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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/30/2024 was considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1-5, 8, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ouchi (US 2014/0022652).
Regarding Claim 1, Ouchi discloses a lens device comprising:
a first barrel member (Fig. 2, outer lens frame, 42, Paragraph 0039); and
a second barrel (Fig. 2, inner lens frame, 40, Paragraph 0041) member configured to move relative to the first barrel member (Paragraph 0041, lines 3-6) and at least partially overlap the first barrel member in a radial direction (see annotated Fig. 2, below); and
an elastic member fixed to one of the first barrel member and the second barrel member (Fig 2, elastic member 46 fits in recessed part 40E, which is a part of the inner lens frame 40, Paragraph 0030, alternatively the recessed part 40E may be eliminated and an O-ring, acting as the elastic member, may be affixed),
wherein at least a part of the elastic member is arranged in a gap between the first barrel member and the second barrel member (see annotated Fig. 2, below), and
wherein one of the first barrel member and the second barrel member to which the elastic member is fixed is provided with a protruding portion protruding toward the other of the first barrel member and the second barrel member at a part in contact with the elastic member (see annotated Fig. 2, below).
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Regarding Claim 2, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above and further discloses wherein when the elastic member is fixed so as to cover the protruding portion, the elastic member protrudes toward the other of the first barrel member and the second barrel member (see annotated Fig. 2, above).
Regarding Claim 3, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above and further discloses wherein the protruding elastic member is in contact with the other of the first barrel member and the second barrel member (see annotated Fig. 2, above).
Regarding Claim 4, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above and further discloses wherein one of the first barrel member and the second barrel member includes a restriction part restricting a movement of the elastic member in a direction along an optical axis of the lens device (Fig. 2, recessed part, 40E, Paragraph 0030).
Regarding Claim 5, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above and further discloses wherein the elastic member is arranged such that a cross section part opposite to, in the direction along the optical axis, a cross section part abutting on the restriction part is along an opening of one of the first barrel member and the second barrel member in a circumferential direction (Fig. 2, recessed part, 40E, is formed over the entire perimeter, Paragraph 0030).
Regarding Claim 8, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above and further discloses wherein a cross section part of the elastic member in a circumferential direction is fixed in an area where the protruding portion is not provided (Fig. 2, recessed part, 40E, is formed over the entire perimeter, containing the elastic member 46 is formed over the entire perimeter, so the recessed part is interpreted as being as being the area where the protruding portion is not provided, Paragraph 0030).
Regarding Claim 13, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above and further discloses wherein the first barrel member and the second barrel member move relatively in a rotation direction around an optical axis of the lens device (Paragraph 0039, lines 1-12).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ouchi (US 2014/0022652) in view of Yoshioka et al. (US 2019/0384216).
Regarding Claim 7, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above and further discloses the elastic member is fixed to one of the first barrel member and the second barrel member in a circumferential direction (Fig. 2, recessed part, 40E, containing the elastic member 46 is formed over the entire perimeter, Paragraph 0030), but doesn’t further disclose wherein the elastic member is a sheet-like member.
However, Yoshioka, in the same field of endeavor discloses wherein the elastic member is a sheet-like member (Paragraph 0063, lines 1-7, flexible sheet material of an unwoven fabric such as Ecsaine), for the purpose of blocking the flow of an air current (Paragraph 0011, lines 20-22).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the lens device of Ouchi with the wherein the elastic member is a sheet-like member, of Yoshioka, for the purpose of blocking the flow of an air current (Paragraph 0011, lines 20-22).
Regarding Claim 9, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above but doesn’t further disclose wherein the elastic member is made of a nonwoven fabric.
However, Yoshioka, in the same field of endeavor discloses wherein the elastic member is made of a nonwoven fabric (Paragraph 0063, lines 1-7, flexible sheet material of an unwoven fabric such as Ecsaine), for the purpose of blocking the flow of an air current (Paragraph 0011, lines 20-22).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the lens device of Ouchi with the wherein the elastic member is made of a nonwoven fabric, of Yoshioka, for the purpose of blocking the flow of an air current (Paragraph 0011, lines 20-22).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ouchi (US 2014/0022652) in view of Moriyoshi (US 2023/0111735).
Regarding Claim 14, Ouchi discloses as is set forth above but doesn’t further disclose an imaging element configured to capture an image of a subject through the lens device.
However, Moriyoshi, in the same field of endeavor discloses an imaging element configured to capture an image of a subject through the lens device (Fig. 1, image sensor 3 can be a CCD or a CMOS, Paragraph 0021), for the purpose of capturing an electronic image to be transmitted by electronic means.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the lens device of Ouchi with an imaging element configured to capture an image of a subject through the lens device of Moriyoshi, for the purpose of capturing an electronic image to be transmitted by electronic means.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 10, 11, 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: with respect to the allowable subject matter, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach of the claimed combination of limitations to warrant a rejection under 35 USC 102 or 103.
Specifically, with respect to claim 6, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a lens device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the elastic member is arranged so as to cover at least a part of an end surface of the opening on an object side.
Specifically, with respect to claim 10, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a lens device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the first barrel member is arranged on an inner diameter side of the second barrel member, and the protruding portion is arranged on the inner diameter side of the second barrel member.
Specifically, with respect to claim 11, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a lens device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the first barrel member is arranged on an inner diameter side of the second barrel member, and the protruding portion is arranged on an outer diameter side of the first barrel member.
Specifically, with respect to claim 12, none of the prior art either alone or in combination disclose or teach a lens device including, as the distinguishing feature(s) in combination with the other limitations, wherein the first barrel member and the second barrel member move relatively in an optical axis direction of the lens device.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Takahashi (US 2012/0038993), Yajima (US 12,523,842), Yajima (US 2024/0053577), and Matsui (US 6,204,979) are cited to show similar lens devices but do not meet the claim limitations detailed in the allowable subject matter above.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM R ALEXANDER whose telephone number is (571)270-7656. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM- 4:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached on (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM R ALEXANDER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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