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.
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, 3, 7, 9, 10 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tseng et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2019/0339490).
With regard to independent claim 1, Tseng et al teaches an optical lens assembly (page 1, paragraph [0001] and Figure 1) comprising a stop (Figure 1, element ST), and in order from an object side to an image side, comprising: a first lens (Figure 1, element L1) with refractive power (page 1, paragraph [0025], line 1); a second lens (Figure 1, element L2) with negative refractive power (page 1, paragraph [0026], line1), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 1, element 3) and an image-side surface (Figure 1, element S4), wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the second lens is aspheric (page 1, paragraph [0026], lines 4-5); a third lens (Figure 1, element L3) with refractive power (page 2, paragraph [0027], line 1), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 1, element S5) and an image-side surface (Figure 1, element S6), wherein the object-side surface of the third lens is convex near the optical axis (page 2, paragraph [0027], line 3); a fourth lens (Figure 1, element L4) with refractive power (page 2, paragraph [0028], line 1), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 1, element S7) and an image-side surface (Figure 1, element S8), wherein the object-side surface of the fourth lens is convex near the optical axis (page 2, paragraph [0028], line 3); a fifth lens (Figure 1, element L5) with refractive power (page 2, paragraph [0029], line 1), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 1, element S9) and an image-side surface (Figure 1, element S10), wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fifth lens is aspheric; and a sixth lens (Figure 1, element L7) with refractive power (page 2, paragraph [0031], line 1), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 1, element S13) and an image-side surface (Figure 1, element S14), wherein the object-side surface of the sixth lens is convex near the optical axis (page 2, paragraph [0031], lines 3-4), the image-side surface of the sixth lens is concave near the optical axis (page 2, paragraph [0031], line 4), and at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the sixth lens is aspheric (page 2, paragraph [0031], lines 5-6); wherein a maximum field of view of the optical lens assembly is FOV, an entrance pupil diameter of the optical lens assembly is EPD, and the following condition is satisfied: 254.30˚*mm ＜ FOV*EPD ＜418.64˚*mm (page 2, Table 1, wherein FOV = 145˚; EPD = 1.86 mm (defined as f/F#, wherein f= 3.724 mm and F# = 2.0; and FOV/EPD = 269.99˚*mm).
With regard to dependent claim 3, Tseng et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a central thickness of the third lens along the optical axis is CT3 (page 2, Table 1, wherein CT3 = 3.535), a central thickness of the sixth lens along the optical axis is CT6 (page 2, Table 1, wherein CT6 = 3.383), a distance from the image-side surface of the third lens to the object-side surface of the fourth lens along the optical axis is T34 (page 2, Table 1, wherein T34 = 0.427 + 0.204 = 0.631), and the following condition is satisfied: 1.52 < (CT3+CT6)/T34 < 29.60 (page 2, Table 1, wherein: (CT3+CT6)/T34 = 6.87).
With regard to dependent claim 7, Tseng et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a central thickness of the sixth lens along the optical axis is CT6 (page 2, Table 1, wherein CT6 = 3.383), a focal length of the sixth lens is f6 (page 2, paragraph [0038], wherein f6 = f7 = 8.008 mm), a focal length of the optical lens assembly is f (page 2, Table 1, wherein f = 3.724), and the following condition is satisfied: -3.90mm < (CT6*f6)/f < 532.11mm (wherein (CT6*f6)/f = 7.27 mm).
With regard to dependent claim 9, Tseng et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a curvature radius of the object-side surface of the first lens is R1 (page 2, Table 1, wherein R1 = 17.081), a curvature radius of the image-side surface of the first lens is R2 (page 2, Table 1, wherein R2 – 4.902), and the following condition is satisfied: 4.88mm < (R1/R2)*EPD <10.44mm (page 2, Table 1, wherein EPD = 1.86 mm (defined as f/F#, wherein f= 3.724 mm and F# = 2.0); and (R1/R2)*EPD = 6.48 mm).
With regard to dependent claim 10, Tseng et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to dependent claim 9, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a distance from the object-side surface of the first lens to the image plane along the optical axis is TL (page 2, Table 1, sum of Thickness data, wherein TL = 27.112 mm), and the following condition is satisfied: 4.85˚/mm < FOV/TL < 8.33˚/mm (page 2, Table 1, wherein FOV = 145˚ and FOV/TL = 5.35˚/mm).
With regard to dependent claim 15, Tseng et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a focal length of the first lens is f1 (page 2, paragraph [0038], wherein f1 = -9.982), a focal length of the second lens is f2 (page 2, paragraph [0038], wherein f2 = -9.475), and the following condition is satisfied: 0.60 < f2/f1 < 26.76 (wherein f2/f1 = 0.95).
Claims 1, 3, 7 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0204915).
With regard to independent claim 1, Lin et al teaches an optical lens assembly (page 1, paragraph [0002] and Figure 14) comprising a stop (Figure 14, element STO), and in order from an object side to an image side, comprising: a first lens (Figure 14, element L1) with refractive power (Figure 16, Focal length data for 1st lens element); a second lens (Figure 14, element L2) with negative refractive power (Figure 16, Focal length data for 2nd lens element), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 14, element L2A1) and an image-side surface (Figure 14, element L2A2), wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the second lens is aspheric (Figure 17, Aspheric Parameters for L2A1 and L2A2); a third lens (Figure 14, element L3) with refractive power (Figure 16, Focal length data for 3rd lens element), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 14, element L3A1) and an image-side surface (Figure 14, element L3A2), wherein the object-side surface of the third lens is convex near the optical axis (Figure 16, Radius of curvature data for L3A1); a fourth lens (Figure 14, element L4) with refractive power (Figure 16, Focal length data for 4th lens element), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 14, element L4A1) and an image-side surface (Figure 14, element L4A2), wherein the object-side surface of the fourth lens is convex near the optical axis (Figure 16, Radius of curvature data for L4A1); a fifth lens (Figure 14, element L5) with refractive power (Figure 16, Focal length data for 5th lens element), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 14, element L5A1) and an image-side surface (Figure 14, element L5A2), wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fifth lens is aspheric (Figure 17, Aspheric Parameters for L5A1 and L5A2); and a sixth lens (Figure 14, element L7) with refractive power (Figure 16, Focal length data for 7th lens element), comprising an object-side surface (Figure 14, element L7A1) and an image-side surface (Figure 14, element L7A2), wherein the object-side surface of the sixth lens is convex near the optical axis (Figure 16, Radius of curvature data for L7A1), the image-side surface of the sixth lens is concave near the optical axis (Figure 16, Radius of curvature data for L7A2), and at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the sixth lens is aspheric (Figure 17, Aspheric Parameters for L7A1 and L7A2); wherein a maximum field of view of the optical lens assembly is FOV, an entrance pupil diameter of the optical lens assembly is EPD, and the following condition is satisfied: 254.30˚*mm ＜ FOV*EPD ＜418.64˚*mm (Figure 16, wherein FOV = 2*HFOV = 73.86˚; EPD = 4.18 mm (defined as f/F#, wherein f= 7.314 mm and F# = 1.750; and FOV/EPD = 308.71˚*mm).
With regard to dependent claim 3, Lin et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a central thickness of the third lens along the optical axis is CT3 (Figure 16, Thickness/air gap data for 3rd lens element, wherein CT3 = 0.550), a central thickness of the sixth lens along the optical axis is CT6 (Figure 16, Thickness/air gap data for 7th lens element, wherein CT6 = 0.782), a distance from the image-side surface of the third lens to the object-side surface of the fourth lens along the optical axis is T34 (Figure 16, Thickness/air gap data, wherein T34 = 0.535), and the following condition is satisfied: 1.52 < (CT3+CT6)/T34 < 29.60 (wherein: (CT3+CT6)/T34 = 3.05).
With regard to dependent claim 7, Lin et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a central thickness of the sixth lens along the optical axis is CT6 (Figure 16, Thickness/air gap data for 7th lens element, wherein CT6 = 0.782), a focal length of the sixth lens is f6 (Figure 16, Focal length data for 7th lens element, wherein f6 = f7 = 26.675 mm), a focal length of the optical lens assembly is f (Figure 16, wherein f = EFL = 7.314), and the following condition is satisfied: -3.90mm < (CT6*f6)/f < 532.11mm (wherein (CT6*f6)/f = 2.85 mm).
With regard to dependent claim 17, Lin et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a focal length of the third lens is f3 (Figure 16, Focal length data for 3rd lens element, wherein f3 = 21.691), a central thickness of the third lens along the optical axis is CT3 (Figure 16, Thickness/air gap data for 3rd lens, wherein CT3 = 0.550), and the following condition is satisfied: 1.62 mm < (f3*CT3)/f < 2.90 mm (Figure 16, wherein f = EFL = 7.314 and (f3*CT3)/f = 1.63 mm).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 3, 5, 7 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2024/0094507).
With regard to independent claim 1, although Lee et al teaches an optical lens assembly (page 1, paragraph [0002] and Figure 11), and in order from an object side to an image side, comprising: a first lens (Figure 11, element 610) with refractive power (page 15, paragraph [0204], lines 1-2); a second lens (Figure 11, element 620) with negative refractive power (page 15, paragraph [0205], lines 1-2), comprising an object-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0204], line 2) and an image-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0204], line 3), wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the second lens is aspheric (page 15, Table 12, aspheric data for surfaces S3 and S4); a third lens (Figure 11, element 630) with refractive power (page 15, paragraph [0206], lines 1-2), comprising an object-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0206], line 2) and an image-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0206], line 3), wherein the object-side surface of the third lens is convex near the optical axis (page 15, paragraph [0206], line 2); a fourth lens (Figure 11, element 640) with refractive power (page 15, paragraph [0207], lines 1-2), comprising an object-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0207], line 2) and an image-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0207], line 3), wherein the object-side surface of the fourth lens is convex near the optical axis (page 15, paragraph [0207], line 2); a fifth lens (Figure 11, element 650) with refractive power (page 15, paragraph [0208], lines 1-2), comprising an object-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0208], line 2) and an image-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0204], line 3), wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fifth lens is aspheric (page 16, Table 12, aspheric data for surfaces S9 and S10); and a sixth lens (Figure 11, element 660) with refractive power (page 15, paragraph [0209], lines 1-2), comprising an object-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0209], line 2) and an image-side surface (page 15, paragraph [0209], lines 3-4), wherein the object-side surface of the sixth lens is convex near the optical axis (page 15, paragraph [0209], line 2), the image-side surface of the sixth lens is concave near the optical axis (page 15, paragraph [0204], lines 3-4), and at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the sixth lens is aspheric (page 16, Table 2, aspheric data for surfaces S11 and S12); wherein a maximum field of view of the optical lens assembly is FOV, an entrance pupil diameter of the optical lens assembly is EPD, and the following condition is satisfied: 254.30˚*mm ＜ FOV*EPD ＜418.64˚*mm (page 15, paragraph [0203], wherein FOV = = 83.01˚; EPD = 3.12 mm (defined as f/F#, wherein f= 6.18 mm and F# = 1.951; and FOV/EPD = 262.94˚ *mm), Lee et al fails to explicitly teach such an optical lens assembly further comprising a stop. Lee et al does teach that an aperture stop may be positioned in the optical system (page 3, paragraph [0077]), such that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant invention to modify the optical lens assembly, as taught by Lee et al, with an aperture stop, as taught by Lee et al, for adjusting the amount of light (page 3, paragraph [0077]).
With regard to dependent claim 3, Lee et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a central thickness of the third lens along the optical axis is CT3 (page 14, Table 11, Thickness or distance data, wherein CT3 = 0.359), a central thickness of the sixth lens along the optical axis is CT6 (page 15, Table 11, Thickness or distance data, wherein CT6 = 0.662), a distance from the image-side surface of the third lens to the object-side surface of the fourth lens along the optical axis is T34 (page 14, Table 11, Thickness or distance data, wherein T34 = 0.307), and the following condition is satisfied: 1.52 < (CT3+CT6)/T34 < 29.60 (wherein: (CT3+CT6)/T34 = 2.80).
With regard to dependent claim 5, Lee et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a distance from the image-side surface of the fourth lens to the object-side surface of the fifth lens along the optical axis is T45 (page 15, Table 11, Thickness or distance data, wherein T45 = 0.381), a curvature radius of the image-side surface of the fourth lens is R8 (page 15, Table 11, Radius of curvature data, wherein R8 = 45.136), a curvature radius of the object-side surface of the fifth lens is R9 (page 15, Table 11, Radius of curvature data, wherein R9 = 101.679), and the following condition is satisfied: 0.18 mm < T45/(R8/R9) < 7.86 mm (wherein T45/(R8/R9) = 0.21).
With regard to dependent claim 7, Lee et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein a central thickness of the sixth lens along the optical axis is CT6 (page 15, Table 11, Thickness or distance data, wherein CT6 = 0.662), a focal length of the sixth lens is f6 (page 15, Table 11, Focal length data, wherein f6 = 9.15), a focal length of the optical lens assembly is f (page 15, paragraph [0203], wherein f = 6.18), and the following condition is satisfied: -3.90mm < (CT6*f6)/f < 532.11mm (wherein (CT6*f6)/f = 0.98 mm).
With regard to dependent claim 18, Lee et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical lens wherein the focal length of the optical lens assembly is f (page 15, paragraph [0203], wherein f = 6.18), a curvature radius of the object-side surface of the sixth lens is R11 (page 15, Table 11, Radius of curvature data, wherein R11 = 3.995), and the following condition is satisfied: 1.06 < f/R11 < 2.03 (wherein f/R11 = 1.69).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 6, 8, 11-14, 16, 19 and 20 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art taken either singularly or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations of the independent claims, in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. §102 or §103 would be proper. Although the prior art teaches an optical lens assembly comprising a stop, and in order from an object side to an image side, comprising: a first lens with refractive power; a second lens with negative refractive power, comprising an object-side surface and an image-side surface, wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the second lens is aspheric; a third lens with refractive power, comprising an object-side surface and an image-side surface, wherein the object-side surface of the third lens is convex near the optical axis; a fourth lens with refractive power, comprising an object-side surface and an image-side surface, wherein the object-side surface of the fourth lens is convex near the optical axis; a fifth lens with refractive power, comprising an object-side surface and an image-side surface, wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fifth lens is aspheric; and a sixth lens with refractive power, comprising an object-side surface and an image-side surface, wherein the object-side surface of the sixth lens is convex near the optical axis, the image-side surface of the sixth lens is concave near the optical axis, and at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the sixth lens is aspheric; further satisfying the conditional expression: 254.30˚*mm ＜ FOV*EPD＜ 418.64˚*mm, the prior art fails to teach such an optical lens assembly simultaneously satisfying the conditional expressions: 2.73 < TL/IMH < 4.39, as defined and claimed in dependent claim 2; -40.49 < (R5*R6)/(f3*CT3)< -10.00, as defined and claimed in dependent claim 4; 4.79˚< (CRA*EPD)/TL < 9.53˚, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 6; -3.90mm < (CT6*f6)/f < 532.11mm and 2.52mm < (IMH*R2)/EPD < 4.43mm, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 8; 2.58mm < TL*(CT1/T12) < 4.26mm, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 11; 4.56 < TL/BFL < 9.00, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 12; 1.71˚/mm2 < CRA/(BFL*f) < 4.56m˚/mm2, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 13; 44.61˚< ΣAT *CRA/BFL < 105.44˚, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 14; ; 1.41 < R1/R2 < 2.98, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 16; ; 0.83 < (CT1+T12+CT2+T2S)/EPD < 1.59, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 19; or 2.37 < (CT3+CT4+CT5)/(CT1+CT2) < 5.08, as claimed and defined in dependent claim 20.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chen et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2020/0057268), Wang et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2021/0041664), Lin et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2022/0050272), Liao et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2022/0066144), Tsai (U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0063978) and Tsai (U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0161137) all teach optical lens assemblies comprising six lenses.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARRYL J COLLINS whose telephone number is (571) 272-2325. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 5:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricky L Mack can be reached at 571-272-2333. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DARRYL J COLLINS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
14 January 2026