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 statements (IDS) submitted on March 14, 2024 and November 8, 2024 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-3, 6, 11, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chang et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2019/0018171).
With regard to independent claim 1, Chang et al teaches an imaging lens assembly, having an optical axis, and comprising: a plurality of optical elements, wherein the optical axis passes through the optical elements (Figure 5A and page 12, paragraph [0120]), and the optical elements comprise: a radial reduction lens element (page 12, paragraph [0120], lines 8-10 and Figure 5A, element 100), wherein an appearance of the radial reduction lens element is non-circular observed along a direction parallel to the optical axis (page 2, paragraph [0039], lines19-22), and the radial reduction lens element comprises: an optical effective portion (Figure 1A, element 165), wherein the optical axis passes through the optical effective portion (Figure 1A, element z); and a peripheral portion extending from the optical effective portion towards a direction away from the optical axis (Figure 1A, element 163), and disposed around the optical effective portion along a circumferential direction of the optical axis (Figure 1A); and a radial reduction light blocking element (Figure 1A, element 163), wherein an appearance of the radial reduction light blocking element is non-circular observed along the direction parallel to the optical axis (page 2, paragraph [0039], lines19-22), and the radial reduction light blocking element comprises: a central opening (Figure 1A, element 165), wherein the optical axis passes through the central opening (Figure 1A, element z); and a radial reduction part reducing from a surface of the radial reduction light blocking element towards the optical axis along a direction vertical to the optical axis, so that the central opening being non-circular (page 2, paragraph [0039], lines19-22), and the radial reduction part comprising: a plurality of light blocking structures arranged along the direction vertical to the optical axis (Figure 1A, element 163), and each of the light blocking structures extending toward a direction close to the optical axis (Figure 1A); wherein a number of the light blocking structures is Nr, and the following condition is satisfied: 50 < Nr < 250 (page 6, paragraph [0070]).
With regard to dependent claim 2, Chang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an imaging lens wherein a V-shaped groove is formed between each two of the light blocking structures, the V-shaped groove has an angle θ, and the following condition is satisfied: 0 degrees <θ< 90 degrees (page 1, paragraph [0005], lines 20-25).
With regard to dependent claim 3, Chang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to dependent claim 2, and further teaches such an imaging lens wherein the V-shaped groove has an angle θ, and the following condition is satisfied: 30 degrees <θ< 65 degrees (page 1, paragraph [0005], lines 20-25).
With regard to dependent claim 6, Chang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an imaging lens wherein the radial reduction light blocking element further comprises: a receiving portion comprising a receiving surface directly contacted with one of the optical elements adjacent thereto (Figure 5C, element 5300 and page 13, paragraph [0125]).
With regard to dependent claim 11, Chang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an imaging lens wherein the radial reduction light blocking element is made of black plastic (page 9, paragraph [0095], lines 1-2).
With regard to dependent claim 14, Chang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches a camera module comprising such an imaging lens; and an image sensor disposed on an image surface of the imaging lens assembly (Figure 6A, elements 10 and 13).
With regard to dependent claim 15, Chang et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to dependent claim 14, and further teaches an electronic device comprising such a camera module (Figure 6A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-26 are allowed.
Claims 4, 5, 7-10, 12 and 13 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: The prior art taken either singularly or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations of the independent claims, in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. §102 or §103 would be proper.
With regard to dependent claims 4, 7, 10 and 12, although the prior art teaches an imaging lens assembly, having an optical axis, and comprising: a plurality of optical elements, wherein the optical axis passes through the optical elements, and the optical elements comprise: a radial reduction lens element, wherein an appearance of the radial reduction lens element is non-circular observed along a direction parallel to the optical axis, and the radial reduction lens element comprises: an optical effective portion, wherein the optical axis passes through the optical effective portion; and a peripheral portion extending from the optical effective portion towards a direction away from the optical axis, and disposed around the optical effective portion along a circumferential direction of the optical axis; and a radial reduction light blocking element, wherein an appearance of the radial reduction light blocking element is non-circular observed along the direction parallel to the optical axis, and the radial reduction light blocking element comprises: a central opening, wherein the optical axis passes through the central opening; and a radial reduction part reducing from a surface of the radial reduction light blocking element towards the optical axis along a direction vertical to the optical axis, so that the central opening being non-circular, and the radial reduction part comprising: a plurality of light blocking structures arranged along the direction vertical to the optical axis, and each of the light blocking structures extending toward a direction close to the optical axis; wherein a number of the light blocking structures is Nr, and the following condition is satisfied: 50 < Nr < 250, the prior art fails to teach such an imaging lens assembly: wherein a radius structure is formed between each two of the light blocking structures, the radius structure has a radius R, and simultaneously satisfying the conditional expression: 0 mm < R < 0.3 mm, as claimed in dependent claim 4; wherein the receiving portion of the radial reduction light blocking element further comprises a plurality of auxiliary light blocking structures, and the receiving surface is farther away from the central opening than each of the auxiliary light blocking structures from the central opening, as claimed in dependent claim 7; wherein an air gap is between the light blocking structures and one of the optical elements adjacent thereto, as claimed in dependent claim 10; or wherein the radial reduction light blocking element is made of black plastic, and has at least one gate trace, as claimed in dependent claim 12.
With regard to dependent claims 5, 8, 9 and 13, claims 5, 8, 9 and 13 are allowable as they depend, directly or indirectly, from dependent claims 4, 7 and 12, respectively, and therefore inherit all of the limitations of the claim from which they depend.
With regard to independent claim 16, although the prior art teaches an imaging lens assembly, having an optical axis, and comprising: a plurality of optical elements, wherein the optical axis passes through the optical elements, and the optical elements comprise: a first radial reduction lens element, wherein an appearance of the first radial reduction lens element is non-circular observed along a direction parallel to the optical axis, and the first radial reduction lens element comprises: a first optical effective portion, wherein the optical axis passes through the first optical effective portion; and a first peripheral portion extending from the first optical effective portion towards a direction away from the optical axis, disposed around the first optical effective portion along a circumferential direction of the optical axis, and the first peripheral portion comprising: a first diameter contact surface disposed around the first peripheral portion; a first radial reduction light blocking element, wherein an appearance of the first radial reduction light blocking element is non-circular observed along the direction parallel to the optical axis, and the first radial reduction light blocking element comprises: a first central opening, wherein the optical axis passes through the first central opening; and a first radial reduction part reducing from a surface of the first radial reduction light blocking element towards the optical axis along a direction vertical to the optical axis, so that the first central opening being non-circular, and the first radial reduction part comprising: a plurality of first light blocking structures arranged along the direction vertical to the optical axis, and each of the first light blocking structures extending toward a direction close to the optical axis and satisfying the conditional expression: 10 < Nr1 < 250, as defined, the prior art fails to teach such an imaging lens assembly further comprising a second radial reduction light blocking element configured to load the first radial reduction lens element, and the second radial reduction light blocking element comprising: a second central opening, wherein the optical axis passes through the second central opening; a second radial reduction part reducing from a surface of the second radial reduction light blocking element towards the optical axis along the direction vertical to the optical axis, so that the second central opening being non-circular, and the second radial reduction part comprising: a plurality of second light blocking structures arranged along the direction vertical to the optical axis, and each of the second light blocking structures extending toward the direction close to the optical axis; and a first receiving side wall surface directly contacted with the first diameter contact surface of the first radial reduction lens element; and satisfying the conditional expression: 10 < Nr2 < 250, s defined.
With regard to dependent claims 17-26, claims 17-26 are allowable as they depend, directly or indirectly, from independent claim 16 and therefore inherit all of the limitations of the claim from which they depend.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yang et al (U.S. Patent Number 12,429,635), Yang et al (U.S. Patent Number 12,164,170), Tsai et al (U.S. Patent Number 11,169,352), Tung (U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0247273), Liang (U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0221620), Su et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2022/0365321), Huang et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2022/0043325) and Chou et al (U.S. Patent Publication 20019/0324172) all teach light blocking elements.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARRYL J COLLINS whose telephone number is (571) 272-2325. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 5:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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/DARRYL J COLLINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
26 January 2026