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.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-10 and 17-20 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-2 and 11-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Livingston et al. (WO2006061623).
Regarding claim 1, Livingston discloses an optical module (Figs. 1 and 2), comprising:
an immovable part (12);
a movable part movable relative to the immovable part within a movement range (22, Figs. 1 and 2),
wherein the movable part is connected to an optical assembly (comprising 11, 13, 21, 22, 113 and 116); and
a connecting unit (14/15),
wherein the movable part is movably connected to the immovable part via the connecting unit (Figs.1 and 2).
Regarding claim 2, Livingston discloses wherein the connecting unit comprises:
a first connecting assembly; and a second connecting assembly movably connected to the first connecting assembly (16 and 17 are connected to one another as well as 18 to 19);
wherein an arrangement direction along which a center of the first connecting assembly and a center of the second connecting element are arranged is parallel with a main axis (Fig. 2);
wherein when viewed along the main axis, at least one of the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly at least partially overlaps the optical assembly (Fig. 2 where 112, 115, 113 and 116 are shown to overlap 13 when looking along the optical axis).
Regarding claim 11, Livingston discloses wherein the immovable part comprises:
a base (23); a bottom plate disposed on the base (12), wherein the bottom plate comprises a central rod (112/115); and a fixing rod surrounding the central rod (the hinge rods, 121/115, are enclosed and fixed by a surrounding rod-shaped structure fixed to the base 12).
Regarding claim 12, Livingston discloses wherein the fixing rod has a plurality of recessed portions (Fig. 1 there are a plurality of fixing rods that each have recessed portions for accommodating the hinging rods).
Regarding claim 13, Livingston discloses wherein the central rod and the fixing rod extend along the same direction (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 14, Livingston discloses wherein the movable part comprises:
a movable part body (base 13); and
a plurality of movable part bent portions bent downwardly relative to the movable part body (113/116 and Fig. ).
Regarding claim 15, Livingston discloses wherein the plurality of movable part bent portions are spaced apart from each other by the same angle (Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 16, Livingston discloses wherein an angle between adjacent two of the plurality of movable part bent portions is approximately 120 degrees (Comparison of Fig. 2 and the lowered state indicated in Fig. 5 shows that the relative angle changes from 90 degrees to 180 degrees, and therefore includes 120 degrees).
Examiner Notes
Examiner cites particular columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
PGPUB 20220299759 – This is an example of a reasonable 102 rejection based on a MEMS device. Figure 4 shows an immovable base, 140, that is attached to a plurality of bendable piezoelectric arms (130a/b) that both extend and tilt the optical center (14).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRAVIS S FISSEL whose telephone number is (313)446-6573. The examiner can normally be reached on 9AM-5PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephone Allen can be reached on (571) 272-2434. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRAVIS S FISSEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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