OPTICAL GLASS, OPTICAL ELEMENT, OPTICAL SYSTEM, CEMENTED LENS, INTERCHANGEABLE LENS FOR CAMERA, OBJECTIVE LENS FOR MICROSCOPE, AND OPTICAL DEVICE

Application No. 18/196,280

• Filed: May 11, 2023
• Priority: Nov 12, 2020 — continuation of PCTJP2020042233
• Examiner: JONES, JAMES
• Art Unit: 2872
• Tech Center: 2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
• Assignee: NIKON Corporation
• OA Round: 2 (Non-Final)

Office Action

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 5/11/2023, 5/16/2023, 8/27/2024, 9/3/2024, 10/1/2024, 10/21/2024, and 7/25/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.

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.

Claim(s) 1-32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kuwatani (JP2014159343) hereafter Kuwatani (citations herein based on the provided machine translation).
Regarding claim 1, Kuwatani discloses an optical glass comprising: by mass %, 20% or more and 50% or less of a content rate of P.sub.2O.sub.5; 12.66% or more and 35% or less of a content rate of TiO.sub.2; 0% or more and 20% or less of a content rate of Nb.sub.2O.sub.5; and 5% or more and 30% or less of a content rate of Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, wherein a ratio of a content rate of TiO.sub.2 to a content rate of P.sub.2O.sub.5 (TiO.sub.2/P.sub.2O.sub.5) is 0.30 or more and 0.75 or less (see Table 1 – Example 9, optical glass wt% 28.9% P2O5, 0.95% Bz2Os, 2.4% LizO, 8% NazO, 5.1% K20, 2.2% ZnO, 12.9% TiO2, 16.3% Nb2Os, 12.6% WOs, 0.06% Sb203, 12.7% BizOs and TiO.sub.2/P.sub.2O.sub.5 = .377).

Regarding claim 2, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, further comprising: by mass %, 0% or more and 10% or less of a content rate of Al.sub.2O.sub.3; and 0% or more and 20% or less of a content rate of Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 3, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, further comprising: by mass %, 0% or more and 5% or less of a content rate of Li.sub.2O; 0% or more and 25% or less of a content rate of Na.sub.2O; and 0% or more and 25% or less of a content rate of K.sub.2O (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 4, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, further comprising: by mass %, 0% or more and 15% or less of a content rate of ZnO; 0% or more and 10% or less of a content rate of MgO; 0% or more and 8% or less of a content rate of CaO; 0% or more and 10% or less of a content rate of SrO; and 0% or more and 15% or less of a content rate of BaO (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 5, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, further comprising: by mass %, 0% or more and 5% or less of a content rate of SiO.sub.2; and 0% or more and 10% or less of a content rate of B.sub.2O.sub.3 (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 6, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, further comprising: by mass %, 0% or more and 25% or less of a content rate of WO.sub.3; and 0% or more and 5% or less of a content rate of ZrO.sub.2 (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 7, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, further comprising: by mass %, 0% or more and 10% or less of a content rate of Y.sub.2O.sub.3; 0% or more and 8% or less of a content rate of La.sub.2O.sub.3; and 0% or more and 10% or less of a content rate of Gd.sub.2O.sub.3 (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 8, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, further comprising: by mass %, 0% or more and 1% or less of a content rate of Sb.sub.2O.sub.3 (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 9, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein, by mass %, a total content rate of Li.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, and K.sub.2O (ΣA.sub.2O; where, A=Li, Na, K) is 5% or more and 35% or less (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 10, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein, by mass %, a total content rate of MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, and ZnO (ΣEO; where, E=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn) is 0% to 18% (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 11, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a content rate of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 to a content rate of TiO.sub.2 (Al.sub.2O.sub.3/TiO.sub.2) is 0 or more and 0.60 or less (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 12, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1 wherein a ratio of a content rate of B.sub.2O.sub.3 to a content rate of P.sub.2O.sub.5 (B.sub.2O.sub.3/P.sub.2O.sub.5) is 0 or more and 0.15 or less (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 13, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a content rate of TiO.sub.2 to a total content rate of P.sub.2O.sub.5, B.sub.2O.sub.3, and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (TiO.sub.2/(P.sub.2O.sub.5+B.sub.2O.sub.3+Al.sub.2O.sub.3)) is 0.25 or more and 0.75 or less (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 14, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a content rate of TiO.sub.2 to a total content rate of TiO.sub.2, Nb.sub.2O.sub.5, WO.sub.3, Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, and Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 (TiO.sub.2/(TiO.sub.2+Nb.sub.2O.sub.5+WO.sub.3+Bi.sub.2O.sub.3+Ta.sub.2O.sub.5)) is 0.20 or more and 0.90 or less (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 15, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a total content rate of BaO and TiO.sub.2 to a content rate of P.sub.2O.sub.5 ((BaO+TiO.sub.2)/P.sub.2O.sub.5) is 0.30 or more and 1.00 or less (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 16, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a total content rate of BaO, TiO.sub.2, Nb.sub.2O.sub.5, WO.sub.3, Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, and Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 to a total content rate of P.sub.2O.sub.5, B.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 ((BaO+TiO.sub.2+Nb.sub.2O.sub.5+WO.sub.3+Bi.sub.2O.sub.3+Ta.sub.2O.sub.5)/(P.sub.2O.sub.5+B.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3)) is 0.50 or more and 2.50 or less (See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 17, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a total content rate of Li.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, and K.sub.2O (ΣA.sub.2O; where, A=Li, Na, K) to a content rate of TiO.sub.2 (ΣA.sub.2O/TiO.sub.2) is from 0.30 to 2.00(See Table 1- Example 9).

Regarding claim 18, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a total content rate of MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, and ZnO (ΣEO; where, E=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn) to a total content rate of Li.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, and K.sub.2O (ΣA.sub.2O; where, A=Li, Na, K) (ΣEO/ΣA.sub.2O) is 0 or more and 1.50 or less.

Regarding claim 19, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a refractive index (n.sub.d) with respect to a d-line is 1.61 or more and 1.90 or less (par. [0009][0028] see translation).

Regarding claim 20, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein an abbe number (ν.sub.d) is 20 or more and 32 or less (par. [0009][0028] see translation).

Regarding claim 21, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein a partial dispersion ratio (P.sub.g,F) is 0.60 or more and 0.66 or less (table 1, example 9).

Regarding claim 22, Kuwatani discloses the optical glass according to claim 1, wherein abnormal dispersibility (ΔP.sub.g,F) is 0.015 or more and 0.042 or less.

Regarding claim 23, Kuwatani discloses an optical element using the optical glass according to claim 1 (par. [0009]).

Regarding claim 24, Kuwatani discloses an optical system comprising the optical element according to claim 23 (par. [0009]).

Regarding claim 25, Kuwatani discloses an interchangeable camera lens comprising the optical system according to claim 24 (par. [0005]-[0028]).

Regarding claim 26, Kuwatani discloses an objective lens for a microscope comprising the optical system according to claim 24 (par. [0005]-[0028]).

Regarding claim 27, Kuwatani discloses the optical device comprising the optical system according to claim 24 (par. [0005]-[0028]).

Regarding claim 28, Kuwatani discloses the cemented lens comprising: a first lens element; and a second lens element, wherein at least one of the first lens element and the second lens element comprises the optical glass according to claim 1 (par. [0005]-[0028]).

Regarding claim 29, Kuwatani discloses the optical system comprising the cemented lens according to claim 28 (par. [0005]-[0028]).

Regarding claim 30, Kuwatani discloses the objective lens for a microscope comprising the optical system according to claim 29 (par. [0005]-[0028]).

Regarding claim 31, Kuwatani discloses the interchangeable camera lens comprising the optical system according to claim 29 (par. [0005]-[0028]).

Regarding claim 32, Kuwatani discloses the optical device comprising the optical system according to claim 29 (par. [0005]-[0028]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES JONES whose telephone number is [phone]. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am - 4:00 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached at [phone]. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES C. JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872

Prosecution Timeline

• May 11, 2023: Application Filed
• May 11, 2023: Response after Non-Final Action
• Aug 20, 2025: Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
• Dec 11, 2025: Response Filed
• Apr 08, 2026: Response after Non-Final Action
• Jul 13, 2026: Request for Continued Examination
• Jul 31, 2026: Response after Non-Final Action
• Aug 11, 2026: Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)