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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendments to the claims, in the submission dated 05/26/2026, are acknowledged and accepted. Claims 1-2, 7-8, 10-12, 14, and 16-17 are amended. Claims 9 and 13 are cancelled by the applicant. Claims 21 and 22 are added without the addition of new matter. Claims 1-8, 10-12, and 14-22 are pending. The rejection of claim 1 under 35 USC § 112 is withdrawn in light of the amendments to claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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, 5-6, 8, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki US PGPub 2020/0371322 A1 in view of Zeng et al. US PGPub 2022/0269046 A1 and Lin US PGPub 2013/0057957 A1 (all references of record, see Office action dated 02/23/2026).
Regarding amended independent claim 1, Kanzaki discloses an optical system (refer to at least title and abstract disclosing a wide-angle lens, and see Fig. 1 depicting wide-angle lens 100, equivalent to an optical system) comprising, in order from an object side to an image side (elements of wide-angle lens 100 are arranged in order from an object side La to an image side Lb as shown in Fig. 1, par. [0031]):
a front group (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has front group 110, par. [0031]);
an aperture stop (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has aperture 80, par. [0031]); and
a rear group (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has rear group 120, par. [0031]),
wherein the front group includes a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens disposed in order from the object side to the image side (Fig. 1, front group 110 includes first lens 10, second lens 20, and third lens 30 arranged from the side La closest to an object to the image side Lb, par. [0031]),
wherein the rear group includes a plurality of lenses (Fig. 1, rear group 120 includes fourth lens 40, fifth lens 50, and sixth lenses 60, par. [0031]),
wherein an object side surface of the second lens is an aspheric surface (Table 1 lists the configuration of the lenses in wide-angle lens 100, par. [0036], where surfaces 3 and 4 define the second lens 20, and the object-side surface of lens 20 is listed as aspheric, par. [0031]),
wherein an image side surface of the second lens is a concave surface (Table 1, second lens 20 has a surface 22, listed as surface 4 in Table 1, and this surface is on the image side Lb of lens 20 and is a concave curved surface, par. [0032], and the image-side surface of second lens 20 is shown to be concave in Fig. 1)
wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on a surface of a lens (Fig. 5 is a graphical representation of the reflectance characteristics of an anti-reflection layer provided on the lens surface 102 of the first lens 10 on the image side Lb thereof, illustrated in Fig. 1, par. [0076]), and
wherein the following inequality is satisfied:
1.00 < Ra/Rb,
where average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 400 nm or more and 450 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface on which the first antireflection film is disposed is Ra (Fig. 5 shows the reflectance of the anti-reflection layers disclosed by Kanzaki as a function of wavelength, where the data for anti-reflection layer 18 is plotted as solid line L1, par. [0077], where the reflectance between 400 nm and 450 nm ranges from greater than 5% at 400 nm to 0.5% at 450 nm, and the average reflectance is 3% for the range 400 nm to 450 nm), and average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 700 nm or more and 750 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface is Rb (Fig. 5, anti-reflection layer 18 has a reflectance of 0.4% at 700 nm and a reflectance of 0.3 % at 750 nm, therefore the average reflectance between 700 nm and 750 nm is 0.35%, and as such the ratio Ra/Rb for anti-reflection layer 18 is 3%/0.35%, or 8.6, satisfying the limitation 1.00 < Ra/Rb).
Kanzaki does not disclose the object side surface of the second lens has an inflection point in a cross section including an optical axis (Kanzaki does not disclose any inflection points on any aspheric surfaces disclosed therein), and Kanzaki does not disclose wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on at least one of the image side surface of the second lens and an object side surface of the third lens (as noted above, the anti-reflection film disclosed by Kanzaki is disposed on the image-side surface of first lens 10). Kanzaki also does not disclose 0.6 ≤ fg1/fg2 ≤ 1.5, where a focal length of the front group is fg1, and a focal length of the rear group is fg2 (Kanzaki, as calculated from parameters in Table 1, teaches fg1 = 5.971 and fg2 = 3.453, thus Kanzaki teaches a ratio fg1/fg2 = 1.73, outside the claimed range by 15%).
In the same field of invention, Zeng discloses an imaging lens (refer to at least title and abstract thereof, disclosing a miniature imaging lens, equivalent to an optical system) with a front group (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, first lens group 100, pars. [0053], [0092]), an aperture stop (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, aperture 300, par. [0053]), and a rear group (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, second lens group 200, pars. [0053], [0092]), wherein the front group includes a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens disposed in order from the object side to the image side (Zeng Figs. 2 and 3 depict first and second embodiments disclosed therein, where first lens group 100 includes four lenses, pars. [0081], [0092], satisfying the limitation by including three lenses), wherein an object side surface of the second lens is an aspheric surface (all of the lenses in the first and second embodiments shown in Zeng Figs. 2 and 3 have aspherical surfaces, refer to par. [0081] and Fig. 10 thereof), and an image side surface of the second lens is a concave surface (Zeng Figs. 2 and 3, image-side surface of the second lens is concave, par. [0089], refer also to Figs. 8, 10, and 11 of Zeng for tables of parameters of the first and second embodiments disclosed by Zeng, par. [0088]), and Zeng teaches at least one lens with an image-side surface that is aspherical, and the curve formed by the cross-section through the optical axis of the at least one lens includes an inflection point, where Zeng defines an inflection point as point where the concavity-convexity of the image-side surface is changed (par. [0077] thereof).
Furthermore, Zeng, in the second embodiment, discloses the optical system has a first lens group with a focal length of 2.15 and a second lens group with a focal length of 2.26, as calculated from parameters provided in Fig. 10, and therefore Zeng teaches an optical system with the ratio fg1/fg2 = 0.95, within the claimed range of 0.6 to 1.5.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Zeng to the disclosure of Kanzaki and modified the object side surface of the second lens 20 of Kanzaki such that it has an inflection point in a cross section including an optical axis, because Zeng teaches such a design is beneficial to suppress the aberration of the off-axis field of view and improves imaging quality (Zeng, par. [0077]), and to have modified the group focal lengths of the first and second lens groups, fg1 and fg2, to facilitate miniaturization of the optical system (Zeng, pars. [0054-57]).
The prior art combination of Kanzaki in view of Zeng does not disclose wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on at least one of the image side surface of the second lens and an object side surface of the third lens.
In the same field of invention, Lin discloses a lens module 100, shown in at least Fig. 1 thereof, with anti-reflection film 321 coated on the image-side surface 32 of second lens 30, see Fig. 3 thereof and refer to at least par. [0019] thereof.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Lin to the disclosure of Kanzaki and moved anti-reflection layer 18 from the image-side surface of first lens 10 to the image-side surface of the second lens 20, because Lin teaches such a configuration forms images having less glare, and the quality of the images is enhanced (Lin, par. [0022]).
Regarding dependent claim 5, Kanzaki in view of Zen and Lin (hereinafter, “modified Kanzaki”) discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the first antireflection film is disposed on both the image side surface of the second lens and the object side surface of the third lens (as noted above, Lin discloses a lens module 100, see Fig. 1 thereof, with anti-reflection film 321 coated on the image-side surface 32 of second lens 30, see Fig. 3 and par. [0019] of Lin).
The prior art combination of modified Kanzaki discloses the claimed invention except for an antireflection film disposed on both the image-side surface of the second lens and the object-side surface of the third lens.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to include another anti-reflection film 18 on the object-side surface of the third lens 30 of Kanzaki wide-angle lens 100, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8 (1977). In this case, Lin teaches a design of an anti-reflection film 321 with a specific structure such that the anti-reflection film 321 coated on the image-side surface 32 of second lens 30 increases transmittance and decreases reflectance (Lin, par. [0021]), and a plurality of such anti-reflection films is expected to further increase transmittance and decrease reflectance, and is not expected to provide unexpected results.
Regarding dependent claim 6, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, and Kanzaki further discloses wherein the object side surface of the third lens is a concave surface (Kanzaki Fig. 1 shows the third lens 30 in front group 110 has a concave object-side surface, and refer also to Table 1 of Kanzaki for a table of parameters of the first embodiment disclosed therein, par. [0041], where surface 5 is the object-side surface of the third lens and surface 5 is listed with a radius of curvature that is negative, indicating a concave surface).
Regarding amended dependent claim 8, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, and Kanzaki further discloses wherein a graph indicating a curvature at a position in a radial direction of the aspheric surface in the cross section including the optical axis has a first extremum (Kanzaki Table 1, par. [0036], surface 3 is the object-side surface of second lens 20, and the object-side surface of lens 20 is listed as aspheric, par. [0031], and surface 3 has at least one extremum as determined from the values provided for the aspheric surfaces in Table 1) but Kanzaki does not disclose a second extremum for the second lens (surface 3 of second lens 20 does not have a second extremum), nor does Kanzaki disclose at least one of the following inequalities is satisfied:
0.02 < E1 < 0.40, and
0.60 < E2 < 0.98,
where normalized distances from the optical axis to positions corresponding to the first and second extrema are E1 and E2, respectively, on the aspheric surface.
However, Kanzaki discloses wide-angle lens 100 with surface 6, the image-side surface of third lens 30, that has two extrema, as determined from the parameters provided in Table 1, with the second extremum at a normalized distance from the optical axis of 0.95 as determined from the parameters provided in Table 1.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the aspheric surface of the object-side surface of lens 20 according to the parameters for the image-side surface of third lens 30, to correct aberrations to an appropriate level (Kanzaki, par. [0052]), and as a result the modification results in a second lens satisfying the condition 0.60 < E2 < 0.98.
Regarding dependent claim 18, modified Kanzaki discloses An imaging apparatus comprising: the optical system according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above); and Kanzaki further discloses an imaging element configured to capture an image of an object through the optical system (Kanzaki Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 includes an image pickup element 85, par. [0031]).
Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Abe US PGPub 2017/0212278 A1 (of record, see IDS dated 08/27/2024, hereinafter, “Abe”).
Regarding amended dependent claim 2, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, and Kanzaki further discloses an anti-reflection layer made of a dielectric multilayer film (refer to at least Kanzaki par. [0077], thus Kanzaki teaches at least first and second layers of an anti-reflection film) but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the first antireflection film includes first to third layers including materials different from each other, and wherein the following inequalities is satisfied:
1.30 ≤ n1 ≤ 1.40,
1.45 ≤ n2 ≤ 1.70, and
1.80 ≤ n3 ≤ 2.20,
where a refractive index of the first layer is n1, a refractive index of the second layer is n2, and a refractive index of the third layer is n3.
In the same field of invention, Abe discloses an optical element with an antireflection film (refer to at least abstract of Abe and see at least Fig. 1 thereof), where Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-section of optical element 300 with a lens 200 and an antireflection film 100 (par. [0028] thereof). Table 3 of Abe summarizes the structure of the antireflection film 100 (par. [0056] thereof), where Abe discloses a layer of magnesium fluoride MgF2 with a refractive index of 1.39, a layer of silicon dioxide SiO2 with a refractive index of 1.47, and a layer of tantalum oxide Ta2O5 with a refractive index of 2.12.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Abe to the disclosure of Kanzaki and made antireflection layer 18 disclosed by Kanzaki of at least three different materials with different refractive indices from each other, such as MgF2, SiO2, and Ta2O5, because Abe teaches such a design for an antireflection film reduces the occurrence of a red ghost image in the peripheral areas of an image (Abe, par. [0055]).
Regarding dependent claim 3, Kanzaki in view of Zeng, Lin, and Abe discloses the optical system according to claim 2, but the prior art combination of Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin does not disclose wherein the second layer and the third layer are alternately disposed a plurality of times in the first antireflection film, nor does the prior art combination of Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin disclose the first layer is disposed at a position furthest away from the surface on which the first antireflection film is disposed.
In the same field of invention, Abe discloses wherein the second layer and the third layer are alternately disposed a plurality of times in the first antireflection film (Abe Fig. 1 and Table 3, antireflection film 100 has a second layer of Ta2O5, and a third layer of SiO2, that are alternately disposed a plurality of times), and the first layer is disposed at a position furthest away from the surface on which the first antireflection film is disposed (Abe Fig. 1 and Table 3, antireflection film 100 has a layer of SiO2 that is disposed at a position furthest away from the base of resin on which film 100 is disposed).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Abe to the disclosure of Kanzaki and modified anti-reflection layer 18 according to the structure of antireflection film 100 of Abe, because Abe teaches such a design for an antireflection film reduces the occurrence of a red ghost image in the peripheral areas of an image (Abe, par. [0055]).
Regarding dependent claim 4, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the first antireflection film includes a first layer including magnesium fluoride, a second layer including silicon oxide or aluminum oxide, and a third layer including tantalum oxide (Kanzaki is silent as to the exact composition of anti-reflection layer 18 disclosed therein except that it is composed of dielectric materials, and Lin discloses at least silicon oxide as a material for anti-reflection film 321, refer to at least Table 1 of Lin, but neither Kanzaki nor Lin disclose magnesium fluoride or tantalum oxide).
In the same field of invention, Abe discloses an optical element with an antireflection film (refer to at least abstract of Abe and see at least Fig. 1 thereof), where Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-section of optical element 300 with a lens 200 and an antireflection film 100 (par. [0028] thereof). Table 3 of Abe summarizes the structure of the antireflection film 100 (par. [0056] thereof), where Abe discloses a layer of magnesium fluoride MgF2, a layer of silicon dioxide SiO2, and a layer of tantalum oxide Ta2O5.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Abe to the disclosure of Kanzaki and made antireflection layer 18 disclosed by Kanzaki of at least three different materials, such as MgF2, SiO2, and Ta2O5, because Abe teaches such a design for an antireflection film reduces the occurrence of a red ghost image in the peripheral areas of an image (Abe, par. [0055]).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Tsai et al. US PGPub 2022/0196882 A1 (hereinafter, “Tsai”).
Regarding dependent claim 7, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the optical system includes a surface on which a second antireflection film is disposed (Kanzaki and Lin both disclose one antireflection film), and the prior art combination also does not disclose wherein the following inequality is satisfied:
1.0 < Rd/Rc,
where average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 400 nm or more and 450 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface on which the second antireflection film is disposed is Rc (Kanzaki Fig. 5 shows the reflectance of the anti-reflection layers disclosed as a function of wavelength, where the data for anti-reflection layer 18 is plotted as solid line L1, par. [0077], where the reflectance between 400 nm and 450 nm ranges from greater than 5% at 400 nm to 0.5% at 450 nm, and the average reflectance is 3% for the range 400 nm to 450 nm), and average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 700 nm or more and 750 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface is Rd (Kanzaki Fig. 5, anti-reflection layer 18 has a reflectance of 0.4% at 700 nm and a reflectance of 0.3 % at 750 nm, therefore the average reflectance between 700 nm and 750 nm is 0.35%, and as such the ratio Rd/Rc for anti-reflection layer 18 is 0.35%/3% or 0.116, outside the limitation 1.00 < Rd/Rc).
In the same field of invention, Tsai discloses an optical lens assembly with an anti-reflective coating arranged on an object-side surface or an image-side surface of at least one optical lens element (par. [0127]). Figs. 11, 12, and 13 plot reflectance versus wavelength for the anti-reflective elements disclosed (pars. [0024-26]). From Fig. 11 of Tsai, the average reflectance over 700 nm to 750 nm is approximately 2.7%, and the average reflectance over 400 nm to 450 nm is approximately 1.5%, therefore the ratio Rd/Rc is 1.8, satisfying the limitation (see Table 23, where the average reflectance for wavelengths between 400 nm and 600 nm is listed as 1.4%, and the average reflectance for wavelengths between 700 nm and 1000 nm is listed as 3.2%, therefore the average reflectance between 400 nm and 450 nm is close to 1.4%, and the average reflectance between 700 nm and 750 is close to 2.5%, par. [0069]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Tsai to the disclosure of Kanzaki and applied a second anti-reflective coating as taught by Tsai to improve anti-reflective effect of the anti-reflective coating to reduce the reflectance (Tsai, par. [0043]).
Claims 11 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ota US PGPub 2015/0146309 A1 (hereinafter, “Ota”).
Regarding dependent claim 11, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the following inequality is satisfied: -1.20 ≤ fa1/f ≤ -0.50, where a focal length of the optical system is f, and a focal length of an air lens between the second and third lenses is fa1 (Kanzaki teaches the air lens between the second and third lens of wide-angle lens 100 is fa1 = -2.3, see parameters in Table 1, and focal length f for wide-angle lens 100 is f = 0.914, Table 1, therefore Kanzaki teaches a ratio fa1/f = -2.5, outside the claimed range).
In the same field of invention, Ota discloses an imaging lens system (refer to at least abstract and see Fig. 1), Example 1 of which is shown in Fig. 1, with numerical values provided in Table 1 (par. [0088]). From Table 1, the air lens between lens 2 and 3 (refer to surfaces 4-6 of Table 1) has a focal length of -3.941, and the focal length of Example 1 is given as f = 4.063 in Table 1, therefore Ota teaches a ratio fa1/f = -0.970, within the claimed range of -1.20 < fa1/f < -0.50.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Ota to the disclosure of Kanzaki and adjusted the curvatures of the image-side surface of the second lens and the object-side surface of the third lens, because Ota teaches it is preferable for the second lens to have a concave surface toward the image side in the vicinity of the optical axis, and for the third lens to have a concave shape on the object side, to favorably correct spherical aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberration, thus facilitating realization of a shortening of the total length (Ota, par. [0065]).
Regarding dependent claim 17, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the following inequality is satisfied: -2.54 ≤ f23/fg1 ≤ -0.15, where a combined focal length of the second and third lenses is f23, and a focal length of the front group is fg1 (Kanzaki teaches a combined focal length of the second and third lenses of the first embodiment disclosed therein is f23 = 5.7 mm, as calculated from the parameters provided in Table 1 thereof, and Kanzaki teaches fg1 = 5.971, therefore Kanzaki teaches f23/fg1 = 0.95, outside the claimed range).
In the same field of invention, Ota discloses an imaging lens system (refer to at least abstract and see Fig. 1), Example 1 of which is shown in Fig. 1, with numerical values provided in Table 1 (par. [0088]). From Table 1, the combined focal length of lens 2 and 3 (refer to surfaces 4-6 of Table 1) is -5.354, and the focal length the first three lenses of Example 1 (equivalent to a front group) is 5.436, therefore Ota teaches a ratio f23/fg1 = -0.9848, within the claimed range of -2.54 ≤ f23/fg1≤ -0.15.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Ota to the disclosure of Kanzaki and adjusted the curvatures of the image-side surface of the second lens and the object-side surface of the third lens, because Ota teaches it is preferable for the second lens to have a concave surface toward the image side in the vicinity of the optical axis, and for the third lens to have a concave shape on the object side, to favorably correct spherical aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberration, thus facilitating realization of a shortening of the total length (Ota, par. [0065]).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yamakawa US PGPub 2015/0260956 A1 (of record, see IDS dated 08/27/2024, hereinafter, “Yamakawa”).
Regarding dependent claim 14, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the following inequality is satisfied: -3.50 ≤ (R2 + R1)/(R2 - R1) ≤ -1.85, where a radius of curvature of an object side surface of the first lens is R1, and a radius of curvature of an image side surface of the first lens is R2 (Kanzaki, as calculated from parameters in Table 1, teaches a shape factor of -1.56 for the first lens 10, outside of the claimed range).
In the same field of invention, Yamakawa discloses an imaging lens system with front and rear groups (refer to at least abstract, and see Fig. 1 depicting Example 1), where first lens L1 has an object-side radius of curvature R1 = 13.00837 and an image-side radius of curvature R2 = 4.00250 as shown in Table 1. Therefore, Yamakawa discloses a first lens L1 with a shape factor (R2 + R1)/(R2 – R1) = -1.88, within the claimed range of -3.50 to -1.85.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Yamakawa to the disclosure of Kanzaki and adjusted the shape of the surfaces of the first lens such that the shape factor would be -1.88, because Yamakawa teaches such a shape for the first lens provides a sufficiently wide angle of view and favorable correction of spherical aberration, field curvature, and distortion (Yamakawa, par. [0056]).
Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nakahara et al. US PGPub 2023/0101459 A1 (of record, see Office action dated 02/23/2026, hereinafter, “Nakahara”).
Regarding dependent claim 15, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein an amount of increase in an image height per unit angle of view in a first region including the optical axis is greater than an amount of increase in an image height per unit angle of view in a second region which is on a side with a periphery with respect to the first region (Kanzaki, Zeng, and Lin are silent as to any relationship between image height and angle of view for the imaging systems disclosed therein).
In a related field of invention, Nakahara discloses camera units 11 to 14, shown in at least Fig. 1 thereof (refer to at least par. [0030] thereof), where Nakahara in Fig. 2B provides projection characteristics showing a relationship between image height y and the half angle of view q of camera unit 11 (par. [0032] thereof). Nakahara teaches the optical system of the camera unit 11 in the first embodiment is configured such that there are differences in the projection characteristic y(q), i.e., the image height of the optical system, between a region having a predetermined half angle of view qa or less and in a region having the half angle of view qa or higher, as shown in Fig. 2B (par. [0033] thereof).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Nakahara to the disclosure of Kanzaki and optimized wide-angle lens 100 as an ultra-wide-angle lens because Nakahara teaches the configuration of the optical system disclosed therein provides high resolution in one region and in the low-resolution region the amount of increase in the image height y with respect to the half angle of view q per unit can be reduced, consequently, the image pickup at a wider angle of view can be achieved (Nakahara, par. [0040]).
Regarding dependent claim 16, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the following inequality is satisfied:
1.0 < f × sin(θmax)/y(θmax) ≤ 1.9,
where a projection characteristic of the optical system indicating a relationship between a half angle of view θ and an image height y is y(θ), a maximum half angle of view of the optical system is θmax, and a focal length of the optical system is f (Kanzaki, Zeng, and Lin are silent as to any relationship between image height and angle of view for the imaging systems disclosed therein).
In a related field of invention, Nakahara discloses camera units 11 to 14, shown in at least Fig. 1 thereof (refer to at least par. [0030] thereof), where Nakahara in Fig. 2B provides projection characteristics showing a relationship between image height y and the half angle of view q of camera unit 11 (par. [0032] thereof). Nakahara teaches the optical system of the camera unit 11 in the first embodiment is configured such that there are differences in the projection characteristic y(q), i.e., the image height of the optical system, between a region having a predetermined half angle of view qa or less and in a region having the half angle of view qa or higher, as shown in Fig. 2B (par. [0033] thereof). Nakahara further teaches Formula 1, 1.0 < f × sin(θmax)/y(θmax) < 1.9, where f is the focal length of the optical system, and the ratio qa/qmax between qa and qmax is desirably equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit value, for example, 0.25 to 0.35. For example, when q max is set to 90°, a predetermined lower limit value is set to 0.15, and a predetermined upper limit value is set to 0.35, it is desirable that qa is determined within a range of 13.5 to 31.5°, and with the lower limit set at 1, the center resolution can be made higher than that of a fisheye lens for which the orthogonal projection method having the same maximum image height is used (par. [0039] thereof).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Nakahara to the disclosure of Kanzaki and optimized wide-angle lens 100 as an ultra-wide-angle lens because Nakahara teaches the configuration of the optical system disclosed therein provides high resolution in one region and in the low-resolution region the amount of increase in the image height y with respect to the half angle of view q per unit can be reduced, consequently, the image pickup at a wider angle of view can be achieved (Nakahara, par. [0040]).
Claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Morooka et al. US PGPub 2012/0194730 A1 (of record, see Office action dated 02/23/2026, hereinafter, “Morooka”).
Regarding dependent claim 19, modified Kanzaki discloses a display system comprising: the imaging apparatus according to claim 18 (see rejection of claim 18 above), but the prior art combination does not explicitly disclose a display device configured to display an image obtained based on an output of the imaging apparatus (Kanzaki in at least par. [0031] discloses wide-angle lens 100 includes image pickup element 85, but does not explicitly disclose a display device to display an image based on output from image pickup element 85, and Zeng discloses detector 600 for the imaging lens system disclosed therein, but does not explicitly disclose a display device to display an image output from detector 600).
In the same field of invention, Morooka discloses a zoom lens system and an image pickup apparatus (refer to at least title and abstract thereof) where digital camera 40 includes an image pickup optical system 41 and a display monitor 47 (see Figs. 16 and 17 thereof and refer to par. [0478]).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Morooka to the disclosure of Kanzaki and included a display monitor for the imaging system including wide-angle lens 100 disclosed by Kanzaki because Morooka teaches the inclusion of a display in a camera is feasible (Morooka, par. [0478]) and convenient for a camera user (Morooka, par. [0492]).
Regarding dependent claim 20, modified Kanzaki discloses a moving apparatus comprising: the imaging apparatus according to claim 18 (see rejection of claim 18 above), but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the moving apparatus is movable while holding the imaging apparatus (Kanzaki, Zeng, and Lin are silent as to the inclusion of moving apparatuses in the devices and systems disclosed therein).
In the same field of invention, Morooka discloses a zoom lens system and an image pickup apparatus (refer to at least title and abstract thereof) where digital camera 40 is an imaging apparatus with a zoom lens (see Fig. 1, and refer to at least pars. [0294] and [0498] thereof).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Morooka to the disclosure of Kanzaki and included moving apparatus for the imaging system with wide-angle lens 100 of Kanzaki, because Morooka teaches such construction is advantageous for realizing magnification increase and size reduction (Morooka, par. [0070]).
Claims 21 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanzaki in view of Zeng, Lin, and Ota.
Regarding new independent claim 21, Kanzaki discloses an optical system (refer to at least title and abstract disclosing a wide-angle lens, and see Fig. 1 depicting wide-angle lens 100, equivalent to an optical system) comprising, in order from an object side to an image side (elements of wide-angle lens 100 are arranged in order from an object side La to an image side Lb as shown in Fig. 1, par. [0031]):
a front group (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has front group 110, par. [0031]);
an aperture stop (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has aperture 80, par. [0031]); and
a rear group (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has rear group 120, par. [0031]),
wherein the front group includes a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens disposed in order from the object side to the image side (Fig. 1, front group 110 includes first lens 10, second lens 20, and third lens 30 arranged from the side La closest to an object to the image side Lb, par. [0031]),
wherein the rear group includes a plurality of lenses (Fig. 1, rear group 120 includes fourth lens 40, fifth lens 50, and sixth lenses 60, par. [0031]),
wherein an object side surface of the second lens is an aspheric surface (Table 1 lists the configuration of the lenses in wide-angle lens 100, par. [0036], where surfaces 3 and 4 define the second lens 20, and the object-side surface of lens 20 is listed as aspheric, par. [0031]),
wherein an image side surface of the second lens is a concave surface (Table 1, second lens 20 has a surface 22, listed as surface 4 in Table 1, and this surface is on the image side Lb of lens 20 and is a concave curved surface, par. [0032], and the image-side surface of second lens 20 is shown to be concave in Fig. 1),
wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on a surface of a lens (Fig. 5 is a graphical representation of the reflectance characteristics of an anti-reflection layer provided on the lens surface 102 of the first lens 10 on the image side Lb thereof, illustrated in Fig. 1, par. [0076]), and
wherein the following inequality is satisfied:
1.00 < Ra/Rb,
where average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 400 nm or more and 450 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface on which the first antireflection film is disposed is Ra (Fig. 5 shows the reflectance of the anti-reflection layers disclosed by Kanzaki as a function of wavelength, where the data for anti-reflection layer 18 is plotted as solid line L1, par. [0077], where the reflectance between 400 nm and 450 nm ranges from greater than 5% at 400 nm to 0.5% at 450 nm, and the average reflectance is 3% for the range 400 nm to 450 nm), average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 700 nm or more and 750 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface is Rb (Fig. 5, anti-reflection layer 18 has a reflectance of 0.4% at 700 nm and a reflectance of 0.3 % at 750 nm, therefore the average reflectance between 700 nm and 750 nm is 0.35%, and as such the ratio Ra/Rb for anti-reflection layer 18 is 3%/0.35%, or 8.6, satisfying the limitation 1.00 < Ra/Rb).
Kanzaki does not disclose wherein an object side surface of the second lens has an inflection point in a cross section including an optical axis (Kanzaki does not disclose any inflection points on any aspheric surfaces disclosed therein) and Kanzaki does not disclose wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on at least one of the image side surface of the second lens and an object side surface of the third lens (as noted above, the anti-reflection film disclosed by Kanzaki is disposed on the image-side surface of first lens 10). Kanzaki also does not disclose the condition -1.20 < fa1/f < -0.50, where a focal length of the optical system is f, and a focal length of an air lens between the second and third lenses is fa1 (Kanzaki teaches the air lens between the second and third lens of wide-angle lens 100 is fa1 = -2.3, see parameters in Table 1, and focal length f for wide-angle lens 100 is f = 0.914, Table 1, therefore Kanzaki teaches a ratio fa1/f = -2.5, outside the claimed range).
In the same field of invention, Zeng discloses an imaging lens (refer to at least title and abstract thereof, disclosing a miniature imaging lens, equivalent to an optical system) with a front group (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, first lens group 100, pars. [0053], [0092]), an aperture stop (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, aperture 300, par. [0053]), and a rear group (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, second lens group 200, pars. [0053], [0092]), wherein the front group includes a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens disposed in order from the object side to the image side (Zeng Figs. 2 and 3 depict first and second embodiments disclosed therein, where first lens group 100 includes four lenses, pars. [0081], [0092], satisfying the limitation by including three lenses), wherein an object side surface of the second lens is an aspheric surface (all of the lenses in the first and second embodiments shown in Zeng Figs. 2 and 3 have aspherical surfaces, refer to par. [0081] and Fig. 10 thereof), and an image side surface of the second lens is a concave surface (Zeng Figs. 2 and 3, image-side surface of the second lens is concave, par. [0089], refer also to Figs. 8, 10, and 11 of Zeng for tables of parameters of the first and second embodiments disclosed by Zeng, par. [0088]), and Zeng teaches at least one lens with an image-side surface that is aspherical, and the curve formed by the cross-section through the optical axis of the at least one lens includes an inflection point, where Zeng defines an inflection point as point where the concavity-convexity of the image-side surface is changed (par. [0077] thereof).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Zeng to the disclosure of Kanzaki and modified the object side surface of the second lens 20 of Kanzaki such that it has an inflection point in a cross section including an optical axis, because Zeng teaches such a design is beneficial to suppress the aberration of the off-axis field of view and improves imaging quality (Zeng, par. [0077]).
The prior art combination of Kanzaki in view of Zeng does not disclose wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on at least one of the image side surface of the second lens and an object side surface of the third lens.
In the same field of invention, Lin discloses a lens module 100, shown in at least Fig. 1 thereof, with anti-reflection film 321 coated on the image-side surface 32 of second lens 30, see Fig. 3 thereof and refer to at least par. [0019] thereof.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Lin to the disclosure of Kanzaki and moved anti-reflection layer 18 from the image-side surface of first lens 10 to the image-side surface of the second lens 20, because Lin teaches such a configuration forms images having less glare, and the quality of the images is enhanced (Lin, par. [0022]).
The prior art combination of Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin does not disclose the condition -1.20 < fa1/f < -0.50, where a focal length of the optical system is f, and a focal length of an air lens between the second and third lenses is fa1 (Kanzaki teaches the air lens between the second and third lens of wide-angle lens 100 is fa1 = -2.3, see parameters in Table 1, and focal length f for wide-angle lens 100 is f = 0.914, Table 1, therefore Kanzaki teaches a ratio fa1/f = -2.5, outside the claimed range, and Zeng discloses parameters for the air lens between the second and third lenses of first lens group 100, see at least Fig. 8 for the table diagram of the first embodiment, where fa1 is -3.263 and focal length f is 1.154, for a ratio of fa1/f = -3.14, outside the claimed range, while Lin does not disclose parameters for a comparison to be made).
In the same field of invention, Ota discloses an imaging lens system (refer to at least abstract and see Fig. 1), Example 1 of which is shown in Fig. 1, with numerical values provided in Table 1 (par. [0088]). From Table 1, the air lens between lens 2 and 3 (refer to surfaces 4-6 of Table 1) has a focal length of -3.941, and the focal length of Example 1 is given as f = 4.063 in Table 1, therefore Ota teaches a ratio fa1/f = -0.970, within the claimed range of -1.20 < fa1/f < -0.50.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Ota to the disclosure of Kanzaki and adjusted the curvatures of the image-side surface of the second lens and the object-side surface of the third lens, because Ota teaches it is preferable for the second lens to have a concave surface toward the image side in the vicinity of the optical axis, and for the third lens to have a concave shape on the object side, to favorably correct spherical aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberration, thus facilitating realization of a shortening of the total length (Ota, par. [0065]).
Regarding new independent claim 22, Kanzaki discloses an optical system (refer to at least title and abstract disclosing a wide-angle lens, and see Fig. 1 depicting wide-angle lens 100, equivalent to an optical system) comprising, in order from an object side to an image side (elements of wide-angle lens 100 are arranged in order from an object side La to an image side Lb as shown in Fig. 1, par. [0031]):
a front group (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has front group 110, par. [0031]);
an aperture stop (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has aperture 80, par. [0031]); and
a rear group (Fig. 1, wide-angle lens 100 has rear group 120, par. [0031]),
wherein the front group includes a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens disposed in order from the object side to the image side (Fig. 1, front group 110 includes first lens 10, second lens 20, and third lens 30 arranged from the side La closest to an object to the image side Lb, par. [0031]),
wherein the rear group includes a plurality of lenses (Fig. 1, rear group 120 includes fourth lens 40, fifth lens 50, and sixth lenses 60, par. [0031]),
wherein an object side surface of the second lens is an aspheric surface (Table 1 lists the configuration of the lenses in wide-angle lens 100, par. [0036], where surfaces 3 and 4 define the second lens 20, and the object-side surface of lens 20 is listed as aspheric, par. [0031]),
wherein an image side surface of the second lens is a concave surface (Table 1, second lens 20 has a surface 22, listed as surface 4 in Table 1, and this surface is on the image side Lb of lens 20 and is a concave curved surface, par. [0032], and the image-side surface of second lens 20 is shown to be concave in Fig. 1),
wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on a surface of a lens (Fig. 5 is a graphical representation of the reflectance characteristics of an anti-reflection layer provided on the lens surface 102 of the first lens 10 on the image side Lb thereof, illustrated in Fig. 1, par. [0076]), and
wherein the following inequality is satisfied:
1.00 < Ra/Rb, and
where average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 400 nm or more and 450 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface on which the first antireflection film is disposed is Ra (Fig. 5 shows the reflectance of the anti-reflection layers disclosed by Kanzaki as a function of wavelength, where the data for anti-reflection layer 18 is plotted as solid line L1, par. [0077], where the reflectance between 400 nm and 450 nm ranges from greater than 5% at 400 nm to 0.5% at 450 nm, and the average reflectance is 3% for the range 400 nm to 450 nm), average reflectance of light having a wavelength of 700 nm or more and 750 nm or less and perpendicularly incident on the optical axis on the surface is Rb (Fig. 5, anti-reflection layer 18 has a reflectance of 0.4% at 700 nm and a reflectance of 0.3 % at 750 nm, therefore the average reflectance between 700 nm and 750 nm is 0.35%, and as such the ratio Ra/Rb for anti-reflection layer 18 is 3%/0.35%, or 8.6, satisfying the limitation 1.00 < Ra/Rb).
Kanzaki does not disclose wherein an object side surface of the second lens has an inflection point in a cross section including an optical axis, nor does Kanzaki disclose wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on at least one of the image side surface of the second lens and an object side surface of the third lens, and Kanzaki does not disclose the limitation -2.54 ≤ f23/fg1≤ -0.15, a combined focal length of the second and third lenses is f23, and a focal length of the front group is fg1 (Kanzaki teaches a combined focal length of the second and third lenses of the first embodiment disclosed therein is f23 = 5.7 mm, as calculated from the parameters provided in Table 1 thereof, and Kanzaki teaches fg1 = 5.971, therefore Kanzaki teaches f23/fg1 = 0.95, outside the claimed range).
In the same field of invention, Zeng discloses an imaging lens (refer to at least title and abstract thereof, disclosing a miniature imaging lens, equivalent to an optical system) with a front group (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, first lens group 100, pars. [0053], [0092]), an aperture stop (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, aperture 300, par. [0053]), and a rear group (Zeng Figs. 1, 2, and 3, second lens group 200, pars. [0053], [0092]), wherein the front group includes a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens disposed in order from the object side to the image side (Zeng Figs. 2 and 3 depict first and second embodiments disclosed therein, where first lens group 100 includes four lenses, pars. [0081], [0092], satisfying the limitation by including three lenses), wherein an object side surface of the second lens is an aspheric surface (all of the lenses in the first and second embodiments shown in Zeng Figs. 2 and 3 have aspherical surfaces, refer to par. [0081] and Fig. 10 thereof), and an image side surface of the second lens is a concave surface (Zeng Figs. 2 and 3, image-side surface of the second lens is concave, par. [0089], refer also to Figs. 8, 10, and 11 of Zeng for tables of parameters of the first and second embodiments disclosed by Zeng, par. [0088]), and Zeng teaches at least one lens with an image-side surface that is aspherical, and the curve formed by the cross-section through the optical axis of the at least one lens includes an inflection point, where Zeng defines an inflection point as point where the concavity-convexity of the image-side surface is changed (par. [0077] thereof).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Zeng to the disclosure of Kanzaki and modified the object side surface of the second lens 20 of Kanzaki such that it has an inflection point in a cross section including an optical axis, because Zeng teaches such a design is beneficial to suppress the aberration of the off-axis field of view and improves imaging quality (Zeng, par. [0077]), and to have modified the group focal lengths of the first and second lens groups, fg1 and fg2, to facilitate miniaturization of the optical system (Zeng, pars. [0054-57]).
The prior art combination of Kanzaki in view of Zeng does not disclose wherein a first antireflection film is disposed on at least one of the image side surface of the second lens and an object side surface of the third lens.
In the same field of invention, Lin discloses a lens module 100, shown in at least Fig. 1 thereof, with anti-reflection film 321 coated on the image-side surface 32 of second lens 30, see Fig. 3 thereof and refer to at least par. [0019] thereof.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Lin to the disclosure of Kanzaki and moved anti-reflection layer 18 from the image-side surface of first lens 10 to the image-side surface of the second lens 20, because Lin teaches such a configuration forms images having less glare, and the quality of the images is enhanced (Lin, par. [0022]).
The prior art combination of Kanzaki in view of Zeng and Lin does not disclose the limitation -2.54 ≤ f23/fg1≤ -0.15, a combined focal length of the second and third lenses is f23, and a focal length of the front group is fg1 (Kanzaki teaches a combined focal length of the second and third lenses of the first embodiment disclosed therein is f23 = 5.7 mm, as calculated from the parameters provided in Table 1 thereof, and Kanzaki teaches fg1 = 5.971, therefore Kanzaki teaches f23/fg1 = 0.95, outside the claimed range).
In the same field of invention, Ota discloses an imaging lens system (refer to at least abstract and see Fig. 1), Example 1 of which is shown in Fig. 1, with numerical values provided in Table 1 (par. [0088]). From Table 1, the combined focal length of lens 2 and 3 (refer to surfaces 4-6 of Table 1) is -5.354, and the focal length the first three lenses of Example 1 (equivalent to a front group) is 5.436, therefore Ota teaches a ratio f23/fg1 = -0.9848, within the claimed range of -2.54 ≤ f23/fg1≤ -0.15.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Ota to the disclosure of Kanzaki and adjusted the curvatures of the image-side surface of the second lens and the object-side surface of the third lens, because Ota teaches it is preferable for the second lens to have a concave surface toward the image side in the vicinity of the optical axis, and for the third lens to have a concave shape on the object side, to favorably correct spherical aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberration, thus facilitating realization of a shortening of the total length (Ota, par. [0065]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10 and 12 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.
Regarding dependent claim 10, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, but the prior art combination does not disclose wherein the following inequality is satisfied:
2.4 ≤ f23/fa1 ≤ 16.0,
where a combined focal length of the second and third lenses is f23, and a focal length of an air lens between the second and third lenses is fa1 (Kanzaki teaches a combined focal length of the second and third lenses of the first embodiment disclosed therein is f23 = 5.7 mm, as calculated from the parameters provided in Table 1 thereof, and the air lens between the second and third lens of wide-angle lens 100 is fa1 = -2.3, also from Table 1, therefore Kanzaki teaches a ratio f23/fa1 = -2.5, outside the claimed range).
Regarding dependent claim 12, modified Kanzaki discloses the optical system according to claim 1, wherein the following inequality is satisfied: 2.0 ≤ f3R1/f2R2 ≤ 7.0, where a focal length of the image side surface of the second lens is f2R2, and a focal length of the object side surface of the third lens is f3R1 (Kanzaki, Table 1, wide-angle lens 100 has a ratio f3R1/f2R2 10.8, outside the claimed range).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Justin W Hustoft whose telephone number is (571)272-4519. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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, Ricky L 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.
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.
/JUSTIN W. HUSTOFT/ Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/RICKY L MACK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872
Prosecution Insights