Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/534,582

LENS UNIT AND LENS BARREL EQUIPPED WITH SAME

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 09, 2023
Priority
Jan 12, 2023 — JP 2023-003155
Examiner
MARTINEZ, JOSEPH P
Art Unit
2872
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
760 granted / 882 resolved
+18.2% vs TC avg
Minimal +3% lift
Without
With
+2.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
894
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
§103
57.9%
+17.9% vs TC avg
§102
34.6%
-5.4% vs TC avg
§112
1.3%
-38.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 882 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12-9-23 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 § 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 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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Tsuchiya et al. (US20090185291). Re claim 1, Tsuchiya et al. teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, a lens unit, comprising: a lens (1) having a first thrust surface (3a) that intersects an optical axis direction (fig. 3), a second thrust surface (3b) on an opposite side from the first thrust surface (fig. 3), and an end surface (3c) that connects the first thrust surface and the second thrust surface (fig. 3); an antireflective film (4) that is provided to the end surface of the lens (para. 0086) and is configured to suppress a reflection of light incident on the lens at the end surface (para. 0079, 0089); a lens frame (101) that has a substantially cylindrical shape (fig. 1), into which the lens is inserted from a side of the first thrust surface along the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface, and holds the lens (fig. 1, 6, 11, 15); and a first adhesive part (4; para. 0023) that bonds the lens to the lens frame with an adhesive applied to the first thrust surface or the second thrust surface (para. 0023, 0032, 0033, 0085). Re claim 2, Tsuchiya et al. further teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, a fixing frame (8) that is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the lens frame (fig. 11, 13), wherein the lens is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the lens frame via the fixing frame (fig. 11, 13). Re claim 3, Tsuchiya et al. further teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, the fixing frame further has a first injection hole (8b) into which is injected an adhesive for bonding the fixing frame and the second thrust surface of the lens (para. 0135). Re claim 4, Tsuchiya et al. further teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, the fixing frame further has an injection part (8b) into which is injected an adhesive between the inner peripheral surface of the lens frame and an outer peripheral surface of the fixing frame (fig. 11; para. 0135). Re claim 5, Tsuchiya et al. further teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, the lens frame further has a second injection hole (8b) into which an adhesive is injected, and the first thrust surface of the lens is bonded to the lens frame by the adhesive injected into the second injection hole (fig. 11; para. 0135). Re claim 6, Tsuchiya et al. further teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, the antireflective film is a blacked-out portion coated with a paint that suppresses the reflection of light (para. 0079, 0089). Re claim 7, Tsuchiya et al. further teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, the lens is a resin lens (para. 0077). Re claim 8, Tsuchiya et al. further teaches for example in fig. 1-3, 6, 11, 12, and 15, a lens barrel, comprising: the lens unit; and an attachment unit that is attached to a mounting unit of a camera body (para. 0067). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH P MARTINEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-2335. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9am to 7pm PACIFIC. 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, 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. 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. /Joseph P Martinez/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872 3-7-26
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 09, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12631856
OPTICAL SYSTEM AND CAMERA MODULE COMPRISING SAME
2y 4m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12625348
Optical Lens, Lens Module, and Terminal
3y 6m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12625305
DISPLAY DEVICE
2y 9m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12625363
THERMAL EXPANSION COMPENSATION IN TUNABLE LENSES
2y 8m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12619090
MULTIBEAM 3-D FOCUS GENERATOR
2y 11m to grant Granted May 05, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+2.6%)
2y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 882 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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