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 statement (IDS) submitted on 04/19/2024 and 01/28/2026 are 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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 19 recites the limitation "the cover member" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-18 and 20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, the prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious, in combination with other claim limitations, the claim language of “a fixed unit comprising a second board spaced apart from the first board; a support board configured to support the moving unit so that the moving unit moves relative to the fixed unit in a direction perpendicular to an optical-axis direction and to conductively connect the first board to the second board; and a controller disposed outside the cover member.”
Regarding claims 2-19 and 20, the claims are allowed as being dependent on claim 1.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Note: there is not applicable prior art for rejecting independent claim 19. The claim would be allowable upon overcome of the above rejection.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
An et al (US 2016/0088198) discloses a camera module comprises connecting terminal 430 configured to connect the camera module to an external apparatus (Abstract, fig. 1, and paragraph 0037).
Ahn (US 2015/0201127) discloses camera module comprises a connection terminal 12 connected to flexible pcb 13 (fig. 2, paragraph 0036).
Kim et al (US 2015/0077628) discloses a camera module comprises a controller 192 positioned at area 152b (Abstract, fig. 6, paragraph 0045).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUAN H LE whose telephone number is (571)270-1130. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00 am- 5:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached at 5712727372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TUAN H LE/ Examiner, Art Unit 2638
/LIN YE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2638