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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-7, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)&(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20220159158 A1 (Smirnov et al.).
Regarding claim 1:
Smirnov discloses a vehicular imaging device (Para. [0048], the device may be used in a vehicle.) comprising:
a lens barrel (Fig. 3 lens barrel [100]) that accommodates a lens (Fig. 3 lens barrel [110]);
a substrate (Fig. 3 substrate [200]) on which a sensor (Fig. 3 image sensor [210]) that converts light received through the lens into an image signal is mounted;
a housing (Fig. 9 shows member [510] acting as an outer housing for dissipating heat) that accommodates the lens barrel [100] and the substrate [200]; and
a first heat dissipation member (Fig. 3 and 7 heat transfer member [400] and heat dissipation unit [310]) that is disposed between the lens barrel [100] and the housing [510] and thermally connects the lens barrel and the housing (Fig. 3 [400] and [310] are disposed between [100] and [510] and thermally connect [100] and [510]).
Regarding claim 2:
Smirnov discloses the vehicular imaging device according to claim 1, wherein
a distal end portion of the lens barrel [100] is exposed from the housing [510]. (Fig. 3 shows that the distal end portion of lens barrel [100] is exposed from the housing.)
Regarding claim 4:
Smirnov discloses the vehicular imaging device according to claim 1, wherein
the first heat dissipation member [400]&[310] is disposed along an outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel [110]. (See fig. 3)
Regarding claim 5:
Smirnov discloses the vehicular imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising
a second heat dissipation member (Fig. 7, heat transfer member [420]) that thermally connects the substrate [200] and the housing [500]. (Fig. 7 shows substrate [200] is placed on heat transfer member [420] and thermally connects substrate [200] to housing [500])
Regarding claim 6:
Smirnov discloses the vehicular imaging device according to claim 5, wherein
the second heat dissipation member [420] is disposed on a back surface of a substrate [200] surface of the substrate on which the sensor [210] is mounted. (Fig. 7 shows that [420] is disposed on the back of substrate [200])
Regarding claim 7:
Smirnov discloses a vehicular imaging device (Para. [0048], the device may be used in a vehicle.) comprising:
a lens barrel (Fig. 7 [100]) that accommodates at least one lens [110];
a first substrate [200] having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
an imaging element [210] that converts light received through the at least one lens into an image signal and is arranged on the first surface of the first substrate [200];
a housing [500] that accommodates a part of the lens barrel [100] and the first substrate [200]; and
a heat dissipation member (Fig. 7 heat transfer member [420]) that thermally connects the first substrate [200] and the housing [500], wherein the heat dissipation member contacts the second surface of the first substrate and an inner surface of the housing. (Fig. 9 shows that [420] is in contact with substrate [200] and housing [500])
Regarding claim 10:
Smirnov discloses the vehicular imaging device according to claim 9, wherein
the housing [500] is made of metal. (Para. [0065], [500] may be made of metal.)
Claims 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2021048540 A (Nakamura).
Regarding claim 7:
Nakamura teaches a vehicular imaging device (See section titled “Industrial Applicability”) comprising:
a lens barrel that accommodates at least one lens (Fig. 2, Lens barrel [1]);
a first substrate (Fig. 2 , substrate [51]) having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
an imaging element that converts light received through the at least one lens into an image signal and is arranged on the first surface of the first substrate (Fig. 2, imaging element [511] on substrate [51]);
a housing (Fig. 2, front housing [3]) that accommodates a part of the lens barrel [1] and the first substrate [51]; and
a heat dissipation member (Fig. 4, heat conductive members [513]) that thermally connects the first substrate [51] and the housing [3], wherein the heat dissipation member contacts the second surface of the first substrate [51] and an inner surface of the housing [3]. (Para. [4] under section titled “First Substrate 51”, heat dissipation patterns [512] on the second surface of substrate [51] and conductive portions [31] on housing [3] contact heat conductive members [513] to create thermal contact between substrate [51] and housing [3])
Regarding claim 8:
Nakamura teaches the vehicular imaging device according to claim 7, further comprising
a second substrate (Fig. 2, second substrate [52]) having a third surface facing the second surface of the first substrate and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface, wherein the heat dissipation member (heat conductive members [523]) further contacts the third surface of the second substrate. (Para. [3] of section titled “Second substrate 52”, second substrate [52] is thermally connected to housing [3] via heat conductive members [523])
Regarding claim 9:
Nakamura teaches the vehicular imaging device according to claim 7, wherein
the heat dissipation member is grease or silicon. (Para. [8] of section titled “2. Features of the present invention”, The heat dissipation members [513] is a heat-dissipating grease.)
Regarding claim 10:
Nakamura teaches the vehicular imaging device according to claim 9, wherein
the housing [3] is made of metal. (Para. [1] of the section titled “Front case 3”, The housing [3] is made of metal.)
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20220159158 A1 (Smirnov) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 20230244128 A1 (Brink).
Regarding claim 3:
Smirnov discloses the vehicular imaging device according to claim 1,
Smirnov fails to teach or suggest
wherein a distal end portion of the lens barrel overlaps a distal end portion of the housing.
Brink teaches a vehicular imaging device (Fig. 5a)
wherein a distal end portion of the lens barrel (Fig. 1a, lens barrel [30]) overlaps a distal end portion of the housing (Fig. 1a, housing [2]). (Fig. 1a shows that the distal portion of lens barrel [30] and housing [2] overlap)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the distal end portion of the lens barrel overlaps the distal end portion of the housing as taught by Brink in the vehicular imaging device of Smirnov for the purpose of preventing the lens barrel from sticking past the housing.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 8207489 B2 (Aiba) Teaches an imaging device with a thermal dissipation member [8] in thermal contact with lens barrel [6] and substrate [4] with an outer cover (See Col. 6 Lines 31-34), Us 11366282 B2 (Ding et al.) Teaches an imaging device with heat dissipation members [402] in contact with a substrate (not labeled, substrate for photosensitive chip [21] for dissipating heat through the housing [30]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SETH D MOSER whose telephone number is (703)756-5803. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm.
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)270-1782. 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.
/SETH D MOSER/Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BUMSUK WON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872