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
Applicant’s election with traverse of Species A in the reply filed on July 27, 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that it should be no undue burden on the examiner to consider all claims in the application. This is not found persuasive because the distinct species would require different fields of search not able to be conducted in the limited amount of time allotted.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL. Accordingly, claims 11-20 have been withdrawn from further consideration, and claims 1-10 have been examined as follows.
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 4 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 4 recites the limitation “the bottom of the first housing” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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)(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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hu et al. (US 2021/0191073).
Regarding claim 1, Hu discloses a driving mechanism (2-100, Figs. 1-12) for moving an optical element (2-IMM), comprising:
a fixed part (2-10);
a movable part (2-30), movably connected to the fixed part for holding the optical element (para. [0033]), wherein the optical element has an optical axis (2-O = Z, Fig. 2); and
a driving assembly (2-MC), configured for moving the movable part relative to the fixed part (Fig. 3; para. [0038]).
Regarding claim 2, Hu discloses further comprising a spring sheet (2-12) and a plurality of elongated elastic elements (2-S3; para. [0050]), wherein the spring sheet is disposed on the fixed part (para. [0039]), and the movable part includes a resilient circuit board (2-F), wherein the elastic elements extend along the optical axis to connect the spring sheet to the circuit board (Figs. 3, 6, 8, 11; paras. [0054-0055]), and the optical element (2-IMM) is disposed on the circuit board (Figs. 2-5).
Regarding claim 3, Hu discloses further comprising a frame (2-32) disposed on the circuit board (2-F), the fixed part (2-10) includes a shield (2-11) and a first housing (2-111, 2-112) connected to each other, and the frame is disposed in the shield (Figs. 2-5), wherein the driving assembly (2-MC) includes a first coil (2-C1-3) disposed on the first housing and a first magnet (2-M1-3) disposed on the frame (Figs. 3, 5, 6), and the first coil is electrically connected to the circuit board via the spring sheet (2-12) and the elastic elements (2-S3) (Figs. 3, 6).
Regarding claim 4, Hu discloses wherein the first housing (2-111, 2-112) forms a recess and a protrusion located adjacent to each other (Figs. 3-5), the protrusion protrudes from the bottom of the first housing, the recess is configured to receive a first optical lens (2-LS), and the first coil (2-C1-3) is disposed on the protrusion (Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 5, Hu discloses wherein the first housing (2-111, 2-112) forms a recess and a rib located adjacent to each other (Figs. 3-5), the recess is configured to receive a first optical lens (2-LS), and the rib and the recess partially overlap along a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the optical axis (Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 6, Hu discloses wherein an inner portion of the spring sheet (2-12) is adhered to the rib (Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 7, Hu discloses wherein the elastic elements (2-S3) are connected between an outer portion of the spring sheet (2-12) and the circuit board (2-F) (Figs. 3-6).
Regarding claim 8, Hu discloses wherein the outer portion of the spring sheet (2-12) is higher than the inner portion of the spring sheet along the optical axis (Figs. 3-11).
Regarding claim 9, Hu discloses wherein the circuit board (2-F) has a main body (e.g., right side in Fig. 3) and an extending portion (e.g., two sides extending from main side in Fig. 3), the optical element (2-IMM) is disposed on the main body (Figs. 2-3), and the extending portion is bent relative to the main body (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 10, Hu discloses wherein the extending portion has a C-shaped structure that is parallel to the optical axis (Fig. 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAISLEY L WILSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5023. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm ET.
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, MICHAEL CALEY can be reached at 571-272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAISLEY L WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871
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