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 .
This action is in response to Application filed on 08/19/2024
Application claims a FP date of 08/31/2023
Claims 1 and 7 are independent
Claims 1-9 are pending
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in the instant Application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/19/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98(a)(4). Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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.
(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.
Claims 1-3 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sakurai (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2021/0314491 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Sakurai discloses an imaging apparatus (Sakurai’s disclosure is about imaging apparatus capable of suppressing an erroneous operation in image stabilization) comprising:
an image sensor configured to capture a subject image formed via an optical system to generate image data (In ¶0004, Sakurai discloses that the imaging apparatus includes an image sensor that captures a subject image formed through an optical system to generate image data);
an optical image stabilizer including at least one of a first image stabilizer and a second image stabilizer, the first image stabilizer performing image stabilization by moving a correction lens included in the optical system within a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical system, the second image stabilizer performing image stabilization by moving the image sensor within the plane perpendicular to the optical axis (In ¶0093, Sakurai discloses about the first image stabilizer (OIS processor 223 and CIS drive 221) that performs image stabilization by moving a correction lens included in the optical system within a lens movable range in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical system, a second image stabilizer (IBIS processor 183 and sensor driver 181) that performs image stabilization by moving the image sensor withing a sensor movable range in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis);
a third image stabilizer configured to perform image stabilization by adjusting an area from which an image indicated by the image data is cropped (Further, in ¶0093, Sakurai also discloses a third image stabilizer (ETS processor 143) that performs image stabilization by adjusting an area from which an image indicated by the image data is to be cropped within a range of a preset cropping amount); and
a controller configured to control the image stabilization by the optical image stabilizer and the third image stabilizer (In ¶0094, Sakurai discloses about a controller of the imaging apparatus), wherein
the controller is configured to
set a shake correction amount to be corrected by the optical image stabilizer for an amount of shake of the imaging apparatus (In ¶0094, he discloses that the controller detects the vibration caused by the device and controls whether to remove the detected vibration from the image in accordance with the detection result); and
set a shake correction amount to be corrected by the third image stabilizer, based on an error amount indicating a difference between the shake correction amount set to the optical image stabilizer and a displacement of one of the correction lens and the image sensor moved in the image stabilization by the optical image stabilizer (In ¶0060, Sakurai discloses that the controller 310 performs PIP control on the basis of the difference between the shake detection signal from the integrator 308 and the current position information of the OIS lens 220 received from the positions sensor and generates a drive signal for the OIS driver 221), and
the third image stabilizer is configured to perform the image stabilization based on the set shake correction amount (In ¶0069 Sakurai discloses that the EIS processor 143 calculates a shake correction amount on the basis of the input shake detection signal and adjusts the position at which the image is cropped by the calculated shake correction amount).
Regarding Claim 2, Sakurai discloses further comprising: a shake detector (In ¶0032, Sakurai disclose that a gyro sensor 184 has been used to detect shakes of the camera body) configured to detect the amount of shake of the imaging apparatus, wherein one of the first image stabilizer and the second image stabilizer is configured to perform the image stabilization on the amount of shake detected by the shake detector according to the shake correction amount set to the corresponding image stabilizer (Sakurai in ¶0032 discloses that the IBIS processor 183 controls the shake correction processing on the basis of the detection result of the gyro sensor 184).
Regarding Claim 3, Sakurai discloses further comprising: a position detector (position sensor 222, position sensor 182) configured to detect a position of the correction lens (In ¶0040 Sakurai discloses that the position sensor 222 is a sensor for detecting the position of the OIS lens 220 in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis) or a position of the image sensor in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis (In ¶0033, Sakurai discloses that the position sensor 182 is a sensor for detecting the position of the image sensor 110 in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical system), wherein the controller is configured to acquire, based on a detection result by the position detector, at least one of the displacement of the correction lens and the displacement of the image sensor (In ¶0034, Sakurai discloses that the IBIS processor 183 controls the sensor driver 181 on the basis of the gyro sensor 184 and the signal from the position sensor 182, to shift the image sensor 110 so that the shake of the camera body is canceled out.).
Regarding Claim 6, Sakurai discloses further comprising: an interchangeable lens (interchangeable lens 200) including the optical system and the first image stabilizer (In ¶0035 Sakurai discloses the optical image stabilizer (OIS) lens 220 and lens controller 240); a camera body (camera body 100) including the image sensor (image sensor 110) and the third image stabilizer (third image stabilizer ETS processor 143); and a communication interface (communication interface 152) configured to perform data communication between the interchangeable lens and the camera body, wherein the controller is configured to receive, from the interchangeable lens via the communication interface, at least one of the shake correction amount set to the first image stabilizer and the error amount in the image stabilization by the first image stabilizer (In ¶0039 Sakurai discloses that the OIS lens 220 is a lens for correcting a shake of a subject image formed by the optical system of the interchangeable lens 200 in the 013 function. The OIS lens 220 moves in a direction to cancel out the shake of the digital camera for reducing the shake of the subject image on the image sensor 110).
Regarding Claim 7, this claim is a broader claim that has limitations parallel to Claim 1. Claim 7 is therefore rejected on the same grounds as Claim 1.
Regarding Claim 8, Sakurai discloses image data (In ¶0004, Sakurai discloses that the imaging apparatus includes an image sensor that captures a subject image formed through an optical system to generate image data), and
one of the shake correction amount to be corrected by the optical image stabilizer and the error amount (In ¶0069, Sakurai discloses that the EIS processor 143 calculates a shake correction amount on the basis of the input shake detection signal), and
a third image stabilizer (EIS processor 143) configured to perform image stabilization by adjusting an area from which an image indicated by in the image data is cropped (In ¶0069-¶0070, Sakurai further discloses that the EIS processor 143 calculates a shake correction amount on the basis of the input shake detection signal and adjusts the position at which the image is cropped by the calculated shake correction amount); and
a processor (EIS processor 143) configured to control the image stabilization by the third image stabilizer,
wherein the processor (EIS processor 143) is configured to set a shake correction amount to be corrected by the third image stabilizer, based on the shake correction amount to be corrected by the optical image stabilizer or the error amount, and the third image stabilizer is configured to perform the image stabilization by the set shake correction amount (In ¶0069 Sakurai discloses that the EIS processor 143 calculates a shake correction amount on the basis of the input shake detection signal and adjusts the position at which the image is cropped by the calculated shake correction amount).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakurai (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2021/0314491 A1) in view of Nakata et al. (U. S. Patent Publication Number 2021/0258488 A1) and further in view of Jota (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2025/0080847 A1 which has a FP date of Aug 28, 2023)
Regarding Claim 4, Sakurai fails to clearly disclose wherein the controller is configured to calculate, based on image data sequentially captured by the image sensor, a motion vector of the subject image in an image represented by the image data, and set the shake correction amount to be corrected by the third image stabilizer, by switching between a shake correction amount according to the error amount and a shake correction amount according to the calculated motion vector
Instead in a similar endeavor, Nakata discloses wherein the controller (In Fig 5 and in ¶0116 Nakata teaches about the camera controller 140) is configured to calculate, based on image data sequentially captured by the image sensor, a motion vector of the subject image in an image represented by the image data (In ¶0116, Nakata teaches that the gyro signal includes information on an angular velocity corresponding to shake of the camera; further in ¶0117 he teaches that the camera controller 140 calculates a motion vector of an image S10 – that is image motion amount. In Step S01 he teaches that motion vector of the entire image per time of a frame period is calculated as an image motion amount), and
set the shake correction amount to be corrected by the third image stabilizer (In ¶0187 Nakata teaches that the EIS operation corrects the camera shake by changing a position and orientation of the effective pixel area used in subsequent processing in image data),
Sakurai and Nakata are combinable because both are related to imaging device for performing image stabilization.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the determine whether or not OIS operation is being executed based on the shake amount and the image motion as taught by Nakata in the imaging module disclosed by Sakurai.
The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to “control whether to execute or stop image stabilization operation based on the shake amount and image motion amount” as disclosed by Nakata in ¶0012.
Sakurai in view of Nakata fails to clearly disclose set the shake correction amount by switching between a shake correction amount according to the error amount and a shake correction amount according to the calculated motion vector.
Instead in a similar endeavor, Jota discloses set the shake correction amount by switching between a shake correction amount according to the error amount and a shake correction amount according to the calculated motion vector (In ¶0021-¶0029, Jota teaches that the motion vector detection unit 109 detects motion information about a feature point in the image data as a motion vector by using a plurality of pieces of image data at different imaging timing. The image correction unit 110 electronically performs blur correction – EIS image stabilization – by performing image processing based on image blur information. He also discloses in ¶0023 that camera shake detection unit 105. In ¶0128, Jota teaches that the target correction amounts may be based on accelerations sensors or motion vectors calculated based on an image – a plurality of pieces of information may be used to calculate amounts of shake)
Sakurai, Nakata and Jota are combinable because all are related to imaging device for performing image stabilization.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use plurality of pieces of information to perform shake correction as taught by Jota in the imaging module disclosed by Sakurai in view of Nakata.
The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to “reduce the effect of blur” as disclosed by Jota throughout his disclosure.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Sakurai, Nakata and Jota to obtain the invention as specified in claim 4.
Claims 5 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakurai (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2021/0314491 A1) in view of Ikeda (U. S. Patent Publication Number 2018/0063443 A1)
Regarding Claim 5, Sakurai fails to clearly disclose wherein the controller is configured to calculate the error amount for at least one direction of: two orthogonal directions in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis; and a rotation direction around a rotation axis along the optical axis.
Instead in a similar endeavor, Ikeda discloses wherein the controller is configured to calculate the error amount for at least one direction of: two orthogonal directions in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis; and a rotation direction around a rotation axis along the optical axis (In Fig 3 and in ¶0068 - ¶0070, Ikeda teaches that the camera image stabilization controller 123, receives from the lens controller pitch, yaw direction correction amounts (angular displacement amount equivalent values) as the lens electronic image stabilization correction amounts).
Sakurai and Ikeda are combinable because both are related to imaging device for performing image stabilization.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the pitch, yaw direction correction amount as taught by Ikeda in the imaging module disclosed by Sakurai.
The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to “provide an image capturing apparatus capable of preventing image blur from occurring due to unsmoothness of image stabilization control” as disclosed by Ikeda in ¶0007.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Sakurai and Ikeda to obtain the invention as specified in claim 5.
Regarding Claim 9, Sakurai in view of Ideka discloses wherein the processor (Sakurai: In ¶0094, Sakurai discloses about a controller of the imaging apparatus; Ikeda: controller 106, 124) is configured to control simulation processing predicting based on the shake correction amount to be corrected by the optical image stabilizer (Ikeda: In ¶0115, Ikeda teaches that the camera controller 124 switches depending on a detection result of the camera shake detected by the camera based on correction amount between one used for the previous frame and one acquired by prediction calculation; He also teaches in ¶0126-¶0127 how the prediction is calculated), at least one of the displacement of the correction lens and the displacement of the image sensor moved in the image stabilization by the optical image stabilizer (Ikeda: In ¶0031 he teaches that stabilizing optical element is moved or shifted to perform optical image stabilization and in ¶0038 he teaches that image stabilization may be performed by shifting the image sensor in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis in the camera body).
Reference Cited
The following prior art made of record but not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shibata (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2024/0073526 A1) discloses an image stabilization control apparatus performs image stabilization by controlling first correction unit that drives a correction lens in an imaging optical system and second correction unit that drives an image sensor by selecting one of control methods including first and second control methods in accordance with whether the imaging optical system is compatible with the first control method, and obtaining correction amounts of the first and second correction unit based on a shake amount and on the selected control method. The first control method is to perform an over-correction using the first correction unit and an inverse-correction using the second correction unit. The second control method is a method to correct the shake amount using a preset ratio for the first and second correction unit.
Conclusion
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/PADMA HALIYUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639 January 15, 2026