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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 7-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10/16/2025.
Applicant’s election without traverse of invention 1 in the reply filed on 10/16/2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Chung (US 20140142384 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chung teaches An electronic endoscope comprising
an image-capturing member (fig. 15, element 103, [0040], distal end body 103), the image-capturing member comprising:
a housing (fig. 15, element 103, [0040], distal end body 103);
a lens base (fig. 14, element 131, [0042], accommodating hole 131 accommodates the image sensor 111 and the light source 143) mounted in the housing, the lens base comprising
a base body and
at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure (fig. 14, element 139a, [0051], grooves 139, which have rectangular, V, or U shapes are convexly provided) convexly provided on the base body; and
a light source assembly comprising at least one light source provided on the at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure (fig. 14, element 131, [0042], accommodating hole 131 accommodates the image sensor 111 and the light source 143),
the at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure being configured to transfer heat generated by the at least one light source ([0051], heat fins increase contact area with cooling medium).
Regarding claim 2, Chung teaches The electronic endoscope of claim 1,
wherein the at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure each comprises a base plate (fig. 14, element 103, distal end body 103 housing mounts the grooves) connected to the base body and a fixing slot (fig. 14, element 131, [0042] accommodating hole 131 is a slot concave to the base plate wherein the light source and imager are mounted) concavely provided on the base plate, the base plate is recessed from a side further from the lens base toward the lens base to define the fixing slot, and the fixing slot is configured to mount the at least one light source.
Regarding claim 3, Chung teaches The electronic endoscope of claim 1,
wherein the image-capturing member further comprises at least one image sensor ([0042], image sensor 111),
the base body is recessed from a side further from the at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure toward the at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure to define at least one mounting slot (fig. 14, element 131, [0042] accommodating hole 131 is a slot concave to the base plate wherein the light source and imager are mounted), and
the at least one mounting slot is configured to accommodate the at least one image sensor (fig. 14, element 131, [0042] accommodating hole 131 is a slot concave to the base plate wherein the light source and imager are mounted).
Regarding claim 4, Chung teaches The electronic endoscope of claim 3,
wherein the light source assembly further comprises at least one lens ([0006], a lens may be mounted on the front portion of the endoscope) mounted on the base body, the base body is provided with at least one first mounting hole (fig. 14, element 131, [0042] accommodating hole 131 is a slot concave to the base plate wherein the light source and imager are mounted) configured to accommodate the at least one lens, the base body has a first side connected to the at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure and a second side opposite to the first side and further from the at least one thermal-conductive mesa structure, the at least one first mounting hole passes through the first side and the second side, and the at least one mounting slot communicates with the at least one first mounting hole (fig. 14, element 131, [0042] accommodating hole 131 is a slot concave to the base plate wherein the light source and imager are mounted).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claim(s) 5, 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung as applied to claim4 above, and further in view of 송원국 (KR 101811759 B1).
Regarding claim 5, Chung teaches The electronic endoscope of claim 4,
Chung does not explicitly teach wherein the at least one image sensor comprises a first image sensor and a second image sensor, the at least one mounting slot comprises a first mounting slot configured to accommodate the first image sensor and a second mounting slot configured to accommodate the second image sensor; the at least one first mounting hole comprises two first mounting holes, the image-capturing member further comprises a first lens and a second lens, the first lens and the second lens are configured to be mounted in the two first mounting holes respectively; and the first image sensor and the second image sensor are configured to be mounted in the first mounting slot and the second mounting slot respectively, such that a distance between the first lens and the first image sensor is equal to a distance between the second lens and the second image sensor.
However, 송원국 teaches wherein the at least one image sensor comprises a first image sensor (fig. 17, element 232a, p. 11, para. 11, first camera 232a) and a second image sensor (fig. 17, element 232b, p. 11, para. 11, second camera 232b), the at least one mounting slot comprises a first mounting slot (fig. 17, element 251’, p. 12, para. 3, camera guide part 251’) configured to accommodate the first image sensor and a second mounting slot (fig. 17, element 251’, p. 12, para. 3, camera guide part 251’) configured to accommodate the second image sensor; the at least one first mounting hole comprises two first mounting holes, the image-capturing member further comprises a first lens and a second lens (p. 2, para. 7, objective lenses disposed at the end of each imaging system), the first lens and the second lens are configured to be mounted in the two first mounting holes respectively; and the first image sensor and the second image sensor are configured to be mounted in the first mounting slot and the second mounting slot respectively, such that a distance between the first lens and the first image sensor is equal to a distance between the second lens and the second image sensor (fig. 17, symmetrical holding components).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the imager of Chung to include a second imager as taught in 송원국 in order to increase the viewing range using multiple fixed cameras (송원국 p. 11, para. 11)
Regarding claim 6, Chung in view of 송원국 teaches The electronic endoscope of claim 5,
Further, Chung teaches wherein the image-capturing member further comprises a PCB (fig. 1, element 141, [0046], printed circuit board 141) provided in the housing, the base body extends from an edge of the second side toward a direction away from the first side to form a first extending portion, the PCB is provided with an abutting surface adapted to the first extending portion, and the first extending portion is configured to contact the abutting surface.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY TUAN LUU whose telephone number is (703)756-4592. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday.
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/TIMOTHY TUAN LUU/ Examiner, Art Unit 3795
/MICHAEL J CAREY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3795