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 (IDS) submitted on 01/16/2024 is 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 § 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 42-47 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Fujisaki (US 2010/0302650, of record) in view of Ikemori (US 4,206,973).
Regarding claim 42, Fujisaki discloses a zoom lens comprising, in order from an object, a first lens group ([0034] discloses: L1, first lens unit) having positive refractive power (in at least abstract discloses: first lens unit, having positive refractive power), a second lens group ([0031] discloses: L2, second lens group) having negative refractive power (in at least abstract discloses: second lens group, having a negative refractive power), a third lens group (Figure 1 depicts: L3, third lens group), a fourth lens group (Figure 1 depicts: L4, fourth lens group), and a fifth lens group ([0029] discloses: L5, fifth lens unit) having positive refractive power ([0029] discloses: L5, fifth lens unit, having a positive refractive power), respective distances between all adjacent lens groups among the first to fifth lens groups being changed upon zooming (Figure 1 depicts: respective distances between all adjacent lens groups being changed upon zooming), the first lens group and the second lens group move upon zooming from a wide angle end state to a telephoto end state (Figure 1 depicts: Lines of movement from wide angle to telephoto; Examiner notes that the first and second lens groups are considered to both move when zooming), the first lens group being composed of three or more lenses ([0036] discloses: L1, first lens group is constituted by three lenses).
Fujisaki fails to disclose the following conditional expression being satisfied:
36.00 < G1vd < 48.00
where G1vd denotes an Abbe number at the d-line of a lens in the first lens group disposed closest to the object side. However, optimizing the Abbe number is well within the bounds of normal experimentation. Ikemori teaches in multiple places, see Col. 5, lines 30-35, that the Abbe number of a lens system is are adjustable to achieve ideal values to adjust for aberrations. See MPEP 2144.05 II (A). “Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to dis-cover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. ”In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). Furthermore, “a particular parameter must first be recognized as a result-effective variable, i.e., a variable which achieves a recognized result, before the determination of the optimum or workable ranges of said variable might be characterized as routine experimentation. ”In re Antonie, 559 F.2d 618, 195 USPQ 6 (CCPA 1977). In the case at hand, Fujisaki along with Ikemori teaches the Abbe number as a variable which achieves a recognized result. Therefore, the prior art teaches adjusting the Abbe number and identifies said sizes/ratios as result-effective variables. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective time of filing to keep the Abbe number between 36 and 48 since it is not inventive to dis-cover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation.
Regarding claim 43, the modified Fujisaki discloses the zoom lens according to claim 42, wherein the following conditional expression is satisfied:
< D1/ft < 0.15 (using values from “Numerical Embodiment 1” table and “Each kinds of Data” table; D1 is calculated to be 10.3, ft is calculated to be 126, D1/ft is calculated to be 0.08, which falls within the claimed range)
where D1 denotes a distance on an optical axis from an object side surface of the first lens group to an image side surface of the first lens group, and ft denotes a focal length of the zoom lens in the telephoto end state.
Regarding claim 44, the modified Fujisaki discloses the zoom lens according to claim 42, wherein the first lens group is composed of a cemented lens at the most object side ([0036] discloses: L1, first lens unit, is constituted by a cemented lens).
Regarding claim 45, the modified Fujisaki discloses the zoom lens according to claim 44, wherein the cemented lens is composed of a negative lens and a positive lens from the object side ([0036] discloses: L1, first lens unit, is constituted by a cemented lens which is made of negative lens and a positive lens and a negative lens).
Regarding claim 46, Fujisaki discloses an optical apparatus equipped with the zoom lens according to claim 42 ([0002] teaches: zoom lens and image pickup apparatus; therefore considered to be an optical apparatus equipped with the zoom lens).
Regarding claim 47, Fujisaki discloses a method for manufacturing a zoom lens, comprising: arranging, in a lens barrel and in order from an object, a first lens group ([0034] discloses: L1, first lens unit) having positive refractive power (in at least abstract discloses: first lens unit, having positive refractive power), a second lens group ([0031] discloses: L2, second lens group) having negative refractive power (in at least abstract discloses: second lens group, having a negative refractive power), a third lens group (Figure 1 depicts: L3, third lens group), a fourth lens group (Figure 1 depicts: L4, fourth lens group), and a fifth lens group ([0029] discloses: L5, fifth lens unit) having positive refractive power ([0029] discloses: L5, fifth lens unit, having a positive refractive power), the first to fifth lens groups being arranged such that: respective distances between all adjacent lens groups among the first to fifth lens groups are changed upon zooming (Figure 1 depicts: respective distances between all adjacent lens groups being changed upon zooming), the first lens group and the second lens group move upon zooming from a wide angle end state to a telephoto end state (Figure 1 depicts: Lines of movement from wide angle to telephoto; Examiner notes that the first and second lens groups are considered to both move when zooming), the first lens group is composed of three or more lenses ([0036] discloses: L1, first lens group is constituted by three lenses).
Fujisaki fails to disclose the following conditional expression being satisfied:
36.00 < G1vd < 48.00
where G1vd denotes an Abbe number at the d-line of a lens in the first lens group disposed closest to the object side. However, optimizing the Abbe number is well within the bounds of normal experimentation. Ikemori teaches in multiple places, see Col. 5, lines 30-35, that the Abbe number of a lens system is are adjustable to achieve ideal values to adjust for aberrations. See MPEP 2144.05 II (A). “Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to dis-cover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. ”In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). Furthermore, “a particular parameter must first be recognized as a result-effective variable, i.e., a variable which achieves a recognized result, before the determination of the optimum or workable ranges of said variable might be characterized as routine experimentation. ”In re Antonie, 559 F.2d 618, 195 USPQ 6 (CCPA 1977). In the case at hand, Fujisaki along with Ikemori teaches the Abbe number as a variable which achieves a recognized result. Therefore, the prior art teaches adjusting the Abbe number and identifies said sizes/ratios as result-effective variables. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective time of filing to keep the Abbe number between 36 and 48 since it is not inventive to dis-cover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation.
Conclusion
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/J.C.S./ Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872