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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02/05/2024 and 10/06/2025 were filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, and 5-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a2) as being anticipated by Kim (US 2021/0029280 A1).
Regarding claim 1 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module comprising:
a first body (300) including a barrel portion having a hole (see annotated fig. 9 below) formed therein;
a lens module (100) disposed at least partially in the hole (para. 0086),
and includes-including a barrel having a lens disposed therein and a flange (B: see annotated fig. 9 below) portion protruding from the-an outer surface of the barrel to be disposed on the barrel portion (para. 0086);
and a ground member having both ends coupled to the barrel portion and the flange portion, respectively (C: see annotated fig. 7 below).
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Regarding claim 2 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the ground member includes a pogo pin ().
Regarding claim 3 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the pogo pin includes a body coupled to the barrel portion, and a pin elastically coupled to the body and coupled to the flange portion (para. 0083).
Regarding claim 5 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where a groove into which the ground member is coupled is disposed on an upper surface of the barrel portion or a lower surface of the flange portion (see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 6 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where a sealing member is disposed between the barrel portion and the flange portion, and the barrel portion and the flange portion are spaced apart in an optical axis direction (see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 7 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the first body and the lens module are made of metal, and at least some of the surfaces of the first body and the lens module have a coating region (see fig. 7; para. 0078).
Regarding claim 8 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the surface of the barrel portion and the flange portion to which the ground member is coupled are a region other than the coating region, and a metal layer is exposed therefrom (para. 0078).
Regarding claim 9 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where a side of the flange portion is disposed more inwardly than a side of the barrel portion, and the ground member is disposed more inwardly than the sealing member (para. 0078).
Regarding claim 10 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, comprising:
a first body (300; see annotated fig. 9 above in the rejection of claim 1);
a lens module disposed on an inner side of the first body (100; para. 0086);
and a pogo pin coupled to the first body and the lens module (322; para. 0083).
Regarding claim 11 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the sealing member is epoxy (para. 0078).
Regarding claim 12 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where an outer surface of the sealing member is inclined to connect a side surface of the flange portion and a side surface of the barrel portion (see fig. 7; para. 0078).
Regarding claim 13 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where a groove into which the body is coupled is formed on an upper surface of the barrel portion (see fig. 7),
and where, based on an optical axis direction, a length of the groove is equal to a length of the body (see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 14 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the first body and the lens module are each ground areas (para. 0090).
Regarding claim 15 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where an inner surface of the sealing member is disposed outside an inner surface of the barrel portion (para. 0078).
Regarding claim 16 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, further comprising:
a second body coupled to a rear of the first body (400); and a substrate disposed between the first body and the second body (Para. 0105).
Regarding claim 17 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the first body includes a barrel portion with a hole formed on an inside, where the lens module includes a flange portion disposed on the barrel portion, and where the pogo pin is disposed between the barrel portion and the flange portion (para. 0078).
Regarding claim 18 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where a sealing member is disposed between the barrel portion and the flange portion, and the barrel portion and the flange portion are spaced apart in an optical axis direction (para. 0078).
Regarding claim 19 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where a side of the flange portion is disposed more inwardly than a side of the barrel portion, and the pogo pin is disposed more inwardly than the sealing member (para. 0078).
Regarding claim 20 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, where the first body and the lens module are each ground areas (para. 0090).
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.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2021/0029280 A1) in view of McKinley (US 2014/0184899 A1).
Regarding claim 4 Kim teaches (figs. 2, 3, and 7-15) a camera module, except where the ground member includes a spring.
McKinley teaches (fig. 2B) where the ground member includes a spring (para. 0073).
It would have been obviously to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have modified the camera system as taught by Kim with the utilization of a spring as taught by McKinley for the benefit of increasing the connection between the bodies through the use of the spring force.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Further similar optical camera modules are taught by Tamasanis et. al. (US 9766473 B1), Noh et. al. (US 2022/0357487 A1), and Noh et. al. (US 2023/0350273 A1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT E TALLMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3958. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10 a.m. -6 p.m..
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 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.
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/Robert E. Tallman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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