DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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 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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 2/25/2026, 10/10/2025 and 7/11/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been 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.
Claims 1-20 are 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, cited term of “the first lens group includes exactly two cemented lenses…” (line 14) is vague and renders the claims indefinite. Claim already cites in line 6-11 that “the first lens group includes, ….. an uncemented negative lens, …. an uncemented negative lens having a meniscus shape….. a negative lens having a biconcave shape; a positive lens having a biconvex shape; a negative lens having a biconcave shape; and a positive lens having a surface convex toward the image side”, ---including six lenses. It is unclear that how many lenses claimed in the first lens group, the two cemented lenses? Or the six lenses? Or the two cemented lenses plus the six lenses?
Further, cited term of “the imaging lens is a fixed focal point optical system” (line 18) is vague and renders the claims indefinite. Claim cites “wherein during focusing, the first lens group and the third lens group remain stationary with respect to an image plane, and the second lens group moves along an optical axis” (line 3-5), ---appears that focusing length of the imaging lens may vary, and the focal point of the imaging lens is not fixed.
Claims 2-20 are rejected as containing the deficiencies of claim 1 through their dependency from claim 1.
Therefore proper amendments are required in order to clarify the scopes of the claims and overcome the rejections.
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 of this title, 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato et al (WO 2019073744, English translation attached) in a view of Nishio et al (US 2016/0170174).
Regarding Claim 1, Kato teaches an imaging lens (abstract; figs. 1, 4, 7 and 10) consisting of,
in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens group; a second lens group that has a positive refractive power; and a third lens group (figs. 1, 4 and 10, GR1, GR2, GR3; abstract, line 1-10, comprises: a first group fixed to the image plane when focusing; a second group that has a plurality of lens components, is disposed closer to the image plane than the first group, moves along the optical axis when focusing, and has a positive refractive power as a whole; ¶[0055], line 495-499, a third group GR3 fixed with respect to the image plane IMG may be arranged),
wherein during focusing, the first lens group and the third lens group remain stationary with respect to an image plane, and the second lens group moves along an optical axis (figs. 1, 4 and 10, GR1, GR2, GR3; --moving arrow of GR2; see above),
a lens closest to the image side in the first lens group is an uncemented positive lens having a biconvex shape (fig. 1, L15; fig. 4, L16; fig. 10, L16),
the first lens group includes exactly two cemented lenses, each of which is formed by cementing a positive lens and a negative lens (fig. 7, L12/L13; L14/L15),
a lens surface closest to the image side in the second lens group is a concave surface (fig. 1, L27; fig. 4, L26; fig. 10, L27),
a lens surface closest to the object side in the third lens group is a convex surface (fig. 1, L31; fig. 4, L31; fig. 10, L31), and
the imaging lens is a fixed focal point optical system (¶[0057], line 515, This imaging device 100 is, for example, a digital still camera; ¶[0067], line 600-603, the imaging device is applied to a digital still camera or the like).
But Kato does not specifically disclose that wherein the first lens group includes, successively in order from a position closest to the object side to the image side: an uncemented negative lens having a meniscus shape and having a surface convex toward the object side; an uncemented negative lens having a meniscus shape and having a surface convex toward the object side; a negative lens having a biconcave shape; a positive lens having a biconvex shape; a negative lens having a biconcave shape; and a positive lens having a surface convex toward the image side.
However, Nishio teaches an image pickup lens (abstract; figs. 1-3); wherein the first lens group (fig. 2A-C, GF) includes, successively in order from a position closest to the object side to the image side: an uncemented negative lens having a meniscus shape and having a surface convex toward the object side (fig. 2A-C, L1); an uncemented negative lens having a meniscus shape and having a surface convex toward the object side (fig. 2A-C, L2); a negative lens having a biconcave shape (fig. 2A-C, L5); a positive lens having a biconvex shape (fig. 2A-C, L6); a negative lens having a biconcave shape (fig. 2A-C, L8); and a positive lens having a surface convex toward the image side (fig. 2A-C, L9); and
the first lens group includes exactly two cemented lenses, each of which is formed by cementing a positive lens and a negative lens (fig. 2A-C, L3/L4, L7/L8).
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 modify the imaging lens of Kato by the image pickup lens of Nishio for a purpose to provide a small-size image pickup lens in which, various aberrations are reduced sufficiently while having a large aperture diameter, and the focusing lens has been light-weighted (¶[0163], line 1-4).
Regarding Claim 2, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the two cemented lenses of the first lens group is formed by cementing a biconcave lens and a biconvex lens (fig. 1A-C, L3/L4; L8/L9; fig. 2A-C, L3/L4, L7/L8, as disclosed in Nishio; --- the imaging lens may have lens parameters as claimed, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (C.C.P.A. 1955)).
Regarding Claim 3, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein the first lens group includes exactly two biconcave lenses (fig. 2A-C, L5, L8, as disclosed in Nishio).
Regarding Claim 4, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein the second lens group includes exactly three biconvex lenses (fig. 4, L23, L25, L26; fig. 7, L22, L26, L27, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 5, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein the second lens group consists of three positive lenses and three negative lenses (fig. 2, L21, L22, L24; L23, L25, L26, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 6, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein the second lens group consists of three biconvex lenses and three negative lenses (fig. 1, L21, L23, L25; fig. 2, L23, L25, L26, as disclosed in Kato, --- the imaging lens may have lens parameters as claimed, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (C.C.P.A. 1955)).
Regarding Claim 7, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein the third lens group includes exactly one biconvex lens (fig. 1, L31, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 8, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein the second lens group moves to the object side along the optical axis during focusing from an object at infinity to the closest object (fig. 1, GR2, --moving arrow of GR2, as disclosed in Kato; see above).
Regarding Claim 9, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein an aperture stop is disposed between a lens surface closest to the image side in the first lens group and a lens surface closest to the object side in the second lens group (fig. 1, St, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 10, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1,
wherein the imaging lens includes an aperture stop, a positive lens having a biconvex shape is disposed adjacent to the object side of the aperture stop (fig. 1, St, L15, as disclosed in Kato), and
a positive lens having a biconvex shape is disposed adjacent to the image side of the aperture stop (fig. 1, St, L21, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 11, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein a negative lens is disposed closest to the image side in the second lens group (fig. 1, L27, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 12, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 11, wherein the negative lens disposed closest to the image side in the second lens group is an aspheric lens in which both an object side surface and an image side surface are aspheric (fig. 1, L27; ¶[0085], Table 1, Si: 21, 22, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 13, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 12, wherein the second lens group includes exactly one aspheric lens (fig. 1, L27; ¶[0085], Table 1, Si: 21, 22, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 14, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein the first lens group includes exactly two aspheric lenses, each of which has at least one aspheric surface (fig. 1A-C, L1, L6; ¶[0137], Table Example 1, surface no: 4, 10, as disclosed in Nishio).
Regarding Claim 15, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein a maximum angle of view in a state where an object at infinity is in focus is 75 degrees or more (¶[0087], Table 3, ω = 42.36, so 2ω = 4.72, as disclosed in Kato; ¶[0137], Table Various data, 2ω = 82.88, as disclosed in Nishio).
Regarding Claim 16, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 2, wherein the first lens group includes exactly two biconcave lenses (fig. 2A-C, L5, L8, as disclosed in Nishio).
Regarding Claim 17, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 16, wherein the second lens group includes exactly three biconvex lenses (fig. 4, L23, L25, L26; fig. 7, L22, L26, L27, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 18, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 17, wherein the second lens group consists of three positive lenses and three negative lenses (fig. 2, L21, L22, L24; L23, L25, L26, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 19, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging lens according to claim 18, wherein the third lens group includes exactly one biconvex lens (fig. 1, L31, as disclosed in Kato).
Regarding Claim 20, Kato - Nishio combination teaches the imaging apparatus comprising the imaging lens according to claim 1 (fig. 16, 10, 12, 20, 80, 60, as disclosed in Kato).
Examiner’s Note
Regarding the references, the Examiner cites particular figures, paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the reference(s), as applied to the claims above. Although the particular citations are representative teachings and are applied to specific limitations within the claims, other passages, internally cited references, and figures may also apply. In preparing a response, it is respectfully requested that the Applicant fully consider the references, in their entirety, as potentially disclosing or teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as fully consider the context of the passage as taught by the reference(s) or as disclosed by the Examiner.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Jie Lei whose telephone number is (571) 272 7231. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon.-Thurs. 8:00 am to 5:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by the telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Thomas Pham can be reached on (571) 272 3689.The Fax number for the organization where this application is assigned is (571) 273 8300.
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/JIE LEI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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