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 I in the reply filed on 6/16/26 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.
Claim(s) 1-10, 26-33, and 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2020122823 A (OBIKANE YASUHIKO et al.)
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Per claims 1, 33, and 35, Obikane teaches a zoom optical system comprising: a first lens group having positive refractive power [G1]; a second lens group having negative refractive power [G2]; a third lens group having positive refractive power [G3]; a fourth lens group having negative refractive power [G4]; and a fifth lens group having negative refractive power [G5], which are aligned in order from an object side along an optical axis, wherein when zooming is performed, intervals between neighboring lens groups are changed [see figure 21], the fourth lens group is a focusing lens group which moves along the optical axis when focusing is performed [see the specification operation section: “ More preferably, both or one of the fourth lens group and the fifth lens group or a part thereof is used as a focus group, and the focus group is moved along the optical axis at the time of focusing so that the distance from infinity is increased”], and the following conditional expression is satisfied:, 0.11 < f4/f5 < 0.70 where f4 denotes a focal length of the fourth lens group, and f5 denotes a focal length of the fifth lens group [see table 24: -18.192/-97.508 = 0.187].
Regarding method claim 35, the method step are merely a recitation of the structure and thus inherent/anticipate by the structure of claim 1 its dependent claims.
Per claim 2, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to Claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: 0.01 < (-f4) /f3 < 5.00 where f3 denotes a focal length of the third lens group [18.192/13.661 = 1.33].
Per claim 3, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to Claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: T 0.01 < f3/ (-f5) < 1.00 where f3 denotes a focal length of the third lens group [13.661/97.508 = 0.140].
Per claim 4, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: - 0.01 < f3/ (-f45t) < 2.00 where f3 denotes a focal length of the third lens group, and f45t denotes a combined focal length of the fourth lens group and the fifth lens group in a telephoto end state [13.64/14.55 - 0.94].
Per claim 5, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: T 0.01 < B5t/B5w < 2.00 where ß5t denotes a lateral magnification of the fifth lens group in a telephoto end state, and
ß5w denotes a lateral magnification of the fifth lens group in a wide angle end state [see Table 25: 5t/5w 1.478/1.197 = 1.23].
Per claim 6, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: T 0.01 < Bfw/fw < 0.95 where Bfw denotes a back focal length of the zoom optical system in a wide angle end state, and fw denotes a focal length of the zoom optical system in the wide angle end state [14.503/18.301 = 0.79].
Per claim 7, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the fifth lens group consists of two lenses [see figure 21].
Per claim 8, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the third lens group has a lens which satisfies the following conditional expression L 75.00 < v3L where v3L denotes an Abbe number of the lens in the third lens group [see table 21: 81.61].
Per claim 9, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the third lens group has, in a part of the third lens group, a vibration proof group which is movable to have a displacement component in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis [VC is the anti-vibration group].
Per claim 10, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to Claim 9, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: 0.01 < f3/fVR < 2.00 where f3 denotes a focal length of the third lens group, and fVR denotes a focal length of the vibration proof group [13.64/38.01 = 0.36].
Per claim 26, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 9, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: 0.01 < fVR/ (-fF) < 2.50 where fVR denotes a focal length of the vibration proof group, and fF denotes a focal length of the focusing lens group [38.01/18.192 = 2.09].
Per claim 27, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 9, wherein the vibration proof group consists of two lenses [see figure 21].
Per claim 28, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: 0.01 < (-f2) /f1 < 1.00 where f1 denotes a focal length of the first lens group, and f2 denotes a focal length of the second lens group [-f2/fl = 15.02/82.0 0.18].
Per claim 29, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: T 0.01 < TLt/ft < 2.00 where TLt denotes an entire length of the zoom optical system in a telephoto end state, and ft denotes a focal length of the zoom optical system in the telephoto end state [TLt/R = 129.999/102.674 = 1.27].
Per claim 30, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied: 0.01 < BFt/BFw < 2.00 where BFt denotes a lateral magnification of the focusing lens group in a telephoto end state, and ßFW denotes a lateral magnification of the focusing lens group in a wide angle end state BFt/BFw 3.037/2.191 = 1.38].
Per claim 31, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the focusing lens group consists of two lenses [see figure 21].
Per claim 32, Obikane teaches the zoom optical system according to claim 1, wherein the first lens group has a lens which satisfies the following conditional expression: 75.00 < v1L where v1L denotes an Abbe number of the lens in the first lens group [81.61].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES A DUDEK whose telephone number is (571)272-2290. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:30-4:30 MT.
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/JAMES A DUDEK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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