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 .
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.
Claims 1, 4-7, 10, 11, 14, 17, 20, 21, 24 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 211123465 U (Zumax Medical Co., LTD from IDS filed).
Regarding claim 1, Zumax discloses an optical adapter device, for connecting a surgical microscope and a digital camera device (Figs. 3-6), comprising:
a body housing (Fig. 3 “1 and 3”) and an optical lens group arranged inside the body housing (Figs. 4 and 5, see the optical lens groups inside the body housing “1 and 3”), one end of the body housing forming a first connection end for connecting with a splitter of the surgical microscope (see Fig. 5 “22”), and the other end of the body housing forming a second connection end for connecting with the digital camera device (see Fig. 5 “imaging device 4” and para 44 imaging device 4 is a digital camera), wherein the body housing comprises a first housing segment (1st), a second housing segment (2nd), and a third housing segment (3rd),
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one end of the first housing segment (see 1st) forms the first connection end, and the first housing segment extends at least partially in the direction of a first axis (dotted line shown from 22 to 15 above);
one end of the second housing segment (see 2nd) is connected to the other end of the first housing segment, and the second housing segment extends at least in the direction of a second axis (dotted line shown from 31 to 33 above);
one end of the third housing segment (see 3rd) is connected to the other end of the second housing segment, and the other end of the third housing segment forms the second connection end, and the third housing segment extends at least in the direction of a third axis (dotted line shown from 34 to 4 above),
the first axis and the third axis (horizonal) intersect with the second axis (vertical), respectively (see Fig. 5 above).
Regarding claim 4, the optical adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the first axis and the third axis (horizonal) are perpendicular to the second axis (vertical).
Regarding claim 5, the optical adapter device according to claim 1, wherein in at least one state of the body housing, the first housing segment and the third segment are both located on the same side as the second housing segment, and are C-shaped (see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 6, the optical adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the optical lens group comprises:
a lens group, located on at least one of the first axis, the second axis and the third axis (see lenses on the first axis, second axis and third axis in Fig. 5);
a mirror group, the mirror group comprising a first mirror and a second mirror, the first mirror being located at the intersection of the first axis and the second axis (prism, reflective surface, near 31 in Fig. 5), and the second mirror being located at the intersection of the second axis and the third axis (prism, reflective surface, near 34 in Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 7, the optical adapter device according to claim 6, wherein the lens group comprises a first lens group located on the first axis (see 14, 15 in Fig. 5), a second lens group located on the second axis (see prism near 31 and lens near 34 in Fig. 5), and a third lens group on the third axis (see prism near 34 in Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 10, the optical adapter device according to claim 7, wherein the first lens group is disposed in the first housing segment (14, 15, lens between 14 and 15 in Fig. 5); the first mirror (prism near 31) and the second lens group (lens near34) are disposed in the second housing segment (2nd housing segment); the second mirror and the third lens group (prism 34) are disposed in the third housing segment (3rd housing segment).
Regarding claim 11, the optical adapter device according to claim 6, wherein the lens group comprises a first lens group and a second lens group located on the first axis (14, 15, lens between 14 and 15 in Fig. 5), and a third lens group (lens near 34) located on the second axis, and the first lens group and the second lens group are disposed in the direction of a light ray (see the dotted light ray between 4 and 22).
Regarding claim 14, the optical adapter device according to claim 11, wherein the first lens group (14, 15, lens between 14 and 15 in Fig. 5) is disposed in the first housing segment (1st housing segment); the second lens group, the first mirror and the third lens group (lens near 34, lens and prism near 31) are disposed in the second housing segment (2nd housing segment); the second mirror (prism near34) is disposed in the third housing segment (3rd housing segment).
Regarding claim 17, the optical adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the body housing consists of the first housing segment (1st), the second housing segment (2nd) and the third housing segment (3rd).
Regarding claim 20, a surgical microscope (Figs. 1-6), comprising a microscope body and an optical adapter device (see Fig. 1), the microscope body comprising a microscope lens body (Figs. 3-6), a splitter and an eyepiece (Fig. 1, see eye piece C), the splitter (Fig. 5, splitter shown in 22, splitter 12) being connected to the microscope lens body, the eyepiece and the optical adapter device being respectively connected to the splitter, wherein the optical adapter device is the optical adapter device according to claim 1 (see Figs. 1-6).
Regarding claim 21, the surgical microscope according to claim 20, wherein the surgical microscope (Figs. 1-6) further comprises a digital camera device (see Fig. 5 “imaging device 4” and para 44 imaging device 4 is a digital camera), and the digital camera device is selected from a smart phone, a camera (44 is a camera), and a tablet computer, and/or in at least one state of the surgical microscope, the evepiece and the digital camera device face the same side of the microscope lens body, and/or, the optical adapter device is detachably connected to the splitter (see Figs. 1-6).
Regarding claim 24, the surgical microscope according to claim 20, wherein the splitter comprises a splitter housing and a splitter lens group arranged inside the splitter housing, the splitter housing has a lens body connection end, an eyepiece connection end and an adapter connection end, the eyepiece connection end faces the front side of the microscope lens body, the adapter connection end faces the rear side of the microscope lens body, the microscope lens body is connected to the lens body connection end, the eyepiece is connected to the eyepiece connection end, and the optical adapter device is connected to the adapter connection end (see Figs. 1-6).
Regarding claim 25, the surgical microscope according to claim 24, wherein the splitter lens group comprises a combination of a pentaprism and a Schmidt prism, or a combination of a cubic prism and a pentaprism, or a combination of a cubic prism, a pentaprism and a rhombic prism, or a combination of a cubic prism, a pentaprism and a right-angle prism, or a combination of a cubic prism, a right-angle roof prism and a right-angle prism (Figs. 3-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15 and 16 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:
Regarding claim 2, claim is allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest wherein the first housing segment and the second housing segment are able to rotate relative to each other taking the first axis as the axis of rotation, and/or the second housing segment and the third housing segment are able to rotate relative to each other taking the second axis as the axis of rotation as set forth in the claimed combination;
Regarding claims 8, 9, 12, 13, claims are allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest the lens group satisfying the conditional equations as set forth in the claimed combination; and
Regarding claims 15 and 16, claims are allowable at least for the reason that the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest wherein the optical lens group comprises an image steering lens group for adjusting the direction of an optical image imaged on a photosensitive unit of the digital camera device, and the image steering lens group is located on the second axis, and is able to rotate taking the second axis as the axis of rotation as set forth in the claimed combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Luther (US 2006/0077535) discloses an adaptor device for a microscope.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUNCHA P CHERRY whose telephone number is (571)272-2310. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 7am to 3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached at (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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7/19/2026
/EUNCHA P CHERRY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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