Detailed Action
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
2. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. Claims 1, 4-6, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WATANABE (US 20070121223 A1).
Regarding claim 1, WATANABE discloses a lens unit (Figs. 2-3; lens unit 12) comprising:
multiple lenses (lens components 22 to 28) arranged in an axial direction along an optical axis (optical axis of lens unit 12), the multiple lenses including:
a first lens group including a flat-reception lens (e.g., lens 25 or lens 27) having a flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction to be pressed (Figs. 2-3); and
a second lens group including an inclination-reception lens (e.g., lens 28) having an inclination surface inclined relative to the axial direction to be pressed (Figs. 2-3),
a lens barrel (lens barrel 18 and 19) housing the multiple lenses inside the lens barrel; and
an elastic (elastic member 45) between the first lens group and the second lens group, the elastic to support at least one of the multiple lenses in the lens barrel (Figs. 2-3 and [0019]-[0020]); and
a structure (pressing member 29) to press the multiple lenses in the lens barrel (Figs. 2-3 and [0019]).
Regarding claim 4, WATANABE discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, wherein a length of the elastic in the axial direction is constant in a state where the elastic is pressed by the structure to press (Figs. 2-3 and [0019]-[0020]; the length of the elastic member 45 remains constant when mounted in the lens system and subjected to pressure.).
Regarding claim 5, WATANABE discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, wherein the inclination surface of the inclination-reception lens is spherical (Figs. 2-3; lens 28 has a spherical inclination surface).
Regarding claim 6, WATANABE discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, further comprising: an intervening structure (spacer 21) having a surface perpendicular to the axial direction (Figs. 2-3), the surface contacting the elastic (elastic member 45), wherein the intervening structure (spacer 21) supports the inclination-reception lens (lens 28), the elastic (spacer 21) supports the inclination-reception lens (lens 28) via the intervening structure (elastic member 45), and the inclination-reception lens (lens 28) has the inclination surface facing the flat-reception lens (lens 27) of the first lens group and inclined relative to the axial direction (Figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 9, WATANABE discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, further comprising a light shield adjacent to the elastic (Figs. 2-3 and [0017] and [0019]; spacer 21 is made of metal material, which acts as a light shield).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claims 7 and 11 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over WATANABE (US 20070121223 A1) in view of MASUZAWA (US 20190101718 A1).
Regarding claim 7, WATANABE discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, wherein the multiple lenses lens includes at least one plastic lens ([0007] and [0019]), but does not disclose resin lens. However, it is well known that resin is the foundational raw material used to make plastic. As another reference, MASUZAWA discloses a lens unit (Fig. 1), wherein the multiple lenses lens includes at least one resin lens ([0064]-[0065]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from MASUZAWA to the lens system of WATANABE, which would maintain an optical performance of the lens system within tolerable limits.
Regarding claim 11, WATANABE discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, but does not disclose wherein the second lens group includes another inclination-reception lens as claimed. However, MASUZAWA discloses a lens unit (Fig. 1), wherein the second lens group includes: the inclination-reception lens (e.g., lens 52); another inclination-reception lens (e.g., lens 54) having an inclination surface inclined relative to the axial direction to be pressed; and another intervening structure (positioning member 36) between the inclination-reception lens (lens 52) and said another inclination-reception lens (lens 54), said another intervening structure (positioning member 36) has a surface perpendicular to the axial direction, and the surface contacts the inclination surface of the inclination-reception lens (lens 52). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from MASUZAWA to the lens system of WATANABE. The combination/motivation would be to provide a lens unit including multiple inclination-reception lens lenses with an improved an optical performance within tolerable limits.
7. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over WATANABE (US 20070121223 A1) in view of MYER (US 5052782A).
Regarding claim 8, WATANABE discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member includes a flat spring ([0009]), but does not disclose the flat spring containing a metal material. However, MYER discloses a lens unit (Figs. 1-8), wherein the elastic member includes a flat spring containing a metal material (col. 3, lines 18-22 and col. 4, lines 36-39; metallic elastic spring). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from MASUZAWA to the lens system of WATANABE, which would improve the stability of the lens system due to environmental variation.
8. Claims 1 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over WATANABE (US 20070121223 A1) in view of IWASAKI (US 20170150057 A1).
Regarding claim 1, WATANABE discloses a lens unit (Figs. 2-3; lens unit 12) comprising:
multiple lenses (lens components 22 to 28) arranged in an axial direction along an optical axis (optical axis of lens unit 12), the multiple lenses including:
a first lens group including a flat-reception lens (first lens group including lenses 22-24) having a flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction to be pressed (Figs. 2-3); and
a second lens group including an inclination-reception lens (second lens group including lenses 25-28) having an inclination surface inclined relative to the axial direction to be pressed (Figs. 2-3),
a lens barrel (lens barrel 18 and 19) housing the multiple lenses (lenses 22 to 28) inside the lens barrel; and
a structure (pressing member 29) to press the multiple lenses in the lens barrel (Figs. 2-3 and [0019]).
WATANABE does not disclose an elastic between the first lens group and the second lens group, the elastic to support at least one of the multiple lenses in the lens barrel. However, IWASAKI discloses a lens unit (Figs. 6-7; lens unit) comprising: a first lens group (lens group G1) and a second lens group (lens group G2) and an elastic (elastic 14; [0062]) between the first lens group (lens group G1) and the second lens group (lens group G2), the elastic to support at least one of the multiple lenses (lenses L1-L7) in the lens barrel (lens barrel 3). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from IWASAKI to the lens system of WATANABE. The combination/motivation would be to provide a lens unit including multiple lens group with an improved an optical performance within tolerable limits (IWASAKI, [0062]).
Regarding claim 10, WATANABE in view of IWASAKI discloses the lens unit according to claim 1, WATANABE discloses wherein the second lens group includes: the inclination-reception lens (lens 28); another flat-reception lens (lens 27) having a flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction to be pressed; and another intervening structure (spacer 21) between the inclination-reception lens (lens 28) and said another flat-reception lens (lens 27), said another intervening structure (spacer 21) has a surface perpendicular to the axial direction, and the surface contacts the inclination surface of the inclination-reception lens (lens 28).
Allowable Subject Matter
9. Claims 2-3 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The present invention is directed to a lens unit. The closet prior arts, WATANABE (US 20070121223 A1), MASUZAWA (US 20190101718 A1), MYER (US 5052782A), IWASAKI (US 20170150057 A1), individually or in combination, discloses a lens unit comprising: multiple lenes arranged in an axial direction along an optical axis; a lens barrel housing the multiple lenses inside the lens barrel; an elastic to support at least one of the multiple lenses in the lens barrel; and a structure to press the multiple lenses in the lens barrel, but fails to teach the design of the lens unit satisfy the following equation
PNG
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39
351
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Greyscale
where: K is an elastic modulus of the elastic, F is an elasticity force to press the multiple lenses by elasticity of the elastic, t is a range of ambient temperature in which the lens unit is allowed to use, n is a number of multiple lenses pressed by the elastic with the elasticity force of the elastic, ai is a coefficient of linear expansion of each of the multiple lenses in the lens barrel pressed by the elastic member, Li is each of a length of the multiple lenses in the axial direction, a0 is a coefficient of linear expansion of the lens barrel, and L0 is a length of the lens barrel in the axial direction.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUZHEN SHEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1407. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8:30am-5:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chanh Nguyen can be reached on 571-272-7772. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YUZHEN SHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623
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