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.
Claims 1-17, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by WO 2017068912 A1 to Pan et al. (employing US Patent Publication No. 2018/0224720 as a translation).
Regarding claim 1, Pan teaches an optical accessory for an image capture device (e.g. fig. 3, elements 200 and 300) including a lens barrel (e.g., fig. 3, element 300) supporting a first lens (e.g., fig. 3, lens 302), the optical accessory comprising a second lens (e.g., fig. 3, element 104 or 106; [0080]), and a retaining mechanism directly connectable to the lens barrel in the image capture device (e.g., fig. 1, via unlabeled bayonet mounting mechanism) such that the second lens covers the first lens (e.g., figs. 1 and 3), wherein the optical accessory is configured to transmit data to the image capture device when connected thereto (e.g., fig. 3, via element 150; [0077], [0153]).
Regarding claim 2, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 2 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the optical accessory further includes a non-volatile memory (e.g., fig. 3, element 126; [0075]).
Regarding claim 3, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 3 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 2, supra) including teaching wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store more than two bits of data (e.g., [0075], firmware of the lens data and/or lens data of the interchangeable lens would require more than the 4 representable numbers of two bits of data).
Regarding claim 4, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 4 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 2, supra) including teaching wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store at least one of an identifier of the second lens (e.g., [0075], [0094]), calibration data of the second lens (e.g., [0075], [0094]), and optical parameters of the second lens (e.g., [0075], [0094]).
Regarding claim 5, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 5 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 2, supra) including teaching wherein the optical accessory further includes a communications interface to transfer data from the non-volatile memory to the image capture device (e.g., fig. 3, element 150 and via interface established by element 160 of fig. 3) such that the image capture device receives data stored in the non-volatile memory as signals transmitted via the communications interface (e.g., fig. 3; [0100], [0153]).
Regarding claim 6, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 6 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 5, supra) including teaching wherein the communication interface includes one or more first electrical conductors configured for contact with one or more second electrical conductors on the image capture device (e.g., figs. 1, 3 and 4; [0106-109], via terminals).
Regarding claim 7, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 7 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 5, supra) including teaching wherein the communications interface (e.g., fig. 3, element 150 and interface established by element 160 of fig. 3) includes an identification tag (e.g., fig. 3, element 150) configured to transmit signals to an identification reader in the image capture device (e.g., fig. 3, element 250)..
Regarding claim 8, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 8 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the optical accessory is configured for threaded connection to the image capture device (e.g., fig. 1, via a singular turn bayonet threading).
Regarding claim 9, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 9 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the second lens is configured to augment optical properties of the image capture device (e.g., fig. 3, element 104 or 106; [0080]).
Regarding claim 10, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 10 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the optical accessory is configured for automatic detection by the image capture device (e.g., [0139]).
Regarding claim 11, Pan teaches an optical accessory (e.g. fig. 3, element 100) for an image capture device (e.g. fig. 3, elements 200 and 300) including a first lens (e.g., fig. 3, lens 302) supported by an integrated lens barrel (e.g., fig. 3, element 300) such that the first lens is located within a body of the image capture device when the optical accessory is connected to the image capture device (e.g., figs. 1 and 3), wherein the optical accessory is configured for removable connection to the image capture device (e.g., fig. 1) such that the image capture device is operable in a first configuration when the optical accessory is disconnected from the image capture device (e.g., as this is limitation is directed to functionality of the image capture device and not the recited optical accessory, the image capture device can be operable in a configuration including a different interchangeable lens) and in a second configuration when the optical accessory is connected to the image capture device to thereby augment optical properties of the image capture device (e.g., as this is limitation is directed to functionality of the image capture device and not the recited optical accessory, the image capture device can be operable in a configuration including element 100 of figs. 1 and 3), and wherein the optical accessory is configured to transmit data to the image capture device in the second configuration (e.g., [0077], [0153]).
Regarding claim 12, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 12 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 11, supra) including teaching wherein the optical accessory includes a second lens (e.g., fig. 3, element 104 or 106; [0080]), and a retaining mechanism configured for engagement with the image capture device (e.g., fig. 1, via unlabeled bayonet mounting mechanism) such that the second lens covers the first lens in the second configuration (e.g., figs. 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 13, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 13 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 12, supra) including teaching the further optical accessory including a non-volatile memory (e.g., fig. 3, element 126; [0075]).
Regarding claim 14, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 14 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 13, supra) including teaching wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store more than two bits of data (e.g., [0075], firmware of the lens data and/or lens data of the interchangeable lens would require more than the 4 representable numbers of two bits of data).
Regarding claim 15, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 15 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 13, supra) including teaching wherein optical accessory is configured to transmit data stored in the non-volatile memory to the image capture device in the second configuration e.g., fig. 3; [0100], [0153]).
Regarding claim 16, Pan teaches an optical accessory configured for removable connection to an image capture device including a first lens and a first electrical conductor, wherein the optical accessory is configured to augment optical properties of the image capture device and comprises: a second lens (e.g., fig. 3, element 104 or 106; [0080]) configured to cover the first lens (e.g., fig. 3, element 302) and a communications interface (e.g., fig. 3, elements 150 and 160) including a second electrical conductor (fig. 3, element 160; [0106-109], via terminals) configured for contact with the first electrical conductor to thereby transfer data identifying the optical accessory to the image capture device (fig. 3, element 362; [0106-109], via terminals).
Regarding claim 17, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 17 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 16, supra) including teaching the optical accessory further including a retaining mechanism configured for threaded connection to a lens barrel of the image capture device supporting the first lens (e.g., fig. 1, via a singular turn bayonet threading).
Regarding claim 19, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 19 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 16, supra) including teaching the optical accessory further including a non-volatile memory storing the data (e.g., fig. 3, element 126; [0075]).
Regarding claim 20, Pan teaches all of the limitations of claim 20 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection to claim 19, supra) including teaching wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store more than two bits of data (e.g., [0075], firmware of the lens data and/or lens data of the interchangeable lens would require more than the 4 representable numbers of two bits of data) including at least one of an identifier of the second lens (e.g., [0075], [0094]), calibration data of the second lens (e.g., [0075], [0094]), and optical parameters of the second lens (e.g., [0075], [0094]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 18 is 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0049951 to Wei teaches a similar optical accessory structure.
U.S. Patent No. 9,167,140 to Nakajima et al. teaches a similar optical accessory structure.
U.S. Patent No. 10,440,248 to Park teaches a similar optical accessory structure.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY C VIEAUX whose telephone number is (571)272-7318. The examiner can normally be reached Increased Flex.
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/GARY C VIEAUX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638