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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgement is made of receipt of Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO-1449) filed 11/2/2023, 7/17/2024, 9/18/2024, and 2/17/2025. An initialed copy is attached to this Office Action.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of claims 1-21 in the reply filed on 11/23/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that All of the independent claims 1, 22, 34 have the technical features "a plurality of blades, wherein the blades are disposed around an optical axis to form a light through hole and rotatable for adjusting the light through hole", "a rotating element, wherein the rotating element corresponds to the blades and is configured to drive the blades to rotate, so that a dimension of the light through hole is variable" and "at least one coil, wherein the at least one coil corresponds to the at least one magnet, and one of the at least one magnet and the at least one coil is disposed on the rotating element" which means that all of the independent claims 1, 22, 34 and the dependent claims 2-21, 23-33, 35-43 share the same technical features as mentioned above. This is found persuasive and claims 1-43 have been examined below.
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) 1-5, 15-16, 20-22, 29-36, and 42-43 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bai et al. (2012/0076486), hereinafter Bai.
Regarding claim 1, Bai discloses a dynamic aperture module (1, camera blade drive) (paragraph 0025), comprising: a blade set, comprising: a plurality of blades (20, plurality of blades) (paragraph 0025), wherein the blades (20, plurality of blades) are disposed around an optical axis to form a light through hole (see annotated figure 1 below) and rotatable for adjusting the light through hole (paragraphs 0025 and 0049-0051); and a driving portion, comprising: a rotating element (30, driving ring) (paragraph 0026), wherein the rotating element (30, driving ring) corresponds to the blades (20, plurality of blades) (paragraph 0026) and is configured to drive the blades to rotate, so that a dimension of the light through hole is variable (paragraphs 0025 and 0049-0051); at least one magnet (31, permanent magnet) comprising four polarities (paragraph 0046), wherein the polarities of the at least one magnet are relatively distributed along a direction surrounding the optical axis and a direction parallel to the optical axis (paragraphs 0046, 0062, and 0065), respectively; and at least one coil (11 coils), wherein the at least one coil (11, coils) corresponds to the at least one magnet (31, permanent magnets) (paragraphs 0062 and 0061), and one of the at least one magnet (31, permanent magnet) and the at least one coil (11, coils) is disposed on the rotating element (30, driving ring) (paragraphs 0026 and 0058); wherein the at least one magnet and the at least one coil are disposed along the direction parallel to the optical axis (figure 1 shows the coil and the magnet are parallel to the optical axis running through the middle of the device).
PNG
media_image1.png
612
418
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, Bai discloses wherein the driving portion further comprises: a frame element (10, base plate) disposed on the rotating element (30, driving ring) along the direction parallel to the optical axis (figure 1 and paragraph 0026).
Regarding claim 3, Bai discloses wherein the frame element (10, base plate) comprises: a magnetic element (12, magnetic member) (paragraph 0026), wherein the magnetic element (12, magnetic member) interacts with the at least one magnet (31, permanent magnet) (paragraph 0026).
Regarding claim 4, Bai discloses wherein the frame element (10, base plate) comprises: a magnetic element (12, magnetic member) (paragraph 0026), wherein the magnetic element (12, magnetic element) interacts with the at least one coil (11, coils) (paragraph 0026).
Regarding claim 5, Bai discloses wherein the driving portion further comprises: at least two bearing members (10d, supporting axes) disposed between the frame element (10, base plate) and the rotating element (30, driving ring) along the direction parallel to the optical axis (figure 1 and paragraphs 0031-0032).
Regarding claims 15 and 29, Bai discloses further comprising: a stable hole element having a stable hole, wherein the stable hole element corresponds to the blade set, the stable hole element is adjacent to the blade set (20, plurality of blades) and is coaxial with the blade set (see figure 4 below).
PNG
media_image2.png
312
424
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claims 16, 31, and 36, Bai discloses wherein the stable hole element comrises: a plurality of light blocking structures (20b, light-blocking part) adjacent to the stable hole (paragraph 0048).
Regarding claims 20, 32, and 42, Bai discloses an imaging lens assembly module (110, main unit) (paragraph 0076) (paragraph 0077), comprising: the dynamic aperture module (1, camera blade drive) of claim 1 (paragraph 0025); and an imaging lens assembly, wherein the dynamic aperture module and the imaging lens assembly are arranged in order from an object side to an image side along the optical axis, and a light enters the imaging lens assembly via the light through hole (figure 7 and paragraphs 0077-0078).
Regarding claims 21, 33, and 43, Bai discloses an electronic device (100, surveillance camera)(paragraph 0077), comprising: the imaging lens assembly module of claim 20.
Regarding claim 22, Bai discloses a dynamic aperture module (1, camera blade drive) (paragraph 0025), comprising: a blade set, comprising: a plurality of blades (20, plurality of blades) (paragraph 0025), wherein the blades (20, plurality of blades) are disposed around an optical axis to form a light through hole (see annotated figure 1 below) and rotatable for adjusting the light through hole (paragraphs 0025 and 0049-0051); and a driving portion, comprising: a frame element (10, base plate) (paragraph 0026); a rotating element (30, driving ring) (paragraph 0026), wherein the rotating element (30, driving ring) rotates relatively to the frame element (paragraph 0026), corresponds to the blades (20, plurality of blades) (paragraph 0026) and is configured to drive the blades to rotate relatively to the frame element (paragraph 0026), so that a dimension of the light through hole is variable (paragraphs 0025 and 0049-0051); at least one magnet (31, permanent magnet); and at least one coil (11 coils), wherein the at least one coil (11, coils) corresponds to the at least one magnet (31, permanent magnets) (paragraphs 0062 and 0061), and one of the at least one magnet (31, permanent magnet) and the at least one coil (11, coils) is disposed on the rotating element (30, driving ring) (paragraphs 0026 and 0058); at least two bearing members (10d, supporting axes) disposed between the frame element (10, base plate) and the rotating element (30, driving ring) along the direction parallel to the optical axis (figure 1 and paragraphs 0031-0032).
Regarding claims 30 and 35, Bai discloses further comprising: a light blocking element (20b, light-blocking part), wherein the light blocking element and the stable hole element (see annotated figure 1 above) are disposed relatively to the blade set, respectively (paragraph 0048).
Regarding claim 34, Bai discloses a dynamic aperture module (1, camera blade drive) (paragraph 0025), comprising: a blade set, comprising: a plurality of blades (20, plurality of blades) (paragraph 0025), wherein the blades (20, plurality of blades) are disposed around an optical axis to form a light through hole (see annotated figure 1 below) and rotatable for adjusting the light through hole (paragraphs 0025 and 0049-0051); and a driving portion, comprising: a rotating element (30, driving ring) (paragraph 0026), wherein the rotating element (30, driving ring) corresponds to the blades (20, plurality of blades) (paragraph 0026) and is configured to drive the blades to rotate (paragraph 0026), so that a dimension of the light through hole is variable (paragraphs 0025 and 0049-0051); at least one magnet (31, permanent magnet); and at least one coil (11 coils), wherein the at least one coil (11, coils) corresponds to the at least one magnet (31, permanent magnets) (paragraphs 0062 and 0061), and one of the at least one magnet (31, permanent magnet) and the at least one coil (11, coils) is disposed on the rotating element (30, driving ring) (paragraphs 0026 and 0058); and a stable hole element having a stable hole, wherein the stable hole element corresponds to the blade set, the stable hole element is adjacent to the blade set (20, plurality of blades) and is coaxial with the blade set (see figure 4 below).
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 12 and 39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bai et al. (2012/0076486), hereinafter Bai as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kloepfer et al. (2022/0007573), hereinafter Kloepfer.
Regarding claims 12 and 39, Bai discloses all the limitations in common with claim 1, and such is hereby incorporated.
Bai does not disclose wherein each of the blades comprises: a first surface layer; a second surface layer; and an inner substrate layer disposed between the first surface layer and the second surface layer.
Kloepfer discloses wherein each of the blades comprises: a first surface layer (45, first outer layer) (paragraph 0052); a second surface layer (47, second outer layer) (paragraph 0052); and an inner substrate layer (46, inner layer) disposed between the first surface layer and the second surface layer (paragraph 0052).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of Bai with the layers of the blade of Kloepfer for the purpose of achieving different strengths of cutting.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-11, 13-14, 17-19, 23-28, 37-38, and 40-41 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 prior art taken either singularly or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations of the independent claim(s), in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103 would be proper. The prior art fails to teach a combination of all the claimed features as presented in claim(s) 6, 9, 13, 17, 19, 23, 26, 37, and 40, wherein the claimed invention comprises, in claims 6 and 23, wherein each of the at least two bearing members comprises: four contacted points physically contacted with the frame element or the rotating element, and the contacted points comprising: an inner contacted point being one of the contacted points closest to the optical axis; an outer contacted point being one of the contacted points farthest away from the optical axis; an upper contacted point being one of two of the contacted points farthest away on the direction parallel to the optical axis; and lower contacted point being the other one of the two of the contacted points farthest away on the direction parallel to the optical axis; in claims 9 and 26, wherein each of the at least two bearing members comprises: three contacted points physically contacted with the frame element or the rotating element, and the contacted points comprising: an inner contacted point being one of the contacted points closest to the optical axis; an outer contacted point being one of the contacted points farthest away from the optical axis; an upper contacted point being one of two of the contacted points farthest away on the direction parallel to the optical axis; and a lower contacted point being the other one of the two of the contacted points farthest away on the direction parallel to the optical axis; wherein one of the contacted points is simultaneously one of the inner contacted point and the outer contacted point and one of the upper contacted point and the lower contacted point; in claims 13 and 40, the first surface layer and the second surface layer of each of the blades are closer to a center of the light through hole than the inner substrate layer to the center of the light through hole; in claims 17 and 37, wherein the stable hole element comprises: a nanostructure layer having a plurality of irregular ridge-like protrusions, where an average height of the nanostructure layer is between 125 nm to 300 nm; in claim 19, wherein the stable hole element comprises: a nanostructure layer having a plurality of irregular ridge-like protrusions, where an average height of the nanostructure layer is between 85 nm, to 255 nm, as claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRANDI N THOMAS whose telephone number is (571)272-2341. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30 - 3:30.
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, Stephone Allen can be reached at 571-272-2434. 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.
/BRANDI N THOMAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872