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 § 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 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (2024/0369800) in view of Liu et al. (2024/0061322).
Regarding claim 1, Choi discloses an imaging lens (at least Figure 1, 1000, camera module), wherein the imaging lens includes a lens barrel (500, lens barrel) and a plurality of lenses received in the lens barrel (111, first lens, 113, second lens, 115, third lens), and the plurality of lenses include at least a first lens (111, first lens) and a second lens arranged sequentially from an object side to an image side of the imaging lens (113, second lens), wherein the second lens has an outer diameter 1.1 times or more than an outer diameter of the first lens ([0130] teaches A2, diameter, of 113, second lens, may be 10 mm or less; [0129] teaches A1, diameter, of 111, first lens, may be 5 mm or less; thus A2, diameter, is more than 1.1 times than A1, diameter).
Choi fails to teach the first lens is fixedly connected to the lens barrel by first fixing glue. Choi and Liu are related because both teach an imaging lens.
Liu teaches an imaging lens (Figure 4) wherein the first lens is fixedly connected to the lens barrel by first fixing glue (Figure 4, 11, glass lens, is fixed to 21, lens barrel, by 31, adhesive layer).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Liu and provide the first lens is fixedly connected to the lens barrel by first fixing glue. Doing so would allow for reliable and durable fitting of the first lens and the subsequent components within the imaging lens.
Regarding claim 2, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 1, wherein the first lens includes an image side surface close to the image side (Liu: 1112, image-side inner surface, and 1122, installation part lower surface), an object side surface close to the object side (Liu: 1111, object-side outer surface, and 1121, installation part upper surface), and a connection surface connecting the image side surface and the object side surface (Liu: 1123, installation part side surface), and the first fixing glue extends from the image side surface of the first lens to the connection surface of the first lens (Liu: 31, adhesive layer, extends from 1122, installation part lower surface, to 1123, installation part side surface).
Regarding claim 3, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 1, wherein the first lens and the lens barrel define a dispensing groove in a circumferential direction of the first lens, and the first fixing glue includes multiple sections spaced apart in the dispensing groove (Liu: 2113, inner adhesive groove, 2114, outer adhesive groove; [0073]).
Regarding claim 6, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 1, wherein the second lens has an outer diameter at least 0.5 millimeters larger than an outer diameter of the first lens ([0130] teaches A2, diameter, of 113, second lens, may be 10 mm or less; [0129] teaches A1, diameter, of 111, first lens, may be 5 mm or less; thus A2, diameter, is more than 0.5 mm than A1, diameter).
Regarding claim 7, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 1, wherein a lens in the plurality of lenses closest to the image side (115, third lens) has an effective diameter twice or more than an effective diameter of a lens in the plurality of lenses closest to the object side ([0131] teaches A3, diameter, of 115, third lens, may be 10 mm or less; [0129] teaches A1, diameter, of 111, first lens, may be 5 mm or less; thus A3, diameter, is more than twice A1, diameter).
Regarding claim 8, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 1, wherein a light shielding sheet is provided between the first lens and the second lens (121, light blocking film).
Claims 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (2024/0369800) in view of Liu et al. (2024/0061322), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wei et al. (2017/0139172).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the second lens is in interference fit with the lens barrel to achieve fixation of the second lens and the lens barrel. The modified Choi and Wei are related because each teach an imaging lens.
Wei teaches an imaging lens wherein the second lens is in interference fit with the lens barrel to achieve fixation of the second lens and the lens barrel (Figure 1, 22, second lens; [0014] teaches 22, second lens, is press fit with 12, second barrel wall).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have further modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Wei and provide wherein the second lens is in interference fit with the lens barrel to achieve fixation of the second lens and the lens barrel. Doing so would allow for reliable and durable fitting of the second lens and the subsequent components within the imaging lens.
Regarding claim 5, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 4, wherein second fixing glue is further provided between the second lens and the lens barrel (Wei: [0014] teaches the second lens is fixed further by glue in 1, lens barrel).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (2024/0369800) in view of Liu et al. (2024/0061322), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chen et al. (2022/0107480) and in view of Wei et al. (2017/0139172).
Regarding claim 9, the modified Choi teaches the imaging lens of claim 1, comprising a fourth lens provided on an image side of the second lens (115, third lens), wherein the fourth lens has an outer diameter 1.1 times or more than an outer diameter of the second lens ([0131] teaches A3, diameter, of 115, third lens, may be 10 mm or less; [0130] teaches A2, diameter, of 113, second lens, may be 10 mm or less; thus A3, diameter, can be chosen to be 1.1 times or more than A2, diameter).
The modified Choi fails to teach wherein the imaging lens further comprises a third lens provided on an object side of the first lens, and the second lens is fixedly connected to the lens barrel by second fixing glue. The modified Choi and Chen are related because each teach in imaging lens.
Chen teaches an imaging lens wherein the imaging lens further comprises a third lens provided on an object side of the first lens (101, first lens, is provided on an object side of first 201, at least one second lens).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have further modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Chen and provide a third lens provided on an object side of the first lens. Doing so would allow for improved imaging and focusing, thereby increasing image quality.
The modified Choi fails to teach the second lens is fixedly connected to the lens barrel by second fixing glue. The modified Choi and Wei are related because each teach an imaging lens.
Wei teaches an imaging lens wherein the second lens is fixedly connected to the lens barrel by second fixing glue ([0014] teaches the second lens is fixed further by glue in 1, lens barrel).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have further modified Choi to incorporate the teachings of Wei and provide wherein the second lens is fixedly connected to the lens barrel by second fixing glue. Doing so would allow for reliable and durable fitting of the second lens and the subsequent components within the imaging lens.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Pei (2026/0194728), Jung (2025/0060564), Song (2023/0400662), Chen (2023/0244064), Ma (2020/0409111), Wei (2018/0017753), Lin (2018/0335607), and Takase (2014/0204476) disclose relevant imaging lenses.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BALRAM T PARBADIA whose telephone number is (571)270-0602. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bumsuk Won can be reached at (571) 272-2713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BALRAM T PARBADIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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