DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
1. Claims 19-40 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/3/2026.
2. Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-18 in the reply filed on 5/3/2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a) — (d), which papers have been placed of record in the file. Oath/Declaration
Oath/Declaration
4. Oath and declaration filed on 5/27/2024 is accepted.
Information Disclosure Statement
5. The prior art documents submitted by application in the Information Disclosure Statement filed on 5/27/2024 and 2/27/2025 have all been considered and made of record ( note the attached copy of form PTO – 1449).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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)1,8,9,12-14 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyasaka et al (2021/0006695 A1) in view of Hatakeyama et al (2001/0053032 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Miyasaka et al discloses (refer to figures 1-3) a glass lens element (10) (paragraph 0027) having an optical axis, and comprising: an optical portion (11), the optical axis passing through the optical portion; and
a peripheral portion (13) away from the optical axis from the optical portion, and the peripheral portion comprising:
a cylindrical surface (16) configured to define an outer diameter of the glass lens element, and the cylindrical surface extending along the optical axis;
a first arc surface (rounded corner above surface 16; figure 2) connected to the cylindrical surface, and the first arc surface extending from the cylindrical surface towards a direction close to the optical axis;
a brim surface (bottom protrusion 14 in figure 2) and the first arc surface disposed relatively to the cylindrical surface, and the brim surface extending and protruding from the cylindrical surface towards a direction away from the first arc surface; and
a connecting surface (figure 2 flat top surface) gradually close to the optical axis from the first arc surface towards a direction away from the brim surface, and the connecting surface connected to the optical portion;
Miyasaka et al discloses all of the claimed limitations not explicitly disclose wherein the peripheral portion is smooth connected from the first arc surface towards the brim surface and wherein on a cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, a radius of curvature of the first arc surface is R, a length of the cylindrical surface is L, and the following condition is satisfied:
≤ R/L <9.85.
Hatakeyama et al disclose wherein the peripheral portion is smooth connected from the first arc surface towards the brim surface and wherein on a cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, a radius of curvature of the first arc surface is R, a length of the cylindrical surface is L, and the following condition is satisfied: 0.01≤ R/L <9.85 (figure 2; it is considered that the radius of curvature R of the osculating circle of the arc surface is of similar length as the length L of the cylindrical surface and therefore fulfil of the criterion defined).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention was made to teaching Hatakeyama et al disclose wherein the peripheral portion is smooth connected from the first arc surface towards the brim surface and wherein on a cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, a radius of curvature of the first arc surface is R, a length of the cylindrical surface is L, and the following condition is satisfied: 0.01≤ R/L <9.85 in to the Miyasaka et al glass lens element to provide an optical element having an integrated optical lens and lens holder that prevent chipping and allow lens holder to reliably hold the optical lens as taught by Hatakeyama et al (paragraph 0008).
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Regarding claim 8, Miyasaka et al discloses (refer to figure 2) further comprising: a frustum surface disposed on a side of the brim surface away from the cylindrical surface, the frustum surface extends towards a direction away from the brim surface and close to the optical axis, wherein on the cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, an angle between the frustum surface and the cylindrical surface is DOC, and the following condition is satisfied: 10 degrees ≤ DOC ≤ 60 degrees.
Regarding claim 9, Miyasaka et al discloses further comprising: a low-reflecting surface disposed on at least one of the cylindrical surface (16), the first arc surface and the brim surface (refer to figures 1-3).
Regarding claim 12, Miyasaka et al discloses a lens assembly, comprising:
the glass lens element; at least one optical element disposed along the optical axis of the glass lens element (10); and a lens carrier (33) , wherein the glass lens element and the at least one optical element are disposed on the lens carrier (figure 9).
Regarding claim 13, Miyasaka et al discloses wherein the lens carrier is directly contacted with the cylindrical surface of the glass lens element, the lens carrier (33) comprises a brim surface corresponding structure, the brim surface corresponding structure and the brim surface of the glass lens element are relatively disposed, and a gap is formed between the brim surface and the brim surface corresponding structure (as shown in figure 9).
Regarding claim 14, Miyasaka et al discloses wherein the at least one optical element comprises a brim surface corresponding structure, the brim surface corresponding structure and the brim surface of the glass lens element are relatively disposed, and a gap is formed between the brim surface and the brim surface corresponding structure (as shown in figure 9).
Regarding claim 16, Miyasaka et al discloses (refer to figure 2) wherein the at least one optical element comprises an adjacent lens element, the glass lens element further comprises a frustum surface, the frustum surface is directly contacted with the adjacent lens element, on the cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, an angle between the frustum surface and the cylindrical surface is DOC, and the following condition is satisfied: 10 degrees ≤ DOC ≤ 60 degrees.
Regarding claim 17, Miyasaka et al discloses the apparatus, comprising: the imaging lens assembly (paragraph 0002).
Regarding claim 18, Miyasaka et al discloses an electronic device, comprising: the image capturing apparatus (paragraph 0002).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 2-7,10,11 and 15 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.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: wherein on a direction vertical to the optical axis, a maximum distance between the brim surface and the cylindrical surface is Pmax, and the following condition is satisfied: 0.02 mm ≤ Pmax ≤ 1.0 mm and wherein the peripheral portion further comprises an arc end formed on a side of the brim surface away from the first arc surface, a radius of curvature of the arc end is Rp, and the following condition is satisfied: 0.02 mm ≤ Rp ≤ 0.5 mm and the connecting surface comprises a second arc surface near to a side of the first arc surface away from the cylindrical surface, and the second arc surface extends from the first arc surface towards the direction close to the optical axis; wherein on the cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, a distance between a side of the first arc surface close to the cylindrical surface and a side of the second arc surface away from the cylindrical surface is C, and the following condition is satisfied: 0.05 mm ≤ C ≤ 1.13 mm and further comprising: a first platform surface vertical to the cylindrical surface, wherein on the cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, the length of the cylindrical surface is L; on a direction vertical to the optical axis, a width of the first platform surface is W1, and the following condition is satisfied: 0.14 <L/W<3.8; and further comprising: a second platform surface disposed relatively to the first platform surface, wherein the first platform surface is parallel to the second platform surface, and a parallelism between the first platform surface and the second platform surface is not larger than 0.05 mm and wherein on the cross section parallel to and passing through the optical axis, the length of the cylindrical surface is L, and the following condition is satisfied:0.03 mm ≤ L and wherein on a cross section vertical to the optical axis and passing through the cylindrical surface, a roundness of the cylindrical surface is not larger than 00.05 mm and wherein the glass lens element further comprises a first platform surface, one of the lens carrier and the at least one optical element is directly contacted with the first platform surface, on a direction vertical to the optical axis, a width of the first platform surface is W1, and the following condition is satisfied: 0.04 mm ≤ W1 ≤ 1.7 mm.
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED A HASAN whose telephone number is (571)272-2331. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 6 AM -4 PM.
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/MOHAMMED A HASAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872 6/30/2026
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