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 2/21/2024 was considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hua et al. (US 2022/0128804) in view of Zhang et al. (US 2024/0192467).
Regarding Claim 1, Hua discloses an information handling system (Paragraph 0051, camera module that processes an image signal) comprising:
a housing (Paragraph 0018, lines 1-3, housing, Paragraph 0052, lines 1-4, housing;
the camera having a lens with eight lens elements ordered from an object side to an image side (Paragraph 0053, lines 1-12, Fig. 1a, lenses L1-L8):
a first lens element having positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L1 focal length =+47.97);
a second lens element having negative refractive power (Table 1a(1), L2 focal length =-12.05);
a third lens element having negative refractive power (Table 1a(1), L3 focal length =-55.94);
a fourth lens element having positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L4 focal length =+35.75);
a fifth lens element having a positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L5 focal length =+14.70);
a sixth lens element having a positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L6 focal length =+11.80);
a seventh lens element having a negative refractive power (Table 1a(1), L7 focal length =-6.44); and
an eighth lens element having a positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L8 focal length =+20.99).
Hua does not specifically disclose a processor coupled in the housing and operable to process information; a memory coupled in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information; a display interfaced with the processor and operable to present the information as visual images; and a camera having a field of view positioned to capture a visual image of an end user viewing the display.
However, Zhang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a processor coupled in the housing and operable to process information (Fig. 2, processor 200, Paragraph 0076, lines 1-10); a memory coupled in the housing and interfaced with the processor (Fig. 2, memory 400, Paragraph 0076, lines 1-17), the memory operable to store the information (Paragraph 0076, lines 10-11); a display interfaced with the processor and operable to present the information as visual images (Paragraph 0076, lines 7-9, display screen); and a camera having a field of view positioned to capture a visual image of an end user viewing the display (Paragraph 0074, lines 1-4, rear-facing camera), for the purpose of providing a convenient camera device that can store digital self-portraits.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the system of Hua with a processor coupled in the housing and operable to process information; a memory coupled in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information; a display interfaced with the processor and operable to present the information as visual images; and a camera having a field of view positioned to capture a visual image of an end user viewing the display, of Zhang, for the purpose of providing a convenient camera device that can store digital self-portraits.
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 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hua et al. (US 2022/0128804).
Regarding Claim 11, Hua discloses a camera lens (Paragraph 0053, lines 1-12, Fig. 1a, lenses L1-L8) comprising:
a first lens element having positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L1 focal length =+47.97);
a second lens element having negative refractive power (Table 1a(1), L2 focal length =-12.05);
a third lens element having negative refractive power (Table 1a(1), L3 focal length =-55.94);
a fourth lens element having positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L4 focal length =+35.75);
a fifth lens element having a positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L5 focal length =+14.70);
a sixth lens element having a positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L6 focal length =+11.80);
a seventh lens element having a negative refractive power (Table 1a(1), L7 focal length =-6.44); and
an eighth lens element having a positive refractive power (Table 1a(1), L8 focal length =+20.99).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10 and 12-20 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: with respect to the allowable subject matter, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of the claimed combination of limitations to warrant a rejection under 35 USC 102 or 103.
Specifically, with respect to claims 2 and 12, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a system/camera lens including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein: the first lens element and the eighth lens element are glass; and the second lens element through the seventh lens element are plastic.
Specifically, with respect to claims 3 and 13, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a system/camera lens including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the total track length of the lens is 26.6 mm.
Specifically, with respect to claims 4 and 14, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a system/camera lens including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the F-number of the lens is 1.8 or less.
Specifically, with respect to claims 7 and 17, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a system/camera lens including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the first lens element has a fit of 86<f1/f<87.
Specifically, with respect to claims 8 and 18, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a system/camera lens including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein plural of the lens elements have aspherical coefficient surfaces to achieve a 50% modulation transfer function.
Specifically, with respect to claims 10 and 20, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a system/camera lens including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein lens elements two through seven are aspheric.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Liu (US 2022/0244510), Lin et al. (US 2026/0003161), Chen (US 2022/0137351), Pao et al. (US 2018/0372998), and Wei et al. (US 2021/0055528) are cited to show similar systems and camera lenses.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM R ALEXANDER whose telephone number is (571)270-7656. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM- 4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached on (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM R ALEXANDER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872