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 .
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) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kitamura, et al. (JP 2021152609).
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Kitamura – Figure 3
Regarding claim 1, Kitamura disclose “a housing (Fig. 3, ref.# 12, 13, 14) accommodating at least one heat generation source (Fig. 3, ref.# 31) in an accommodating space; a first housing (Fig. 3, ref.# 14) formed using a metal material (page 2 of translation, 3rd paragraph: “a metal housing 14”), partially constituting the housing, and covering a back surface side of the accommodating space (Fig. 3: space includes image pickup element 31); an intermediate member (Fig. 3, ref.# 15) formed using the metal material (page 2 of translation, 2nd paragraph: “a sheet metal 15”) and fitted into the first housing to form the accommodating space (See Fig. 3); a second housing (Fig. 3, ref.# 12) combined with the first housing to constitute the housing; at least one substrate (Fig. 3, ref.# 32) disposed in the accommodating space and on which the at least one heat generation source (Fig. 3, ref.# 31) is mounted; and a first heat transfer unit (Fig. 3, ref.# 38) contacting with the first housing (Fig. 3, ref.# 14) and the at least one heat generation source (Fig. 3, ref.# 31), and transferring heat of the at least one heat generation source to the first housing (page 3 of translation, 6th paragraph).”
Regarding claim 2, Kitamura discloses “wherein the first housing includes a fitting portion (Fig. 3, ref.# 14a) that is fitted to the intermediate member (Fig. 3, ref.# 15), and, the first housing transfers the heat of the at least one heat generation source to the intermediate member from the fitting portion (page 3 of translation, 2nd paragraph).”
Regarding claim 3, Kitamura discloses “an attachment seat (Fig. 3, ref.# 13) formed using the metal material and fixed to the first housing to fix and install the surveillance camera at a predetermined installation location.” (page 5 of translation, 3rd paragraph)
Regarding claim 4, Kitamura discloses “a second heat transfer unit (Fig. 3, ref.# 37) provided on a side opposite to the first heat transfer unit and transferring the heat of the at least one heat generation source (Fig. 3, ref.# 31) to the intermediate member (Fig. 3, ref.# 15).”
Regarding claim 5, Kitamura discloses “wherein the intermediate member (Fig. 3, ref.# 15) includes at least one metal plate (page 2 of translation, 2nd paragraph: “a sheet metal 15”) disposed on a surface on the accommodating space side so as to face the second heat transfer unit.”
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.
Claim(s) 8 is is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitamura, et al. (JP 2021152609) in view of Umehara (CN 104079864).
Regarding claim 8, Kitamura discloses all the structure set forth in the claim except “wherein the first housing includes a vent hole on each of a pair of surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction of the housing so as to communicates the accommodating space with the outside.” However, the use of vent holes in a housing that communicates with an accommodating space holding a heat source of camera was well known in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention as taught by Umehara (See Fig. 10, ref.# 82a, 82b). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill the art prior the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kitamura wherein the first housing includes a vent hole on each of a pair of surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction of the housing so as to communicates the accommodating space with the outside in order to assist in the heat dissipation from the interior of the camera.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Ono, et al. (JP 2020199800), Yoshizawa (JP 2009182922) and Hasegawa (CN 101398594) teach a camera with a housing accommodating at least one heat source and a heat transfer unit to move the heat to the housing.
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/RODNEY E FULLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
March 10, 2026