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 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 10-11 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Abbas et al (US 10397549).
As to claim 1, Abbas discloses an imaging device (FIG. 1A) comprising:
a first imager having a first imaging range (FIG. 1A, camera 110D with FOV 170B); and
a second imager having a second imaging range (FIG. 1A, Aux camera 115 with FOV 175), the second imager being asymmetrical relative to the first imager with respect to a centerline of an overlapping area between the first imaging range and the second imaging range to have a first disparity (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, camera 115 and camera 110D are asymmetrical with respect to a centerline of an overlapping area between FOV 175 and FOV 170B minimizing distance between centers of the lenses [i.e. first disparity] because of the rotation of camera 110D by offset angle 180),
wherein the first disparity is smaller than a second disparity of an imaging device comprising a third imager having a third imaging range and a fourth imager having a fourth imaging range, the fourth imager is symmetrical relative to the third imager with respect to the centerline of an overlapping area between the third imaging range and the fourth imaging range (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, without rotating camera 110D by the offset angle 180, camera 115 and camera 110D are symmetrical with respect to the centerline of an overlapping area between FOV 175 and FOV 170B with larger distance between centers of the lenses [i.e. second disparity], making the first disparity smaller than the second disparity).
As to claim 2, Abbas further discloses further comprising a third imager adjacent to the second imager and having a third imaging range (FIG. 1A, camera 110B with FOV 170A), the third imager being asymmetrical relative to the second imager with respect to a centerline of an overlapping area between the second imaging range and the third imaging range (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, camera 110B and camera 115 are asymmetrical with respect to a centerline of an overlapping area between FOV 170A and FOV 175 as a result of rotating the camera 110B by offset angle 180).
As to claim 4, Abbas discloses an imaging device (FIG. 1A) comprising:
a first imager having a first optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, camera 110D having an optical axis); and
a second imager having a second optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, Aux camera 115 having an optical axis), the second optical axis being asymmetrical relative to the first optical axis with respect to a perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the first imager and the second imager (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, optical axes of the cameras are asymmetrical with respect to a perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the cameras because of the rotation of camera 110D by offset angle 180).
As to claim 5, Abbas further discloses further comprising a third imager adjacent to the second imager and having a third optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, camera 110B having an optical axis), the third optical axis being asymmetrical relative to the second optical axis with respect to a perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the second imager and the third imager (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, optical axes of the cameras are asymmetrical with respect to a perpendicular bisector of a line connecting the cameras by rotating camera 110B by offset angle 180).
As to claim 7, Abbas discloses an imaging device (FIG. 1A) comprising:
a first imager having a first imaging range (FIG. 1A, camera 110D with FOV 170B); and
a second imager having a second imaging range (FIG. 1A, Aux camera 115 with FOV 175), wherein a line connecting the first imager and the second imager is slanted relative to a centerline of an overlapping area between the first imaging range and the second imaging range (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, a line connecting camera 115 and camera 110D is slanted relative to a centerline of an overlapping area between FOV 175 and FOV 170B because of the rotation of the rotation of camera 110D by offset angle 180).
As to claim 8, Abbas further discloses further comprising a third imager adjacent to the second imager and having a third imaging range (FIG. 1A, camera 110B with FOV 170A), wherein a line connecting the second imager and the third imager is slanted relative to a centerline of an overlapping area between the second imaging range and the third imaging range (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, a line connecting camera 115 and camera 110B is slanted relative to a centerline of an overlapping area between FOV 175 and FOV 170B because of the rotation of the rotation of camera 110B by offset angle 180).
As to claim 10, Abbas discloses an imaging device (FIG. 1A) comprising:
a first imager having a first optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, camera 110D having an optical axis); and
a second imager having a second optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, Aux camera 115 having an optical axis), wherein a line connecting the first imager and the second imager is slanted relative to a bisector of an angle between the first optical axis and the second optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, a line connecting camera 115 and camera 110D is slanted relative to a bisector of an angle between the two optical axes because of the rotation of camera 110D by offset angle 180).
As to claim 11, Abbas further discloses further comprising a third imager adjacent to the second imager and having a third optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, camera 110B having an optical axis), wherein a line connecting the second imager and the third imager is slanted relative to a bisector of an angle between the second optical axis and the third optical axis (FIG. 1A and col. 2, lines 20-36, a line connecting camera 115 and camera 110B is slanted relative to a bisector of an angle between the two optical axes because of the rotation of camera 110B by offset angle 180).
As to claim 13, Abbas discloses a mobile apparatus comprising the imaging device according to claim 1 (col. 3, lines 56-60; col. 7, lines 61-64; see rejection of claim 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6, 9 and 12 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BOUBACAR ABDOU TCHOUSSOU whose telephone number is (571)272-7625. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-4pm.
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/BOUBACAR ABDOU TCHOUSSOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482