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. 15/915,079, filed on 3/8/2018.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 4, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jia et al (CN 105974561 A - Translation).
In regard to claim 1, Jia et al discloses an optical imaging lens, from an object side to an image side in order along an optical axis comprising: a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, a sixth lens element and a seventh lens element, wherein the first lens element to the seventh lens element each has an object-side surface facing toward the object side to allow an imaging ray to pass through as well as an image-side surface facing toward the image side to allow the imaging ray to pass through (page 6 [English Translation], paragraph 5, “First Embodiment, Figure 1, “L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7”) wherein: an optical-axis region of the image-side surface of the third lens element is convex (page 8 [Chinese Language], section [0074], “S6 = -2.6657 mm,” Figure 1, “S6”); the fifth lens element has positive refracting power (page 7, section [0071], “f5 = 4.47 mm”); an optical-axis region of the image-side surface of the sixth lens element is concave (page 8 [Chinese Language], section [0074], “S11 = 11.9125 mm,” Figure 1, “S11”); a periphery region of the object-side surface of the seventh lens element is concave
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; and lens elements included by the optical imaging lens are only the seven lens elements described above (Figure 1, “L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7”), wherein, EFL is an effective focal length of the optical imaging lens and T1 is a thickness of the first lens element along the optical axis, and the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: EFL/T1≤7.200 → 1.68 mm/0.5015 mm = 3.35 ([Chinese Language], page 7, section [0071] & page 8, section [0075]), an air gap between the second lens element and the third lens element along the optical axis is greater than an air gap between the third lens element and the fourth lens element along the optical axis → G23 = 1.5920 mm > G34 = 0.1021 mm ([Chinese Language], page 8, section [0075]), the air gap between the third lens element and the fourth lens element along the optical axis is less than an air gap between the sixth lens element and the seventh lens element along the optical axis → G34 = 0.1021 mm < 0.2780 mm ([Chinese Language], page 8, section [0075]).
Regarding claim 3, Jia et al discloses wherein AAG is a sum of six air gaps from the first lens element to the seventh lens element along the optical axis and T5 is a thickness of the fifth lens element along the optical axis, and the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: AAG/T5≤4.500 → (1.24+1.592+0.1021+0.701+0+0.278)/1.197 = 3.27 ([Chinese Language], page 8, section [0075]).
Regarding claim 4, Jia et al discloses wherein BFL is a distance from the image-side surface of the seventh lens element to an image plane along the optical axis, and the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: EFL/BFL≤5.200 → 1.68/0.8879+0.2100+1.0000) = 0.8 ([Chinese Language], page 8, section [0075]).
Regarding claim 6, Jia et al discloses wherein T4 is a thickness of the fourth lens element along the optical axis and G12 is an air gap between the first lens element and the second lens element along the optical axis, and the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: T4/G12≤2.000 → 0.821 mm / 1.24 mm = 0.66 ([Chinese Language], page 8, section [0075]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to teach a combination of all the claimed features as presented in claims 8-14: an optical imaging lens including only seven lens elements as claimed, specifically wherein: the fifth lens element has positive refracting power and the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: EFL/T1≤7.200, an air gap between the second lens element and the third lens element along the optical axis is greater than an air gap between the third lens element and the fourth lens element along the optical axis, a thickness of the fourth lens element along the optical axis is less than an air gap between the sixth lens element and the seventh lens element along the optical axis, and the air gap between the third lens element and the fourth lens element along the optical axis is less than the air gap between the sixth lens element and the seventh lens element along the optical axis.
The prior art fails to teach a combination of all the claimed features as presented in claims 15-20: an optical imaging lens including only seven lens elements as claimed, specifically wherein the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: EFL/T1≤7.200, (T2+T6)/T7≤2.200, an air gap between the second lens element and the third lens element along the optical axis is greater than an air gap between the third lens element and the fourth lens element along the optical axis, a thickness of the fourth lens element along the optical axis is less than an air gap between the sixth lens element and the seventh lens element along the optical axis, the air gap between the third lens element and the fourth lens element along the optical axis is less than the air gap between the sixth lens element and the seventh lens element along the optical axis
Claims 2, 5, and 7 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 prior art fails to teach a combination of all the claimed features as presented in claim 2: an optical imaging lens as claimed, specifically wherein the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: (T1+T6)/(T4+T5) ≤ 1.700.
The prior art fails to teach a combination of all the claimed features as presented in claim 5: an optical imaging lens as claimed, specifically wherein the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: ALT/T3 4.700.
The prior art fails to teach a combination of all the claimed features as presented in claim 7: an optical imaging lens as claimed, specifically wherein the optical imaging lens satisfies the relationship: AAG/BFL≤1.800.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ishizaka (US 2014/0211324 A1) is being disclosed herein to show an optical imaging lens comprising seven lens elements, but was not relied on for any of the rejections above.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM C CHOI whose telephone number is (571)272-2324. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pinping Sun can be reached at (571) 270-1284. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM CHOI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872 September 30, 2026
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