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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/18/25 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments are moot in view of the amendments to the claims and the new grounds of rejection below.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US Publication No.: US 2014/0071335 A1 of record) in view of Hwang et al (US Publication No.: US 2017/0134628 A1, “Hwang”).
Regarding Claim 1, Lee discloses a camera module (Figures 1-70 comprising:
A lens module comprising a lens barrel (Figure 4, lens barrel 170) and one or more lenses (Figure 4, lens module 210; Paragraph 0060);
A fixing frame having a rectangular cross-section formed along a circumference of the lens module (Figure 4, fixing frame 110);
A first driver, disposed along a side surface of the fixing frame, configured to provide a first driving force in a first direction intersecting an optical axis of the lenses (Figure 4; Figure 9, first driver 310; Paragraph 0075); and
A cam assembly configured to convert the first driving force into a second driving force in an optical axis direction (Paragraph 0058; Figures 2-4, second driving force pushes lens in and out along optical axis direction).
Lee fails to explicitly disclose that the lens barrel is configured to move in an optical axis direction separately and independently from the lens module.
However, Hwang discloses a similar lens barrel that is configured to move in an optical axis direction separately and independent from the lens module (Hwang, Paragraph 0092 discloses that the moving lens barrels move independently of the lens module).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the camera module as disclosed by Lee to include a lens barrel that moves separately and independently as disclosed by Hwang. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of correcting a shaking movement of a user’s hand (Hwang, Paragraph 0092).
Regarding Claim 2, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 1, wherein the first driver comprises: a drive motor (Figure 10, drive motor 320); and an operation member configured to move on a drive shaft of the drive motor in the first direction (Figure 10, operation member 330).
Regarding Claim 3, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 1, wherein the cam assembly comprises: a first cam member configured to move in the first direction, the first cam member having a first projection protruding toward a side surface of the lens module; and a second cam member extending in a diagonal direction with respect to the first direction, the second cam member having a first cam groove configured to fit the first projection and a guide groove extending in the optical axis direction (Paragraph 0058; Figure 4, cam assembly 180; Paragraph 0089).
Regarding Claim 4, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 3, wherein the first cam groove is open toward a lower portion of the second cam member, and the guide groove is open toward an upper portion of the second cam member (Figure 4, the first cam groove is the upper groove and the second cam groove is the lower groove; Paragraph 0089).
Regarding Claim 5, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 1, wherein the fixing frame comprises: a lower fixing frame having a seat portion configured to partially contact a protrusion portion extending in a direction opposite to the first projection from a side surface of the first cam member (Figure 4, lower fixing frame (lower of) 130); and an upper fixing frame having a second projection configured to fit into a guide groove of the second cam member (Figure 4, upper fixing frame (top portion of) 130).
Regarding Claim 6, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 1, further comprising: a first shield can configured to surround a circumference of the fixing frame (Figure 4, first shield can 120); a second shield can configured to cover an upper portion of the second cam member (Figure 4, second shield 160); and an airtight member configured to seal a space between the first shield and the second shield (Figure 4, airtight member 130).
Regarding Claim 7, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 1, wherein the lens module further comprises: a housing; and the lens barrel is disposed in the housing (Figure 4, housing 120, lens barrel 170).
Regarding Claim 8, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 7, further comprising: an elastic member, disposed between the housing and the lens barrel, configured to provide inertial force pushing up the lens barrel upwardly (Figure 1, elastic member 160).
Regarding Claim 9, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the lens module further comprises: a first movable frame, disposed in the housing, configured to move in the optical axis direction; a second movable frame, disposed on the first movable frame, configured to move in the first direction intersecting the optical axis; and a barrel holder disposed on the second movable frame and coupled to the lens barrel (Figure 4, first movable frame 150, second moveable frame 250; barrel holder 120).
Regarding Claim 10, Lee in view of Hwang discloses the camera module of claim 9, wherein the lens module further comprises a second driver configured to drive the first movable frame in the optical axis direction or to drive the second movable frame in the first direction intersecting the optical axis (Figure 4, Figure 10, second driver 350; Paragraph 0075).
Conclusion
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/MARIAM QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2871