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 .
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: “35”.
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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the reference number “30” is used to refer to both - the “length module” (e.g., see par. [0072], etc.) and to the “lens barrel” (e.g., see par. [0075], etc.).
Appropriate correction is required. The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification. Applicant must carefully review the entire disclosure and to amend the specification and the abstract in proper English, without any artifacts of the incorrect translation from foreign documents. Verbose passages should be streamlined, and sentences with non-standard sentence construction or grammar should be editorially improved. No new matter should be introduced (37 CFR 1.125(a)).
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.
Claims 1-18, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2020-141229 to Yasuaki et al. (“Yasuaki”, cited in IDS) in view of JP 2008-245144 to Teru (cited in IDS ) and JP 2017-5455 to Shogo (cited in IDS).
Regarding claims 1 and 16, Yasuaki discloses (Fig. 2 and English translation of record) a camera module (10), comprising: a substrate (16); an inner housing (41) disposed on a first surface of the substrate, but does not disclose:
a heat transfer member, comprising a thermoelectric element, and disposed on a second surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate includes a heat transfer portion, wherein the heat transfer portion comprises a plurality of holes which penetrate the substrate, and wherein a heat transfer material is disposed in the plurality of holes to thermally connect the inner housing to the heat transfer member.
Teru discloses a camera module (Figs. 3-7 and English translation of record) comprising: a heat transfer member (25, 35), disposed on a second surface of a substrate (26, 36), wherein the substrate includes a heat transfer portion (around (25b)), wherein the heat transfer portion comprises a plurality of holes (26b, 36b) which penetrate the substrate, and wherein a heat transfer material (25b) is disposed in the plurality of holes to thermally connect the inner housing (21) to the heat transfer member (see the Abstract).
Furter, Shogo discloses an imaging device (Fig. 1 and English translation of record) comprising: a heat transfer member (108), comprising a thermoelectric element (see “Peltier element” on p. 3, par. 5 of the English translation of record), and disposed on a second surface of a substrate (109), wherein the substrate includes a heat transfer portion, wherein the heat transfer portion comprises a plurality of holes (110) which penetrate the substrate, and wherein a heat transfer material (106) is disposed in the plurality of holes to thermally connect the image sensor (100) to the heat transfer member (see “The screw 106 attached to the through hole 110 is made of a member having excellent heat conduction such as metal”, p. 3 of the English translation of record).
It would have been obvious to a person of the ordinary skill in related arts before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modify to Yasuaki according to the combined teachings of Teru and Shogo by providing a heat transfer member, comprising a thermoelectric element, and disposed on a second surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate includes a heat transfer portion, wherein the heat transfer portion comprises a plurality of holes which penetrate the substrate, and wherein a heat transfer material is disposed in the plurality of holes to thermally connect the inner housing to the heat transfer member, as claimed, in order to predictably enhance cooling of the camera module of Yasuaki. Also, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined / modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination / modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S.___, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Regarding claims 2, 3, 6, 7, Teru discloses that the heat transfer portion is formed around the image sensor (23, 24) (see the area on the substrate (26, 36) where the members (25b) are present on Fig. 7), wherein the heat transfer portion is disposed along a lower surface of the inner housing (21) (Fig. 7), wherein the heat transfer portion overlaps the lower surface of the inner housing (21) in a direction, parallel to an optical axis (Fig. 7), wherein the lower surface of the inner housing (21) is disposed to contact the heat transfer portion (Fig. 7). Furter, Shogo also discloses that the heat transfer portion (i.e., the portion of the substrate (109) accommodating through holes (110) on Fig. 1) is formed around the image sensor (100) (Fig. 1).
Regarding claims 4 and 5, Teru and Shogo disclose that the heat transfer material is a metal aluminum material (see Teru, p. 7, line 1 of the English translation of record; see Shogo, p. 5, second paragraph of the English translation of record). Also, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material (i.e., aluminum) on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. See In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, Yasuaki discloses (Fig. 2) that a first lens (40) disposed in front of the lens module (20), wherein an outer peripheral surface of the first lens (40) is disposed to contact an inner peripheral surface of the inner housing (41), wherein an outer surface of the lens module (20) is disposed to contact an inner surface of the inner housing (41). Furter, Teru also discloses (Fig. 7) that a first lens (22) disposed in front of the lens module (20), wherein an outer peripheral surface of the first lens (22) is disposed to contact an inner peripheral surface of the inner housing (21), wherein an outer surface of the lens module (20) is disposed to contact an inner surface of the inner housing (21).
Regarding claim 10, Yasuaki discloses that an adhesive (43) is applied between the lower surface of the inner housing (41) and the heat transfer portion (on the substrate (16), Fig. 2). Teru also teaches similar subject matter (see “adhesion” in par, 1 on p. 7 of the English translation of record).
Regarding claims 11 and 12, Shogo discloses (Fig. 1) that the heat transfer member further comprises a heat dissipation plate (107, 114) which has a first surface on which the thermoelectric element / heat dissipation pin (108) is disposed, and wherein a second surface of the heat dissipation plate is disposed to contact the substrate (109). Also, Teru also discloses (Fig. 7) a heat dissipation pin (35) that is disposed on a first surface of the heat dissipation plate (25).
Regarding claims 13 and 14, Teru and Shogo disclose that the heat dissipation plate is a metal aluminum material (see Teru, p. 7, line 1 of the English translation of record; see Shogo, p. 4, fourth paragraph of the English translation of record). Also, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material (i.e., aluminum) on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. See In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claims 17 and 18, Yasuaki discloses (Fig. 2) a lens barrel (20) disposed in, and coupled to, the inner housing (41); and an image sensor (14) disposed on the substrate (16). Furter, Teru also discloses (Fig. 7) a lens barrel (20) disposed in, and coupled to, the inner housing (21); and an image sensor (23) disposed on the substrate (26, 36).
Conclusion
The additional prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure because of the teachings of various camera modules. Furter, the US 2022/0066121 teaches a cameral module with a thermoelectric cooling element (121).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Anatoly Vortman whose telephone number is (571)272-2047. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, between 10 am and 8:30 pm.
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/Anatoly Vortman/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2835