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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/27/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the non-final rejection on 06/03/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
(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 1-3 & 6-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (CN 213693912 U, hereinafter, "Chen").
Regarding Claim 1, Chen teaches a camera arrangement for monitoring a driver of a vehicle (Chen, paragraph "Technical field," Figs. 4 & 8, monitoring camera arrangement 100 appears suitable for monitoring within a vehicle.), with an image capture device comprising at least one lens element (Chen, camera lens 140) providing a field of view to an image sensor of the image capture device, wherein the image capture device is mounted to a circuit board of the camera arrangement (Chen, main circuit board 130), and with a light source unit (Chen, infrared fill light 121) configured to illuminate an object to be captured by the image sensor, wherein a top side of the at least one lens element and a top side of the light source unit have substantially equal distances from the circuit board (Chen, Figs. 4 & 8: the top side of the lens and of the camera are substantially equidistant from the board 130), wherein the light source unit is electrically connected to a base plug of a connector device of the camera arrangement (Chen, the light source 121 is electrically connected with the male connector 152 via the board 130), and wherein the base plug is mounted to the circuit board (Chen, the male connector is mounted on the board 130), wherein the light source unit is directly mounted to a further plug element of the connector device (Chen, female connector 151), wherein the further plug element is electrically connected to the base plug (Chen, Figs. 4 & 8).
Regarding Claim 2, Chen teaches an extension of the light source unit in a direction, which is perpendicular to a mounting direction when connecting the further plug element to the base plug , is inferior or equal to an extension of the further plug element in the direction, which is perpendicular to the mounting direction (Chen, Fig. 4, the light source extends less than the board 120).
Regarding Claim 3, Chen teaches the camera arrangement comprises a housing with a first opening for the at least one lens element and a second opening for the light source unit, wherein the light source unit is located within the second opening (Chen, Fig. 4, housing 110; housing 40).
Regarding Claim 6, Chen teaches the light source unit has a base plate, wherein electrical contact elements of the light source unit are arranged at a narrow side of the base plate, wherein the electrical contact elements of the light source unit are electrically connected to contact lugs of the further plug element (Well-known feature for securing an electrical and physical connection between a base plate [Chen, Fig. 4, 120] and a plug element [Chen, 151] including contact lugs, slots, adhesive, locking tabs, clips, soldering, which will be considered routinely by the skilled person).
Regarding Claim 7, Chen teaches the electrical contact elements of the light source unit are inserted into slots provided in the further plug element and/or a bottom side of the base plate is fixed to a top side of the further plug element by means of an adhesive (Well-known feature for securing an electrical and physical connection between a base plate [Chen, Fig. 4, 120] and a plug element [Chen, 151] including contact lugs, slots, adhesive, locking tabs, clips, soldering, which will be considered routinely by the skilled person).
Regarding Claim 8, Chen teaches a main body of the further plug element has at least one latch element with a locking tab engaged behind a top side of the base plate (Well-known feature for securing an electrical and physical connection between a base plate [Chen, Fig. 4, 120] and a plug element [Chen, 151] including contact lugs, slots, adhesive, locking tabs, clips, soldering, which will be considered routinely by the skilled person).
Regarding Claim 9, Chen teaches at least one of the contact lugs of the further plug element protrudes beyond an upper side of a main body of the further plug element and/or at least one of the contact lugs of the further plug element has a clip element engaged behind a top side of the base plate (Well-known feature for securing an electrical and physical connection between a base plate [Chen, Fig. 4, 120] and a plug element [Chen, 151] including contact lugs, slots, adhesive, locking tabs, clips, soldering, which will be considered routinely by the skilled person).
Regarding Claim 10, Chen teaches at least one of the electrical contact elements of the light source unit is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the contact lugs of the further plug element by a portion of a solder material (Well-known feature for securing an electrical and physical connection between a base plate [Chen, Fig. 4, 120] and a plug element [Chen, 151] including contact lugs, slots, adhesive, locking tabs, clips, soldering, which will be considered routinely by the skilled person).
Regarding Claim 11, Chen teaches a main body of the base plug is mounted to the circuit board by electrically connecting, in particular by soldering, at least one electrical connector of the base plug to a corresponding contact of the circuit board, wherein the main body of the base plug is supported by the at least one electrical connector (Well-known feature for securing an electrical and physical connection between a base plate [Chen, Fig. 4, 120] and a plug element [Chen, 151] including contact lugs, slots, adhesive, locking tabs, clips, soldering, which will be considered routinely by the skilled person).
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Luo & Huang (CN 211880478 U, hereinafter, "Luo").
Regarding Claim 12, Chen teaches the limitations of dependent Claim 1 as noted above. Luo teaches the at least one lens element and the light source unit are arranged behind a protective cover element of the camera arrangement, wherein the protective cover element is translucent for the light that can be emitted by the light source unit (Placing a common protective window in front of a combined camera/illumination arrangement is well known in the art, and corresponds to the IR window 10 in Luo, Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 & 5 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 Claim 4, the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious the base plug has a socket element into which a protrusion of the further plug element is inserted, wherein the socket element has a cross slot device with a plurality of pillar elements delimiting a plurality of recesses , wherein the protrusion has a cross head device with a plurality of wall elements engaged in the recesses between the pillar elements and with a plurality of outer grooves into which the pillar elements are inserted.
Regarding Claim 5, the prior art of record – taken alone or in combination – fails to teach or render obvious the cross slot device comprises a central pin inserted into a central depression provided in a main body of the further plug element, wherein at least one of the central pin and the pillar elements comprises an electrical connector which is electrically connected to a contact lug of the further plug element.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN DANIEL BARRY whose telephone number is (571)270-0432. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 0730-1630.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached on 517-272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEVEN DANIEL BARRY/Examiner, Art Unit 2638
/LIN YE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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