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.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 and 13-19 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ji et al. (CN111271561).
Regarding claim 1, Ji discloses a camera module, comprising:
a mounting frame (B);
a lens assembly (A) that is movably arranged on the mounting frame (B, Fig. 1), wherein the lens assembly comprises two lens modules (a set of modules, A); and
a driving mechanism arranged on the mounting frame (drive systems driven by 35 or 42), wherein the driving mechanism comprises a guide assembly (34 or 38), a transmission assembly (34 or 42) and a driving part (35 and 42 are motors),
wherein the guide assembly is arranged on the mounting frame and the two lens modules are slidably fitted to the guide assembly (Figs. 17 for the linear translation or 18-20 for pitching);
wherein the transmission assembly is in transmission connection with the two lens modules respectively (Fig. 1, where each part is connected), and
wherein the driving part is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly (Figs. 17 or 18), and the driving part is used to drive the two lens modules to move back and forth along the guide assembly respectively (Figs. 17 or 18 where the driving part, 35, drives the linear back and forth translation and 42 drives the back-and-forth pitching, each along a guide).
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 10-12 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pasta et al. (WO2021176269) in view of Ji.
Regarding claim 10, Pasta discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle (Page 1 first and second paragraphs), comprising:
a fuselage (Page. 2 last paragraph and Figs. 1-2); and
at least one camera module (11), wherein the camera module comprises:
a mounting frame (2);
a lens assembly that is movably arranged on the mounting frame (Fig. 38),
wherein the lens assembly comprises two lens modules (Fig. 37 appears to show 11 with a pair of lens barrels); and
a driving mechanism arranged on the mounting frame (Fig. 37 and Page 3 second paragraph),
wherein the camera module is arranged on the fuselage (Fig. 43), and the lens module in the lens assembly can protrude from the fuselage or retract into the fuselage (Page. 3 second paragraph and Figs. 43-45).
Pasta does not explicitly disclose wherein the driving mechanism comprises a guide assembly, a transmission assembly and a driving part,
wherein the guide assembly is arranged on the mounting frame and the two lens modules are slidably fitted to the guide assembly;
wherein the transmission assembly is respectively connected to the transmission of the two lens modules, wherein the driving part is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly, and the driving part is used to respectively drive the two lens modules to move back and forth along the guide assembly.
However, Ji teaches a camera module, comprising:
a mounting frame (B);
a lens assembly (A) that is movably arranged on the mounting frame (B, Fig. 1), wherein the lens assembly comprises two lens modules (a set of modules, A); and
a driving mechanism arranged on the mounting frame (drive systems driven by 35 or 42), wherein the driving mechanism comprises a guide assembly (34 or 38), a transmission assembly (34 or 42) and a driving part (35 and 42 are motors),
wherein the guide assembly is arranged on the mounting frame and the two lens modules are slidably fitted to the guide assembly (Figs. 17 for the linear translation or 18-20 for pitching);
wherein the transmission assembly is in transmission connection with the two lens modules respectively (Fig. 1, where each part is connected), and
wherein the driving part is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly (Figs. 17 or 18), and the driving part is used to drive the two lens modules to move back and forth along the guide assembly respectively (Figs. 17 or 18 where the driving part, 35, drives the linear back and forth translation and 42 drives the back-and-forth pitching, each along a guide).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the invention to combine Pasta and Ji such that it included the guide assembly motivated by improving camera movement range.
Regarding claim 11, Pasta discloses a camera module (11), comprising:
a mounting frame (1);
a lens assembly that is movably arranged on the mounting frame (Page 3 second paragraph and Figs. 43-45), wherein the lens assembly comprises two lens modules (11); and
a driving mechanism arranged on the mounting frame Fig. 37-38 shows movement control mechanisms attached to the fuselage frame), wherein the driving mechanism comprises a guide assembly and a driving part (Page 3 second paragraph),
wherein the driving part is in transmission connection with the two lens modules, and the driving part drives the two lens modules to move back and forth along the guide assembly and controls the lens assembly to protrude from the mounting frame or retract back into the mounting frame (Page. 3 second paragraph and Figs. 43-45).
Pasta does not explicitly disclose wherein the guide assembly is arranged on the mounting frame and the two lens modules are slidably fitted to the guide assembly.
However, Ji teaches a camera module, comprising:
a mounting frame (B);
a lens assembly (A) that is movably arranged on the mounting frame (B, Fig. 1), wherein the lens assembly comprises two lens modules (a set of modules, A); and
a driving mechanism arranged on the mounting frame (drive systems driven by 35 or 42), wherein the driving mechanism comprises a guide assembly (34 or 38), a transmission assembly (34 or 42) and a driving part (35 and 42 are motors),
wherein the guide assembly is arranged on the mounting frame and the two lens modules are slidably fitted to the guide assembly (Figs. 17 for the linear translation or 18-20 for pitching); and
wherein the driving part is in transmission connection with the transmission assembly (Figs. 17 or 18), and the driving part is used to drive the two lens modules to move back and forth along the guide assembly respectively (Figs. 17 or 18 where the driving part, 35, drives the linear back and forth translation and 42 drives the back-and-forth pitching, each along a guide).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the invention to combine Pasta and Ji such that it included the guide assembly motivated by improving camera movement range.
Regarding claim 12, modified Pasta discloses wherein the driving mechanism further comprises a transmission assembly that connects to the driving part and the two lens modules respectively (Fig. 1 of Ji, where each part is connected).
Regarding claim 20, modified Pasta discloses wherein the driving part drives the two lens modules to move back and forth at opposite directions along the guide assembly ([0057] of Ji).
Examiner Notes
Examiner cites particular columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRAVIS S FISSEL whose telephone number is (313)446-6573. The examiner can normally be reached on 9AM-5PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephone Allen can be reached on (571) 272-2434. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRAVIS S FISSEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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