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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3, 5-9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yasutake (US 2023/0384552).
Regarding claim 1, Yasutake discloses in Figs 1-11, an imaging device (1) comprising: a plurality of lens units (62); a plurality of lighting units (37a); a light blocking member (38 & 50) that blocks light incident on a lens unit of the plurality of lens units from the outside; a lens holder (61) that detachably supports a replacement assembly (62, 37a, 51) including the lens unit (62) a lighting unit of the plurality of lighting units (37a) and the light blocking member (38 & 50) ; a tilt base (25 &26) that supports the lens holder so that an imaging unit is capable of being driven to rotate in a tilt direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the lens unit (Para. 0027: “The tilt rotation here refers to a vertical rotation about an axis substantially orthogonal to the optical axis . That is, the tilt rotation is a rotation about a predetermined axis (tilt axis) different from the optical axis of the lens barrel 62”), wherein the imaging unit includes the replacement assembly and the lens unit; and a circular guide member (31) that guides the imaging unit supported by the tilt base
Regarding claim 3, Yasutake discloses the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light blocking member is detachable from the lens units (50 is detachable from the lens units 62, see Fig. 4).
Regarding claims 5-7, Yasutake discloses the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light blocking member (38 & 50) includes a first opening (Fig. 4: opening where the external light enters) through which external light passes and a second opening through which light emitted from the lighting unit passes (Para. 0044 : A light-shielding unit stopper 38 has four through-holes through which the infrared illumination devices 37a irradiate a subject with infrared light).
Regarding claim 8, Yasutake discloses the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the lens holder includes an imaging element (Para 0027: Each of the four imaging units 20 includes a lens barrel 62 that has a lens group (not illustrated) and an imaging element (not illustrated)).
Regarding claim 9, Yasutake discloses the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit includes a light emitting element (37a) fixed to the lens holder (37a is fixed to the lens holder 61 through 50) and a lighting lens (Para. 0027 “lens group (not illustrated)” that is detachable from the lens holder.
Regarding claim 12, Yasutake discloses an imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit including the lens unit (Para 0027: “imaging units 20 includes a lens barrel 62 that has a lens group (not illustrated)), the lighting unit (37a), and the lens holder (61) is further capable of pan rotation and tilt rotation (Para. 0068, “The imaging unit 120 supports the lens barrel 62 in such a manner that the lens barrel 62 can be moved with pan rotation, tilt rotation, and pivot rotation”).
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, 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.
Claims 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasutake as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wei (US 2005/0237625).
Regarding claim 10, Yasutake discloses the imaging device according to claim 1. Yasutake fails to disclose wherein the lens holder includes an optical filter unit capable of inserting and removing at least one optical filter into and from an optical path through which external light passes. However, Wei teaches a lens holder which includes an optical filter 2 capable of inserting and removing from the optical path, see Para. 0011-0012. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide an optical filter as taught by Wei to the lens holder of Yasutake for the purpose of providing special effect.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Yasutake in view of Wei teaches wherein at least a portion of a range of wavelengths of light of the lighting unit overlaps at least a portion of a range of wavelengths of light transmitted by the optical filter (it’s inherent that the light wavelengths of the lighting unit overlaps at least a portion of a range of wavelengths of light transmitted by the optical filter when they are received by the image sensor).
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on Yasutake (US 2022/0236624) applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/SINH TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2637
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