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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group IV in the reply filed on 9/11/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 2-6,8-9,13-15,17-19 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claims 1,7,10-12,16,20 will be examined.
Drawings
The drawings with 39 Sheets of Figs. 1-40 received on 9/20/2024 are acknowledged and accepted.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-20 objected to because of the following informalities:
--Claims 1-20 have not been amended to recite the status identifiers such as –withdrawn—etc. it is suggested that Applicant include the status identifiers.
--Claim 11 recites “at least one lens having the concave lens surface” in line and “at least one lens having the convex lens surface” in line 12. There is sufficient antecedent basis for these limitations. It is suggested to replace with – the at least one lens having the concave lens surface— and –the at least one lens having the convex lens surface--
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1,7,10,12,16,20, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Coon et al (US 5,781,336) in view of Jin et al (US 2018/0157012 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Coon teaches an imaging lens (objective lens system 200, col 3, lines 49-53) comprising:
a plurality of lenses (“The objective lens system 200 includes first through fifth lens elements, 220 to 260”, col 3); and
a stop (“stop or physical aperture 205”, col 3),
wherein assuming that a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 4000 nm is N4,
at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is an LA lens (“The second lens element 230 is made of calcium fluoride (CaF.sub.2)”, col 3) that satisfies Conditional Expression (1A) represented by
N4 < 1.5 (1A), (“The index of refraction for the CaF2 material ranges from 1.4348 to 1.39460 for wavelengths between 0.55 to 5.35 µm”, col 3, lines 32-36) and
at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is an LB lens (“first lens element 220 is made of magnesium oxide (MgO)”, col 3) that satisfies Conditional Expression (1B) represented by
1.5 < N4 (1B) (“The index of refraction for the MgO material ranges from 1.7405 to 1.6240 for wavelengths between 0.55 to 5.35 µm”, col 3, lines 32-36).
However, Coon does not teach
at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is an LB lens that satisfies Conditional Expression (1B) represented by
2 < N4 (1B).
Coon and Jin are related as lenses with N4 refractive index at 4000µm.
Jin teaches (fig 1) an infrared imaging system (infrared optical system LN, para 73)
at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is an LB lens that satisfies Conditional Expression (1B) represented by
2 < N4 (1B) (“N4 represents the refractive index at a wavelength of 4µm”, para 76, Table 2, page 9, N4 for Si/Ge is 3.43 or 4.04 which is >2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the LB lens of Coon to include the LB lens of Jin for the purpose of high transmittance and high performance of the imaging system (para 9).
Regarding Claim 7, Coon-Jin teach the imaging lens according to claim 1,
wherein all the lenses included in the imaging lens satisfy Conditional Expression (1C) represented by N4 < 5 (1C) (lenses 220-260, col 3, are made of MgO or CaF2 and refractive indices are 1.7405 to 1.6240 or 1.4348to 1.39460 for wavelengths between 0.55 to 5.35 µm, col 3, hence N4<5).
Regarding Claim 10, Coon-Jin teach the imaging lens according to claim 1,
However, Coon does not teach
wherein assuming that a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 3000 nm is N3, and a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 5000 nm is N5,
the imaging lens includes at least one aspherical lens that satisfies Conditional Expression (4A) represented by 100<(N4-1)/(N3-N5) <400 (4A).
Coon and Jin are related as imaging lenses.
Jin teaches (fig 1) an infrared imaging system (infrared optical system LN, para 73)
wherein assuming that a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 3000 nm is N3, and a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 5000 nm is N5,
the imaging lens includes at least one aspherical lens (“the first and second lens elements L1 and L2 both have aspherical surfaces as both surfaces thereof”, para 73) that satisfies Conditional Expression (4A) represented by 100<(N4-1)/(N3-N5) <400 (4A) (Table 1, page 9, N3=3.4360, N4= 3.4289, N5=3.4256 for Si, Hence abbe factor (N4-1)/(N3-N5) = 233 which satisfies the conditional expression 4A).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the imaging lens of Coon to include an aspherical lens of Jin for the purpose of high transmittance and high performance of the imaging system (para 9).
Regarding Claim 12, Coon-Jin teach the imaging lens according to claim 1.
However, Coon does not teach
wherein assuming that a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 3000 nm is N3, and a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 5000 nm is N5, the imaging lens includes at least one spherical lens that satisfies Conditional Expression (4D) represented by
0 < (N4-1)/(N3-N5) < 250 (4D).
Coon and Jin are related as imaging lenses.
Jin teaches (fig 1) an infrared imaging system (infrared optical system LN, para 73)
wherein assuming that a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 3000 nm is N3, and a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 5000 nm is N5,
the imaging lens includes at least one spherical lens (“a first lens element which has a negative optical power and which has a meniscus shape convex to the object side, a second lens element which has a biconvex shape”, para 30) that satisfies Conditional Expression (4A) represented by 100<(N4-1)/(N3-N5) <400 (4A) (Table 1, page 9, N3=3.4360, N4= 3.4289, N5=3.4256 for Si, Hence abbe factor (N4-1)/(N3-N5) = 233 which satisfies the conditional expression 4A).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the imaging lens of Coon to include a spherical lens of Jin for the purpose of high transmittance and high performance of the imaging system (para 9).
Regarding Claim 16, Coon-Jin teach the imaging lens according to claim 1,
wherein the LA lens (“The second lens element 230 is made of calcium fluoride (CaF2)”, col 3) is made of a crystalline material (CaF2 is a known crystalline solid).
Regarding Claim 20, Coon-Jin teach an imaging apparatus ( “The objective lens according to the present invention is well-suited for telescopes, reconnaissance planes, satellites, forward-looking IR (FLIR) and staring sensor systems, night-vision goggles, and other optic and/or electro-optic detection systems in visible and/or IR applications”, col 1, lines 50-55) comprising:
the imaging lens (objective lens system 200, col 3, lines 49-53) according to claim 1; and an imaging element (detector or sensor in optical detection systems) that captures an image formed by the imaging lens.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Coon et al (US 5,781,336) in view of Jin et al (US 2018/0157012 A1) and further in view of Jin et al (WO2017/195731, hereafter Jin’731).
Regarding Claim 11, Coon-Jin teach the imaging lens according to claim 1,
However, Coon does not teach
wherein at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is a lens having a concave lens surface, and at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is a lens having a convex lens surface, assuming that a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 3000 nm is N3, and a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 5000 nm is N5, at least one lens having the concave lens surface satisfies Conditional Expression (4B) represented by
0 < (N4-1)/(N3-N5) < 180 (4B), and at least one lens having the convex lens surface satisfies Conditional Expression (4C) represented by
180 < (N4-1)/(N3-N5) < 400 (4C).
Coon and Jin’731 are related as imaging lenses.
Jin’731 teaches (fig 1) an infrared imaging system (infrared optical system LN, page 23)
wherein at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is a lens having a concave lens surface (“In the first and second embodiments, the first lens L1 is a negative lens having a biconcave shape, and in the third and fourth embodiments, the first lens L1 is a negative lens having a concave meniscus shape on the object side”, page 23), and at least one lens of the plurality of lenses is a lens having a convex lens surface (“In all of the first to fourth embodiments, the second lens L2 is a positive lens having a biconvex shape”, page 24),
assuming that a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 3000 nm is N3, and a refractive index of each lens included in the imaging lens at a wavelength of 5000 nm is N5,
at least one lens having the concave lens surface satisfies Conditional Expression (4B) represented by
0 < (N4-1)/(N3-N5) < 250 (4B) (Table 1, page 9, N3=3.4360, N4= 3.4289, N5=3.4256 for Si, Hence abbe factor (N4-1)/(N3-N5) = 233 which satisfies the conditional expression), and
at least one lens having the convex lens surface satisfies Conditional Expression (4C) represented by
180 < (N4-1)/(N3-N5) < 400 (4C) (Table 1, page 9, N3=3.4360, N4= 3.4289, N5=3.4256 for Si, Hence abbe factor (N4-1)/(N3-N5) = 233 which satisfies the conditional expression 4C).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the imaging lens of Coon to include the concave surface lens and the convex surface lens of Jin’731 for the purpose of a versatile design for high transmittance and high performance of the imaging system (page 4).
However, Coon-Jin-Jin’731 does not teach
0 < (N4-1)/(N3-N5) < 180 (4B)
However, 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). Jin’731 teaches that the Abbe value (N4-1)/(N3-N5) is in a range of values. An increase in the Abbe value will help in reducing chromatic aberration while making the lenses thicker and a decrease in the Abbe value would increase chromatic aberration while thinner lenses. Therefore, the Abbe value is a result effective variable.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the claimed range of Abbe values, and one would have chosen the Abbe value between 0 to 180 according to a result effective variable balancing the need to improving image quality with lens thickness. One would have been motivated to have Abbe value to be within the claimed range balancing a desired image quality with lens size.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhang et al (US 5,940,224 A) teaches an imaging lens used in infra-red camera lens with a plurality of lenses and refractive indices at 3,4,5µm.
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/JYOTSNA V DABBI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872 9/28/2026
