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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Priority
1. Applicant is reminded that in order for a patent issuing on the instant application to obtain the benefit of priority based on priority papers filed in parent Application No. (JP) 2023-138798 under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), a claim for such foreign priority must be timely made in this application. To satisfy the requirement of 37 CFR 1.55(a)(2) for a certified copy of the foreign application, applicant may simply identify the application containing the certified copy.
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/07/24 has been entered. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
3. The drawings filed on 08/07/24. These drawings are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin-jian Liu (CN 110823924), in view of Freifeld et al (U.S. 2016/0231555), further in view of Ishizuka et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0093876). Hereafter “Jin-jian”, “Freifeld”, “Ishizuka”. (Please see attached files for Jin-jian’s reference).
Regarding Claim(s) 1, Jin-jian teaches a hole inspection lens unit used for inspection inside a hole formed in a workpiece, the hole inspection lens unit comprising:
a tubular outer tube (figure 1, outer sleeve 105 is not different from a tubular outer tube);
a tubular inner tube inserted into the outer tube (figures 1, 2, protective glass 106 is not different from a tubular inner tube);
an objective lens disposed in a tip end of the inner tube (figures 1, 2, objective 101, inner tube 106);
a mounting unit which supports a proximal end portion of the outer tube and a proximal end portion of the inner tube (figures 1, 2, protective glass 102 is not different from a mounting unit which supports a proximal end portion of the outer tube 105 and a proximal end portion of the inner tube 106) and on which a camera configured to image the inside of the hole through the objective lens is attached (figures 1, 2, camera 109, objective lens 101);
a plurality of shell type light emitting disposed inside the outer tube and around the inner tube (figure 1, light source 104 is not different from a plurality of shell type light emitting around the inner tube 106);
a tubular light guide tube which is surrounded by a tip end portion of the outer tube and supported by one of an outer peripheral surface of the inner tube and an inner peripheral surface of the outer tube to surround a tip end portion of the inner tube (figures 1, 2, collimated lens 103 or fixing plate 201 is not different from a tubular light guide tube, which is surrounded by a tip end portion of the outer tube 105 and supported by one of an outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 106 and an inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 105 to surround a tip end portion of the inner tube 106), and emits light emitted from the plurality of shell type light emitting on a mounting unit side while diffusing the light into the hole (figure 1, light emitting 104);
However, Jin-jian does not teach light source is diode. Freifeld teaches light source is diode, ([0029], lines 16-17). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify Jin-jian by having diode in order to emit light efficiently.
Moreover, Jin-jian does not teach an annular spacer which has a plurality of gas passages and is disposed between the light guide tube and the other one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube and the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube such that the plurality of gas passages extend along the light guide tube; and an annular gas passage which is defined between the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube and an outer peripheral surface of the light guide tube or between the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube and an inner peripheral surface of the light guide tube, communicates with the plurality of gas passages of the spacer, and opens at the tip ends of the outer tube and the inner tube. Ishizuka teaches an annular spacer which has a plurality of gas passages and is disposed between the light guide tube and the other one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube and the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube such that the plurality of gas passages extend along the light guide tube; and an annular gas passage which is defined between the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube and an outer peripheral surface of the light guide tube or between the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube and an inner peripheral surface of the light guide tube, communicates with the plurality of gas passages of the spacer, and opens at the tip ends of the outer tube and the inner tube, (figure 1, gas injection passages R, collar member 13b and guide 13 is not different from the light guide tube, the inner tube 11, the outer tube 13. Further, as indicated above, Jin-jian has taught the light guide tube 103, inner tube 106, outer tube 105). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify Jin-jian by having an annular gas passage in order to clean an adhered substance such as a water drop, a chip, a foreign substance or the like adhered to the wall surface of the hole (Ishizuka, [0008]).
Regarding Claim(s) 2, Jin-jian teaches an outer diameter of the light guide tube is smaller than an inner diameter of the tip end portion of the outer tube, the light guide tube is supported by an outer peripheral surface of the tip end portion of the inner tube, (figure 1, outer diameter of the light guide tube 103 is smaller than an inner diameter of the tip end portion of the outer tube 105, the light guide tube 103 is supported by an outer peripheral surface of the tip end portion of the inner tube 106). However, Jin-jian does not teach the annular gas passage is defined between an inner peripheral surface of the tip end portion of the outer tube and the outer peripheral surface of the light guide tube. Ishizuka teaches the annular gas passage is defined between an inner peripheral surface of the tip end portion of the outer tube and the outer peripheral surface of the light guide tube, (figure 1, gas injection passages R, collar member 13a and shaft 13 is not different from the light guide tube, the outer tube 13). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify Jin-jian by having an annular gas passage in order to clean an adhered substance such as a water drop, a chip, a foreign substance or the like adhered to the wall surface of the hole (Ishizuka, [0008]).
Regarding Claim(s) 4, 5, Jin-jian teaches all the limitations of claim 1 as stated above except for the inner tube is formed of stainless steel, and a black oxide film or black plating is applied to an inner peripheral surface of the inner tube. Ishizuka teaches inner tube is formed of stainless steel, and a black oxide film or black plating is applied to an inner peripheral surface of the inner tube, ([0022, 0026]. Shaft 11 is not different from an inner tube). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify method or device of Jin-jian reference with stainless steel and a black oxide film since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. in re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 3, 6 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.
7. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: there was no prior art found by the examiner that suggested modification or combination with the cited art so as to satisfy the combination of all the limitations in claim 3.
8. As claim 3, the prior art of record taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious a hole inspection lens unit used for inspection inside a hole formed in a workpiece comprising a tubular inner tube inserted into the outer tube; an objective lens disposed in a tip end of the inner tube; a mounting unit which supports a proximal end portion of the outer tube and a proximal end portion of the inner tube and on which a camera configured to image the inside of the hole; a plurality of shell type light emitting diodes disposed inside the outer tube and around the inner tube; a tubular light guide tube which is surrounded by a tip end portion of the outer tube; an annular spacer which has a plurality of gas passages and is disposed between the light guide tube and the other one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube and the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube; wherein an outer diameter of the light guide tube is smaller than an inner diameter of the tip end portion of the outer tube, and the annular gas passage is defined between an inner peripheral surface of the tip end portion of the outer tube and the outer peripheral surface of the light guide tube; an annular substrate to which terminals of the plurality of shell type light emitting diodes are connected, the spacer is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube and the outer peripheral surface of the light guide tube such that the spacer is positioned on the mounting unit side of the tip end portion of the outer tube and on an objective lens side of the plurality of shell type light emitting diodes, and the annular gas passage is supplied with air through a space between the outer tube and the inner tube, a gap between an inner hole of the substrate and the inner tube, a gap between the plurality of shell type light emitting diodes and the inner tube, and the plurality of gas passages of the spacer; in combination with the rest of the limitations of claims 1 and 2 and 3.
Fax/Telephone Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRI T TON whose telephone number is (571)272-9064. The examiner can normally be reached on 8am-4pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michelle Iacoletti can be reached on (571)270-5789. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
February 24, 2026
/Tri T Ton/
Primary Examiner Art Unit 2877