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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgement is made of receipt of Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO-1449) filed 9/11/2024, 10/3/2024, 12/19/2024, 6/24/2025, and 1/8/2026. An initialed copy is attached to this Office Action.
Response to Amendment
This Office action is in response to the communication filed 7/30/2024.
The Amendments to Claims 5, 10, 12, 13, and 15-19, filed 5/15/14, are acknowledged and accepted.
Claim Objections
Claims 4 and 7-8 are objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in improper form because a multiple dependent claim should refer to other claims in the alternative only--, and/or, cannot depend from any other multiple dependent claim. See MPEP § 608.01(n). Accordingly, the claim has not been further treated on the merits.
Claim 9 is dependent on claim 8 and is therefore rejected for the reasons above.
Claims 5, 10, 12, and 16-19 are objected to because of the following informalities: the addition of “s” to the word Claim suggests more than one claim. The claims should read “The lens according to claim 1” instead of “The lens according to claims 1”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: the term “is located” is repeated and one should be deleted. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 13, and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhao, Shuai (CN 113740999). Hereinafter Zhao.
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Zhao discloses, in figures 3a and 4, a lens (10, optical lens) (paragraph 105), comprising: a first lens (11, lens) (paragraph and figure 4), wherein the first lens comprises a first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) (paragraph 107), a second refracting surface (113, second transmission area) (paragraph 107), a first reflecting surface (114, second reflection area) (paragraph 107), and a second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) (paragraph 107), the first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) and the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) are located at an object-side surface of the first lens (11) (paragraph 107), the first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) is located on a side that is of the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) and that is away from an optical axis (see annotated figure 4 below), the second refracting surface (113, second transmission area) and the first reflecting surface (114, second reflection area) are located at an image-side surface of the first lens (paragraph 107), the first reflecting surface (114, second reflection area) is located on a side that is of the second refracting surface (113, second transmission area) and that is away from the optical axis (figure 4), and incident light enters the first lens through the first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) (paragraph 108), then is sequentially reflected by the first reflecting surface (114, second reflection area) and the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area), and is emitted from the first lens through the second refracting surface (113, second transmission area) (paragraph 108); and the first lens further comprises a first transition surface (see annotated figure 4 below) connected between the first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) and the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) (see annotated figure 4 below), the first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) and the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) are smoothly transitionally connected through the first transition surface (see annotated figure 4 below), and a light-shielding layer (reflective film layer) is disposed at the first transition surface (see annotated figure 4 below) (paragraph 107).
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Regarding claim 2, Zhao discloses wherein the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) is located in a middle region of the object-side surface (figure 4), and the first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) surrounds an outer circumference of the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) (figure 4).
Regarding claim 3, Zhao discloses wherein an intersection point between the optical axis and a surface at which the first refracting surface (112, first transmission area) is located on a side that is of the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) and that is opposite to the second refracting surface (113, second transmission area) (see figure 4 above).
Regarding claim 5, Zhao discloses wherein a reflective film is disposed at the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) (paragraph 107), and the light-shielding layer is disposed on a side that is of the reflective film and that is opposite to the second refracting surface (113, second transmission area) (paragraph 107).
Regarding claim 13, Zhao discloses further comprising a second lens group (12, second lens group) (paragraph 138), wherein the second lens group (12, second lens group) is located on a side that faces the image-side surface of the first lens (11, first lens) (figure 3a) (paragraph 138), and a surface that is of the second lens group and that is opposite to the first lens is located on a side that is of the first reflecting surface (114, second reflection area) and that is opposite to the second reflecting surface (111, first reflection area) (figure 3a).
Regarding claim 19, Zhao discloses further comprising a lens barrel, wherein the first lens barrel and the second lens group are separately fastened to an inner wall surface of the lens barrel (paragraphs 101 and 103).
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 (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 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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao, Shuai (CN 113740999). Hereinafter Zhao as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Takeuchi Hodaka (JP 2006145744), hereinafter Takeuchi.
Regarding claim 10, Zhao discloses all the limitations in common with claim 1, and such is hereby incorporated.
Zhao does not specifically disclose wherein a recessed part recessed toward the object-side surface of the first lens is disposed at the image-side surface of the first lens, and the second refracting surface is formed on a bottom wall of the recessed part.
Takeuchi discloses wherein a recessed part recessed toward the object-side surface of the first lens is disposed at the image-side surface of the first lens (1 first lens), and the second refracting surface is formed on a bottom wall of the recessed part (see figure 1).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of Zhao with the first and second lenses of Takeuchi for the purpose of fitting the lenses into the camera.
Claim(s) 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao, Shuai (CN 113740999) hereinafter Zhao.
Regarding claim 11, Zhao discloses all the limitations in common with claim 1, and such is hereby incorporated.
Zhao does not specifically disclose wherein a central thickness of the first lens is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 2 mm.
Zhao discloses the thickness of the first lens (d1, thickness of the first lens) ranges from 0.1, 0.35, and 0.167 in the Tables).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to wherein a central thickness of the first lens is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 2 mm, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (C.C.P.A. 1955). This being reasonably based upon the optical lens fitting in the camera.
Regarding claim 12, Zhoa does not disclose wherein a ratio of the central thickness of the first lens to the outside diameter of the first lens is greater than 0.1.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to wherein a ratio of the central thickness of the first lens to the outside diameter of the first lens is greater than 0.1, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art, In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (C.C.P.A. 1955). This being reasonably based upon the optical lens fitting in the camera.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 and 14-18 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention, in conjunction with all the other claimed limitation, an lens having all the claimed features of applicant's instant invention, specifically including: in claim 6, the orthographic projection of the first transition surface on the reference plane is the first projection, an orthographic projection of the first refracting surface on the reference plane is a third projection, a ratio of an outside diameter of the first projection to an outside diameter of the third projection is greater than or equal to 0.3 and less than or equal to 0.5, and the reference plane is perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens; in claim 14, wherein a focal length of the first lens is LEF1, a focal length of the second lens group is LEF2, and an effective focal length of the lens is f; and a ratio of LEF1 to LEF2 is greater than -5.5 and less than -2; and/or a ratio of LEF1 to is greater than 0.35 and less than 0.6; and/or a ratio of LEF2 to is greater than -0.25 and less than O; in claim 15, wherein the lens has an image plane, a distance from the object-side surface of the first lens to the image plane on the optical axis is TTL, the effective focal length of the lens is f, and a ratio of TTL to is greater than or equal to 0.3 and less than or equal to 0.5; in claim 16, wherein the effective focal length of the lens is f, an entrance pupil diameter of the lens is EPD, and a ratio of f to EPD is less than or equal to 3; in claim 17, wherein the lens has the image plane, a radius of a maximum image circle of the lens is Imgh, a distance from the object-side surface of the first lens to the image plane on the optical axis is TTL, and a ratio of Imgh to TTL is greater than 0.1; in claim 18, wherein the radius of the maximum image circle of the lens is Imgh, the outside diameter of the first lens is D, and a ratio of Imgh to D is greater than 0.2, as set forth in the claims.
Zhoa discloses an optical lens according to one aspect of the present invention having a first and second refracting surface and a first and second refracting surface, however, Zhoa is silent in regards to the diameter of the orthographic projections.
Conclusion
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/BRANDI N THOMAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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