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 .
Priority
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1 and 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Takayoshi (JP2005238327) in view of Wada (US 2010/0192712). An English translation of Takayoshi (JP2005238327) was provided by the applicant with the IDS submitted on 7/7/2022.
With respect to the limitations of claim 1, Takayoshi teaches a focal length adjusting device (Figs 1-9, beam expander 50, 0034) including a first lens and a second lens arranged on an optical axis of the first lens (0010, beam expander composed of two lens, a first lens holder, second lens holder, Fig 8), the focal length adjusting device is configured to adjust a distance between the first lens and the second lens to adjust the focal length of a laser beam transmitted through the first lens and the second lens (0010), the focal length adjusting device comprising: a retainer that holds the first lens (second lens holder 52, 0045); a guide that supports (first lens holder 51, 0045, first lens holder 51 accommodating the collimator lens 53 and a second lens bolder 5; fitting hole portion 51A, 0056, Figs 6-8) the retainer so that the retainer is movable along the optical axis of the laser beam; a moving means including a shaft and disposed so that a center axis of the shaft is orthogonal to the optical axis (Figs 6-8, shaft portion 62, groove 62A, 0056, when the beam diameter of the laser beam is narrowed, an instrument is placed on the groove 62A of the shaft portion 62 to rotate the shaft portion 62 in a counterclockwise direction, for example); and a converter (adjustment mechanism 60, 0034, 0049) located between the shaft and the retainer to convert rotational motion of the shaft to linear motion of the retainer, the converter includes a joint joined with the retainer and configured to transmit kinetic force from the converter to the retainer in a direction parallel to the optical axis (0056) and not transmit kinetic force in a direction parallel to the center axis of the shaft.
Takayoshi discloses the claimed invention except for the moving means is a stepper motor including a shaft; and the joint includes: an arm fixed to the shaft and extending in a radial direction of the shaft; a support shaft extending from a distal end of the arm parallel to the center axis of the shaft; a bearing including an inner race fixed to the support shaft; and an engagement piece fixed to the retainer and engaged with the bearing in a first direction that is parallel to the optical axis and a second direction that is opposite the first direction.
However, Wada discloses the moving means is a stepper motor including a shaft (Figs 1-8, drive motor 2, shaft portion 3, 0045); and the joint includes: an arm (worm gear 4, 0045) fixed to the shaft (3) and extending in a radial direction of the shaft; a support shaft (shaft portion 9, 0046) extending from a distal end of the arm parallel to the center axis of the shaft; a bearing including an inner race (shaft portion 8, threaded portion 10, 0046) fixed to the support shaft; and an engagement piece (horizontal plate 12, 0047) fixed to the retainer and engaged with the bearing in a first direction (vertical plate 13, threaded portion 16, 0047) that is parallel to the optical axis and a second direction (vertical plate 13, supporting hole 15) that is opposite the first direction is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the focal length adjusting device of Takayoshi having a moving means and joint silent to the recited stepper motor and recited joint configuration with the moving means is a stepper motor including a shaft; and the joint includes: an arm fixed to the shaft and extending in a radial direction of the shaft; a support shaft extending from a distal end of the arm parallel to the center axis of the shaft; a bearing including an inner race fixed to the support shaft; and an engagement piece fixed to the retainer and engaged with the bearing in a first direction that is parallel to the optical axis and a second direction that is opposite the first direction of Wada for the purpose of providing a known alternative lens moving configuration that allows for the automatic, rotational driving force transmitted to be converted into a linear thrust force along the rotation axis (abstract, 0006), thereby improving the ease of operation and allowing for the amount of travel to be more finely adjusted.
Claims 3-8 are also rejected to as being dependent upon claim 1.
With respect to the limitations of claim 9, Takayoshi discloses a laser processing device that scans and processes a processing surface of a workpiece with a laser beam (laser marking device, 0034), the laser processing device comprising: a laser oscillator that emits the laser beam (Figs 1-8, laser oscillation unit 10, 0035); a scanner that performs scanning (galvano mirror device 24, 0034) with the laser beam; and a focal length adjusting device (Figs 1-9, beam expander 50, 0034) including a first lens and a second lens that are arranged on an optical axis of the laser beam (0010, beam expander composed of two lens, a first lens holder, second lens holder, Fig 8) and located between the laser oscillator (10) and the scanner (24), the focal length adjusting device is configured to adjust a distance between the first lens and the second lens to adjust a focal length of a laser beam (0010) directed from the scanner toward the workpiece: the focal length adjusting device includes: a retainer that holds the first lens (second lens holder 52, 0045); a guide that supports (first lens holder 51, 0045, first lens holder 51 accommodating the collimator lens 53 and a second lens bolder 5; fitting hole portion 51A, 0056, Figs 6-8) the retainer so that the retainer is movable along the optical axis; a moving means including a shaft and disposed so that a center axis of the shaft is orthogonal to the optical axis (Figs 6-8, shaft portion 62, groove 62A, 0056, when the beam diameter of the laser beam is narrowed, an instrument is placed on the groove 62A of the shaft portion 62 to rotate the shaft portion 62 in a counterclockwise direction, for example); and a converter (adjustment mechanism 60, 0034, 0049) located between the shaft and the retainer to convert rotational motion of the shaft to linear motion of the retainer, the converter includes a joint joined with the retainer and configured to transmit kinetic force from the converter to the retainer in a direction parallel to the optical axis (0056) and not transmit kinetic force in a direction parallel to the center axis of the shaft
Takayoshi discloses the claimed invention except for the moving means is a stepper motor including a shaft; and the joint includes: an arm fixed to the shaft and extending in a radial direction of the shaft; a support shaft extending from a distal end of the arm parallel to the center axis of the shaft; a bearing including an inner race fixed to the support shaft; and an engagement piece fixed to the retainer and engaged with the bearing in a first direction that is parallel to the optical axis and a second direction that is opposite the first direction.
However, Wada discloses the moving means is a stepper motor including a shaft (Figs 1-8, drive motor 2, shaft portion 3, 0045); and the joint includes: an arm (worm gear 4, 0045) fixed to the shaft (3) and extending in a radial direction of the shaft; a support shaft (shaft portion 9, 0046) extending from a distal end of the arm parallel to the center axis of the shaft; a bearing including an inner race (shaft portion 8, threaded portion 10, 0046) fixed to the support shaft; and an engagement piece (horizontal plate 12, 0047) fixed to the retainer and engaged with the bearing in a first direction (vertical plate 13, threaded portion 16, 0047) that is parallel to the optical axis and a second direction (vertical plate 13, supporting hole 15) that is opposite the first direction is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the laser processing device of Takayoshi having a focal length adjusting device with a moving means and joint silent to the recited stepper motor and recited joint configuration with the moving means is a stepper motor including a shaft; and the joint includes: an arm fixed to the shaft and extending in a radial direction of the shaft; a support shaft extending from a distal end of the arm parallel to the center axis of the shaft; a bearing including an inner race fixed to the support shaft; and an engagement piece fixed to the retainer and engaged with the bearing in a first direction that is parallel to the optical axis and a second direction that is opposite the first direction of Wada for the purpose of providing a known alternative lens moving configuration that allows for the automatic, rotational driving force transmitted to be converted into a linear thrust force along the rotation axis (abstract, 0006), thereby improving the ease of operation and allowing for the amount of travel to be more finely adjusted.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3-8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims..
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIEN S TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7745. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday [8:00-4:00].
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/THIEN S TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 9/16/2025