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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 3-12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on May 8, 2026.
Amendment
The Response, filed on May 8, 2026, has been received and made of record. In response to the Requirement for Restriction/Election dated March 9, 2026, claim 19 was amended and claims 13-16 and 18 have been cancelled. Claim 21 was newly added.
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 1, 17 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0352204 to Voss in view of European Patent Publication No. EP 1 66 520 A1 to Kennedy (cited in IDS dated October 25, 2024).
Regarding claim 1, Voss teaches a control method, applicable to a lens control device (e.g., figs. 1-7) which comprises at least one adjusting member (e.g., figs. 2 and 3, element 21), the control method comprising, upon detecting a change of position data of one of the at least one adjusting member (e.g., [0106], change of operating element 21 detected by encoder 33), acquiring a current position data of said one of the at least one adjusting member (e.g., [0106], position signal S; [0123], position measurement values from motors 15, 17 and 19), and generating and wirelessly transmitted an adjustment signal based on the current position data (e.g., [0106], via output device 25, wireless, wherein a wired transmission may also be provided) for a lens driver (e.g., fig. 2, element 15). Voss, however, has not been found by the Examiner to expressly disclose acquiring a matching identification corresponding to said one of the at least one adjusting member, generating and wirelessly transmitted an adjustment signal based on the matching identification, or wherein the adjustment signal contains the matching identification which is provided for a lens driver that receives the adjustment signal to perform a match verification.
Nevertheless, Kennedy teaches wireless operation and control of a camera that includes exchanging and verifying identification numbers, wherein match identification occurs upon reception (e.g., [0011-17]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to have incorporated the teaches of Kennedy with the teaching of Voss, so that the adjustment signal is secured and made specific to the particular adjusting member and associated lens driver, preventing a different camera from communication via inclusion of the matching identification with the adjustment signal.
Regarding claim 17, Voss and Kennedy teach all of the limitations of claim 17 (see the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching a lens control device (‘204 – e.g., figs. 2-6), comprising at least one adjusting member (‘204 – e.g., figs. 2 and 3, element 21), a storage device (‘204 – e.g., [0041], working memory of control device; [0114]), a processor (‘204 – e.g., figs. 2-6, control device 23), and a control program stored in the storage device and executable in the processor (‘204 – e.g., [0040-41]), the control program implementing steps of the control method according to claim 1 when executed in the processor (see the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 1, supra).
Regarding claim 21, Voss and Kennedy teach all of the limitations of claim 21 (see the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the at least one adjusting member (‘204 – e.g., figs. 2 and 3, element 21) is rotatably arranged on the lens control device (‘204 – e.g., figs. 2-6; [0005], [0101-102]) or slidably arranged on the lens control device.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Voss and Kennedy in view of Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-102354 to Okajima.
Regarding claim 2, Voss and Kennedy teach all of the limitations of claim 2 (see the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching signal transmission in a wired or wireless manner (e.g., [0051]; [0106]). However, neither Voss nor Kennedy have been found by the Examiner to expressly disclose wherein the lens control device comprises a digital signal port for wired connection to the lens driver, and after generating the adjustment signal the control method further comprises, upon detecting the digital signal port being connected to the lens driver, switching to a wired signal transmission mode to perform signal transmission via the digital signal port, and upon detecting the digital signal port not being connected to the lens driver, switching to a wireless signal transmission mode.
Nevertheless, the concept of switching between wired and wireless connections of devices is well-known and accepted in the electrical arts. For example, Okajima teaches a digital signal port for wired connection (e.g., [0039], USB), that, upon detecting the digital signal port being connected (e.g., [0042], detects connection while performing wireless communication; [0045]), switching to a wired signal transmission mode to perform signal transmission via the digital signal port (e.g., [0042-43], starts wired communication; [0045]), and upon detecting the digital signal port not being connected, switching to a wireless signal transmission mode (e.g., [0045]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to have incorporated the switching between wired and wireless connectivity as taught by Okajima to the lens driver of the method as taught by Voss and Kennedy in order to provide multiple means of automated signal transmission.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19 and 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 6,161,933 to Tschida et al teaches a device for controlling a camera.
U.S. Patent No. 6,344,933 to Yajima teaches a camera lens operating unit.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0019702 to Richter teaches a method for adjusting a camera lens.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0295963 to Shitani teaches a camera communicating with a lens driver.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY C VIEAUX whose telephone number is (571)272-7318. The examiner can normally be reached Increased Flex.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached at 571-272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GARY C VIEAUX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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