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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on August 11, 2026, has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on August 11, 2026, in response to the previous Office Action (06/16/2026/2026) is acknowledged and has been entered.
Claims 1 – 15 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3 – 5, 7 – 8 and 11 – 15 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (KR 2008-0037767A machine translation) in view of Ningbo (WO 2019015692A1).
Regarding claim 1, Choi discloses a camera module comprising: a lens barrel (160) (fig. 3; ¶29); an image sensor (120) disposed below the lens barrel along an optical axis direction of the lens barrel and electrically connected to a substrate (110) (fig. 3; ¶29); and a sub-housing (130 step) that is disposed between the lens barrel and the substrate and on which an infrared filter (180) is mounted (¶29), wherein the sub-housing comprises a gas discharge portion (135/137) penetrating between first and second surfaces facing each other in the optical axis direction (figs. 4-5; ¶30,32, 44), and wherein a central axis along a penetration direction of the gas discharge portion is inclined with respect to the optical axis (fig. 4-5). Ningo fails to explicitly disclose a central axis along a penetration direction of the gas discharge portion is inclined at an acute angle with respect to the optical axis.
In a similar field of endeavor, Ningbo teaches an image sensor package including venting groove 329 of the support 32 is disposed on the outer side 327 of the support 32, and the venting groove 329 extends from the upper surface 326 of the support 32 to the lower surface 324 so that the venting groove 329 communicates with the upper surface 326 and the lower surface 324 of the holder 32 so as to be on the outer side 327 of the holder 32 and the molded base 23, wherein the venting groove 329 of the support 32 may be, but not limited to, an "S" shape, a "Y" shape, a "V" shape, or the like (fig. 40D; ¶456). In light of the teaching of Ningbo, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to use Ningbo’s configuration in Choi’s system because an artisan of ordinarily skill would recognize that this would result in preventing dust and the like from contaminating the internal camera module.
Regarding claim 3, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches wherein the gas discharge portion has a uniform width with respect to the central axis (fig. 4).
Regarding claim 4, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches further comprising an adhesive portion disposed to cover at least a portion of the gas discharge portion (¶34,35).
Regarding claim 5, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 4. Choi also teaches wherein the adhesive portion is disposed to surround an inner peripheral surface of the gas discharge portion (¶34,35).
Regarding claim 7, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches wherein the central axis of the gas discharge portion is inclined toward the outside of the sub-housing (¶26: bent, sawtooth).
Regarding claim 8, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches wherein the sub-housing comprises an opening, and the central axis of the gas discharge portion is inclined toward the opening of the sub-housing (figs. 3, 4; ¶26: bent, sawtooth).
Regarding claim 11, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches wherein the central axis of the gas discharge portion is inclined with respect to the first surface of the sub-housing (¶26: bent, sawtooth).
Regarding claim 12, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches wherein the gas discharge portion is inclined and extended so that the central axis forms a certain angle with the optical axis (¶26: bent, sawtooth).
Regarding claim 13, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches further comprising: a lens driver (150/140 screw) configured to mount and move the lens barrel (fig. 3); and a housing configured to accommodate the lens barrel and the lens driver (fig. 3).
Regarding claim 14, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches wherein the gas discharge portion is disposed outside an edge of the infrared filter (fig. 5).
Regarding claim 15, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. Choi also teaches wherein the gas discharge portion only penetrates a portion of the sub-housing that does not overlap the infrared filter with respect to the optical axis direction (fig. 5).
Claim(s) 6 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Ningbo in view of Gu (US 2021/0074750).
Regarding claim 6, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. The combination fails to explicitly disclose wherein the sub-housing further comprises: a seating portion in which the infrared filter is accommodated and that is disposed to surround an opening of the sub-housing; and a frame portion disposed on an outer portion of the sub-housing to surround the seating portion, and wherein the gas discharge portion is disposed in the frame portion.
In a similar field of endeavor, Gu teaches an image sensor package including sub-housing 350, which includes stepped portion 351 in the top surface and the filter 370 is mounted on the stepped portion 351, and opening part for emitting to the outside through the housing member through top and bottom (fig. 3). In light of the teaching of Gu, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to use Gu’s configuration in Choi’s system because an artisan of ordinarily skill would recognize that this would result in easily releasing heat generated in the image sensor and reducing resolution degradation (¶63).
Claim(s) 2, 9 – 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Ningbo in view of Shim (KR 2008-0076425 machine translation).
Regarding claim 2, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. The combination fails to explicitly disclose wherein the gas discharge portion penetrates upper and lower portions of the sub-housing in a straight line.
In a similar field of endeavor, Shim teaches an image sensor assembly including an opening 26 for discharging gas and heat generated, wherein the opening has a cylindrical shape and passes through the housing member 20 through top and bottom (fig. 3). In light of the teaching of Shim, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to use the known technique of cylindrical shaped opening passing through the housing, as taught by Shim, with the invention of Choi would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system.
Regarding claim 9, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. The combination fails to explicitly disclose wherein the gas discharge portion has a hollow cylindrical shape.
In a similar field of endeavor, Shim teaches an image sensor assembly including an opening 26 for discharging gas and heat generated, wherein the opening has a cylindrical shape (abstract; p.3, last full paragraph; fig. 2, 4). In light of the teaching of Shim, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to use the known technique of cylindrical shaped opening, as taught by Shim, with the invention of Choi would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system.
Regarding claim 10, Choi in view of Ningbo discloses the aforementioned limitations of claim 1. combination fails to explicitly disclose wherein the gas discharge portion has a circular cross-sectional shape.
In a similar field of endeavor, Shim teaches an image sensor assembly including an opening 26 for discharging gas and heat generated, wherein the opening has a circular shape (abstract; p.3, last full paragraph; fig. 2, 4). In light of the teaching of Shim, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to use the known technique of circular shaped opening, as taught by Shim, with the invention of Choi would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Contact
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/ANTOINETTE T SPINKS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639
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