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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 29, 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 29 and 37 recites “secondary gears”, however the independent claims 21 and 30 recites “secondary gear” it is unclear whether the applicant is claiming one secondary gear or multiple secondary gears.
Note: if the applicant is trying to claim multiple secondary gears in the dependent claims, then claims 21 and 30 should be amended to recites “ at least on secondary gear” or “plurality of secondary gears”
Claims 29 and 37 should be interpreted as best understood.
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 21-23, 25, 28, 38-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Qiu [CN # 208780966U].
Regarding claim 21: Qiu shows a gear change system for use with a drive for a camera lens, the lens drive being independent of a camera comprising the camera lens, the lens drive comprising a housing with drive gear (454) extending therefrom, and a host gear (432) engaged with the drive gear (454), the gear change system comprising: an adapter (410) attached with the host gear to rotate in unison with the host gear; and a secondary gear (506) attached to the adapter (410) by one or more retaining elements (504) configured to enable attachment and detachment of the secondary gear (506) with the adaptor (410) by axial movement of the secondary gear (506) relative to the adaptor (410).
Regarding claim 22: Qiu shows wherein the secondary gear rotates in unison with the adaptor when attached therewith.
Regarding claim 23: Qiu shows wherein one of the adaptor (410) or the secondary gear (506) comprises the one or more retaining elements (505, 505b, see fig 7) and the other of the adaptor or the secondary gear comprises a surface feature (416) configured to engage the one or more retaining elements (505, 505b).
Regarding claim 25: Qiu shows wherein the adaptor (410) is attached to an axial end of the host gear (432) opposite disposed outwardly away from the housing.
Regarding claim 28: Qiu shows wherein the secondary gear (506) is configured to engage with a ring gear (510) of the camera lens (508).
Regarding claim 38: Qiu shows a method for changing secondary gears as used with drive system for a camera lens, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a secondary gear (506) having a desired number of gear teeth for engaging a ring gear (510) of the camera lens; and attaching the secondary gear (506) to an adaptor (410) of the drive system by a snap fit mechanism ( see translation: “…mounting portion 410 can be snapped onto the lens body 504 by a snap, or the mounting portion 410 can be inserted into the mirror body 504 through the plug structure…”), wherein adaptor (410) is attached to a host gear (504) of the drive system, wherein the host gear (504) is engaged to be rotated by a drive gear (454) of the drive system, and wherein the snap fit mechanism comprises one or more retaining elements (505, 505b) of one of the adaptor or secondary gear (506) that are configured to engage and attach with a surface feature (416) of the other of the adaptor (410) or secondary gear so that he secondary gear rotates in unison with the adaptor and host gear (504).
Regarding claim 39: Qiu shows comprising removing the secondary gear (506) from the adaptor (410) by unsnapping the snap fit mechanism.
Regarding claim 40: Qiu shows wherein the snap fit mechanism is configured to provide attachment and detachment by axially combining together and axially separating the adaptor and secondary gear relative to one another.
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.
Claims 24, 26-27, 30, 32 and 36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiu [CN # 208780966U] in view of Yuge [US Pub # 2013/0335589]
Regarding claim 24, 26 and 27: Qiu does not explicitly show wherein the one or more retaining elements are spring biased to retract and extend to engage the surface feature.
wherein the adaptor comprises the one or more retaining elements, and wherein the one or more retaining elements are disposed along an outside diameter of the adaptor.
wherein the secondary gear comprises the surface feature that is located along an inside diameter of the secondary gear. However Yuge wherein the one or more retaining elements (372) are spring biased to retract and extend to engage the surface feature (see fig 5).
wherein the adaptor (376) comprises the one or more retaining elements, and wherein the one or more retaining elements (372) are disposed along an outside diameter of the adaptor (376).
wherein the secondary gear (371) comprises the surface feature that is located along an inside diameter of the secondary gear (371).
It would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filling date to have provided the retaining elements with biasing spring to securely engage the inner surface of the gear and the adapter and prevent unwanted disengagement.
Regarding claim 30: Qiu shows a gear change system used with a drive system for a camera lens, the drive system comprising a motor driven drive gear (454) engaged with a host gear (432), the gear change system comprising: an adaptor (410) that is attached with an axial end of the host gear; and a secondary gear (506) removably connected with the adaptor by a snap-fit mechanism ( see translation: “…mounting portion 410 can be snapped onto the lens body 504 by a snap, or the mounting portion 410 can be inserted into the mirror body 504 through the plug structure…”), the secondary gear (506) comprising gear teeth configured to engage gear teeth of a ring gear of the camera lens.
Regarding claim 31: Qiu shows wherein the snap-fit mechanism comprises an element of the adaptor (410) that engages with an element of the secondary gear mechanism (see translation: “…mounting portion 410 can be snapped onto the lens body 504 by a snap, or the mounting portion 410 can be inserted into the mirror body 504 through the plug structure…”).
Regarding claim 32: Qiu shows wherein one of the elements is a retaining element (505, 505b), and the other of the element is a surface feature (416) configured to enable engagement with the retaining element.
Regarding claim 36: Qiu shows wherein the snap-fit mechanism is configured to provide attachment by axially combining the adaptor (410) and secondary gear (506) together.
Claim 29 and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiu [CN # 208780966U] in view of Katano [US Pub # 2010/0033844]
Regarding claims 29 and 37: Qiu does not show more than one secondary gears that are configured to attached with the adaptor, wherein the secondary gears each have a different number of gear teeth. However, Katano shows than one secondary gears (84, 85, 86) that are configured to attached with the adaptor, wherein the secondary gears each have a different number of gear teeth.
It would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filling date to implement more than one gear to achieve a desired gear ratio of rotation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 33-35 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 prior art of the record failed to show wherein the adaptor comprises the retaining element and the secondary gear comprises the surface feature.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAKARIA ELAHMADI whose telephone number is (571)270-5324. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 10-6 EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Minnah Seoh can be reached on 571-270-7778. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZAKARIA ELAHMADI/
Examiner, Art Unit 3618