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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1, 2, and 5-14 are pending, claims 5, 11 and 12 have been withdrawn from consideration, and claims 1, 2, 6-10, 13 and 14 are currently under consideration for patentability under 37 CFR 1.104
Foreign Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copies have been received.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii (U.S. 2016/0213239) in view of Makiyama et al. (U.S. 2016/0041381).
With respect to claim 1, Fujii teaches an image pickup unit, comprising:
an image pickup device (53);
a substrate (60) provided to the image pickup device on a side of a back surface of a light receiving surface and electrically connected to the image pickup device (FIG. 9);
a movable lens drive member (40A) provided to the image pickup device on a side of the light receiving surface;
a flexible cable (43a) and a movable lens drive cable (6c) to supply electric power to at least the movable lens drive member; and
an image pickup cable (62) to supply electric power to the image pickup device, wherein
the flexible cable and the movable lens drive cable are electrically connected to each other via the substrate (para [0162]-[0167]).
However, Fujii does not teach a flexible substrate.
With respect to claim 1, Makiyama et al. teaches an analogous image pickup unit comprising a flexible substrate (60) connecting the movable lens drive member to a substrate.
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the flexible cable 43a of Fujii to instead utilize a flexible substrate in the manner taught by Makiyama et al. in order to allow for a low-power voice coil motor portion that can still can smoothly advance and retract the moving lens holding barrel without causing defective sliding of the moving lens holding barrel (para [0085] of Makiyama et al.).
With respect to claim 2, Fujii in view of Makiyama et al. teaches a first land to which the movable lens drive cable is electrically connected (para [0055],[0057],[0166]-[0167] of Fujii);
a second land to which the image pickup cable is electrically connected (FIG. 4 of Fujii for example); and
a third land to which the flexible substrate is electrically connected (para [0055],[0057],[0166]-[0167] of Fujii and 60 of Makiyama et al.);
wherein the first land, th second land, and the third land are electrically connected to one another (para [0055],[0057],[0166]-[0167] of Fujii).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii (U.S. 2016/0213239) in view of Makiyama et al. (U.S. 2016/0041381) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nakamura (U.S. 2019/0038121).
With respect to claim 6, Makiyama et al. teaches a magnetic sensor (50) configured to detect a position of a movable frame of an actuator provided to the movable lens drive member (para [0062]), wherein the flexible substrate further transfers the output signal of the magnetic sensor (FIG. 3 for example).
However, Fujii in view of Makiyama et al. does not teach a temperature compensation circuit.
With respect to claim 6, Nakamura teaches a magnetic sensor (27a) configured to detect a position of a movable frame of an actuator provided to the movable lens drive member (para [0035]);
a temperature compensation circuit (28) provided on the substrate and configured to perform temperature compensation of an output signal of the magnetic sensor (FIG. 2, 3); and
a temperature compensation circuit output signal cable to transfer an output signal of the temperature compensation circuit (FIG. 2, 3),
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify Fujii in view of Makiyama et al. to further include a temperature compensation circuit in the manner disclosed by Nakamura in order to perform temperature correction of the output signals in order to ensure precision of the output signals of the sensors (para [0005] of Nakamura). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the temperature compensation circuit output signal cable and the movable lens drive cable could be electrically connected to the first land together as an obvious matter of design choice.
Claim(s) 7, 9, 10 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii (U.S. 2016/0213239) in view of Makiyama et al. (U.S. 2016/0041381) as applied to claims 2 and 4 above, and further in view of Motohara et al. (U.S. 2017/0127921).
Fujii in view of Makiyama et al. teaches an image pickup unit as set forth above. However, Fujii in view of Makiyama et al. does not teach specifics of the shape of the substrate.
With respect to claim 7, Motohara et al. teaches the substrate has a surface perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the image pickup device (FIG. 14), and
a second land (142f) is provided on the surface perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the image pickup device.
With respect to claim 9, Motohara et al. teaches the third land (142b) is provided closer than the first land (142d) and the second land (142f) to the image pickup device
With respect to claim 10, MOtohara teaches the substrate has a surface in parallel with the light receiving surface of the image pickup device (vertical portion of S2), and a first surface (S3) and a second surface (S4) perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the image pickup device, the first land is provided on the first surface, the second land is provided on the second surface, and
the third land is provided on the surface in parallel with the light receiving surface of the image pickup device (FIG. 14).
With respect to claim 13, Motohara et al. teaches the first land and the third land are positioned on an opposite side of the second land across a center of the substrate in a radial direction of the substrate (FIG. 14).
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the substrate 60 of Fujii to utilize the configuration as taught by Motohara et al. for the purpose of simplifying an operation of connecting a signal line of the cable, improving reliability of connected portions, or miniaturizing, imaging units where a circuit board connected to an image sensor (para [0007] of Motohara et al.).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii (U.S. 2016/0213239) in view of Makiyama et al. (U.S. 2016/0041381) and Nakamura (U.S. 2019/0038121) as applied to claim 6 above and further in view of Motohara et al. (U.S. 2017/0127921).
Fujii in view of Makiyama et al. teaches an image pickup unit as set forth above. However, Fujii in view of Makiyama et al. does not teach specifics of the shape of the substrate.
With respect to claim 8, Motohara et al. teaches the substrate has a surface in parallel with the light receiving surface of the image pickup device (f8) and a surface perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the image pickup device (S1,2,3), and
electric components (53, 54) are provided either on the surface in parallel with the light receiving surface of the image pickup device or on the surface perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the image pickup device (FIG. 14).
Therefore, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the substrate 60 of Fujii to utilize the configuration as taught by Motohara et al. for the purpose of simplifying an operation of connecting a signal line of the cable, improving reliability of connected portions, or miniaturizing, imaging units where a circuit board connected to an image sensor (para [0007] of Motohara et al.).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/10/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On page 7 Applicant argues Fujii fails to disclose or suggest such a connection relationship between the substrate 30 and the movable drive lens cable. This is not persuasive. First, Applicant cites FIG. 5a of Fujii however Examiner is relying on the embodiment of FIG. 9. It is further noted that Examiner cited reference 60 as the substrate, and then further referenced paragraphs [0162]-[0167]. Paragraphs [0164]-[0165] recite:
[0164] Thus, the flexible substrate 30A is disposed inside the image pickup unit exterior barrel 63, and the image pickup barrel 59A is provided with the hole for conductive wire 59h for guiding the one end portion 43a and the other end portion 43b of the conductive wire which constitutes the dual-purpose coil 43 into the image pickup unit exterior barrel 63. Then, the one end portion 43a and the other end portion 43b of the conductive wire, which are guided to the image pickup unit exterior barrel 63, are respectively connected to the coil connecting terminals of the flexible substrate 30A.
[0165] As a result, connection between the dual-purpose coil 43 and the dual-purpose wirings 6c, 6d are possible without increasing the diameter size of the distal end portion 14.
That is, this section teaches flexible wire 43a and movable drive lens cable 6c are electrically connected via the flexible substrate 30A. Paragraphs [0166]-[0167] go on recite:
[0166] Note that the one end portion 43a and the other end portion 43b of the conductive wire are connected respectively to the coil connecting terminals of the flexible substrate 30A in the above-described embodiment. However, coil connecting terminals to which the one end portion 43a and the other end portion 43b of the conductive wire are respectively connected may be provided on the circuit substrate 60, without disposing the flexible substrate 30A.
[0167] That is, in the present embodiment, the circuit substrate 60 may be configured to serve also as the flexible substrate 30A.
Fujii explicitly teaches that flexible cable 43a can be directly connected to the circuit substrate 60 and circuit substrate 60 can serve as the flexible substrate 30A. As set forth above, Fujii already establishes flexible wire 43a and movable drive lens cable 6c are electrically connected via the flexible substrate 30A. It follows that in the scenario where circuit substrate 60 is acting as flexible substrate 30A, that flexible wire 43a and movable drive lens cable 6c are electrically connected via the circuit substrate 60.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
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/ALEXANDRA L NEWTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799