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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Germany on 30 March, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the DE102023108216.7 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. Examiner notes that while a valid “Interim Copy” has been received, 37 CFR 1.55(j) notes that “The requirement in paragraph (f) of this section for a certified copy of the foreign application to be filed within the time limit set forth therein will be considered satisfied if… (3) A certified copy of the foreign application is filed within the period specified in paragraph (g)(1) of this section.” Since the certified copy has not yet been received, the requirements of 37 CFR 1.55(f) have not yet been met.
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(s) 1-6, 9, 10, 13-16, 19, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Grimes et al. (Pub. No. US 2018/0287306 A1; hereafter Grimes).
Regarding claim 1, Grimes discloses a camera for use with road vehicles, the camera comprising: a housing comprising an aperture (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 6, 7, and 29); a circuit board configured to be coupled to the housing (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 16); a connector configured to be contacted to the circuit board (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 14); a connector housing configured to be coupled to the housing wherein the connector is further configured to protrude through the aperture and be coupled to the connector housing (see Grimes Figs. 6 and 9, items 6, 14, and 26).
Regarding claim 2, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a front housing section and a back housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 7), wherein the circuit board is configured to be coupled to the front housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 7 and 16), and wherein the connector housing is configured to be coupled to the back housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 26 and 30).
Regarding claim 3, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 2, wherein the connector is configured to not contact the back housing section (see Grimes Fig. 9, there is a gap between housing 6 and connector 14).
Regarding claim 4, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 1, wherein the connector housing is configured as a floating component or wherein the connector housing is configured to be spatially adjustable (see Grimes Fig. 9, the connector 14 can be construed as floating with respect to the housing 6 due to the gap between the components).
Regarding claim 5, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 2, wherein the back housing section comprises an outward facing surface (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 30), wherein the connector housing is configured to be coupled to the surface (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 26, Examiner believes that placing the portion 26 in the receiving space 30 can reasonably be interpreted as “coupling” to one another, however, Grimes also explicitly shows the connector housing being fastened to the back of the housing via screws 8 in Fig. 12).
Regarding claim 6, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 2, wherein at least one of the back housing section and connector housing is manufactured of a non-metallic material (see Grimes paragraph [0048] which discloses that “a connector envelope 26, which can for example be manufactured from plastic”).
Regarding claim 9, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 1, wherein the connecter is configured as a FAKRA connector (see Grimes paragraph [0006] “ the coaxial plug can for example be a so called FAKRA connector”).
Regarding claim 10, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 1, wherein the connector housing is coupled to the housing using a material connection or a laser weld (see Grimes Fig. 12, items 6, 8, and 26).
Regarding claim 13, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 1, wherein the camera is a camera for a rear view device (see Grimes Fig. 1, item 2).
Regarding claim 14, Grimes discloses a method of assembling a camera, the method comprising: Providing a housing (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 6 and 7), a circuit board (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 16), a connector (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 14) and a connector housing (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 26), wherein the housing comprises an aperture (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 29); Contacting the connector to the circuit board (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 14 and 16); Coupling the circuit board to the housing (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 7 and 16); Arranging the circuit board such that the connector protrudes through the aperture (see Grimes Fig. 9, items 6, 14, and 29); and Coupling the connector housing to the connector (see Grimes Fig. 9, items 14 and 26).
Regarding claim 15, Grimes discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the housing comprises a front housing section and a back housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 6 and 7), wherein the method further comprises: arranging the circuit board on the front housing section, and arranging the connector housing on the back housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 7 and 17, and 6 and 26).
Regarding claim 16, Grimes discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the step of coupling the connector housing to the housing comprises providing a material connection (see Grimes embodiment of Fig. 12, items 6, 8, and 26).
Regarding claim 19, Grimes discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the step of coupling further comprises coupling a lens to the housing (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 10).
Regarding claim 20, Grimes discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the housing comprises an aperture (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 29); wherein the circuit board is configured to be coupled to the housing (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 7 and 16); wherein the connector is configured to be contacted to the circuit board (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 14 and 16); wherein the connector housing is configured to be coupled to the housing (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 6, 26, and 30) wherein the connector is further configured to protrude through the aperture and be coupled to the connector housing (see Grimes Fig. 9, items 14, 26, and 29).
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(s) 7, 8, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grimes in view of Bingle et al. (Pub. No. US 2006/0171704 A1; hereafter Bingle).
Regarding claim 7, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 2, wherein the circuit board comprises a first side, wherein the first side is arranged and configured to be facing towards the front housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 16, whichever side faces forwards can be construed as the first side); and wherein a lens is configured to be coupled to the front housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 10).
Grimes does not specifically disclose that an image sensor is configured to be arranged on the first side. Grimes discloses that the camera contains an image sensor (see Grimes paragraph [0046] “The camera 2 can be a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) camera or else a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera or any image capturing device”) but does not specifically disclose that it is arranged on the first side of the circuit board.
Bingle discloses an image sensor on the first side of the circuit board (see Bingle Fig. 7, item 18).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the image sensor of Grimes on the front side of the circuit board of Grimes, like the configuration of Bingle, in order to enable the image sensor to detect the image focused by the imaging lens.
Regarding claim 8, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 2, wherein the circuit board comprises a second side; wherein the second side is configured to be facing towards the back housing section (see Grimes Fig. 6, item 16, whichever side faces backwards can be construed as the second side).
Grimes does not specifically disclose that the connector is configured to be soldered to the second side. Grimes discloses a connector connected to the circuit board (see Grimes Fig. 6, items 14 and 16) but does not disclose that they are soldered together.
Bingle discloses a connector that is soldered to the circuit board (see Bingle Fig. 7, item 14d and paragraph [0090] “ends of the pins or terminals may be soldered in place in their respective openings”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to solder the connector of Grimes to the rear side of the circuit board of Grimes, like the configuration of Bingle, in order to establish secure electrical connection between the components.
Regarding claim 18, Grimes discloses the method of claim 14, but does not specifically disclose that the step of contacting further comprises contacting an image sensor to the circuit board.
Bingle discloses an image sensor contacted on the first side of the circuit board (see Bingle Fig. 7, item 18).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the image sensor of Grimes on the front side of the circuit board of Grimes, like the configuration of Bingle, in order to enable the image sensor to detect the image focused by the imaging lens.
Claim(s) 11, 12, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grimes in view of Clifford (Pub. No. US 2006/0049154 A1; hereafter Clifford).
Regarding claims 11 and 12, Grimes discloses the camera of claim 10, but does not disclose that the connector housing is manufactured of an at least partially optically transparent material; [claim 12] wherein the at least partially optically transparent material is transparent for a wavelength of an applied laser.
Clifford discloses that it was well-known in the art at the time the invention was filed that “conventional laser welding techniques require an outer overlapping plastic layer to be transparent and the inner overlapping layer to opaque to absorb the laser radiation, thereby allowing the inner overlapping layer to heat to the melting point and bond with the outer overlapping layer when laser energy is applied” (see Clifford paragraph [0005]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the plastic portion of Grimes as a transparent portion in order to enable the device to be welded together using conventional welding techniques to securely couple the components without requiring additional components like the screws of Grimes.
Regarding claim 17, Grimes discloses the method of claim 16, but does not disclose that the step of providing a material connection comprises the following steps: Melting the connector housing by heating and melting the housing by a laser by means of heat conduction, wherein the housing absorbs energy from the laser; Applying pressure to the connector housing or the housing.
Clifford discloses that it was well-known in the art at the time the invention was filed that “conventional laser welding techniques require an outer overlapping plastic layer to be transparent and the inner overlapping layer to opaque to absorb the laser radiation, thereby allowing the inner overlapping layer to heat to the melting point and bond with the outer overlapping layer when laser energy is applied” (see Clifford paragraph [0005]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the plastic portion of Grimes as a transparent portion in order to enable the device to be welded together using conventional welding techniques to securely couple the components without requiring additional components like the screws of Grimes. Furthermore, while Clifford does not specifically disclose applying pressure, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply pressure as the device components are bonded together so as to ensure that the components do not accidentally move or separate during bonding.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NOAM S REISNER whose telephone number is (571)270-7542. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:30PM.
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/NOAM REISNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852 12/9/2025
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