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 Amendment filed 11/28/25 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the amended claims filed 11/28/25 have been considered as follows.
35 USC 102/103 Rejections of the claims:
Applicant’s arguments are moot in view of the new ground rejections.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2,4-5,8-12,30-31,33,35-36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KAWAMURA (US 20190317335, of record).
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Regarding claim 1, KAWAMURA teaches (Fig. 1, Example 1) An optical system consisting of:
a front group (G1) and a rear group (G2-G5) that are disposed in order from an object along an optical axis, and an aperture stop (S),
wherein
the rear group comprises a first focusing lens group (G2) disposed closest to the object of the rear group and having negative refractive power, and a second focusing lens group (G4) disposed closer to an image surface than the first focusing lens group and having negative refractive power, and a third lens group (G5) disposed closer to the image surface than the second focusing lens group,
upon focusing from an infinity object to a short-distance object, the first focusing lens group and the second focusing lens group move toward the image surface along the optical axis at respective different trajectories ([439], d12 and d31 vary differently), and the following conditional expression is satisfied:
-2.00 < (-fE)/f < 5.00 (-50.74/91.1)
where, fE: a focal length of the third lens group
f: a focal length of the optical system.
Regarding claim 2, KAWAMURA further teaches The optical system according to claim 1, wherein
the following conditional expression is satisfied:
0.30<STL/TL<0.90 (as seen in Fig. 1)
where, STL: a distance along the optical axis from the aperture stop to the image surface
TL: an entire length of the optical system.
Regarding claim 4, KAWAMURA further teaches ([439]) The optical system according to claim 1, wherein
the front group (G1) consists of a preceding lens group having positive refractive power, and
the rear group comprises a positive lens group (G3) disposed between the first focusing lens group and the second focusing lens group and having positive refractive power.
Regarding claims 5,33,35-36, KAWAMURA teaches all the limitations as stated in claims 1-2,4,8-9 rejections above.
Regarding claim 8, KAWAMURA further teaches The optical system according to claim 4, wherein
the following conditional expression is satisfied:
0.50<fA/f<2.00 (46.47/91.1)
where, fA: a focal length of the preceding lens group
f: a focal length of the optical system.
Regarding claim 9, KAWAMURA further teaches The optical system according to claim 4, wherein
the following conditional expression is satisfied:
0.50<fA/(−fF1)<1.50 (46.47/31.05)
where, fA: a focal length of the preceding lens group
fF1: a focal length of the first focusing lens group.
Regarding claim 10, KAWAMURA further teaches The optical system according to claim 4, wherein
the following conditional expression is satisfied:
0.35<fB/(−fF1)<1.50 (41/31 at extremely close distance)
where, fB: a combined focal length of the lens groups disposed closer to the image surface than the first focusing lens group
fF1: a focal length of the first focusing lens group.
Regarding claim 12, KAWAMURA further teaches The optical system according to claim 4, wherein
the following conditional expression is satisfied:
−1.00<fP/(−fE)<1.50 (32/50.74)
where, fP: a focal length of the positive lens group
fE: a focal length of the third lens group.
Regarding claim 30, KAWAMURA further teaches (Fig. 1) An optical apparatus comprising the optical system according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 31, mutatis mutandis, KAWAMURA teaches all the limitations as stated in claim 1 rejection above (disposing the lens group with the aperture stop in a lens barrel is considered as a default setting).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 6-7,34 is/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. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 6, the prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious all the limitations of claim 6 for including “an aperture stop (S) is disposed between the preceding lens group and the first focusing lens group”, along with the other claimed limitations of claim 6.
Claim 34 would be allowable for similar reasons as claim 6.
Claim 7 would be allowable for its claim dependency.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WEN HUANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0234. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9:00AM-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached on (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WEN HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
wen.huang2@uspto.gov
(571)270-0234