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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 9 and 10 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.
Claim 9 recites, inter alia, “a first reflector configured to change light incident on the camera module into a second optical axis substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis, to be substantially parallel to the first optical axis.” It is unclear how the second optical axis can be both “substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis” and “to be substantially parallel to the first optical axis.” For the purposes of examination, the claim will be construed as reciting ““a first reflector configured to change light incident on the camera module into a second optical axis substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis.” Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 10 is dependent on claim 9, and is rejected for substantially the same reasons.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wade (Pub. No. US 2020/0120242 A1; hereafter Wade).
Regarding claims 1, Wade discloses a camera module comprising: an image sensor (see Wade Fig. 7, item 13); an optical image stabilization (OIS) carrier coupled to the image sensor and configured to move the image sensor on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis (see Wade Fig. 7, item 8a); a housing accommodating the image sensor and the OIS carrier (see Wade Fig. 7, item 2); an OIS magnet fixed to a first side of the OIS carrier (see Wade Fig. 7, item 7a. See also Wade paragraph [0063] which states that “the coil portion 8 may be disposed on the casing 2 and the magnet portion 7 may be disposed on the image sensor assembly 11.”); a first OIS coil and a second OIS coil fixed to a first inner surface of the housing to face the OIS magnet (see Wade Fig. 7, item 19, and that the coil may be placed on the housing, as noted in Wade paragraph [0063]), the first OIS coil and the second OIS coil disposed side by side on the first inner surface along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis (see Wade Fig. 7, item 19); and a driving circuit electrically connected to the first OIS coil and the second OIS coil (see Wade paragraph [0055]), wherein the driving circuit is configured to: control a first current applied to the first OIS coil and a second current applied to the second OIS coil: perform OIS by moving the image sensor in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis (see Wade paragraph [0064] “As the electric current flows through the first coil 17, it produces the electromagnetic force in the third axial direction 27, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the third axial direction 27. As the electric current flows through the second coil 18, it produces the electromagnetic force in the second axial direction 26, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the second axial direction 26.”), and perform roll rotation correction of the image sensor by rotating the image sensor on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis (see Wade paragraph [0064] “When the electric current flows through at least one of the first smaller coils 19, 19 adjacent to each other… so that it can produce the electromagnetic force in the opposed direction, it produces the driving force for causing the rotating movement around the first axial direction 25 to occur with the center of the image sensor 13 being the rotating axis.”).
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.
Claim(s) 2 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wade.
Regarding claim 2, Wade discloses the camera module of claim 1, but the embodiment of Fig. 7 does not specifically disclose that the OIS magnet comprises a first OIS magnet and a second OIS magnet, wherein the first OIS coil faces the first OIS magnet, and wherein the second OIS coil faces the second OIS magnet.
Wade discloses that, in the embodiment of Fig. 7, the magnet facing each side is a single magnet (see Wade paragraph [0064], for example, “The magnetized side of the first magnet 7a is provided to face opposite the first coil 17 in the third axial direction 27 and is totally magnetized into the single magnetic polarity.”).
Wade also discloses with respect to the embodiment of Fig. 4 that “Each of the first magnets 7a and each of the second magnets 7b may be made of a plurality of smaller magnets corresponding to the first smaller coil 19 and the second smaller coil 20, respectively” (see Wade paragraph [0047]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed that the magnets 7a and 7b of the embodiment of Fig. 7 in Wade can be replaced with a plurality of smaller magnets, as discussed in the embodiment of Fig. 4, as a simple substitution of one known element for another to achieve predictable results.
Regarding claim 3, Wade as modified discloses the camera module of claim 2, wherein the first OIS magnet and the second OIS magnet correspond to a same polarity (see Wade paragraph [0064] “The magnetized side of the first magnet 7a is provided to face opposite the first coil 17 in the third axial direction 27 and is totally magnetized into the single magnetic polarity.”), and wherein the driving circuit is configured to: perform OIS by controlling the first current and the second current to point the same direction (see Wade paragraph [0064] “As the electric current flows through the first coil 17, it produces the electromagnetic force in the third axial direction 27, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the third axial direction 27. As the electric current flows through the second coil 18, it produces the electromagnetic force in the second axial direction 26, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the second axial direction 26.”), and perform roll rotation correction by controlling the first current and the second current to point opposite directions (see Wade paragraph [0064] “When the electric current flows… through at least one of the second smaller coils 20, 20 adjacent to each other in the same second coil 18 so that it can produce the electromagnetic force in the opposed direction, it produces the driving force for causing the rotating movement around the first axial direction 25 to occur.”).
Claim(s) 4-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wade in view of I et al. (Pub. No. US. 2020/0153366 A1; hereafter ‘366).
Regarding claim 4, Wade as modified discloses the camera module of claim 2, but does not disclose that the first OIS magnet and the second OIS magnet correspond to different polarities, and wherein the driving circuit is configured to: perform OIS by controlling the first current and the second current to point opposite directions, and perform roll rotation correction by controlling the first current and the second current to point the same direction; [claim 5] further comprising: a first OIS position sensor disposed around the first OIS coil; and a second OIS position sensor disposed around the second OIS coil, wherein the driving circuit is configured to identify a position of the image sensor through at least a part of a first sensing value of the first OIS position sensor and a second sensing value of the second OIS position sensor; [claim 6] wherein the driving circuit is configured to perform OIS using at least one of a sum value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value, or an average value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value; [claim 7] wherein the driving circuit is configured to perform roll rotation correction using a difference value between the first sensing value and the second sensing value.
‘366 discloses a first OIS magnet and the second OIS magnet correspond to different polarities (see ‘366 Fig. 9, item Mx’), and wherein the driving circuit is configured to: perform OIS by controlling the first current and the second current to point opposite directions (see Wade Fig. 11, items Cx1 and Cx2), and perform roll rotation correction by controlling the first current and the second current to point the same direction (While ‘366 does not specifically disclose this, Wade discloses reversing one coil’s current to generate rotation. It therefore would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed that reversing one coil’s current in ‘366, so that the current is in the same direction, would produce the rotation as mentioned in Wade.); [claim 5] further comprising: a first OIS position sensor disposed around the first OIS coil; and a second OIS position sensor disposed around the second OIS coil, wherein the driving circuit is configured to identify a position of the image sensor through at least a part of a first sensing value of the first OIS position sensor and a second sensing value of the second OIS position sensor (see Wade Fig. 11, item Hey1 and Hey2); [claim 6] wherein the driving circuit is configured to perform OIS using at least one of a sum value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value, or an average value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value (see Wade Figs. 4B and 6, which show that the device uses the ratio of the sum and the difference of the detectors, which uses the sum of the detector values.); [claim 7] wherein the driving circuit is configured to perform roll rotation correction using a difference value between the first sensing value and the second sensing value (see Wade Figs. 4B and 6, which show that the device uses the ratio of the sum and the difference of the detectors, which uses the differences of the detector values.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the device of Wade with magnets and sensors disposed like that in ‘366 in order to enable the device to control the position of the imaging device using closed-loop feedback control like that disclosed in ‘366.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wade in view of Bian et al. (Pub. No. US 2024/0048830 A1; hereafter Bian).
Regarding claim 8, Wade discloses the camera module of claim 1, but does not disclose an auto focus (AF) carrier accommodating the OIS carrier and disposed in the housing; an AF magnet fixed to a side of the AF carrier; and an AF coil fixed to a second inner surface of the housing to face the AF magnet, wherein the driving circuit is configured to perform AF by controlling a current applied to the AF coil to move the image sensor in a direction parallel to the optical axis.
Bian discloses an auto focus (AF) carrier accommodating the OIS carrier and disposed in the housing (see Bian Fig. 1, item 11); an AF magnet fixed to a side of the AF carrier (see Bian Fig. 3, item 122); and an AF coil fixed to a second inner surface of the housing to face the AF magnet (see Bian Fig. 3, item 121), wherein the driving circuit is configured to perform AF by controlling a current applied to the AF coil to move the image sensor in a direction parallel to the optical axis (while not specifically recited, Bian discloses that “the magnetic field generated when the focusing coil 121 is energized can interact with the magnetic field of the focusing magnet 122 to generate a driving force along the optical axis direction and drive the lens to move along the optical axis direction to realize auto-focusing.” Such energization inherently requires a driving circuit to energize the coil.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the device of Wade with an auto-focus carrier like that in Bian in order to enable the optical device of Wade to adjust the focus position of the image for clear images.
Claim(s) 9-13, 19, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wade in view of Smyth et al. (Pub. No. US 2022/0091398 A1; hereafter Smyth).
Regarding claim 9, Wade discloses the camera module of claim 1, but does not disclose the optical axis is a first optical axis, the camera module further comprising: a first reflector configured to change light incident on the camera module into a second optical axis substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis, to be substantially parallel to the first optical axis; and a second reflector configured to change the light changed into the second optical axis to the first optical axis; [claim 10] wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are secured to the housing.
Smyth discloses the optical axis is a first optical axis, the camera module further comprising: a first reflector configured to change light incident on the camera module into a second optical axis substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis; and a second reflector configured to change the light changed into the second optical axis to the first optical axis (see Smyth Fig. 2A, items S2 and S4); [claim 10] wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are secured to the housing (see Smyth Fig. 3C, item 354).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the device of Wade with a reflector system like that in Smythe in order to enable the optical device of Wade to have the desired form factor.
Regarding claim 11, Wade discloses an electronic device comprising: an image sensor (see Wade Fig. 7, item 13); an optical image stabilization (OIS) carrier coupled to the image sensor and configured to move the image sensor on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis (see Wade Fig. 7, item 8a); a housing accommodating the image sensor and the OIS carrier (see Wade Fig. 7, item 2); an OIS magnet fixed to a first side of the OIS carrier (see Wade Fig. 7, item 7a. See also Wade paragraph [0063] which states that “the coil portion 8 may be disposed on the casing 2 and the magnet portion 7 may be disposed on the image sensor assembly 11.”); a first OIS coil and a second OIS coil fixed to a first inner surface of the housing to face the OIS magnet (see Wade Fig. 7, item 19, and that the coil may be placed on the housing, as noted in Wade paragraph [0063]), the first OIS coil and the second OIS coil disposed side by side on the first inner surface along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis (see Wade Fig. 7, item 19); wherein the device is configured to: control a first current applied to the first OIS coil and a second current applied to the second OIS coil to: move the image sensor in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis to perform OIS (see Wade paragraph [0064] “As the electric current flows through the first coil 17, it produces the electromagnetic force in the third axial direction 27, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the third axial direction 27. As the electric current flows through the second coil 18, it produces the electromagnetic force in the second axial direction 26, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the second axial direction 26.”), rotate the image sensor on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis to perform roll rotation correction of the image sensor (see Wade paragraph [0064] “When the electric current flows through at least one of the first smaller coils 19, 19 adjacent to each other… so that it can produce the electromagnetic force in the opposed direction, it produces the driving force for causing the rotating movement around the first axial direction 25 to occur with the center of the image sensor 13 being the rotating axis.”).
Wade does not specifically state that the control is conducted by at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry; and memory storing at least one computer program including computer-executable instructions, wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to execute the instructions.
Smyth discloses at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry (see Smyth Fig. 10, item 1002); and memory storing at least one computer program including computer-executable instructions (see Smyth Fig. 10, item 1020), wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to execute the instructions (see Smyth paragraph [0061] “Processors 1002 may be any suitable processor capable of executing instructions.”).
Regarding claim 12, Wade as modified discloses the camera module of claim 11, but the embodiment of Fig. 7 does not specifically disclose that the OIS magnet comprises a first OIS magnet and a second OIS magnet, wherein the first OIS coil faces the first OIS magnet, and wherein the second OIS coil faces the second OIS magnet.
Wade discloses that, in the embodiment of Fig. 7, the magnet facing each side is a single magnet (see Wade paragraph [0064], for example, “The magnetized side of the first magnet 7a is provided to face opposite the first coil 17 in the third axial direction 27 and is totally magnetized into the single magnetic polarity.”).
Wade also discloses with respect to the embodiment of Fig. 4 that “Each of the first magnets 7a and each of the second magnets 7b may be made of a plurality of smaller magnets corresponding to the first smaller coil 19 and the second smaller coil 20, respectively” (see Wade paragraph [0047]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed that the magnets 7a and 7b of the embodiment of Fig. 7 in Wade can be replaced with a plurality of smaller magnets, as discussed in the embodiment of Fig. 4, as a simple substitution of one known element for another to achieve predictable results.
Regarding claim 13, Wade as modified discloses the camera module of claim 12, wherein the first OIS magnet and the second OIS magnet correspond to a same polarity (see Wade paragraph [0064] “The magnetized side of the first magnet 7a is provided to face opposite the first coil 17 in the third axial direction 27 and is totally magnetized into the single magnetic polarity.”), and wherein at least one processor is configured to cause the electronic device to: perform OIS by controlling the first current and the second current to point the same direction (see Wade paragraph [0064] “As the electric current flows through the first coil 17, it produces the electromagnetic force in the third axial direction 27, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the third axial direction 27. As the electric current flows through the second coil 18, it produces the electromagnetic force in the second axial direction 26, urging the image sensor assembly 11 to move in the second axial direction 26.”), and perform roll rotation correction by controlling the first current and the second current to point opposite directions (see Wade paragraph [0064] “When the electric current flows… through at least one of the second smaller coils 20, 20 adjacent to each other in the same second coil 18 so that it can produce the electromagnetic force in the opposed direction, it produces the driving force for causing the rotating movement around the first axial direction 25 to occur.”).
Regarding claim 19, Wade discloses the camera module of claim 11, but does not disclose the optical axis is a first optical axis, the camera module further comprising: a first reflector configured to change light incident on the camera module into a second optical axis substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis; and a second reflector configured to change the light changed into the second optical axis to the first optical axis; [claim 20] wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are secured to the housing.
Smyth discloses the optical axis is a first optical axis, the camera module further comprising: a first reflector configured to change light incident on the camera module into a second optical axis substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis; and a second reflector configured to change the light changed into the second optical axis to the first optical axis (see Smyth Fig. 2A, items S2 and S4); [claim 20] wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are secured to the housing (see Smyth Fig. 3C, item 354).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the device of Wade with a reflector system like that in Smythe in order to enable the optical device of Wade to have the desired form factor.
Claim(s) 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wade in view of Smyth as applied to claim 11, and further in view of ‘366.
Regarding claim 14, Wade as modified discloses the camera module of claim 12, but does not disclose that the first OIS magnet and the second OIS magnet correspond to different polarities, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the electronic device to: perform OIS by controlling the first current and the second current to point opposite directions, and perform roll rotation correction by controlling the first current and the second current to point the same direction; [claim 15] further comprising: a first OIS position sensor disposed around the first OIS coil; and a second OIS position sensor disposed around the second OIS coil, wherein the wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to identify a position of the image sensor through at least a part of a first sensing value of the first OIS position sensor and a second sensing value of the second OIS position sensor; [claim 16] wherein the wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to perform OIS using at least one of a sum value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value, or an average value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value; [claim 17] wherein the wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to perform roll rotation correction using a difference value between the first sensing value and the second sensing value.
‘366 discloses a first OIS magnet and the second OIS magnet correspond to different polarities (see ‘366 Fig. 9, item Mx’), and wherein the wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to: perform OIS by controlling the first current and the second current to point opposite directions (see Wade Fig. 11, items Cx1 and Cx2), and perform roll rotation correction by controlling the first current and the second current to point the same direction (While ‘366 does not specifically disclose this, Wade discloses reversing one coil’s current to generate rotation. It therefore would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed that reversing one coil’s current in ‘366, so that the current is in the same direction, would produce the rotation as mentioned in Wade.); [claim 15] further comprising: a first OIS position sensor disposed around the first OIS coil; and a second OIS position sensor disposed around the second OIS coil, wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to identify a position of the image sensor through at least a part of a first sensing value of the first OIS position sensor and a second sensing value of the second OIS position sensor (see Wade Fig. 11, item HEy1 and HEy2); [claim 16] wherein the at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to perform OIS using at least one of a sum value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value, or an average value of the first sensing value and the second sensing value (see Wade Figs. 4B and 6, which show that the device uses the ratio of the sum and the difference of the detectors, which uses the sum of the detector values.); [claim 17] wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to perform roll rotation correction using a difference value between the first sensing value and the second sensing value (see Wade Figs. 4B and 6, which show that the device uses the ratio of the sum and the difference of the detectors, which uses the differences of the detector values.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the device of Wade with magnets and sensors disposed like that in ‘366 in order to enable the device to control the position of the imaging device using closed-loop feedback control like that disclosed in ‘366.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wade in view of Smyth as applied to claim 11, above, and further in view of Bian.
Regarding claim 18, Wade discloses the camera module of claim 11, but does not disclose an auto focus (AF) carrier accommodating the OIS carrier and disposed in the housing; an AF magnet fixed to a side of the AF carrier; and an AF coil fixed to a second inner surface of the housing to face the AF magnet, wherein at least one processor individually or collectively, is configured to cause the electronic device to perform AF by controlling a current applied to the AF coil to move the image sensor in a direction parallel to the optical axis.
Bian discloses an auto focus (AF) carrier accommodating the OIS carrier and disposed in the housing (see Bian Fig. 1, item 11); an AF magnet fixed to a side of the AF carrier (see Bian Fig. 3, item 122); and an AF coil fixed to a second inner surface of the housing to face the AF magnet (see Bian Fig. 3, item 121), wherein the driving circuit is configured to perform AF by controlling a current applied to the AF coil to move the image sensor in a direction parallel to the optical axis (while not specifically recited, Bian discloses that “the magnetic field generated when the focusing coil 121 is energized can interact with the magnetic field of the focusing magnet 122 to generate a driving force along the optical axis direction and drive the lens to move along the optical axis direction to realize auto-focusing.” Such energization inherently requires a driving circuit to energize the coil.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide the device of Wade with an auto-focus carrier like that in Bian in order to enable the optical device of Wade to adjust the focus position of the image for clear images.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NOAM S REISNER whose telephone number is (571)270-7542. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:30PM.
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/NOAM REISNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852 8/31/2026
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