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 .
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.
Disposition of the Claims
Claims 11-30 are pending. Claims 1-10 were canceled by preliminary amendment. Claims 11-20 are newly presented.
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.
Claim 27 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The instant claim requires a second coil. No first coil is recited by the parent or instant claim. The number of coils required is unclear. Clarification is required.
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 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 11-18, 20, 22, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (KR 20220021792 A, of record) in view of Kim (KR 20220021792 A, of record).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses a lens driving device (Figs. 1 and 4a) comprising:
a housing (140);
a bobbin (110) disposed in the housing and movable in an optical axis direction (“When the first stopper 114 and the second stopper of the bobbin 110 move in the first direction for the auto-focusing function …”);
an upper elastic member (150) coupled with an upper portion of the bobbin and an upper portion of the housing (as in Fig. 2);
a circuit board (250) disposed below the housing (as in Fig. 9b);
a support member (220-1, 2, 3, 4) comprising one end coupled to the upper elastic member (150) and the other end electrically connected to the circuit board (by terminal pads 27A-D, “Referring to FIG. 8 , the circuit board 250 may include first and second pads Q1 and Q2 coupled to or connected to the first and second terminal parts 27A and 27B.”); and
a first damper (Fig. 16a detailing the support member structure, “For example, the 1-2 support member 20B1 may be made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The cross-section of the 1-2 support member 20B1 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the 1-2 support member 20B1 may be circular, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, a cross section of the 1-2 support member 20B1 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis may have a polygonal shape. The 1-2 support member 20B1 is made of the above-described injection-molded material, and may serve as a damper for a buffering action.”).
Lee does not explicitly show the first damper coupled to at least a portion of the support member and the housing, wherein the first damper is spaced apart from the one end of the support member and is disposed closer to a lower surface of the housing than to an upper surface of the housing.
Kim drawn to an analogous lens driving unit explicitly shows the first damper (e.g. elastically deformable bent portions 225a) coupled to at least a portion of the support member and the housing (by upper and lower coupling parts 222, 223 and by fixing part 221), wherein the first damper is spaced apart from the one end of the support member and is disposed closer to a lower surface of the housing than to an upper surface of the housing (Figs. 3 and 5, showing the dampers 225 closest to the fixing part 221, and “The first fixing part 221 is a portion fixed to the lower side of the side of the housing 140 in the support member 220 , and when the lens driving device performs handshake correction, the bobbin 110 and the housing 140. It may play a role in suppressing the tilt.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have followed the teachings of Kim and positioned the damper of Lee closer to the lower surface of the housing for the purpose of minimizing housing vibration.
Regarding claim 12, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 11, and further discloses wherein the housing comprises a protruding portion protruding from an outer surface thereof, and the first damper is disposed on the protruding portion (Lee’s corners in which the dampers are disposed being considered as protruding).
Regarding claim 13, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 11, and further discloses wherein the protruding portion comprises a hole through which the support member passes, and wherein the first damper is disposed in the hole (Lee, Fig. 4a, “For example, in order to easily apply the damper, the diameter of the hole 147 may be gradually increased in the direction from the upper surface to the lower surface of the housing 140, but is not limited thereto, and in another embodiment, the diameter of the hole 147 is not limited thereto. This may be constant.”).
Regarding claim 14, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 11, and further discloses wherein the housing comprises a recess formed at an upper surface of the protruding portion (Lee, Fig. 4a).
Regarding claim 15, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 11, and Lee further discloses comprising: a first coil (120) disposed on the bobbin; a magnet (130) disposed on the housing; and a second coil (230) disposed under the magnet and configured to move the housing by an interaction with the magnet (Figs. 3a, 6, 7a).
Regarding claim 16, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 11, comprising a lower elastic member (160) coupled to a lower portion of the bobbin and a lower portion of the housing (“A first coupling part 113 for coupling and fixing to the upper elastic member 150 may be provided on the upper surface 10A of the bobbin 110 , and the lower elastic member 160 on the lower surface 10B of the bobbin 110 . ) may be provided with a second coupling portion 117 to be coupled and fixed.”), wherein the first damper is positioned closer to the lower elastic member than the upper elastic member (considered to be provided by the above modification with respect to the parent claim).
Regarding claim 17 and 18, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 11, and further discloses comprising a second damper coupled to the upper elastic member and the housing, wherein the second damper is space apart from the first damper (by the same modification discussed above, Kim provides two dampers 225 per support member spaced laterally i.e. non-overlapping).
Regarding claim 20, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 11, and further discloses wherein the housing (140) comprise a side portion and a corner portion, and wherein the first damper is disposed on the corner portion of the housing (Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 22, Lee discloses a lens driving device (Figs. 1 and 4a) comprising:
a housing (140);
a bobbin (110) disposed in the housing and movable in an optical axis direction (“When the first stopper 114 and the second stopper of the bobbin 110 move in the first direction for the auto-focusing function …”);
an upper elastic member (150) coupled with an upper portion of the bobbin and an upper portion of the housing (as in Fig. 2);
a circuit board (250) disposed below the housing (as in Fig. 9b);
a support member (220-1, 2, 3, 4) comprising one end coupled to the upper elastic member (150) and the other end electrically connected to the circuit board (by terminal pads 27A-D, “Referring to FIG. 8 , the circuit board 250 may include first and second pads Q1 and Q2 coupled to or connected to the first and second terminal parts 27A and 27B.”); and
a first damper (Fig. 16a detailing the support member structure, “For example, the 1-2 support member 20B1 may be made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The cross-section of the 1-2 support member 20B1 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the 1-2 support member 20B1 may be circular, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, a cross section of the 1-2 support member 20B1 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis may have a polygonal shape. The 1-2 support member 20B1 is made of the above-described injection-molded material, and may serve as a damper for a buffering action.”).
Lee does not explicitly show the first damper coupled to at least a portion of the support member and the housing, or a second damper coupled to the upper elastic member and the housing, wherein the first damper is spaced apart from the one end of the support member, and the second damper is spaced apart from the first damper and spaced apart from the one end of the support member.
Kim drawn to an analogous lens driving device explicitly shows a first damper (225) coupled to at least a portion of the support member and the housing, and a second damper (225) coupled to the upper elastic member and the housing, wherein the second damper is space apart from the first damper (Figs. 3 and 5, two dampers 225 per support member spaced laterally i.e. non-overlapping, connected to the housing: “The support member 220 is disposed on the side surface of the housing 140 , the upper side is coupled to the housing 140 , and the lower side is coupled to the base 210 , and the bobbin 110 and the housing 140 are connected to the housing 140”, and support member: “In addition, the support member 220 may be electrically connected to the upper elastic member 150 , or may be electrically connected to a straight surface of the upper elastic member 150 .”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have utilized the support configuration of Kim to improve that of Lee for the purpose of suppressing tilt (Kim, “The first fixing part 221 [of the support member 220] is a portion fixed to the lower side of the side of the housing 140 in the support member 220 , and when the lens driving device performs handshake correction, the bobbin 110 and the housing 140 . It may play a role in suppressing the tilt.)
Regarding claim 27, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 22, Lee further discloses comprising: [a first coil (120) disposed on the bobbin;] a magnet (130) disposed on the housing; and a second coil (230) disposed under the magnet and configured to move the housing by an interaction with the magnet (Figs. 3a, 6, 7a).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 28-30 allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 28, Lee discloses a lens driving device (Figs. 1 and 4a) comprising:
a housing (140);
a bobbin (110) disposed in the housing and movable in an optical axis direction (“When the first stopper 114 and the second stopper of the bobbin 110 move in the first direction for the auto-focusing function …”);
an upper elastic member (150) coupled with an upper portion of the bobbin and an upper portion of the housing (as in Fig. 2);
a circuit board (250) disposed below the housing (as in Fig. 9b);
a support member (220-1, 2, 3, 4) comprising one end coupled to the upper elastic member (150) and the other end electrically connected to the circuit board (by terminal pads 27A-D, “Referring to FIG. 8 , the circuit board 250 may include first and second pads Q1 and Q2 coupled to or connected to the first and second terminal parts 27A and 27B.”); and
a first damper (Fig. 16a detailing the support member structure, “For example, the 1-2 support member 20B1 may be made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The cross-section of the 1-2 support member 20B1 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the 1-2 support member 20B1 may be circular, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, a cross section of the 1-2 support member 20B1 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis may have a polygonal shape. The 1-2 support member 20B1 is made of the above-described injection-molded material, and may serve as a damper for a buffering action.”);
wherein the housing (140) comprises a protruding portion protruding from an outer side surface thereof (Fig. 15a, 150-1 received on top of the protruding corner), and the first damper (of the support member 220-1) is coupled with the protruding portion of the housing (Lee’s corners in which the dampers are disposed being considered as protruding).
Lee does not explicitly show the first damper coupled to at least a portion of the support member and the housing, and the first damper is coupled with the protruding portion of the housing and spaced apart from the end of the support member.
Kim drawn to an analogous lens driving unit explicitly shows the first damper (e.g. elastically deformable bent portions 225a) coupled to at least a portion of the support member and the housing (by upper and lower coupling parts 222, 223 and by fixing part 221).
However, the prior art when taken alone or in combination does not explicitly show the first damper is coupled with the protruding portion of the housing and spaced apart from the end of the support member. The dependent claims depend from an allowable claim and are therefore allowable.
Claims 19, 21, 23-26 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.
Regarding claim 19, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 12, but does not explicitly show wherein the protruding portion of the housing is positioned closer to the lower surface of the housing than the upper surface of the housing.
Regarding claim 21, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 17, and further discloses wherein the upper elastic member (150) comprises a first inner frame coupled with the bobbin (Figs. 2 and 3a), a first outer frame coupled with the housing (at 150-1, 2, 3, 4), and a frame connection portion connecting the first inner frame and the first outer frame (meanders of the upper elastic member), but does not explicitly show the second damper is coupled with the first outer frame and spaced apart from the first inner frame and the frame connection portion.
Regarding claim 23, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 22, but does not explicitly show wherein the first damper is positioned lower than the second damper.
Regarding claim 24, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 23, but does not explicitly show wherein the first damper overlaps the one end of the support member in the optical axis direction, and the second damper does not overlap the one end of the support member in the optical axis direction.
Regarding claim 25, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 22, but does not explicitly show wherein the upper elastic member comprises a first inner frame coupled with the bobbin, a first outer frame coupled with the housing, and a frame connection portion connecting the first inner frame and the first outer frame, wherein the first outer frame comprises: a first coupling portion coupled with the housing; a second coupling portion coupled with the one end of the support member; and a connection portion connecting the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion, and wherein the second damper is coupled with the connection portion.
Regarding claim 26, the modified Lee teaches the lens driving device according to claim 25, but does not explicitly show wherein the second damper is spaced apart from the first inner frame, the frame connection portion, the first coupling portion, and the second coupling portion.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 9857555 B2 discloses a lens moving apparatus having support members
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/COLLIN X BEATTY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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