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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy of foreign patent application numbers KR10-2019-0124801, filed on October 8, 2019, KR10-2019-0128082, filed on October 15, 2019, and KR10-2019-0173177, filed on December 23, 2019, have been received and made of record.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (lDS) submitted on October 16, 2024, and the IDS submitted on January 30, 2025, is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and are being considered by the Examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION. - The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, claim 8, from which claim 9 depends and inherits all limitations therefrom, recites “…a second area having a diameter that becomes smaller than the first diameter as the first area is closer to the prism mover.” The clause is unclear, as an act of becoming smaller, i.e., “a second area having a diameter that becomes smaller than the first diameter” is based on the clause discussing locations, i.e., “as the first area is closer to the prism mover.” This may be a product of an incorrect translation to English. Nevertheless, absent clarity, one skilled in the art would not be on fair notice regarding the metes and bounds of the claimed subject matter. In light of the above, the claims are indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 9, the claim recites “a third area having a diameter that becomes smaller than the first diameter as the first area is further away from the prism mover.” The clause is unclear, as an act of becoming smaller, i.e., “a third area having a diameter that becomes smaller than the first diameter” is based on the clause discussing locations, i.e., “as the first area is further away from the prism mover.” This may be a product of an incorrect translation to English. Nevertheless, absent clarity, one skilled in the art would not be on fair notice regarding the metes and bounds of the claimed subject matter. In light of the above, the claims are indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
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)(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.
(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, 7, 12, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0367714 to Im et al. (hereinafter “Im”).
Regarding claim 1, Im teaches a camera actuator comprising a housing (e.g., figs. 3B and 4, elements 1010 and 1130; [0077-78]), a prism mover disposed in the housing (e.g., figs. 3B and 4, element 1120; [0078]), a prism disposed on the prism mover (e.g., figs. 3B and 4, element 1110; [0074]), a first driving unit disposed in the prism mover (e.g., figs. 3B and 4, element 1145a; [0109]), a second driving unit disposed in the housing and facing the first driving unit (e.g., figs. 3B and 4, element 1145b; [0081]), and a guide part disposed between the housing and the prism mover to guide tilting of the prism mover (e.g., figs. 3B and 4, element 1133; [0109]), wherein the guide part includes a coupling portion coupled to the prism mover and a spherical portion extending from the coupling portion (e.g., fig. 3B, element 1133, coupling portion is portion closest prism mover, and the portion extending outward from there is the spherical portion), and wherein the housing includes a first groove in which the spherical portion is disposed (e.g., fig. 3B, groove 1134; [0078]).
Regarding claim 2, Im teaches all of the limitations of claim 2 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein a size of a cross section of the spherical portion is formed to be greater than a size of a cross section of the coupling portion (e.g., fig. 3B, wherein the coupling portion of the guide part is interpreted to only be the portion covered by the prism mover, which is less than half, resulting in a smaller cross section than the spherical portion).
Regarding claim 3, Im teaches all of the limitations of claim 3 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the first groove of the housing is formed to be larger than the spherical portion (e.g., fig. 3B, fits spherical portion).
Regarding claim 7, Im teaches all of the limitations of claim 7 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 3, supra) including teaching wherein the first groove of the housing includes a curved surface (e.g., fig. 3B).
Regarding claim 12, Im teaches all of the limitations of claim 12 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the prism mover includes a second groove in which the coupling portion is disposed (e.g., fig. 3B, groove 1121).
Regarding claim 17, Im teaches all of the limitations of claim 17 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the camera actuator includes a yoke (e.g., fig. 4, element 1141a) disposed between the first driving unit and the prism mover (e.g., fig. 4, longitudinally).
Regarding claim 18, Im teaches all of the limitations of claim 18 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the camera actuator includes a board disposed in the housing, and the second driving unit is electrically connected to the board (e.g., fig. 13, board 1070; [0083]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 10, 11 and 13-16 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 Publication No. 2022/0272238 to Jang et al., sharing a common inventor and from the same assignee, teaches a similar prism mover structure.
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