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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/02/2023, 05/30/2024 and 11/18/2025 being considered by the examiner. A copy of initialed form is attached for Applicant’s record.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: since there is only 1 equation, it is suggested that claim 2 be written as follow:
2. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower regions of the opening portion satisfy the following equation:
0.2<(X1/Y1)−(X2/Y2)<1.9
where, X1 means a maximum length of the upper region of the opening portion in the first direction, and Y1 means a maximum length of the upper region of the opening portion in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In addition, X2 means a maximum length of the lower region of the opening portion in the first direction, and Y2 means a maximum length of the lower region of the opening portion in the second direction.
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.
Claims 7-13 and 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yedid et al.(US 11333845 B2 hereinafter Yedid).
Regarding claim 7, Yedid discloses a camera module, in figure 1C and 1D, comprising a first lens and a second lens sequentially disposed along an optical axis from an object side toward an image side (figure 1B); and a lens spacer (figure 1)(reference R1) disposed between the first lens (L1) and second lens (L2), wherein the first and second lenses (L1, L2) have different shapes (see figure 1C), wherein the lens spacer (R1) includes an opening portion penetrating an upper surface (figure 1D(a)) and a lower surface (figure 1D(b)) thereof, and wherein a shape of an upper region of the opening portion is different from a shape of a lower region of the opening portion, and wherein the lower surface (110) and upper surface (112) of the lens spacer (R1) have different shapes (as can be seen from figure 1D where the surface 110 having bigger opening than that of the lower surface (112). In addition, the direction of the lines from front to back surfaces (figure below) imply surface 110 and surface 112 are not the same shape).
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Regarding claim 8, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 7. Yedid further discloses wherein the first lens (L1) has a D-cut shape, and wherein the second lens (L2) has a circular shape.
Regarding claim 9, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 7. Yedid further discloses wherein the upper region (110) of the opening portion has a shape corresponding to that of the first lens (L1), wherein the lower region (112) of the opening portion has a shape corresponding to that of the second lens (L2),
wherein the upper region of the opening portion has a first length defined by a length in a first direction and a second length defined by a length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (there always exists a/any length in a first direction in region 110),
wherein the lower region of the opening portion includes a third length defined by lengths in the first and second directions (there always exists a/any length on region 112), and
wherein the third length is smaller than the first and second lengths (there always exists a third length smaller than a first length and a second length within Yedid’s spacer since the first, second and third length are not defined by the claim. Claim does not disclose a reference size of said first, second and third length. It does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention).
Regarding claim 10, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 7. Yedid further discloses wherein the first lens (L1) has a non-circular shape, wherein the second lens (L2) has a circular shape, and wherein the lens spacer (R1) is disposed between an image-side surface of the first lens (L1) and an object-side surface of the second lens (L2)(figure 2B).
Regarding claim 11, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 10. Yedid further discloses wherein the upper surface (110) of the lens spacer (R1) has a non-circular shape, and wherein the lower surface (112) of the lens spacer (R1) has a circular shape.
Regarding claim 12, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 7. Yedid further discloses wherein the first lens (L1) has a non-circular shape, wherein the second lens (L2) has a circular shape, wherein the upper surface (110) of the lens spacer (R1) is in contact with an ineffective region of an image-side surface of the first lens, and the lower surface (112) of the lens spacer (R1) is in contact with an ineffective region of an object-side surface of the second lens (L2).
Regarding claim 13, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 7. Yedid further discloses wherein the first lens (L1) has a non-circular shape, wherein the second lens (L2) has a circular shape, and wherein the lens spacer (R1) maintains a distance between the first lens (L1) and the second lens (L2)(figure 2B).
Regarding claim 16, Yedid discloses a camera module, in figure 1C and 1D, comprising a lens spacer (R1) disposed between first lens (L1) and second lens (L2) sequentially disposed along an optical axis (figure 1B), wherein upper surface (110) and lower surface (112) of the lens spacer (R1) are disposed between an image-side surface of the first lens (L1) and an object-side surface of the second lens (L2), wherein the upper surface (110) of the lens spacer (R1) has a non-circular shape (figure 1D), wherein the lower surface (110) of the lens spacer (R1) has a circular shape (figure 1D), wherein the lens spacer (R1) includes an opening portion penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface thereof, wherein the upper surface of the opening portion has a non-circular shape (fig.1D), and wherein the lower surface of the opening portion has a circular shape (fig.1D).
Regarding claim 17, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 16. Yedid further discloses wherein an area of the upper surface (110) of the opening portion is larger than an area of the lower surface (112) of the opening portion (figure 1D).
Regarding claim 18, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 16. Yedid further discloses wherein the image-side surface of the first lens (L1) has different lengths in first and second directions orthogonal to each other and passing through an optical axis, and wherein the object-side surface of the second lens (L2) has the same lengths in the first and second directions passing through the optical axis (figure 1B).
Regarding claim 19, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 16. Yedid further discloses wherein a length of the object-side surface of the second lens (L2) in the first and second directions is smaller than a length of the image-side surface of the first lens (l1) in the first direction (surface 110 is larger than surface 112).
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.
Claims 1 and 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yedid et al.(US 2020/040920 A1 of record, hereinafter Yedid).
Regarding claim 1, Yedid discloses a camera module in figure 1B, comprising of a lens barrel (fig.1B, "102"); and
a lens spacer disposed within the lens barrel (fig.1B, "R1");
wherein the lens spacer comprises: an opening portion penetrating upper and lower surfaces (fig.1D, "110", "112"), wherein a shape of an upper region of the opening portion is different from a shape of a lower region of the opening portion, wherein the upper region of the opening portion comprises: a first inner periphery having a curved shape (fig.1D, "110", left side);
a second inner periphery facing the first inner periphery in a first direction and having a curved shape (fig.1D, "110", right side), a third inner periphery connecting one-side ends of the first and second inner peripheries and having a straight-line shape (fig.1D, "110a"), and a fourth inner periphery connecting the other-side ends of the first and second inner peripheries, which are opposite to the one-side ends thereof, having a straight-line shape, and facing the third inner periphery in a second direction (fig.1D, "110b"), wherein the upper region of the opening portion has a first length defined by a
length in the first direction and a second length defined by a length in the
second direction perpendicular to the first direction (fig.1D (a), "110", first length
between left side and right side, second length between "110a" and "110b"),
wherein the lower region of the opening portion includes a third length (fig.1D
(b), see lengths between "112" left side and right side and between "112a", “112b”).
wherein the upper region of the opening portion has a first length defined by a length in a first direction and a second length defined by a length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (there always exists a/any length in a first direction in region 110),
wherein the lower region of the opening portion includes a third length defined by lengths in the first and second directions (there always exists a/any length on region 112), and
wherein the third length is smaller than the first and second lengths (there always exists a third length smaller than a first length and a second length within Yedid’s spacer since the first, second and third length are not defined by the claim. Claim does not disclose a reference size of said first, second and third length. It does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention).
Yedid does the claimed invention except for “a lower region of the opening portion has a circular shape, wherein the lower and upper surfaces of the lens spacer have different shapes” and “first and second lengths in the first and second directions, and wherein a third length is smaller than the first and second lengths”.
However, it would be obvious to a person having skilled in the art in a
straightforward manner through a design change implied by Yedid for the case
wherein a front surface (S3) of the second lens element (L2) is alternatively
taught to be circular, see par.[0034]. Yedid teaches to adapt the spacer "R1" in
such a case so as to come in contact with the second lens surface S3 over the
entire back contact surface (112) of the spacer (R1 ), see par.[0027], [0033] and figures
1C and 1D, so that in such a case, a circular shape for the lower side of the
spacer with smaller dimensions than the upper side would be chosen by the
skilled person following the teachings of Yedid in a straightforward manner.
Regarding claim 3, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 1, wherein the lens spacer comprises at least one inner side surface exposed by the opening portion, wherein the inner side surface comprises: a first inner side surface; a second inner side surface facing the first inner side surface in the first direction; a third inner side surface disposed between the first and second inner side surfaces; and a fourth inner side surface disposed between the first and second inner side surfaces and facing in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction (where an optical part of a first lens element (L1) is axisymmetric radially along an axis (X) and non-circular (flat top and bottom sections) and the first lens element comes in contact with the spacer (R1) over the entire front contact surface (110) of the spacer (R1) and an internal surface (114) of the spacer (R1) between an edge (114a) of the front contact section (11 0a) and an edge (114b) of the back contact section (112a) has a length (D3) and an inclination (a) (see paragraphs [0023], [0027] and [0028] and figures 1C and 1D).
Regarding claims 4-6, Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 3, wherein the first inner side surface has a first inclination angle with respect to the lower surface, wherein the second inner side surface has a second inclination angle with respect to the lower surface, and wherein the first inclination angle is equal to the second inclination angle; wherein the third inner side surface has a third inclination angle with respect to the lower surface, wherein the fourth inner side surface has a fourth inclination angle with respect to the lower surface, wherein the third inclination angle is equal to the fourth inclination angle; wherein the first and second inclination angles are smaller than the third and fourth inclination angles (an optical part of a first lens element (L1) is axisymmetric radially along an axis (X) and non-circular (flat top and bottom sections) and the first lens element comes in contact with the spacer (R1) over the entire front contact surface (110) of the spacer (R1) and an internal surface (114) of the spacer (R1) between an edge (114a) of the front contact section (11 0a) and an edge (114b) of the back contact section (112a) has a length (D3) and an inclination (a) (see paragraphs [0023], [0027] and [0028] and figures 1C and 1D).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yedid et al.(US 11333845 B2 hereinafter Yedid) as applied to claim 7, in view of Takachi (US 2003/0137595 A1).
Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 7 with said lens spacer (R1). Yedid does not discloses wherein the lens spacer includes a metal or resin material. However, metal and resin is well-known as common material and widely used in making spacer. Takachi is in same field of endeavor and teaches a lens spacer includes a metal or resin material (par.[0022]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before effective filing date of the claimed invention, to apply teachings of Takachi to device of Yedid purpose of forming an optical spacer.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yedid et al.(US 11333845 B2 hereinafter Yedid) as applied to claim 7 above.
Yedid discloses the camera module of claim 7, wherein the upper surface of the lens spacer is in contact with an ineffective region of an image-side surface of the first lens, and wherein the lower surface of the lens spacer is in contact with an ineffective region of an object-side surface of the second lens; wherein an upper shape of the opening portion of the lens spacer is a non-circular shape; wherein the lens spacer has the upper surface of a non-circular shape, except for wherein a lower shape of the opening portion of the lens spacers is a circular shape, wherein the lens spacer has the lower surface of a circular shape. However, it would be obvious to a person having skilled in the art in a straightforward manner through a design change implied by Yedid for the case wherein a front surface (S3) of the second lens element (L2) is alternatively
taught to be circular, see par.[0034]. Yedid teaches to adapt the spacer "R1" in such a case so as to come in contact with the second lens surface S3 over the entire back contact surface (112) of the spacer (R1 ), see par.[0027], [0033] and figures 1C and 1D, so that in such a case, a circular shape for the lower side of the spacer with smaller dimensions than the upper side would be chosen by the skilled person following the teachings of Yedid in a straightforward manner.
Allowable Subject Matter
1. Claims 2 and 20 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.
2. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: (claim 2) wherein the upper and lower regions of the opening portion satisfy the following equation: 0.2<(X1/Y1)−(X2/Y2)<1.9, where X1 means a maximum length of the upper region of the opening portion in the first direction, and Y1 means a maximum length of the upper region of the opening portion in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In addition, X2 means a maximum length of the lower region of the opening portion in the first direction, and Y2 means a maximum length of the lower region of the opening portion in the second direction; (claim 20) wherein the opening portion includes a plurality of inner side surfaces, wherein the plurality of inner side surfaces includes a first inner side surface; a second inner side surface facing the first inner surface in a first direction; a third side inner surface disposed between the first and second inner side surfaces; and a fourth inner side surface disposed between the first and second inner side surfaces and facing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the first inner side surface has a first inclination angle with respect to the lower surface of the lens spacer, wherein the second inner side surface has a second inclination angle with respect to the lower surface of the lens spacer, wherein the first inclination angle is the same as the second inclination angle, wherein the third inner side surface has a third inclination angle with respect to the lower surface of the lens spacer, wherein the fourth inner side surface has a fourth inclination angle with respect to the lower surface of the lens spacer, wherein the third inclination angle is the same as the fourth inclination angle, and wherein the first and second inclination angles are smaller than the third and fourth inclination angles.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUYEN TRA whose telephone number is (571)272-2343. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10-6.
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/TUYEN TRA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872