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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Weng et al. (US 20200225442).
Regarding claim 1, Weng discloses (Figs. 1-267; in particular Fig. 2) an optical system, comprising: a fixed assembly (1-811, 1-820, 1-830, 1-920); a movable part (1-860), configured to be connected to an optical module (1-802), wherein the movable part is movable relative to the fixed assembly (section 0274; “1-890 drives the holder 1-860 of the movable part 1-812 to move a long a third direction relative to the bottom 1-920 of the fixed part 1-811”); and a suspension module (1-840, 1-850, 1-870), wherein the movable part is movable relative to the fixed assembly (1-811) by the suspension module (sections 0270, 0273-0274).
Regarding claim 2, Weng discloses (Figs. 1-267; in particular Fig. 2) the suspension module includes a first suspension assembly (1-840) and a second suspension assembly (1-850); the movable part (1-860) is movably connected to the fixed assembly (1-811, 1-820, 1-830, 1-920) via the first suspension assembly (1-840); the first suspension assembly is configured to generate a first restoring force on the movable part (force from elastic material); the second suspension assembly (1-850) is configured to generate a second restoring force on the movable part (electromagnetic force); the suspension module (1-840, 1-850, 1-870) is configured to generate a total force on the movable part; and the total force includes the first restoring force and the second restoring force (section 0270).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-20 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 does not disclose or suggest the optical system of claims 3-20, in particular the limitations of when the movable part is in a first position, the first restoring force is a first force; when the movable part is in a second position, the first restoring force is a second force; when the movable part is in a third position, the first restoring force is a third force; the first position is between the second position and the third position; when the movable part is located in the first position, the second restoring force is a fourth force; when the movable part is located in the second position, the second restoring force is a fifth force; when the movable part is located in the third position, the second restoring force is a sixth force; an absolute value of the first force is greater than or equal to an absolute value of the fourth force; an absolute value of the second force is greater than an absolute value of the fifth force; and an absolute value of the third force is greater than an absolute value of the sixth force.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES S CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5024. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Caley can be reached at (571) 272-2286. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHARLES S CHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871