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
This application is a continuation of U.S. application No. 18/507,708, filed on 11/13/2023, now US patent No. 12,213,255; which is a continuation of U.S. application 18/155,269, filed on 01/17/2023, now US patent No. 11,856,697; and which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 17/243,320, filed on 04/28/2021, now US patent No. 11,602,052; which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 16/846,799, filed on 04/13/2020, now US patent No. 11,026,329; and which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 16/093,040, filed on 10/11/2018, now US patent No. 10,660,204.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on 12/12/2024; 03/20/2025; and 08/14/2025 have been considered and made of record.
Oath/Declaration
The oath/declaration filed on 12/12/2024 is acceptable.
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 1-3, 5, 7 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa et al. [KR 20060125569], in view of Ma [US 2009/0023348] and Suenaga Akihiro [JP 2014-011565].
Regarding claim 1, Nakagawa et al., disclose a device (figures 1-10) for fixing a camera module circuit board (31, figure 9), comprising: a base part (51, figures 6 and 9); a fixing unit (50, figures 6 and 9) including a first fixing part (52, figures 6 and 9) configured to support one side of each of a plurality of boards (31, figure 9); and wherein the first fixing part comprises a plurality of first fixing parts (52, figures 6 and 9) extending in a first direction from the base part.
Nakagawa et al., disclose the claimed invention except for a plurality of protruding parts protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first direction in order to support one side of each of the plurality of boards, and a second fixing part configured to support another side facing one side of each of the plurality of boards, wherein the second fixing part comprises the plurality of second fixing parts extending in the first direction from the base part, and includes a plurality of protruding parts for supporting the other side of each of the plurality of boards, wherein the first fixing part is formed with a first width, and the second fixing part is formed with a second width narrower than the first width.
Ma discloses a camera module (1, figures 1-5), comprising a fixing unit (10, figures 1-5), wherein the fixing unit includes a base part (101, figures 1-2), a first fixing part (103 & 105, figures 1-2) and a second fixing part (107 & 109, figures 1-2),
wherein the first fixing part comprises the plurality of first fixing parts (103 & 105, figures 1-2) extending in a first direction (a vertical direction is from a base part 101, figures 1-2), wherein the first fixing part is formed with a first width (a length of a bending portion 103 and/or 105, figures 1-2), and
wherein the second fixing part comprises the plurality of second fixing parts (107 & 109, figures 1-2) extending in the first direction (the vertical direction is from the base part 101, figures 1-2), wherein the second fixing part is formed with a second width (a short length of a bending portion 109, figures 1-2), and the second fixing part is formed with the second width narrower than the first width.
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a second fixing part which is formed with a second width narrow than a width of a first fixing part on a fixing unit of Nakagawa et al., as suggested by Ma, in order to provide a second fixing part with more resilience than a first fixing part to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Suenaga Akihiro discloses a camera module (figures 1-4) comprising a fixing unit (6, figures 1-4), wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of protruding parts (6c, figures 1-4) protruding in a direction perpendicular to a first direction (a vertical side of the fixing unit 6, figures 1-4) in order to support at least one side of a circuit board (5, figures 1-4).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a plurality of protruding parts on a first fixing part and a second fixing part of a camera of Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, as suggested by Suenaga Akihiro, in order to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Regarding claim 2, Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma and Suenaga Akihiro, disclose wherein the first fixing part is extensively disposed from a corner area opposite to the base part (51, figures 6 and 9), and the plurality of protruding parts of first fixing part are formed by bending an area protruded from a lateral surface of the first fixing part (figures 6 and 9).
Regarding claim 3, Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma disclose wherein the first fixing part is such that a pair of first fixing parts (52, figures 6 and 9) is disposed on the base part, each facing the other first fixing part.
Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the plurality of protruding parts of first fixing parts are so formed as to protrude into an inner space mounted with the board.
Suenaga Akihiro discloses a camera module (figures 1-4) comprising a fixing unit (6, figures 1-4), wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of protruding parts (6c, figures 1-4) protruding in a direction perpendicular to a first direction (a vertical side of the fixing unit 6, figures 1-4) in order to support at least one side of a circuit board (5, figures 1-4).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a plurality of protruding parts on a first fixing part of a camera of Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, as suggested by Suenaga Akihiro, in order to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Regarding claim 5, Nakagawa et al., disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the second fixing part is formed by extending to the first direction from mutually parallel sides of the base part, and wherein the plurality of protruding parts of the second fixing part protrude toward an inner space mounted with the board in order to support the other side of the board.
Ma further discloses wherein the second fixing part is formed by extending to the first direction from mutually parallel sides (107 & 109, figures 1-2) of the base part (101, figures 1-2).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a second fixing part on a fixing unit of Nakagawa et al., as suggested by Ma, in order to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Suenaga Akihiro discloses a camera module (figures 1-4) comprising a fixing unit (6, figures 1-4), wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of protruding parts (6c, figures 1-4) protruding in a direction perpendicular to a first direction (a vertical side of the fixing unit 6, figures 1-4) in order to support at least one side of a circuit board (5, figures 1-4).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a plurality of protruding parts on a second fixing part of a camera of Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, as suggested by Suenaga Akihiro, in order to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Regarding claim 7, Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the plurality of protruding parts of the first fixing part support a lower surface of each of the plurality of boards, and wherein the plurality of protruding parts of the second fixing part support an upper surface of each of the plurality of boards.
Suenaga Akihiro discloses a camera module (figures 1-4) comprising a fixing unit (6, figures 1-4), wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of protruding parts (6c, figures 1-4) protruding in a direction perpendicular to a first direction (a vertical side of the fixing unit 6, figures 1-4) in order to support at least one side of a circuit board (5, figures 1-4).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a plurality of protruding parts of a first fixing part support a lower surface of each of the plurality of boards, and a plurality of protruding parts of a second fixing part support an upper surface of each of the plurality of boards, in a fixing unit of a camera of Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, as suggested by Suenaga Akihiro, in order to support a plurality of boards in a camera module, since it has been held that rearranging parts such as a plurality of protruding parts in a fixing unit of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 18, Nakagawa et al., disclose a camera module (figures 1-10) comprising:
a fixing unit (50, figures 6 and 9) including a base part (51, figures 6 and 9) and a first fixing part (52, figures 6 and 9) configured to support one side of each of a plurality of boards (31a & 31b, figure 9),
an image sensor (31c, figure 9) mounted on a board (31a, figure 9) disposed at an uppermost area in the plurality of boards (31a & 31b, figure 9);
a lens (33, figure 9) disposed on a path of light introduced into the image sensor;
a lens barrel (35, figure 9) fixing the lens; and
a housing (32 & 60, figure 9) accommodating the fixing unit, the image sensor, and the lens; and
wherein the first fixing part comprises a plurality of first fixing parts (52, figures 6 and 9) extending in a first direction from the base part.
Nakagawa et al., disclose the claimed invention except for a plurality of protruding parts protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first direction in order to support one side of each of the plurality of boards, and a second fixing part configured to support another side facing one side of each of the plurality of boards, wherein the second fixing part comprises the plurality of second fixing parts extending in the first direction from the base part, and includes a plurality of protruding parts for supporting the other side of each of the plurality of boards, wherein the first fixing part is formed with a first width, and the second fixing part is formed with a second width narrower than the first width.
Ma discloses a camera module (1, figures 1-5), comprising a fixing unit (10, figures 1-5), wherein the fixing unit includes a base part (101, figures 1-2), a first fixing part (103 & 105, figures 1-2) and a second fixing part (107 & 109, figures 1-2),
wherein the first fixing part comprises the plurality of first fixing parts (103 & 105, figures 1-2) extending in a first direction (a vertical direction is from a base part 101, figures 1-2), wherein the first fixing part is formed with a first width (a length of a bending portion 103 and/or 105, figures 1-2), and
wherein the second fixing part comprises the plurality of second fixing parts (107 & 109, figures 1-2) extending in the first direction (the vertical direction is from the base part 101, figures 1-2), wherein the second fixing part is formed with a second width (a short length of a bending portion 109, figures 1-2), and the second fixing part is formed with the second width narrower than the first width.
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a second fixing part which is formed with a second width narrow than a width of a first fixing part on a fixing unit of Nakagawa et al., as suggested by Ma, in order to provide a second fixing part with more resilience than a first fixing part to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Suenaga Akihiro discloses a camera module (figures 1-4) comprising a fixing unit (6, figures 1-4), wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of protruding parts (6c, figures 1-4) protruding in a direction perpendicular to a first direction (a vertical side of the fixing unit 6, figures 1-4) in order to support at least one side of a circuit board (5, figures 1-4).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a plurality of protruding parts on a first fixing part and a second fixing part of a camera of Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, as suggested by Suenaga Akihiro, in order to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Regarding claim 19, Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma and Suenaga Akihiro, disclose wherein the first fixing part is extensively disposed from a corner area opposite to the base part (51, figures 6 and 9), and the plurality of protruding parts of first fixing part are formed by bending an area protruded from a lateral surface of the first fixing part (figures 6 and 9).
Regarding claim 20, Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma disclose wherein the first fixing part is such that a pair of first fixing parts (52, figures 6 and 9) is disposed on the base part, each facing the other first fixing part.
Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the plurality of protruding parts of first fixing parts are so formed as to protrude into an inner space mounted with the board.
Suenaga Akihiro discloses a camera module (figures 1-4) comprising a fixing unit (6, figures 1-4), wherein the fixing unit includes a plurality of protruding parts (6c, figures 1-4) protruding in a direction perpendicular to a first direction (a vertical side of the fixing unit 6, figures 1-4) in order to support at least one side of a circuit board (5, figures 1-4).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a plurality of protruding parts on a first fixing part of a camera of Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, as suggested by Suenaga Akihiro, in order to support a plurality of boards in a camera module.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, and Suenaga Akihiro as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Inoue et al. [US 2011/0298925].
Regarding claim 8, Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, and Suenaga Akihiro, disclose wherein the plurality of boards include a rigid circuit board in which a plurality of vertically mutually opposite boards is stacked up (31a & 31b, figure 9).
Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, and Suenaga Akihiro, disclose the claimed invention except for a flexible circuit board mutually and electrically connecting the plurality of rigid circuit boards.
Inoue et al., disclose a camera module (10, figures 1-12) comprising a plurality of boards (32, 33 and 34, figures 5-6) include a rigid circuit board in which a plurality of vertically mutually opposite boards is stacked up (32, 33 and 34, figures 5-6), and a flexible circuit board (36, figure 6) mutually and electrically connecting the plurality of rigid circuit boards.
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to use a flexible board to connect between a plurality of boards in a camera module of Nakagawa et al., in view of Ma, and Suenaga Akihiro, as suggested by Inoue et al., in order to provide electrical connections between a plurality of boards on a camera module.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6 and 9-17 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:
The claim 4 discloses the combination features of “wherein a protruding length of the plurality of protruding parts of the first fixing part decreases as distance from the base part increases.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the claim 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records.
The claim 6 discloses the combination features of “wherein the second fixing part is formed with a step portion formed between the protruding parts of second fixing part.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the combination features of the claims 5 and 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records.
The claim 9 discloses the combination features of “wherein the boards are respectively formed with escape grooves, each having a different size, in order to inhibit interference with at least a portion of the protruding parts among the protruding parts of the first fixing part.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the combination features of the claims 8 and 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records.
The claim 10 discloses the combination features of “a fixing cap coupled to the first fixing part and the second fixing part to inhibit the first fixing part and the second fixing part from being opened.” These features, in conjunction with other features, as claimed in the claim 1, were neither found to be disclosed, nor suggested by the prior art of records. Claims 11-17 depend on the allowed claim 10.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Ma [US 2008/0254652] discloses electrical connector assembly; and
Ma [US 2007/0287314] discloses electrical connector having improved shield.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hung S. Bui whose telephone number is (571)272-2102. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8am-5pm.
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/HUNG S. BUI/Primary Examiner, 2841/2800
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