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 .
Drawings
The drawings were received on 12/03/2024. These drawings are acceptable.
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.
Claims 1, 3, and 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Okada et al. US PGPub 2022/0350106 A1 (of record, see IDS dated 12/03/2024) in view of Suzuki US PGPub 2023/0100905 A1.
Regarding independent claim 1, Okada discloses an optical apparatus (title, abstract) comprising:
a first holding member configured to hold a first movable lens unit (Fig. 1, fourth lens unit barrel 122 is driven along the optical axis and is a holding member for fourth lens unit L4, par. [0027]),
a first guide member and a second guide member that guide the first holding member in an optical axis direction (Fig. 1, guide bars 123a and 123b, par. [0027], and at least guide bar 123a guides movement of fourth lens unit barrel 122 in the optical axis direction, par. [0047]),
a first driving unit configured to drive the first holding member in the optical axis direction (Fig. 1, fourth lens unit barrel 122 is electrically driven in the optical axis direction by linear ultrasonic motor 124, par. [0027]),
a first coupling member configured to transmit a driving force of the first driving unit to the first holding member (Fig. 7, rack 131 is held in contact with the fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0035], and a driving force of the linear ultrasonic motor 124 is transferred to the fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0036]), and
a first biasing member configured to bias the first holding member and the first driving unit and to bias the first holding member and the first guide member (Fig. 7, rack spring 132 is a biasing member, par. [0034], and rack 131 is biased in a Z direction parallel to the optical axis direction by the biasing force of the rack spring 132, and rack 131 is held in contact with fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0035]),
wherein the first holding member includes a first linear guide portion which contacts the first guide member and is guided along a first axis parallel to an optical axis (Fig. 7, fourth lens unit barrel 122 includes rack guide shaft 133 that contacts guide bar 123a, par. [0033], and is disposed along an axis parallel to the optical axis line X-X, par. [0022]), and a first regulating portion which contacts the second guide member (Fig. 7, guide bar 123b is engaged with a U-shaped groove 122f of the fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0038]),
wherein a sliding surface of the first linear guide portion that slides with respect to the first guide member exists in a range of ±90 degrees around the first axis (Fig. 7, rack guide shaft 133 exists in a range of at least 180 degrees around the axis that is defined by rack guide shaft 133) from an intersection between a straight line drawn from a center of the first axis and an outer peripheral surface of the first guide member in a reaction force direction of a resultant force formed by a first force applied to the first holding member by the first biasing member and a second force received by the first regulating portion from the second guide member (Fig. 7, rack spring 132 applies a first force to fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0045], and guide bar 123b applies a second force through groove 122f to fourth lens unit barrel 122 to prevent the fourth lens unit barrel 122 from rotating about the guide bar 123a, par. [0038], and by Newton’s third law the reaction force would be equal in magnitude to the resultant force that would be the vector sum of the first and second forces, and the reaction force would be directed in the opposite direction of the resultant force, thus the reaction force would be along the line drawn from a center of the first axis and an outer peripheral surface of the guide bar 123),
wherein the first guide member or the other member is disposed so as to overlap the first linear guide portion viewed in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis (Fig. 7, guide bar 123a, when viewed along a direction orthogonal to optical axis X, is disposed to overlap rack guide shaft 133).
Okada does not disclose wherein the first linear guide portion (i.e., rack guide shaft 133) has a cutout portion in a range not including the sliding surface viewed in the optical axis direction (Okada does not teach or suggest cutouts), and Okada does not disclose wherein a part of the first guide member (i.e., guide bar 123a) or another member exists in the cutout portion viewed in the optical axis direction (because Okada does not teach or suggest cutouts, Okada cannot teach or suggest viewing elements through a cutout along an optical axis direction).
In the same field of invention, Suzuki discloses a lens holder driving device (title, abstract), where lens holder driving device 101, shown in at least Fig. 4, includes movable members MB supported by shaft members 5 (par. [0043]), where a first right-bearing portion 32AR includes a first semi-circle cutout CT1 to receive second shaft member 5B and second left-bearing portion 32BL includes a second semi-circle cutout CT2, to receive the first shaft member 5A (par. [0049]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Suzuki to the disclosure of Okada and included cutouts in the rack guide shaft 133, because Suzuki teaches such a configuration for a lens holder device can reduce manufacturing cost (Suzuki, par. [0121]).
As a consequence, the prior art combination teaches and renders obvious the limitation wherein a part of the first guide member (i.e., guide bar 123a) exists in the cutout portion viewed in the optical axis direction (because Suzuki teaches the advantage of a cutout, the combination renders obvious viewing elements along the optical axis direction through the cutout).
Regarding dependent claim 3, the prior art combination of Okada in view of Suzuki (hereinafter, “modified Okada”) discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 1, and Okada discloses the apparatus further comprising:
a second holding member configured to hold a second movable lens unit (Okada, Fig. 1, fifth lens unit L5 is held in a fifth lens unit barrel 127, par. [0029]),
wherein the second holding member (Okada fifth lens unit barrel 127, par. [0029]) includes a second linear guide portion that is guided in the optical axis direction (Okada Figs. 9 and 10, fifth lens unit barrel 127 includes contact portion 127a, par. [0045]), and a second regulating portion that contacts against the first guide member ( Okada Fig. 10 shows barrel 127 in contact with barrel 122, and barrel 122 is in contact with guide bar 123a, and barrel 127 includes contact portion 127a, equivalent to a second regulating portion, therefore portion 127a of barrel 127 is in contact with bar 123a), and
wherein at least when the first holding member and the second holding member are close to each other in the optical axis direction, the second regulating portion overlaps the first linear guide portion in a plane orthogonal to the first axis (Okada Fig. 10 shows fourth lens unit barrel 122 and the fifth lens unit barrel 127 in an interfering state, where a contact portion 122g of the fourth lens unit barrel 122 and a contact portion 127a of the fifth lens unit barrel 127 are brought into contact with each other, par. [0045], and when viewed orthogonally to optical axis X-X, portion 127a overlaps shaft 133).
Okada does not disclose a second driving unit configured to drive the second holding member in the optical axis direction (Okada discloses linear ultrasonic motor 124 but does not teach or suggest a second motor), and therefore Okada does not disclose a second coupling member configured to transmit a driving force of the second driving unit to the second holding member (since Okada only discloses motor 124, Okada cannot disclose a second coupling member to transmit a driving force from a second driving unit to fifth lens unit barrel 127).
Suzuki discloses lens holder driving device 101 includes piezoelectric drivers PD1 and PD2 (refer to Fig. 4 and par. [0061] at least), where piezoelectric driver PD1 moves first lens holder 3A along the optical axis and piezoelectric driver PD2 moves second lens holder 3B along the optical axis (Suzuki par. [0061]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Suzuki to the disclosure of Okada and included a second driving unit, such as another linear ultrasonic motor as disclosed by Okada, in the image pickup apparatus, because Suzuki teaches such an arrangement allows the first lens and second lens to move separately (Suzuki, par. [0032]).
The combination of Okada in view of Suzuki teaches and renders obvious the limitation wherein a second coupling member is configured to transmit a driving force of the second driving unit to the second holding member, because Suzuki discloses contact members for each piezoelectric driver (refer to Suzuki par. [0058]), to transfer forces from the drivers to the lens holders.
Regarding dependent claim 5, modified Okada discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 1, and Okada further discloses wherein the first regulating portion prevents the first holding member from rotating around the first guide member by coming into contact with the second guide member (Okada Fig. 7 shows groove 122f prevents rotation of fourth lens unit barrel 122 around guide bar 123a by contact with guide bar 123b).
Regarding dependent claim 6, modified Okada discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 3, and Suzuki further discloses wherein the second regulating portion prevents the second holding member from rotating around the first guide member by coming into contact with the first guide member (Suzuki discloses bearing portions 32 function as rotation stoppers for stopping each lens holder 3 from rotating around the shaft member 5, par. [0045]).
Regarding dependent claim 7, modified Okada discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 1, and Okada further discloses wherein the first holding member (i.e., Okada fourth lens unit barrel 122) is provided with a third regulating portion that regulates separation of the first holding member from the second guiding member (Okada discloses when the fourth lens unit barrel 122 and the fifth lens unit barrel 127 are in the interfering state, a contact portion 122g of the fourth lens unit barrel 122 and a contact portion 127a of the fifth lens unit barrel 127 are brought into contact with each other, see Fig. 10, par. [0045]).
Regarding dependent claim 8, modified Okada discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 7, and Okada further discloses wherein rotation of the third regulating portion (Okada contact portion 127a) is stopped by a cylindrical member to which the second guide member is fixed (Okada Figs. 10 and 11, contact portion 127a is stopped by cylindrical contact portion 122g of barrel 122, par. [0045]).
Regarding dependent claim 9, modified Okada discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 7, and Okada further discloses wherein rotation of the third regulating portion is stopped by the second guide member (Okada Figs. 10 and 11, contact portion 127a is stopped by cylindrical contact portion 122g of barrel 122, par. [0045]).
Regarding independent claim 10, Okada discloses an image pickup apparatus (Fig. 1, mount 101 is a component to be fixed to an image pickup apparatus main body, not shown, par. [0023]) comprising:
an optical apparatus (title, abstract), and
an imaging element configured to capture an image formed by the optical apparatus (lens barrel 100 is to be used in an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup element configured to pick up an image formed by the lens barrel 100, par. [0052]), the optical apparatus comprising:
a first holding member configured to hold a first movable lens unit (Fig. 1, fourth lens unit barrel 122 is driven along the optical axis and is a holding member for fourth lens unit L4, par. [0027]),
a first guide member and a second guide member that guide the first holding member in an optical axis direction (Fig. 1, guide bars 123a and 123b, par. [0027], and guide bar 123a guides the movement of the fourth lens unit barrel 122 in the optical axis direction, par. [0047]),
a first driving unit configured to drive the first holding member in the optical axis direction (Fig. 1, fourth lens unit barrel 122 is electrically driven in the optical axis direction by linear ultrasonic motor 124, par. [0027]),
a first coupling member configured to transmit a driving force of the first driving unit to the first holding member (Fig. 7, rack 131 is held in contact with the fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0035], and a driving force of the linear ultrasonic motor 124 is transferred to the fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0036]), and
a first biasing member configured to bias the first holding member and the first driving unit and to bias the first holding member and the first guide member (Fig. 7, rack spring 132 is a biasing member, par. [0034], and rack 131 is biased in a Z direction parallel to the optical axis direction by the biasing force of the rack spring 132, and rack 131 is held in contact with fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0035]),
wherein the first holding member includes a first linear guide portion which contacts the first guide member and is guided along a first axis parallel to an optical axis (Fig. 7, fourth lens unit barrel 122 includes rack guide shaft 133 that contacts guide bar 123a, par. [0033], and is disposed along an axis parallel to the optical axis X), and
a first regulating portion which contacts the second guide member (Fig. 7, guide bar 123b is engaged with a U-shaped groove 122f of the fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0038]),
wherein a sliding surface of the first linear guide portion that slides with respect to the first guide member exists in a range of ±90 degrees around the first axis (Fig. 7, rack guide shaft 133 exists in a range of at least 180 degrees around the axis that is defined by rack guide shaft 133) from an intersection between a straight line drawn from a center of the first axis and an outer peripheral surface of the first guide member in a reaction force direction of a resultant force formed by a first force applied to the first holding member by the first biasing member and a second force received by the first regulating portion from the second guide member (Fig. 7, rack spring 132 applies a first force to fourth lens unit barrel 122, par. [0045], and guide bar 123b applies a second force through groove 122f to fourth lens unit barrel 122 to prevent the fourth lens unit barrel 122 from rotating about the guide bar 123a, par. [0038], and by Newton’s third law the reaction force would be equal in magnitude to the resultant force that would be the vector sum of the first and second forces, and the reaction force would be directed in the opposite direction of the resultant force, thus the reaction force would be along the line drawn from a center of the first axis and an outer peripheral surface of the guide bar 123),
wherein the first guide member or the other member includes an optical apparatus disposed so as to overlap the first linear guide portion viewed in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis (Fig. 7, guide bar 123a, when viewed along a direction orthogonal to optical axis X, is disposed to overlap rack guide shaft 133).
Okada does not disclose wherein the first linear guide portion (i.e., rack guide shaft 133) has a cutout portion in a range not including the sliding surface viewed in the optical axis direction (Okada does not teach or suggest cutouts), and Okada does not disclose wherein a part of the first guide member (i.e., guide bar 123a) or another member exists in the cutout portion viewed in the optical axis direction (because Okada does not teach or suggest cutouts, Okada cannot teach or suggest viewing elements through a cutout along an optical axis direction).
In the same field of invention, Suzuki discloses a lens holder driving device (title, abstract), where lens holder driving device 101, shown in at least Fig. 4, includes movable members MB supported by shaft members 5 (par. [0043]), where a first right-bearing portion 32AR includes a first semi-circle cutout CT1 to receive second shaft member 5B and second left-bearing portion 32BL includes a second semi-circle cutout CT2, to receive the first shaft member 5A (par. [0049]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have applied the teachings of Suzuki to the disclosure of Okada and included cutouts in the rack guide shaft 133, because Suzuki teaches such a configuration for a lens holder device can reduce manufacturing cost (Suzuki, par. [0121]).
As a consequence, the prior art combination teaches and renders obvious the limitation wherein a part of the first guide member (i.e., guide bar 123a) exists in the cutout portion viewed in the optical axis direction (because Suzuki teaches the advantage of a cutout, the combination renders obvious viewing elements along the optical axis direction through the cutout).
Potentially Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 4 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.
Regarding dependent claim 2, the prior art combination of Okada in view of Suzuki discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 1, and Okada further discloses wherein the first linear guide contacts the first guide member at a first contact point and a second contact point viewed in the optical axis direction (Okada Fig. 7, rack guide shaft 133 contacts guide bar 123a at two points, at least, when viewed along the optical axis line X-X), but the prior art combination does not teach or suggest wherein an extension line of a first sliding surface of the first linear guide portion including the first contact point and an extension line of a second sliding surface of the first linear guide portion including the second contact point intersect with each other in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis (Okada is silent as to the existence of an extension line, and the disclosed arrangement of elements in the device disclosed by Okada do not appear to align so as to meet the limitation as recited), nor wherein the first contact point is closer to the first driving unit (i.e., Okada linear ultrasonic motor 124) than the second contact point and exists between the intersection and 90 degrees in a direction approaching the first driving unit with the center of the first guide member as an axis, alternatively, or the second contact point exists between the intersection and 90 degrees in a direction away from the first driving unit with the center of the first guide member as an axis (the cited prior art does not disclose, teach, or suggest an arrangement of elements such that the limitation is met).
Regarding dependent claim 4, modified Okada discloses the optical apparatus according to claim 3, and Suzuki further discloses wherein a second biasing member configured to bias the second holding member and the second driving unit and to bias the second holding member and the second guiding member (Suzuki discloses each piezoelectric driver PD may be biased inward by the corresponding biasing member 13 fixed to the lens holder 3 such that the piezoelectric driver is pressed against the shaft member 5, par. [0060]),
wherein the second linear guide contacts the second guide member at a third contact point and a fourth contact point viewed in the optical axis direction (Suzuki discloses second piezoelectric driver PD2 is pressed against the second shaft member 5B by the second biasing member 13B, par. [0063], therefore Suzuki teaches third and fourth contact points for shaft member 5B), but the cited prior art, either singly or in combination, does not teach or suggest wherein a third sliding surface of the second linear guide portion including the third contact point and a fourth sliding surface of the second linear guide portion including the fourth contact point have extension lines that intersect with each other on a plane orthogonal to the optical axis (Okada is silent as to the existence of an extension line, and the arrangement of elements in the device disclosed by Okada does not appear to align so as to meet the limitation as recited).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Asano US PGPub 2008/0174882 A1 discloses a lens barrel (see at least Fig. 1), with a focus motor unit 80, first and second zoom lens units 10 and 40 (pars. [0031-36]), and coupling elements, such as sleeves 91a and 92 (par. [0040]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Justin W Hustoft whose telephone number is (571)272-4519. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricky L Mack can be reached at (571)272-2333. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN W. HUSTOFT/Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/MARIN PICHLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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