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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claims 1-3, 7, 16, 19-20, the limitation “mover rigid” is ambiguous as to the metes and bounds of the claim. The term “rigid” is used as a noun but its part of speech is an adjective. It appears that the mover is the noun meant to be claimed, where rigid is a description of the mover. For this reason, the limitation is interpreted to mean “rigid mover”.
Claims 4-6, 8-15, 17-18 are rejected by virtue of their dependence on the rejected claims.
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 16, 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al (US Publication No.: 20230135247 A1, “Park”) in view of Kim et al (US Publication No.: US 2018/0259787 A1, “Kim”).
Regarding Claim 16, Park discloses an actuator device (Figure 5A and 6A), comprising:
A housing (Figure 5A, housing 442/445/462a);
A holder disposed in the housing (Figure 5A, holder 441);
A moving plate disposed between the housing the holder (Figure 5A, moving plate 464; Paragraph 0092);
A mover rigid coupled to the holder with a first part of the housing interposed therebetween (Figure 5A, mover rigid 462/462b; Paragraph 0090, where the mover rigid 462b is coupled to the holder 441 with the first part of the housing 462a in between);
A first magnet disposed on the mover rigid (Figure 6A; first magnet 463); and
A buffer member disposed between the mover rigid and the first part of the housing (Figure 6A, buffer member 470 is disposed between the mover rigid 462d and the first part of the housing 462a/445; Paragraph 0108), wherein
The mover rigid comes into contact with the buffer member when the mover rigid moves (Paragraphs 0108-0109).
Park fails to disclose a reflective member disposed on the holder.
However, Kim discloses a similar device comprising a reflective member disposed on the holder (Kim, Figure 3, holder 1120, reflective member 1110; Paragraph 0072).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device as disclosed by Park to include a reflective member as disclosed by Kim. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of correcting blurred and shaken images (Kim, Paragraph 0072).
Regarding Claim 18, Park in view of Kim, wherein the buffer member is disposed in contact with the first part of the housing (Figure 6A, buffer member 470 is disposed between the mover rigid 462d and the first part of the housing 462a/445; Paragraphs 0108-0109).
Regarding Claim 19, Park discloses an actuator device (Figure 5A and 6A), comprising:
A housing (Figure 5A, housing 442/445/462a);
A holder disposed in the housing (Figure 5A, holder 441);
A moving plate disposed between the housing the holder (Figure 5A, moving plate 464; Paragraph 0092);
A mover rigid coupled to the holder with a first part of the housing interposed therebetween (Figure 5A, mover rigid 462/462b; Paragraph 0090, where the mover rigid 462b is coupled to the holder 441 with the first part of the housing 462a in between);
A buffer member disposed between the mover rigid and the first part of the housing (Figure 6A, buffer member 470 is disposed between the mover rigid 462d and the first part of the housing 462a/445; Paragraph 0108).
Park fails to disclose a reflective member disposed on the holder.
However, Kim discloses a similar device comprising a reflective member disposed on the holder (Kim, Figure 3, holder 1120, reflective member 1110; Paragraph 0072).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the device as disclosed by Park to include a reflective member as disclosed by Kim. One would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of correcting blurred and shaken images (Kim, Paragraph 0072).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-15 would be allowable if the 112(b) rejection were overcome.
Claims 17 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for indicating allowable subject matter:
Regarding independent claim 1, the prior art of record does not teach or suggest an actuator device comprising a housing; a holder; a reflective member; a moving plate; a rigid mover; a first magnet disposed on the rigid mover; a second magnet disposed in a first part of the housing and configured to generate a repulsive force with the first magnet; and a buffer member disposed on the first part of the housing, wherein a distance between the rigid mover and the buffer member is smaller than a distance between the first magnet and the second magnet, in combination with the remaining features recited in the claim.
The prior art of Park (US 2023/0135247 A1) discloses an actuator device comprising a housing; a holder;; a moving plate; a rigid mover; a first magnet disposed on the rigid mover; and a second magnet (Park, Figure 5A, Figure 6A). However, Park fails to disclose that the second magnet is located within a first part of the housing and that a distance between the rigid mover and the buffer member is smaller than a distance between the first magnet and the second magnet. Park also fails to disclose a reflective member. The prior art of Kim (US 2018/0259787 A1) discloses a reflective member disposed on the holder (Kim, Figure 3). However, Kim also fails to disclose a second magnet disposed in a first part of the housing.
Therefore, Claim 1 is allowed. Claims 2-15 are allowed by virtue of their dependence on the allowed claim.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARIAM QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)272-4434. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Caley can be reached at 571-272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARIAM QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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