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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1- 4 and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20220187580 A1 to Tang et al.
Regarding Claim 1. Tang discloses a lens assembly comprising a plurality of lenses arranged from an object side to an image side on which an image plane is located, wherein the lens assembly (See at least Fig. 1) comprises: a first lens group that comprises at least one lens having a positive refractive power (para 107) and is fixed to maintain a constant distance from the image plane during focusing (para 33 and Table 1 and Table 2, proving the first lens group maintains a constant distance); and a second lens group that comprises a lens having at least one aspheric surface (See at least Table 1) and is configured to perform image plane alignment according to a change in an object distance of an object (See at least para 74), and wherein the lens assembly satisfies the following equation: FOV<15 degrees, wherein FOV denotes a half-angle of view of the lens assembly (as shown in Table 2).
Regarding Claim 2. Tang further discloses the second lens group satisfies the following equation: 0.5<FL2/EFL<1.1, wherein FL2 denotes a focal length of the second lens group, and EFL denotes a total focal length of the lens assembly (as shown in Table 13 where FL2/EFL ≈0.75 for at least example 1).
Regarding Claim 3. Tang further discloses the lens assembly satisfies the following equation: 0.8<EFL/TTL<1.2, wherein EFL denotes a total focal length of the lens assembly, and TTL denotes a total distance of the lens assembly (as shown in Table 13 where EFL/TTL ≈1.08 for at least example 1).
Regarding Claim 4. Tang further discloses the first lens group further comprises one or more aspherical lenses (see at least Table 1) and one or more negative lenses (See Table 1 and para 107).
Regarding Claim 12. Tang further discloses the second lens group comprises a single aspherical lens (See Fig. 1 lens E5).
Regarding Claim 13. Tang further discloses the aspherical lens is a meniscus lens that is convex toward the object side, or a meniscus lens that is convex toward the image side (See Fig. 1 and Table 1).
Regarding Claim 14. Tang discloses an electronic device comprising: a lens assembly comprising a plurality of lenses arranged from an object side to an image side on which an image plane is located; at least one camera configured to obtain information about an object from light incident through the lens assembly; and an image signal processor configured to process an image of the object, based on the information (See para 77-78), wherein the lens assembly (See at least Fig. 1) comprises: a first lens group that comprises at least one lens having a positive refractive power (para 107) and is fixed to maintain a constant distance from the image plane during focusing (para 33 and Table 1 and Table 2, proving the first lens group maintains a constant distance); and a second lens group that comprises a lens having at least one aspheric surface (See at least Table 1) and is configured to perform image plane alignment according to a change in an object distance of an object (See at least para 74), and wherein the lens assembly satisfies the following equation: FOV<15 degrees, wherein FOV denotes a half-angle of view of the lens assembly (as shown in Table 2).
Regarding Claim 15. Tang further discloses the second lens group satisfies the following equation: 0.5<FL2/EFL<1.1, wherein FL2 denotes a focal length of the second lens group, and EFL denotes a total focal length of the lens assembly (as shown in Table 13 where FL2/EFL ≈0.75 for at least example 1).
Regarding Claim 16. Tang further discloses the first lens group further comprises one or more aspherical lenses (see at least Table 1) and one or more negative lenses (See Table 1 and para 107).
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 factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang as applied to claim 1 in view of US 20190086638 A1 to Lee.
Regarding Claim 5. As stated above Tang discloses all the limitations of base claim 1.
Tang does not specifically disclose a reflective member on the object side of the first lens group.
However, Lee discloses a reflective member on the object side of the first lens group (See Fig. 1 bending unit R1) to perform camera shake correction (para 61).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before Applicant’s effective filing date to include that a reflective member on the object side of the first lens group.
Regarding Claim 6. Lee further discloses the reflective member is configured to perform camera shake correction (para 61).
Regarding Claim 7. Lee further discloses the second lens group is further configured to perform camera shake correction (para 61).
Claims 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang as applied to claim 14 in view of US 20190086638 A1 to Lee.
Regarding Claim 17. As stated above Tang discloses all the limitations of base claim 14.
Tang does not specifically disclose a reflective member on the object side of the first lens group.
However, Lee discloses a reflective member on the object side of the first lens group (See Fig. 1 bending unit R1) to perform camera shake correction (para 61).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before Applicant’s effective filing date to include that a reflective member on the object side of the first lens group.
Regarding Claim 18. Lee further discloses the reflective member is configured to perform camera shake correction (para 61).
Regarding Claim 19. Lee further discloses the second lens group is further configured to perform camera shake correction (para 61).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-11 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.
Conclusion
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/EDMOND C LAU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871