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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. 18/035,184, filed on 6/8/23.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Otsubo et al (2009/0232362) in view of Aoki et al (2014/0198957).
Otsubo et al, in Figs. 1, 3, and 23, discloses substantially the same biometric information acquisition device as specified in claim 1 of the present invention, comprising a housing including a bottom surface side 900, a top surface side 803, a front surface side, a back surface side [0198], and an opening 805 in the front surface side between the bottom surface side and the top surface side, the opening defining an imaging space within the housing [0196]; a camera 200 disposed in the housing; an illumination 100 disposed in the housing between the top surface side and the opening.
It is noted Otsubo fails to disclose imaging a palm. However, Aoki teaches the concept of such well known camera 2 being configured to capture an image of a palm [0018]-[0019] of a hand of a user when inserted into the imaging space [0020]. Although Aoki does not specifically mention the palm facing the top surface side, it is considered obvious that imaging of the palm may be performed from any side of the housing; wherein the illumination being configured to illuminate the imaging space from above toward the palm. Although Aoki does not specify a display configured to prompt the user to insert the palm into the imaging space with the palm facing the top surface side, it is also considered obvious to include such prompt since the user needs to know which side of the housing is performing the scanning.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having both the references of Otsubo et al and Aoki before him/her, to incorporate the well known palm scanning technique as taught by Aoki in the biometric device of Otsubo in order to photograph the biometric information of any part of the hand, including fingers and palm.
Claim 2, Aoki teaches the illumination has an annular shape 3.
Claim 3, Aoki also teaches the camera 2 is disposed within a periphery of the annular shape of the illumination 3, when viewed in an orthogonal direction from the top surface side (e.g. Fig. 1).
Claim 4, Aoki teaches the camera 2 is disposed in the housing between the illumination 3 and the top surface side (e.g. Fig. 3).
Claim 5, Aoki teaches the housing has a cylindrical shape (e.g. Fig. 4).
Claim 6, Otsubo teaches the opening includes a rectangular shape (e.g. Fig. 23).
Claim 7, Otsubo teaches the edges 805 of the rectangular shape are chamfered.
Claim 8, although Aoki does not specify the location of a display 101, it is consider obvious to place it anywhere in front of the user near the opening. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having both the references of Otsubo et al and Aoki before him/her, to incorporate the well known user friendly display device near the opening of the biometric device of Otsubo in view of Aoki in order to prompt user in case he/she misplaces the palm.
Claim 9, although Aoki does not specify the location of a display 101, it is consider obvious to place it anywhere in front of the user near the opening. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having both the references of Otsubo et al and Aoki before him/her, to incorporate the well-known user-friendly display device near the opening of the biometric device of Otsubo in view of Aoki in order to prompt user in case he/she misplaces the palm.
Claim 10, Aoki teaches the camera 2 is disposed closer to the bottom surface side than the illumination (e.g. Fig. 1).
Claim 11, Aoki teaches a mirror 6 disposed in the housing, the mirror being configured to reflect light from the illumination toward the palm of the hand of the user when inserted into the imaging space with the palm facing the top surface side, wherein the mirror is disposed in the housing between the camera and the top surface side. Although Aoki does not specifically mention the palm facing the top surface side, it is considered obvious that imaging of the palm may be performed from any side of the housing; wherein the illumination being configured to illuminate the imaging space from above toward the palm. Although Aoki does not specify a display configured to prompt the user to insert the palm into the imaging space with the palm facing the top surface side, it is also considered obvious to include such prompt since the user needs to know which side of the housing is performing the scanning.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having both the references of Otsubo et al and Aoki before him/her, to incorporate the well known palm scanning technique as taught by Aoki in the biometric device of Otsubo in order to photograph the biometric information of any part of the hand, including fingers and palm.
Claim 12, Aoki teaches the camera 2 and the mirror overlap, when viewed in an orthogonal direction from the front surface side (e.g. Fig. 4).
Claim 13, Aoki teaches each of the camera 2 and the illumination 3 overlap with the mirror, when viewed in an orthogonal direction from the front surface side (e.g. Fig. 4).
Claim 14, Otsubo teaches the housing includes a second opening 803 above the imaging space 100, the camera being between the second opening and the top surface side, and the illumination illuminates the inside of the imaging space from above the second opening. Although Aoki does not specifically mention the palm facing the top surface side, it is considered obvious that imaging of the palm may be performed from any side of the housing; wherein the illumination being configured to illuminate the imaging space from above toward the palm. Although Aoki does not specify a display configured to prompt the user to insert the palm into the imaging space with the palm facing the top surface side, it is also considered obvious to include such prompt since the user needs to know which side of the housing is performing the scanning.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having both the references of Otsubo et al and Aoki before him/her, to incorporate the well known palm scanning technique as taught by Aoki in the biometric device of Otsubo in order to photograph the biometric information of any part of the hand, including fingers and palm.
Claim 15, Otsubo teaches the second opening 803 is smaller than an angle of view of the camera 200.
Claim 16, Otsubo teaches the second opening 803 is smaller than an illumination range of the illumination 100.
Claim 17, Otsubo teaches a height of the opening increases from the back surface side of the housing to the front surface side of the housing (e.g. Fig. 24).
Claim 18, Otsubo teaches the opening includes an elliptical shape (e.g. Fig. 24).
Claim 19, Aoki teaches a mirror 6 disposed in the housing, the mirror being configured to reflect light from the illumination toward the palm of the hand of the user when inserted into the imaging space with the palm, wherein the mirror is further configured to reflect the palm of the hand in the imaging space, and the camera 2 is configured to capture the image of the palm of the hand reflected by the mirror. Although Aoki does not specifically mention the palm facing the top surface side, it is considered obvious that imaging of the palm may be performed from any side of the housing; wherein the illumination being configured to illuminate the imaging space from above toward the palm. Although Aoki does not specify a display configured to prompt the user to insert the palm into the imaging space with the palm facing the top surface side, it is also considered obvious to include such prompt since the user needs to know which side of the housing is performing the scanning.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having both the references of Otsubo et al and Aoki before him/her, to incorporate the well known palm scanning technique as taught by Aoki in the biometric device of Otsubo in order to photograph the biometric information of any part of the hand, including fingers and palm.
Claim 20, Aoki teaches a controller 100 disposed in the housing between the opening and the bottom surface side; and a power supply disposed in the housing between the opening and the bottom surface side (e.g. Fig. 6).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. 20250371910 Shen discloses a conventional imaging device. 20250338524 Nakamura discloses a conventional bioinformation acquisition method. 20250171057 Nakamura discloses a conventional bioinformation acquisition method.
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/Y LEE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485