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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on December 30, 2024 has been 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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2015/0370042).
With regard to independent claim 1, Chen et al teaches an optical imaging system (page 1, paragraph [0003] and Figure 7A) comprising: a first lens (Figure 7a, element 710) having a refractive power (page 14, paragraph [0158], lines 1-2); a second lens (Figure 7a, element 720) having a refractive power (page 14, paragraph [0159], lines 1-2); a third lens (Figure 7a, element 730) having a refractive power (page 14, paragraph [0160], lines 1-2) and a convex image-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (page 14, paragraph [0160], line 3 and Figure 7a, element 732); a fourth lens (Figure 7a, element 740) having a refractive power (page 14, paragraph [0161], lines 1-2); a fifth lens (Figure 7a, element 750) having a refractive power (page 14, paragraph [0162], lines 1-2); and a sixth lens (Figure 7a, element 760) having a refractive power (page 14, paragraph [0163], lines 1-2) and a convex object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (page 14, paragraph [0163], lines 2-3 and Figure 7a, element 761), wherein the first to sixth lenses are sequentially disposed in ascending numerical order along an optical axis of the optical imaging system from an object side of the optical imaging system toward an imaging plane of the optical imaging system (Figure 7a), the first to sixth lenses are the only lenses having a refractive power in the optical imaging system (Figure 7a), a radius of curvature of an image-side surface of the fifth lens at the optical axis is greater than a radius of curvature of an object-side surface of the first lens at the optical axis (page 14, Table 13, wherein the radius of curvature of an image-side surface of the fifth lens = 5.305; the radius of curvature of an object-side surface of the first lens = 1.750; and 5.305 > 1.750) , and a thickness of the fifth lens along the optical axis is greater than a thickness of the fourth lens along the optical axis (page 14, Table 13, wherein the thickness of the fifth lens = 0.420; the thickness of the fourth lens = 0.300; and 0.420 > 0.300).
With regard to dependent claim 2, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the first lens has a concave image-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (page 14, paragraph [0158], lines 3-4 and Figure 7a, element 712).
With regard to dependent claim 3, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the second lens has a convex object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (page 14, paragraph [0159], lines 2-3 and Figure 7a, element 721).
With regard to dependent claim 4, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the second lens has a concave image-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (page 14, paragraph [0159], lines 3-4 and Figure 7a, element 722).
With regard to dependent claim 5, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the fourth lens has a convex object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (page 14, paragraph [0161], lines 2-3 and Figure 7a, element 741).
With regard to dependent claim 6, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the fourth lens has a concave image-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (page 14, paragraph [0161], lines 3-4 and Figure 7a, element 742).
Claims 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2016/0033745).
With regard to independent claim 8, Chen et al teaches an optical imaging system (page 1, paragraph [0003] and Figure 9) comprising: a first lens (Figure 9, element 10) having a refractive power (Figure 26, Focal Length data for First Lens); a second lens (Figure 9, element 20) having a refractive power (Figure 26, Focal Length data for Second Lens); a third lens (Figure 9, element 30) having a refractive power (Figure 26, Focal Length data for Third Lens) and a convex image-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (Figure 26, Curvature Radius data for Surface 32); a fourth lens (Figure 9, element 40) having a refractive power (Figure 26, Focal Length data for Fourth Lens); a fifth lens (Figure 9, element 50) having a refractive power (Figure 26, Focal Length data for Fifth Lens) and a concave object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (Figure 26, Radius Curvature data for Surface 51); and a sixth lens (Figure 9, element 60) having a refractive power (Figure 26, Focal Length data for Sixth Lens) and a convex object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (Figure 26, Radius Curvature data for Surface 61), wherein the first to sixth lenses are sequentially disposed in ascending numerical order along an optical axis of the optical imaging system from an object side of the optical imaging system toward an imaging plane of the optical imaging system (Figure 9), the first to sixth lenses are the only lenses having a refractive power in the optical imaging system (Figure 9), a radius of curvature of an image-side surface of the fifth lens at the optical axis is greater than a radius of curvature of an object-side surface of the first lens at the optical axis (Figure 26, Curvature Radius data for Surface 62 = 2.497721; Curvature Radius data for Surface 11 = -4.7247; wherein 2.497721 > -4.7247), and a thickness of the third lens along the optical axis is greater than a distance along the optical axis from the image-side surface of the third lens to an object-side surface of the fourth lens (Figure 26, wherein thickness of the third lens = 0.532712368; the distance from the image-side surface of the third lens to the object-side surface of the fourth lens = 0.149638098; wherein 0.532712368 > 0.149638098).
With regard to dependent claim 9, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the first lens has a concave image-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (Figure 26, Curvature Radius data for Surface 12).
With regard to dependent claim 10, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the second lens has a convex object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (Figure 26, Curvature Radius data for Surface 21).
With regard to dependent claim 11, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the second lens has a concave image-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (Figure 26, Curvature Radius data for Surface 22).
With regard to dependent claim 12, Chen et al teaches all of the claimed limitations of the instant invention as outlined above with respect to independent claim 1, and further teaches such an optical imaging system wherein the fourth lens has a convex object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof (Figure 26, Curvature Radius data for Surface 41).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art taken either singularly or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations of the independent claims, in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. §102 or §103 would be proper. Although Chen et al teaches an optical imaging system, as outlined above, Chen et al fails to simultaneously teach such an optical imaging system wherein the fifth lens has a concave object-side surface in a paraxial region thereof.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Tsai et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2014/0009844) and Hsieh et al (U.S. Patent Publication 2012/0206822) both teach optical imaging lens systems comprising six lenses.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARRYL J COLLINS whose telephone number is (571) 272-2325. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 5:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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/DARRYL J COLLINS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
19 August 2026
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