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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on June 16, 2023 has been considered.
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.
Claim 4 is 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.
Regarding claim 4, claim 4 recites the limitation "the sensor" in lines 3-4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of compact prosecution, Examiner will interpret “the sensor” as “a sensor”.
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.
Claims 1 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Morita (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0017137).
Regarding claim 1, Morita teaches a zoom lens actuator control device (Figure 2A control unit 218, [0046]) controlling a zoom lens actuator moving lens units of a zoom lens (Figure 19 lens barrel 12, [0105]) along a guide rail (Figure 1A guide member composed of pressing holding unit 110 and frame 111, [0043]) disposed inside the zoom lens to change a zoom magnification of the zoom lens ([0043] lens attached to vibrating member fixing member 114 via a rack which is guided along a guide member), comprising:
a command sensing unit (Figure 2A command position generating unit 205, [0047]) sensing a location command for allowing a lens unit which stops at one location on the guide rail to move to a target location on the guide rail ([0047] generates command values to drive vibrating member 202 from a relative position to a final target stopping position);
a first control unit (Figure 2A first elliptic shape control unit 220, [0049]; Figure 4 steps S104-S106) Figure 5 acceleration period A, [0057]-[0058]) generating an initial control signal which allows the zoom lens actuator to generate predetermined initial driving force required for starting the lens unit to the target location ([0057]-[0058] command value is set and the ellipse ratio is determined to set the driving speed);
a second control unit (Figure 2A pulse duty determining unit 212, [0047]; Figure 5 deceleration period C, [0060]) generating a subsequent control signal for performing a proportional integral derivative (PID) control (Figure 2A PID control unit 207, [0060] driving frequency and phase position are set by position feedback control such as PID) with respect to the zoom lens actuator until the lens unit is placed at the target location (Figure 4 steps S108-S111, [0060]-[0062]); and
a control switching unit (Figure 4 step S107) delivering the initial control signal of the first control unit to the zoom lens actuator before a predetermined control switching time arrives after the location command is sensed by the command sensing unit ([0060] determination of deceleration period is made by detecting time from starting driving), and delivering the subsequent control signal of the second control unit to the zoom lens actuator instead of the initial control signal of the first control unit when the control switching time arrives (Figure 4 steps S108-S110 second deviation is calculated (S108) and pulse duty is set in accordance with second deviation (S109), [0060]-[0061]).
Regarding claim 5, Morita teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention with respect to claim 1. Morita further teaches the second control unit generates a subsequent control signal for allowing the zoom lens actuator to generate a subsequent driving force of which a difference from the initial driving force is within a predetermined value when the control switching time arrives by referring to the initial control signal of the first control unit delivered to the zoom lens actuator before the control switching time arrives ([0061] second deviations and corresponding pulse duties (and thus a subsequent driving force) are set beforehand in a look-up table).
Regarding claim 6, Morita teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention with respect to claim 1. Morita further teaches a switching time notification unit measuring an elapsed time after the location command is sensed when the location command is sensed by the command sensing unit, and notify that the control switching time arrives to the control switching unit when the measured time reaches a predetermined reference time ([0060] determination of deceleration period is made by detecting time from starting driving).
Regarding claim 7, Morita teaches a zoom camera (Figure 19) using the zoom lens actuator control device of claim 1 (see claim 1 above).
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.
Claims 2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morita (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0017137) as applied to claim 1 above in view of Malaescu et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0155896 – hereinafter referred to as “Malaescu”).
Regarding claim 2, Morita teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention with respect to claim 1. Morita further teaches first control unit includes an initial driving force calculation module calculating the initial driving force ([0049] determination of initial driving speed) of the zoom lens actuator by considering a movement direction of the lens unit according to the location command ([0049] phase difference set according to driving direction), a maximum stop frictional force of the lens unit (Figure 3A first deviation, [0047]-[0048] first elliptic control unit 220 sets driving speed based on first deviation and has to generate sufficient force to overcome a maximum stop frictional force), and a control signal generation module generating an initial control signal corresponding to the calculated initial driving force (Figure 2A first elliptic shape control unit 220, [0049]).
Morita fails to teach calculating the initial driving force based on an external force applied to the lens unit by a slope and a gravity of the guide rail. However, Malaescu teaches a camera lens actuator (Figure 1) where calculating the initial driving force based on an external force applied to the lens unit by a slope and a gravity of the guide rail ([0036] and [0040] force is determined based on orientation of actuator). Malaescu further teaches calculating the initial driving force based on the external force from slope and gravity adjusts the needed starting force the actuator needs to overcome, either by increasing or decreasing the initial driving force ([0040]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the actuator control device taught by Morita by calculating the initial driving force based on the external force from slop and gravity as taught by Malaescu in order to adjust the needed initial driving force to start movement (Malaescu [0040]).
Regarding claim 4, Morita and Malaescu teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention with respect to claim 2. Morita fails to teach the first control unit further includes an external force information provision module acquiring external force information on the external force which is applied to the lens unit through the sensor that senses the posture or slope of the guide rail, and providing the acquired external force information to the initial driving force calculation module. However, Malaescu teaches an external force information provision module acquiring external force information on the external force which is applied to the lens unit through the sensor that senses the posture or slope of the guide rail, and providing the acquired external force information to the initial driving force calculation module ([0036] and [0040] force is determined based on orientation of actuator). Malaescu further teaches calculating the initial driving force based on the external force from the orientation of the actuator adjusts the needed starting force the actuator needs to overcome, either by increasing or decreasing the initial driving force ([0040]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the actuator control device taught by Morita by sensing the orientation of the actuator and calculating the initial driving force based on the external force from orientation as taught by Malaescu in order to adjust the needed initial driving force to start movement (Malaescu [0040]).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morita (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0017137) in view of Malaescu (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0155896) as applied to claim 2 above, and in further view of Henderson et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0141584 – hereinafter referred to as “Henderson”).
Regarding claim 3, Morita and Malaescu teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention with respect to claim 2. Morita and Malaescu fail to teach the first control unit further includes a frictional force information provision module providing, to the initial driving force calculation module, the maximum stop frictional force information corresponding to the current location of the lens unit and a movement direction of the lens unit according to the location command by referring to a frictional force information table in which the maximum stop frictional force value of the lens unit is written for each of the movement direction and the location on the guide rail. However, Henderson teaches a lens actuator (Figure 1A) where the first control unit further includes a frictional force information provision module providing, to the initial driving force calculation module, the maximum stop frictional force information corresponding to the current location of the lens unit and a movement direction of the lens unit according to the location command by referring to a frictional force information table in which the maximum stop frictional force value of the lens unit is written for each of the movement direction and the location on the guide rail (Claim 12 drive force is determined by multiplying the preload force by the coefficient of friction between the surface of the lens actuator and surface of the lens carriage which would include all positions along the lens carriage). Henderson further teaches using the preload force to calculate the drive force maximizes the force efficiency and safety ratio of the module while reducing the speed ratio ([0057]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the lens actuator taught by Morita and Malaescu by including includes a frictional force information provision module taught by Henderson in order to maximize the force efficiency and safety ratio of the module while reducing the speed ratio (Henderson [0057]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Sumioka (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0019601) teaches lens actuator using a two-step adjustment of driving force similar to the instant application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX PARK RICKEL whose telephone number is (703)756-4561. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bumsuk Won can be reached at (571)272-2713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Alex Rickel
Examiner
Art Unit 2872
/A.P.R./Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872