width of the cutout portion at the second exterior surface, wherein the width of the cutout portion is a distance spaced along a circumferential direction of the cutout portion centered on an optical axis, wherein the cutout portion is formed in the spacer at a location corresponding to the third inner side surface or the fourth inner side surface.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the claimed invention was made to adjust the shape of the spacer such that the such that a width of a cutout portion at a first exterior surface was different from a width of the cutout portion at a second exterior surface, since it has been held that a mere change in shape of an element is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art when the change in shape is not significant to the function of the combination, In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966). One would have been motivated to implement a cutout portion having different widths, for the purpose of simplifying the manufacturing process.
Modified Sik fails to disclose wherein each of the third inner side surface and the fourth inner side surface includes a concavely curved region having continuous curvature, except for the cutout portion.
However, Yang teaches a similar lens assembly comprising a spacer (Fig. 5, spacer S5), and discloses wherein each of third and fourth inner side surfaces (Fig. 11, top and bottom interior surfaces of S5) include a concavely curved region having continuous curvature (Figs. 10-11), except for the cutout portion (cutout portion of Sik’s Fig. 28 as modified by In re Dailey).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine modified Sik and Yang such that each of the third and fourth inner side surfaces included a concavely curved region having continuous curvature, motivated by “the inner surface of the [spacer having] a shape substantially concentric with the…outer surface of the [spacer]” (Yang - [0140]; it should be noted that the outer surfaces of Sik and Yang’s spacers each share a common shape).
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Image 1. An edited version of Sik’s Figure 28, depicting the third inner side surface (interior surface to the left of the left dotted line) and fourth inner side surface (interior surface to the right of the right dotted line) of the spacer.
Regarding claim 9, modified Sik discloses wherein the cutout portion connects the first exterior surface and the second exterior surface of the spacer to the inner side surface (Sik - Fig. 28).
Regarding claim 14, modified Sik fails to disclose wherein the cutout portion has a width of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm.
However, due to the nature of optical engineering, the process of lens assembly design includes manipulation of variables such as effective aperture diameter, aperture shape, lens surface radii, lens distances, and other shape concerns, in order to allow a lens system to meet its particular utility. This manipulation would normally be considered routine experimentation since the results are governed by known physics equations and are known to be result-effective (unless the particular range of values meets secondary considerations).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to adjust the width of the cutout portion of Sik such that it was 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (C.C.P.A. 1955). In this case, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the invention to change the width of the cutout portion such that a width of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm was satisfied, motivated by allowing the cutout portion to accommodate a screw of similar width.
Regarding claim 18, modified Sik discloses wherein an exterior side surface of the spacer surrounding the incident hole includes a first exterior side surface corresponding to the first inner side surface (Sik - Fig. 28, 53), a second exterior side surface corresponding and the second inner side surface (Sik - Fig. 28, 54), a third exterior side surface corresponding to the third inner side surface (Sik - Fig. 28, 51), and a fourth exterior side surface corresponding the fourth inner side surface (Sik - Fig. 28, 52).
Regarding claim 19, modified Sik discloses wherein the first and second exterior side surfaces are straight (Sik - Fig. 28, 53 and 54) and the third and fourth exterior side surfaces are curved (Sik - Fig. 28, 51 and 52).
5. Claims 15-16 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Sik in view of Yang, and further in view of Newport (“Lens Washer, 1.0 in. Diameter, 0.5 mm Thick, Delrin, 10-pack”, 07/12/2018, Newport—of record).
Regarding claims 15 and 16, modified Sik fails to disclose wherein the spacer has a thickness of 0.01 mm to 0.5 mm.
However, Newport teaches a spacer, and discloses wherein it has a thickness of 0.5 mm (Technical Specs, Thickness = 0.5 mm).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine modified Sik and Newport such that the spacer had a thickness of 0.5 mm, motivated by reducing the size of the device.
6. Claim 20 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over Sik in view of Yang, and further in view of Young (KR 101414826 B1, of record).
Regarding claim 20, modified Sik discloses wherein the third and fourth exterior side surfaces are curved (Sik - Fig. 28, 51 and 52).
Modified Sik fails to disclose wherein the first and second exterior side surfaces are curved.
However, Young teaches a similar lens spacer (Fig. 1), and discloses wherein first and second exterior side surfaces are curved (Fig. 1, bottom and top of 10, respectively).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine modified Sik and Young such that first and second exterior side surfaces of the spacer were curved, motivated by accommodating similarly shaped lenses.
Conclusion
7. 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.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daniel Jeffery Jordan whose telephone number is 571-270-7641. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30a-6:00p.
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/D. J. J./Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/STEPHONE B ALLEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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