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.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: Reference number 11 and 12 are shown in fig.2 but are not discussed in the specification. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(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 - 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a2) as being anticipated by Fujinaka (WO 2023/171049 A1) (Examination is utilizing the US national stage entry (US 2025/0138389 A1) as the English translation for the purpose of rejections).
Regarding claim 1 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, comprising:
a mounting base (201; para. 0050);
a magnet structure provided on the mounting base, wherein the magnet structure comprises two magnetic circuit components provided at intervals in an up-down direction, and each of the magnetic circuit components comprises two magnets provided at intervals in the up-down direction (para. 0074-0076; see fig. 5, 11 and 12);
magnetic poles are provided in a different manner on a side of the two magnets that are close to each other, and the two magnets form a magnetic gap extending in a front-back direction (para. 0074-0076; see fig. 5);
and a driving coil comprising two wire groups (212) provided opposite to each other in the up-down direction, where one of the wire groups (A1: see annotated fig. 12 below) is located in the magnetic gap formed by the two magnets of the magnetic circuit component, and the other wire group (A2: see annotated fig. 12 below) is located in the magnetic gap formed by the two magnets of the other magnetic circuit component (para. 0056-0057);
in response to that the driving coil is energized, the two magnetic circuit components are configured to generate an electromagnetic force with the driving coil to drive the driving coil to move in the front-back direction (para. 0077).
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[AltContent: textbox (A1: first wire group)][AltContent: textbox (A2: second wire group)][AltContent: textbox (Gaps)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
Regarding claim 2 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where each of the magnets comprises a plurality of loadstones provided at intervals in the front-back direction (para. 0074-0076; see fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where the mounting base is configured as a magnetic yoke, and the magnetic yoke is configured to form a mounting groove with an opening; the opening is provided on a side of the magnetic yoke in a left-right direction and extends in the front-back direction, and the magnet structure and the driving coil are both installed in an installation cavity (see fig. 12).
Regarding claim 4 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where the magnetic yoke comprises two first magnetic yokes extending in the front-back direction and provided at intervals in the up-down direction; and a side of one first magnetic yoke facing the other first magnetic yoke is fixed to the magnet (see fig. 12).
Regarding claim 5 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where the two first magnetic yokes are recessed on the side surfaces close to each other to form limit grooves, and the magnet is installed in a corresponding limit groove (see fig. 12).
Regarding claim 6 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where the magnetic yoke further comprises two second magnetic yokes provided at intervals in the front-back direction, and the two second magnetic yokes are respectively provided at two ends of the two first magnetic yokes in the front-back direction (para. 0141).
Regarding claim 7 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where the magnetic yoke further comprises a third magnetic yoke provided at side ends of the two first magnetic yokes in the left-right direction, and the two first magnetic yokes, the two second magnetic yokes and the third magnetic yoke are enclosed to form the installation cavity (para. 0141).
Regarding claim 8 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where the magnetic yoke is further provided with a fourth magnetic yoke extending in the front-back direction, and the fourth magnetic yoke is provided in the mounting groove and located between the two magnetic circuit components; and the magnet is respectively installed on two sides of the fourth magnetic yoke in the up-down direction (see fig. 12).
Regarding claim 9 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a zoom lens, comprising:
a lens assembly (206A, 206B), comprising an adjustable lens group movable in a front-back direction; and the voice coil motor of claim 1, where the voice coil motor is provided with a driving coil fixedly connected to the adjustable lens group (para. 0141).
Regarding claim 10 Fujinaka teaches (figs. 3-13) a voice coil motor, where multiple driving coils and multiple adjustable lens groups are provided, and each of the adjustable lens groups is fixedly connected to a corresponding driving coil (see fig. 12).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Further linear drive VCMs are discussed in Seto (US 2013/0120860 A1), Song et. al. (US 20230388634 A1),Yao (CN 101527494 A) and Haruyama (JP 2022161138 A).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT E TALLMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3958. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10 a.m. -6 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricky Mack can be reached at 571-272-2333. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Robert E. Tallman/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872