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 claims 1-3,5,14-16,18 in the reply filed on 12/10/25 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a rear-end surface of the lens barrel” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2,5,15 is/are rejected under at least one of 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (2) as being anticipated by Arita (US 20220413266).
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Regarding claim 1, Arita teaches (Figs. 1,7, Table 1) An optical imaging lens assembly, comprising: a lens barrel (6), and a lens group (11-18) and at least seven spacing elements (8,5) accommodated in the lens barrel,
wherein the lens group comprises a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, a seventh lens and an eighth lens that are arranged in sequence along an optical axis from an object side to an image side, wherein at least one lens in the first lens to the fourth lens is a meniscus lens (13), and a refractive power of the seventh lens and a refractive power of the eighth lens are positive-negative opposite (as seen in Fig. 1, 17-18); and a distance from a center of an effective-diameter portion of an object-side surface of the eighth lens to a rear-end surface of the lens barrel along the optical axis is less than a distance from an edge of the effective-diameter portion of the object-side surface of the eighth lens to the rear-end surface of the lens barrel along the optical axis (being a concave surface as seen in Fig. 1);
the at least seven spacing elements comprise a fifth spacing element (8 between 15 and 16) that is disposed on an image side of the fifth lens and is partially in contact with the fifth lens, and at least one spacing element (8a) disposed between the seventh lens and the eighth lens; and
the optical imaging lens assembly satisfies:
(R9×R10)/(d5s×d5m)>0.5 (2.653*1.412/(~1.8x1.8), Table 1, d5s and d5m measured from Fig. 1 by compared to other known dimension in Fig. 1, Examiner notes although Arita does not explicitly teach the drawing is drawn-to-scale, however it is a common practice for the drawing to be drawn-to-scale in the lens design software and it’s more likely than not that Fig. 1 is drawn-to-scale),
wherein R9 is a radius of curvature of an object-side surface of the fifth lens, R10 is a radius of curvature of an image-side surface of the fifth lens, d5s is an inner diameter of an object-side surface of the fifth spacing element, and d5m is an inner diameter of an image-side surface of the fifth spacing element.
Regarding claim 2, Arita further teaches (Fig. 1) The optical imaging lens assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least seven spacing elements comprise a first spacing element (8 between 11-12) that is disposed on an image side of the first lens and is partially in contact with the first lens.
Regarding claim 5, Arita further teaches The optical imaging lens assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least seven spacing elements comprise an i-th spacing element that is disposed on an image side of an i-th lens and is partially in contact with the i-th lens, and the optical imaging lens assembly satisfies:
−100.0<Rim/CTi+Dis/dis<100.0 (Table 1, Fig. 1: Dis/dis<3),
wherein Rim is a radius of curvature of an image-side surface of the i-th lens, CTi is a center thickness of the i-th lens on the optical axis, Dis is an outer diameter of an object-side surface of the i-th spacing element, and dis is an inner diameter of the object-side surface of the i-th spacing element, wherein i is selected from 1, 2, 3 or 4.
Regarding claim 15, Arita further teaches The optical imaging lens assembly according to claim 2, wherein a spacing distance EP12 between the first spacing element and a second spacing element that is disposed on an image side of the second lens and is partially in contact with an image-side surface of the second lens along the optical axis, a maximal thickness CP1 of the first spacing element, a center thickness CT1 of the first lens on the optical axis and an air spacing T12 between the first lens and the second lens on the optical axis satisfy:
EP12/CP1+CT1/T12>10.0 (Fig. 1, it appears EP12/CP1>10).
Claim(s) 1,16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhou (CN 111208617, as evidenced by the translation).
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Regarding claim 1, Zhou teaches (Fig. 2, Table 2) An optical imaging lens assembly, comprising: a lens barrel (201), and a lens group (210-280) and at least seven spacing elements (the spacing elements between every two lenses, e.g., 202, 203) accommodated in the lens barrel,
wherein the lens group comprises a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, a seventh lens and an eighth lens that are arranged in sequence along an optical axis from an object side to an image side, wherein at least one lens in the first lens to the fourth lens is a meniscus lens, and a refractive power of the seventh lens and a refractive power of the eighth lens are positive-negative opposite; and a distance from a center of an effective-diameter portion of an object-side surface of the eighth lens to a rear-end surface of the lens barrel along the optical axis is less than a distance from an edge of the effective-diameter portion of the object-side surface of the eighth lens to the rear-end surface of the lens barrel along the optical axis (as seen in Fig. 2);
the at least seven spacing elements comprise a fifth spacing element that is disposed on an image side of the fifth lens and is partially in contact with the fifth lens, and at least one spacing element disposed between the seventh lens and the eighth lens; and
the optical imaging lens assembly satisfies:
(R9×R10)/(d5s×d5m)>0.5 (4.54*1.6/(~2.7*2.7), d5s and d5m measured from Fig. 2 by compared to other known dimension in Fig. 2, Examiner notes although Zhou does not explicitly teach the drawing is drawn-to-scale, however it is common practice for the drawing to be drawn-to-scale in the lens design software and it’s more likely than not that Fig. 2 is drawn-to-scale),
wherein R9 is a radius of curvature of an object-side surface of the fifth lens, R10 is a radius of curvature of an image-side surface of the fifth lens, d5s is an inner diameter of an object-side surface of the fifth spacing element, and d5m is an inner diameter of an image-side surface of the fifth spacing element.
Regarding claim 16, Zhou further teaches The optical imaging lens assembly according to claim 1, wherein an air spacing T56 between the fifth lens and the sixth lens on the optical axis, a center thickness CT6 of the sixth lens on the optical axis, a spacing distance EP56 between the fifth spacing element that is disposed on the image side of the fifth lens and is partially in contact with the image-side surface of the fifth lens and a sixth spacing element that is disposed on an image side of the sixth lens and is partially in contact with an image-side surface of the sixth lens along the optical axis, a maximal thickness CP6 of the sixth spacing element that is disposed on the image side of the sixth lens and is partially in contact with the image-side surface of the sixth lens, a radius of curvature R11 of an object-side surface of the sixth lens and an effective focal length f6 of the sixth lens satisfy:
(T56+CT6)/(EP56+CP6)×(R11/f6)<0 (Table 2, R11>0, f6<0).
Claim(s) 1,14,18 is/are rejected under at least one of 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (2) as being anticipated by Son (US 20190391365).
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Regarding claim 1, Son teaches (Figs. 1,21-22, Tables 1,25) An optical imaging lens assembly, comprising: a lens barrel (200), and a lens group (1000-8000) and at least seven spacing elements (sp1-sp8) accommodated in the lens barrel,
wherein the lens group comprises a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, a seventh lens and an eighth lens that are arranged in sequence along an optical axis from an object side to an image side, wherein at least one lens in the first lens to the fourth lens is a meniscus lens, and a refractive power of the seventh lens and a refractive power of the eighth lens are positive-negative opposite; and a distance from a center of an effective-diameter portion of an object-side surface of the eighth lens to a rear-end surface of the lens barrel along the optical axis is less than a distance from an edge of the effective-diameter portion of the object-side surface of the eighth lens to the rear-end surface of the lens barrel along the optical axis (as seen in Fig. 1);
the at least seven spacing elements comprise a fifth spacing element that is disposed on an image side of the fifth lens and is partially in contact with the fifth lens, and at least one spacing element disposed between the seventh lens and the eighth lens; and
the optical imaging lens assembly satisfies:
(R9×R10)/(d5s×d5m)>0.5 (7.227*1.587/(3.95*3.95)),
wherein R9 is a radius of curvature of an object-side surface of the fifth lens, R10 is a radius of curvature of an image-side surface of the fifth lens, d5s is an inner diameter of an object-side surface of the fifth spacing element, and d5m is an inner diameter of an image-side surface of the fifth spacing element.
Regarding claim 14, Son further teaches The optical imaging lens assembly according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter D6s of an object-side surface of a sixth spacing element that is disposed on an image side of the sixth lens and is partially in contact with an image-side surface of the sixth lens, an inner diameter d6s of the object-side surface of the sixth spacing element that is disposed on the image side of the sixth lens and is partially in contact with the image-side surface of the sixth lens, a spacing distance EP67 between the sixth spacing element that is disposed on the image side of the sixth lens and is partially in contact with the image-side surface of the sixth lens and the seventh spacing element that is disposed on the image side of the seventh lens and is partially in contact with an image-side surface of the seventh lens along the optical axis, an air spacing T67 between the sixth lens and the seventh lens on the optical axis and a center thickness CT6 of the sixth lens on the optical axis satisfy:
(D6s+d6s)/EP67+T67/CT6>20.0 (~30).
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 of this title, 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) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Son.
Regarding claim 18, Son teaches all the limitations as stated in claim 1 rejection above, and further teaches The optical imaging lens assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least seven spacing elements (SP1-SP8) comprise a flat-angle spacing element or a chamfer spacing element (one of two possible cases).
Son does not explicitly teach an inner hole of the chamfer spacing element has a chamfer within a range from 45° to 60° on an object-side surface or image-side surface of the chamfer spacing element.
However the chamfer is “a result-effective variable” because it confers the light shielding effects. And it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have an inner hole of the chamfer spacing element has a chamfer within a range from 45° to 60° on an object-side surface or image-side surface of the chamfer spacing element, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges of a result-effective variable involves only routine skill in the art, MPEP2144.05.
One would be motivated to have an inner hole of the chamfer spacing element has a chamfer within a range from 45° to 60° on an object-side surface or image-side surface of the chamfer spacing element for the purposes of having desired light shielding effects.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3 is/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. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious all the limitations of claim 3 including “(R1+R2)/(R2−R1)×(d1s/d1m)>10.0”, along with the other claimed limitations of claim 3.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WEN HUANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0234. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9:00AM-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached on (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WEN HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
wen.huang2@uspto.gov
(571)270-0234