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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 12-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 27 October 2025.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yamasaki (US 2024/0137642 A1).
Claim 1, Yamasaki teaches an imaging apparatus (Fig. 1) comprising:
a body (camera body 100; Fig. 1) to and from which an optical system is configured to be attachable and detachable (interchangeable lens 200; Fig. 1);
an imaging sensor configured to capture a subject image via the optical system to generate image data (image sensor 110; Fig. 1);
an input interface configured to acquire a zoom amount indicating a degree of a zoom operation by a user for the optical system (zoom ring 222; Fig. 1); and
a controller configured to scale a cropped image (electronic zoom; paragraph 0083) from the image data so as to implement a hybrid zoom operation which changes, from a first focal length, a second focal length, according to the zoom amount acquired by the input interface (hybrid zoom operation according to rotation of zoom ring 222; paragraph 0081-0082), the first focal length being formed by the optical system (optical zoom; paragraph 0081) and the second focal length corresponding to an angle of view of the subject image in the image data (see angle of view of subject; Fig. 10), wherein the controller is configured to maintain a characteristic of the second focal length with respect to the zoom amount before and after the optical system is changed (the degree to which the electronic zoom magnification is changed is linear, i.e., the characteristic of rate of change is maintained; paragraph 0079).
Claim 2, Yamasaki further teaches wherein the optical system includes a zoom lens (zoom lens 220; Fig. 1), the imaging apparatus further comprises a zoom ring configured to move the zoom lens by rotating (zoom ring 222; Fig. 1), and the zoom operation is an operation of rotating the zoom ring (user rotates the zoom ring 222; paragraph 0042).
Claim 3, Yamasaki further teaches wherein the controller is configured to continuously or intermittently change magnification of the scaling from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end of the optical system (see continuous scaling from wide angle end to telephoto end in Fig. 6C).
Claim 4, Yamasaki further teaches a setting interface configured to receive a user operation for setting the characteristic of the second focal length (user interface to input focal length at telephoto end; see Fig. 7), wherein, before and after a change of the optical system, the controller maintains the characteristic of the second focal length set based on the user operation before the optical system is changed (the focal length changes linearly, i.e., the rate of change is maintained, before and after the optical zoom is performed, see Fig. 6).
Claim 5, Yamasaki further teaches wherein the characteristic of the second focal length includes a characteristic that the second focal length linearly changes from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end of the optical system according to the zoom amount (electronic zoom magnification is linearly changed according to the rotation angle of the zoom ring; paragraph 0079).
Claim 6, Yamasaki further teaches wherein the characteristic of the second focal length includes a characteristic that the second focal length changes at a first change rate with respect to a change in the zoom amount between a wide-angle end of the optical system and a predetermined position which is between the wide-angle end and a telephoto end, and changes at a second change rate different from the first change rate with respect to the change in the zoom amount between the predetermined position and the telephoto end (see Fig. 6B wherein the electronic zoom may not have a different change rate at different points of the wide-angle and telephoto range).
Claim 7, Yamasaki further teaches wherein the setting interface is configured to receive a user operation for setting the predetermined position (see Fig. 7).
Claim 8, Yamasaki further teaches wherein the characteristic of the second focal length includes a characteristic that the second focal length changes at a first change rate with respect to a change in the zoom amount between a wide-angle end of the optical system and a first predetermined position which is between the wide-angle end and a telephoto end, changes at a second change rate different from the first change rate with respect to a change in the zoom amount between the first predetermined position and a second predetermined position which is between the first predetermined position and the telephoto end, and changes at a third change rate different from the second change rate with respect to a change in the zoom amount between the second predetermined position and the telephoto end (see Fig. 6B wherein the electronic zoom may not have a different change rate at different points of the wide-angle and telephoto range).
Claim 9, Yamasaki further teaches wherein the setting interface is configured to receive a user operation for setting the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position (see Fig. 7).
Claim 10, Yamasaki further teaches a display, wherein the controller is configured to cause the display to display information indicating the second focal length (display monitor 130 displays focal length parameters; Fig. 10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 11, Yamasaki teaches wherein the controller is configured to acquire resolution data indicating a zoom resolution of the optical system (paragraph 0062), but the prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the controller is configured to acquire resolution data indicating a zoom resolution of the optical system, and increase a frequency of a change in magnification of the scaling with respect to a change in the zoom amount as compared with when the zoom resolution is higher than a reference level when the zoom resolution indicated by the resolution data is the reference level or less, in combination with the remaining limitations of the parent claim.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHIAWEI A CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1707. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 12:00pm - 9:00pm EST.
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, Sinh Tran can be reached at (571)272-7564. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CHIAWEI CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2637