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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II in the reply filed on December 22, 2025 is acknowledged. Accordingly, claims 1-4, 6, 8, 20, 21 and 24-28 have been withdrawn from further consideration, and claims 10-13 and 15-17 have been examined as follows.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 10-13 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
There is insufficient antecedent basis for the following limitations in the claims:
Claim 10, line 4 – “the other end”
Claim 10, last two lines – “the focal length”
Claim 13, lines 3 and 5-6 – “the curvature radius”
Claim 13, lines 3 and 6 – “the cemented surface”
Claim 13, lines 3-4 and 6-7 – “the effective pore size”
Claim 15, line 3 – “the direction of the optical path”
Claim 15, line 4 – “the optical path direction”
Claim 16, line 3 – “the direction of light propagation”
Claim 16, line 4 – “the optical path”
Claims 11, 12 and 17 are also rejected by virtue of their dependency.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-13 and 15-17 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding independent claim 10, Mora (US 2004/0095639), of record in IDS, discloses an optical system of an extension structure (Figs. 1-14), the extension structure having an optical path channel (31) formed inside, and comprising a mounting base (6), a first connecting base (9), a second connecting base (10), and a third connecting base (21), one end of the mounting base forming a first mounting end (9) and the other end forming a second mounting end (44), one end of the first connecting base forming a first connecting end (upper of 9), one end of the second connecting base forming a second connecting end (lower of 44), the second mounting end of the mounting base being connected to the first connecting end of the first connecting base (Figs. 1-6), the first connecting base and the second connecting base being connected via the third connecting base, the first connecting base and the second connecting base being connected in a relatively rotatable manner (around axis 11, Figs. 1-6),
wherein the mounting base, the first connecting base, the second connecting base, and the third connecting base form the optical path channel internally (Figs. 3, 5), the optical system is arranged within the optical path channel (Figs. 1-6).
However, Mora fails to explicitly disclose wherein the optical system comprises a first lens group, a second lens group, and a third lens group, the first lens group satisfies: 30 mm < fGl < 150 mm; the second lens group satisfies: 2 < fG2/fG1 < 10; and the third lens group satisfies: 0.5 < fG3/fG1 < 5, wherein, fG1 is the focal length of the first lens group, fG2 is the focal length of the second lens group, and fG3 is the focal length of the third lens group.
The prior art refence of Shioda et al. (US 6,661,571) discloses an optical system of an extension structure (Figs. 1-71), wherein the optical system (10, Fig. 3) comprises a first lens group (4, 6, 7), a second lens group (8, 9), and a third lens group (12, 13). However, Shioda fails to explicitly disclose the first lens group satisfies: 30 mm < fGl < 150 mm; the second lens group satisfies: 2 < fG2/fG1 < 10; and the third lens group satisfies: 0.5 < fG3/fG1 < 5, wherein, fG1 is the focal length of the first lens group, fG2 is the focal length of the second lens group, and fG3 is the focal length of the third lens group.
Therefore, claim 10 would be allowable. Claims 11-13 and 15-17 would also be allowable by virtue of their dependence on claim 10.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAISLEY L WILSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5023. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm ET.
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/PAISLEY L WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871