DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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 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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 6/21/2026, 1/26/2026, 11/25/2025, 9/9/2025 and 1/9/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been considered by the examiner. IDS of 6/15/2026 is replaced by IDS of 6/21/2026, so is deleted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hu al (US 20220179174).
Regarding Claim 1, Hu teaches an optical imaging system (abstract; figs. 6-52), comprising:
a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens having a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, a seventh lens, and an eighth lens arranged in order from an object-side to an image plane (fig. 34, 1-8 lenses),
wherein {TTL/(2*IMG HT)}*Fno < 1.000 is satisfied,
(fig. 36, gives TTK = 7.978, IMG HT = 6.70, Fno = 1.65;
so {TTL/(2*IMG HT)}*Fno = 0.98),
where TTL is a distance on an optical axis from an object-side surface of the first lens to the image plane, IMG HT is a distance half of a diagonal length of the image plane, and Fno is an F value of the optical imaging system.
Regarding Claim 2, Hu teaches the optical imaging system of claim 1,
wherein the third lens has positive refractive power (fig. 36, f3 = 65.606).
Regarding Claim 3, Hu teaches the optical imaging system of claim 1,
wherein the sixth lens has positive refractive power (fig. 28, f6 = 1403.464).
Regarding Claim 4, Hu teaches the optical imaging system of claim 1,
wherein 0 < v1-(v6+v7)/2 < 30.00 is satisfied,
(fig. 36, gives v1 = 55.987, v6 = 19.243, v7 = 55.987;
so v1-(v6+v7)/2 = 18.372),
where v1 is an Abbe number of the first lens, v6 is an Abbe number of the sixth lens, and v7 is an Abbe number of the seventh lens.
Regarding Claim 5, Hu teaches the optical imaging system of claim 1,
wherein 0 < f7/f < 2.000 is satisfied,
(fig. 36, gives f = 5.913, f7 = 5.045, so f7/f = 0.85),
where f is a focal length of the optical imaging system, and f7 is a focal length of the seventh lens.
Regarding Claim 6, Hu teaches the optical imaging system of claim 1,
wherein -1.000 <f8/f< 0 is satisfied,
(fig. 36, gives f = 5.913, f8 = -3.461, so f8/f = -0.59),
where f is a focal length of the optical imaging system, and f8 is a focal length of the eighth lens.
Regarding Claim 8, Hu teaches the optical imaging system of claim 1,
wherein Abbe numbers of the first lens and the fourth lens are identical to each other (fig. 36, v1 = 55.987, v4 = 55.987).
Regarding Claim 9, Hu teaches the optical imaging system of claim 1,
wherein the seventh lens has a convex shape on an object-side surface and an image- side surface (fog/ 34, lens 7; fig. 36, radius of curvatures of lens 7).
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 of this title, 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 7 and 10-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu al (US 20220179174) in a view of Lin et al (US 20200393648).
Regarding Claim 7, Hu discloses as set forth above but does not specifically disclose that the optical imaging system of claim 1, wherein the third lens has negative refractive power.
However, Lin teaches a photographing lens assembly (abstract; figs. 1-19) wherein the third lens has negative refractive power (fig. 3, lens 230; ¶[0157], Table 3, f3 = -54.15).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the optical imaging system of Hu by the photographing lens assembly of Lin for a purpose of a photographing lens assembly of the image capturing unit features good capability in aberration corrections and high image quality (¶[0266], line 7-10).
Regarding Claim 10, Hu teaches an optical imaging system (abstract; figs. 6-52), comprising:
a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, a seventh lens, and an eighth lens arranged in order from an object side toward an image plane (fig. 34, 1-8 lenses),
wherein 0.500 ≤ TTL/(2*IMG HT) < 0.750,
(fig. 36, gives TTK = 7.978, IMG HT = 6.70; so TTL/(2*IMG HT) = 0.60),
where TTL is a distance on an optical axis from an object-side surface of the first lens to the image plane, IMG HT is a distance half of a diagonal length of the image plane, and Fno is an F value of the optical imaging system.
But Hu does not specifically disclose that wherein 1.000 < Fno < 1.600 are satisfied.
However, Lin teaches a photographing lens assembly (abstract; figs. 1-19) wherein 1.000 < Fno < 1.600 are satisfied (fig. 3, lens 210-280; ¶[0157], Table 3, Fno = 1.58).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the optical imaging system of Hu by the photographing lens assembly of Lin for a purpose of a photographing lens assembly of the image capturing unit features good capability in aberration corrections and high image quality (¶[0266], line 7-10).
Regarding Claim 11, Hu- Lin combination teaches that the optical imaging system of claim 10,
wherein Abbe numbers of the second lens and the third lens are identical to each other (fig. 24, gives v2 = v3 = 19.243, as disclosed in Hu).
Regarding Claim 12, Hu- Lin combination teaches that the optical imaging system of claim 10,
wherein the seventh lens has positive refractive power and a convex image-side surface (fig. 34, lens 7; fog. 36, f7 = 5.045, as disclosed in Hu).
Regarding Claim 13, Hu- Lin combination teaches that the optical imaging system of claim 10,
wherein the third lens has negative refractive power (fig. 3, lens 230; ¶[0157], Table 3, f3 = -54.15, as disclosed in Lin), and
the sixth lens has positive refractive power (fig. 28, f6 = 1403.464, as disclosed in Hu).
Regarding Claim 14, Hu- Lin combination teaches that the optical imaging system of claim 10,
wherein 1.100 ≤ TTL/f ≤ 1.400 is satisfied,
(fig. 36, TTL = 7.978, f = 5.913, so TTL/f = 1.35, as disclosed in Hu),
where f is a focal length of the optical imaging system.
Regarding Claim 15, Hu- Lin combination teaches that the optical imaging system of claim 10,
wherein Abbe numbers of the first lens and the fourth lens are identical to each other (fig. 36, v1 = 55.987, v4 = 55.987, as disclosed in Hu).
Regarding Claim 16, Hu- Lin combination teaches that the optical imaging system of claim 10,
wherein {TTL/(2*IMG HT)}*Fno < 1.000 is satisfied.
(fig. 36, gives TTK = 7.978, IMG HT = 6.70, Fno = 1.65; so {TTL/(2*IMG HT)}*Fno = 0.98, as disclosed in Hu).
Examiner’s Note
Regarding the references, the Examiner cites particular figures, paragraphs, columns and line numbers in the reference(s), as applied to the claims above. Although the particular citations are representative teachings and are applied to specific limitations within the claims, other passages, internally cited references, and figures may also apply. In preparing a response, it is respectfully requested that the Applicant fully consider the references, in their entirety, as potentially disclosing or teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as fully consider the context of the passage as taught by the reference(s) or as disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Jie Lei whose telephone number is (571) 272 7231. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon.-Thurs. 8:00 am to 5:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by the telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Stephone Allen can be reached on (571) 272 2434.The Fax number for the organization where this application is assigned is (571) 273 8300.
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/JIE LEI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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