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 .
DETAILED ACTION
2. This is the initial Office Action based on the application filed on September 25, 2024. The Examiner acknowledges the following:
3. Claims 1 – 20 were filed by Applicant.
4. The drawings filed on 09/25/2024 are accepted by the Examiner.
5. Current claims 1 – 20 are pending and they are being considered for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
6. The IDS documents filed on filed on 10/30/2025, 05/08/2025 and 09/30/2025 are acknowledged by the Examiner.
Priority
7. Priority data is based on a Korean patent applicationKR-10-2023-0185956, filed on 12/19/2023. Certified copies were mailed to the office on 11/19/2024.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
8. 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 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 – 12 and 14 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by “Sang Hwan Oh, KR-20210125163 (A), hereinafter Oh”. (Note: Oh art is from the IDS – the translation is provided by the Examiner).
Regarding Claims 1, 12 and 19:
Oh teaches a camera module for an automobile, comprising: a plurality of lens elements constituting a lens of an automobile camera module; a circuit board including an image sensor; a front housing having a lens barrel structure integrally formed at the front, in which the plurality of lens elements are assembled, and having the circuit board assembled at the rear; and a rear housing coupled to the rear of the front housing to seal the lens and the circuit board, wherein the front housing includes a plurality of posts protruding rearward, and pins each protruding from an end surface of each of the posts, each having a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the posts, and the circuit board includes a plated through hole at least partially accommodating each of the pins, wherein the front housing and the circuit board are pre-assembled such that the pins and the plated through hole have a predetermined assembly gap, and in the pre-assembled state, the lens and the image sensor are optically aligned and fixed by soldering the assembly gap using a laser solder jet bonding process, wherein, the optical alignment is performed by micro-moving the front housing in which the lens is assembled or the circuit board in which the image sensor is mounted in the six-axis direction and wherein, the assembly gap is defined as a gap between the end face of the post and the front face of the circuit board and a gap between the pin and the plated through hole, and is formed to allow micro-movement in the six-axis direction required for optical alignment of the lens and the image sensor.
Regarding Claim 1:
Oh teaches,
A camera module (Fig 2, camera module 2. See [0035]) comprising: a lens barrel in which at least one lens is disposed (Fig 1, lens barrel 110 with lens 10. See [0010]. Fig 2, lens barrel 110 with lens 10. See [0035]) ; a housing configured to support the lens barrel (Fig 8, front housing 23 is formed integrally with a lens barrel structure 240 corresponding to the lens barrel 110. See [0060]); a fixing pin that protrudes from the housing and extends in an optical axis direction (Fig 2 the rear housing 21 includes a plurality of pins 200 that extend in the direction of the optical axis. See [0035]); a sensor board having first and second surfaces opposite to each other (Fig 2, sensor board 30 having a plated through hole 300 is formed thereon as to accommodated each of the plurality of pins 200. See [0035]), and a pin insertion hole into which the fixing pin is inserted; and a soldering part, disposed in the pin insertion hole, that protrudes from first and second surfaces of the sensor board, and fixes the fixing pin (The pin 200 and the plated through hole 300 are joined together and to provide enough gap to permit a 6-axis alignment and in Fig 4, the joint gap 310 is fixed by a solder ball 942 which is melted by a laser 944 and sprayed by a compressed gas 946 using a laser solder jet bonding process as shown in Fig 4 (See [0038; 0039]). Figs 5 and 6 shows a plurality of pins 200 are formed in the form of two-stage cylindrical columns protruding from the rear of the front housing 21 (See 0042]).
Regarding Claim 12:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. Oh Fig 7 shows a method of assembling and fixing the front housing 20 in which a lens 10 is assembled and a circuit board 30 in which the image sensor 40 is mounted (See [0033]). The fixing methos uses a laser solder jet bonding process (See [0052]). Fig 7 is a perspective view showing a method for combining a front housing and a rear housing (See [0056]).
As for claim 12 limitations, Oh teaches
A method of manufacturing a camera module having a housing configured to support a lens barrel fixed to a sensor board (Fig 7 shows a method of assembling and fixing the front housing 20 in which a lens 10 is assembled and a circuit board 30 in which the image sensor 40 is mounted (See [0033]). Fig 8 shows a front housing formed integrally with a lens barrel structure 240 corresponding to the lens barrel 110, including a plurality of lenses 100 (See [0060])), the method comprising: disposing a solder material on a pin insertion hole extending through surfaces of the sensor board (Fig 2, sensor board 30 having a plated through hole 300 is formed thereon as to accommodated each of the plurality of pins 200 (See [0035]); inserting a fixing pin of the housing into the pin insertion hole (The pin 200 and the plated through hole 300 are joined together and to provide enough gap to permit a 6-axis alignment and in Fig 4,; performing active alignment while moving the housing; and curing the solder material to fix the fixing pin in the pin insertion hole (The joint gap 310 of the joining part is shown in Fig 4, is fixed by a solder ball 942 that is melted by a laser 944 and it is sprayed by compressed gas 946 using a laser solder jet bonding process (See [0035; 0038; 0039]).
Regarding Claim 19:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claim 18 limitations, Oh teaches,
A camera module (Fig 2, camera module 2. See [0035]) having a housing configured to support a lens barrel (Fig 8, front housing 23 is formed integrally with a lens barrel structure 240 corresponding to the lens barrel 110. See [0060]), the camera module comprising: a fixing pin configured to protrude from the housing and extend in an optical axis direction (Fig 2 the rear housing 21 includes a plurality of pins 200 that extend in the direction of the optical axis. See [0035]); a sensor board having opposing surfaces and a pin insertion hole extending through the opposing surfaces (Fig 2, sensor board 30 having a plated through hole 300 is formed thereon as to accommodated each of the plurality of pins 200. See [0035]); and a soldering part, disposed in the pin insertion hole, configured to protrude from the opposing surfaces of the sensor board and fix the fixing pin (The pin 200 and the plated through hole 300 are joined together and to provide enough gap to permit a 6-axis alignment and in Fig 4, the joint gap 310 is fixed by a solder ball 942 which is melted by a laser 944 and sprayed by a compressed gas 946 using a laser solder jet bonding process as shown in Fig 4 (See [0038; 0039]). Figs 5 and 6 shows a plurality of pins 200 are formed in the form of two-stage cylindrical columns protruding from the rear of the front housing 21 (See 0042]).
Regarding Claim 2:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claim 2 limitations, Oh teaches
“wherein the pin insertion hole is a through-hole” (Fig 2, the rear housing 21 includes a plurality of pins 200 and a plated through hole 300 is formed in the circuit board 30 to accommodate each of the plurality of pins 200. See [0035]).
Regarding Claims 3 and 4:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claims 3 and 4 limitations, Fig 5 and 6, the solder filed in the gap 310, 312 between the pin 200 and the plated through hole 300 (See [0042]), which means that the spreading of the solder ball 942 and it is arranged partially on the first side and the second side of the sensor board 30 and it can be configured to cover the edge of the pin insertion hole. See [0042; 0050].
Regarding Claim 5:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claim 5 limitations
“wherein the housing has a bottom surface facing the first surface of the sensor board, and the fixing pin extends from the bottom surface toward the first surface of the sensor board” (Fig 2, the rear of the front housing 21 include a plurality of pins 200 that extend in the direction of the optical axis and the fixing pins extend from the bottom of it. See [0035]). Fig 6 shows the rear of housing 21 facing the sensor board 30, wherein the fixing pins 200 extend from the housing 21 toward the sensor board 30. See [0041; 0042]).
Regarding Claim 6:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claim 6, Oh teaches, Fig 2 the rear housing 21 includes a plurality of pins 200 and the plated through hole 300 is formed in the circuit board 30 (See [0035])., which means that it can protrude from a second side of the circuit board 30.
Regarding Claim 7:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claim 7 limitations, Oh teaches, Fig 2, plate through hole 300 is formed on the circuit board 30 (See [0035]). Since the part disposed in the pin insertion hole can be disposed on the first surface or the second one are connected to each other. Claim 7 limitations does not make it allowable over Oh Fig 2.
Regarding Claim 8:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. Oh, Fig 13, when the front housing (25, 26) is injection-molded , the pin part (660, 670) can be pre-fabricated from a metal material and then molded to be included in the front housing (25, 26) by insert injection (See [0077]).
Regarding Claim 9:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. Oh, Fig 2 and Fig 3 show that the image sensor 401 in mounted on the surface of the sensor board 30 (See [0035; 0036; 0039]).
Regarding Claim 10:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claim 10, when the resin adhesive (91, 92) is used when aligning the platform, includes a dispenser for applying the adhesive and a UV illuminator for irradiating ultraviolet rays for UV curing. An oven for heat curing is additionally required to ensure the required bonding strength (See [0053]).
Regarding Claim 11:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated herein. As for claim 11, Oh teaches that the joint gap 310 is fixed by a solder ball 942 which is melted by a laser 944 and sprayed by a compressed gas 946 using a laser solder jet bonding process as shown in Fig 4 (See [0039]).
Regarding Claims 14 – 16:
The rejection of claim 12 is incorporated herein. As for claims 14 – 16 limitations, Oh teaches: Fig2, Fig 4 show a method for fixing the solder ball 942 by melting it with a laser 944 and spraying it with a compress gas 946, using a laser solder jet bonding process (See [0035; 0038; 0039]). Figs 5 and 6, the solder filed in the gap 310, 312 between the pin 200 and the plated through hole 300 (See [0042]), which means that the spreading of the solder ball 942 and it is arranged partially on the first side and the second side of the sensor board 30 and it can be configured to cover the edge of the pin insertion hole (See [0042; 0050]).
Regarding Claims 17 – 18:
The rejection of claim 12 is incorporated herein. As for claims 17 and 18 limitations, Oh Fig 7 shows a method for combining a front housing and a rear housing and for example, when the front housing (21, 22) and rear housing (50, 52) are made of metal, the joint portion (500, 520), which is assembly boundary of the front housing (21, 22) and the rear housing (50, 52) can be sealed using laser welding. When the joint portion (500) is approximately square (See Fig 7 (a)), the camera is rotated around the optical axis (96) and the distance from the welding portion can be adjusted according to the rotation of the camera module (2) so that the laser focus position corresponds to the welding position of the joint portion (500) (See [0057; 0058]).
Regarding Claim 20:
The rejection of claim 19 is incorporated herein. As for claim 20, Oh teaches: Figs 5 and 6, the solder filed in the gap 310, 312 between the pin 200 and the plated through hole 300 (See [0042]), which means that the spreading of the solder ball 942 and it is arranged partially on the first side and the second side of the sensor board 30 and it can be configured to cover the edge of the pin insertion hole. See [0042; 0050]. Also, Fig 6 shows the rear of housing 21 facing the sensor board 30, wherein the fixing pins 200 extend from the housing 21 toward the sensor board 30 (See [0041; 0042).]
.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
9. 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 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 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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “Sang Hwan Oh, KR-20210125163 (A), hereinafter Oh”. in view of “Ji Hwan Park et al, US 2019/0170920 A1, hereinafter Lee”. (Note: both arts are from the IDS document).
Regarding Claim 13:
The rejection of claim 12 is incorporated herein. As for claim 13, Oh teaches in Fig 2 and Fig 4 the use of a solder jet bonding material using a laser 944 and using the laser solder jet bonding process, wherein a solder ball 942 that is melted by a laser 944 and it is sprayed by compressed gas 946 using a laser solder jet bonding process (See [0035; 0038; 0039]). However, Oh does not teach active alignment, which in the same field of endeavor is taught by Park. Park teaches a camera module and the method for assembling it, wherein the adjustment of the camera housing and the bonding and other parts of the camera module such as the substrate is done through active alignment (See [0017; 0092; 0098 – 100]).
Therefore, by modifying Oh with the active alignment done by Lee, during the bonding of the parts process, when air occupying a space formed by the front body and the board unit expands while the first adhesion unit is heated to be cured, a portion of the air moves outside through the through-hole, thereby preventing the focal length of the camera module from exceeding a design range and preventing the first adhesion unit or the board unit from being deformed or damaged due to expansion of the air and further improving the quality of the images to be captured (See Lee [0016; 0017]).
Contact
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARLY S. B. CAMARGO whose telephone number is (571)270-3729. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00 - 5:99 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached on (571)272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MARLY S CAMARGO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638