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 Interpretation/Claim objection
Claim 1 is objected to. Claim 1 recites, “…wherein the imaging substrate, the control substrate, and the cooling unit are placed along an optical axis direction of the imaging sensor, without overlapping each other.” The plain meaning of this claim element would mean that the imaging substrate, the control substrate, and the cooling unit are placed along the optical axis and thus would necessarily overlap each other. For example, a group of lenses that are placed along an optical axis would certainly overlap from the perspective of the photographed object. Thus the language contradicts itself by requiring the substrate and cooling unit to be along an optical axis yet not overlap, and this is not supported by the specification and drawings (see Applicant’s Figure 4 showing recited parts that are not placed along the optical axis). Rather it appears that the claim element should be phrased similar to: “wherein the imaging substrate, the control substrate, and the cooling unit do not overlap with respect to an optical axis direction of the imaging sensor.” For purposes of examination, the claim is interpreted to mean that the imaging substrate, the control substrate, and the cooling unit do not overlap in the optical axis direction, and not that they are placed along the optical axis. This interpretation is supported by Applicant’s specification for example in Figures 3-4. The substrates and fan are not placed along an optical axis direction in Figure 3, but rather do not overlap with respect to the optical axis direction. Appropriate correction to the claim language is required.
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- 2, 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0346996 to Kida (“Kida”), and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0294956 to Tamura et al. (“Tamura”).
Regarding claim 1, Kida teaches an imaging apparatus comprising:
an imaging sensor configured to capture an image (reference number 41, imaging element, see paragraph [0072]);
an imaging substrate on which the imaging sensor is mounted (reference number 40, imaging substrate on which imaging sensor 41 is mounted);
a control substrate on which an electronic element configured to perform imaging processing of the imaging sensor is mounted (reference number 30, main substrate configured with microcomputer and processor, memory, etc., see paragraph [0072]); and
a cooling unit (paragraph [0145] teaches the use of a forced air-cooling system using a fan to satisfy a temperature rating of the electric instrument),
wherein the imaging substrate, the control substrate, do not overlap each other in the optical axis direction (see reference numbers 30 and 40 in Figure 7 which do not overlap in the optical axis direction).
Kida is silent on the position of the cooling unit with respect to the two substrates and further is silent regarding a duct thermally connected to both substrates.
One of ordinary skill in the art would look to other prior art to see known placement options for the fan and connected ducts with respect to the substrates. Tamura teaches the fan may be placed on a perpendicular plane with respect to the substrates, see fan 231 in Figure 6 lying perpendicularly with respect to the optical axis, and the duct system also shown, reference number 214 to connect the fan with the heat producing substrate areas.
It 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 to modify the teaching of Kida with that of Tamura to place the fan in a non-overlapping manner with the imaging substrate and main substrate with respect to the optical axis direction to achieve space saving or maximization such as in Tamura.
Regarding claim 2, Kida in view of Tamura teach the imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging substrate, the control substrate, and the cooling unit are positioned inside an exterior cover of the imaging apparatus, without protruding from an outermost shape of the exterior cover (Kida shows the outermost exterior cover in Figure 2, showing that none of the internal substrate or cooling system parts protrude from it).
Regarding claim 5, Kida in view of Tamura teach the imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging substrate and the control substrate are thermally connected to the duct by contacting at least one heat conduction member (Tamura further teaches heat members, reference numbers 222 and 223, to contact between the duct system and the heat producing substrate units, see Figure 8A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 6-10 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.
Claims 11-14 allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of record does not teach all of the limitations of the above identified claims including claim elements related to the first and second heat conduction sheets and the relationship of the thermal resistance respectively, along with position and not overlapping of the image sensor and second heat conduction sheet with respect to the cooling unit, as presently claimed.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMY R HSU whose telephone number is (571)270-3012. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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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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AMY R. HSU
Examiner
Art Unit 2664
/AMY R HSU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638