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).
Claim Objections
Claim 8 and 14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 8, line 2 states “an area of the etched area is defined as e”. The claim should be changed to “an area of the etched area is defined as E” for clarity purposes.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 14, line 4 states “the surface of the non-light-transmitting region has a second black film”. The examiner makes the following suggestion “the surface of the non-light-transmitting region has a
Claim 14, line 5 states “the metal light collecting component is adhered to the non-light-transmitting region by a second pressure sensitive adhesive”. The examiner makes the following suggestion “the metal light collecting component is adhered to the non-light-transmitting region by a
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 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsujino (US Patent Publication Number 2008/0284839 A1).
Tsujino teaches, as claimed in independent claim 1, a metal light collecting component (Fig. 8) comprising: a metal sheet (445, “a plurality of holes can be perforated by press working if the plate is made of metal “ Besides metals such as phosphor bronze …can be used as a material for the light shielding plates 441, 442 and 445”); and a light shielding sheet (442) with an opening (444/446) arranged on a surface of the metal sheet (445), wherein a light collecting space is defined (see light in Fig. 8), wherein the light collecting space is located in a region near the opening (the light rays in the center going to 446) of the light shielding sheet (442), and located in a gap sheet (see space in between 442 and 445) between the metal sheet (445) and the light shielding (442), wherein the light collecting space has the effect of attenuating stray light entering the light collecting space through the opening (¶0093 “The lights having entered the communicating light guide holes 444 of the light shielding member 440 are reflected only by the inner surfaces of the light guide holes 444 formed in the plurality of light shielding plates 442. On the other hand, the lights propagating toward the space layers 443 between the light shielding plates 442 are reflected toward the incidence side by the light shielding plates 442. Further, the lights propagating toward the space layers 443 are attenuated through a plurality of reflections”).
Tsujino teaches, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the surface of the metal sheet has a first black film (¶0107 “Black plating is applied to the surfaces of these light shielding plates 442, 445”).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tung (US Patent Publication Number 2024/0288670 A1) in view of Tsujino (US Patent Publication Number 2008/0284839 A1).
Tung teaches, as claimed in independent claim 12, an optical lens imaging module (Fig. 2-6), comprising a barrel (111); an optical imaging lens (1111) arranged in the barrel (111); a light reflecting element (112) arranged in the barrel (111), and the light reflecting element (112) comprises a first reflecting surface (1123a), a second reflecting surface (1123b), a third reflecting surface (1123c) and a fourth reflecting surface (1123d); a metal light collecting component (113) arranged on an outer surface of one of the first reflecting surface (See Fig. 4), the third reflecting surface (1123c), Tung fails to teach wherein the metal light collecting component comprises a metal sheet, and a light shielding sheet with an opening arranged on a surface of the metal sheet, wherein a light collecting space is defined, wherein the light collecting space is located in a region near the opening of the light shielding sheet, and located in a gap between the metal sheet and the light shielding sheet, wherein the light collecting space has the effect of attenuating stray light entering the light collecting space through the opening. In a related art, Tsujino teaches a metal light collecting component (Fig. 8) comprising: a metal sheet (445, “a plurality of holes can be perforated by press working if the plate is made of metal “ Besides metals such as phosphor bronze …can be used as a material for the light shielding plates 441, 442 and 445”); and a light shielding sheet (442) with an opening (444/446) arranged on a surface of the metal sheet (445), wherein a light collecting space is defined (see light in Fig. 8), wherein the light collecting space is located in a region near the opening (the light rays in the center going to 446) of the light shielding sheet (442), and located in a gap sheet (see space in between 442 and 445) between the metal sheet (445) and the light shielding (442), wherein the light collecting space has the effect of attenuating stray light entering the light collecting space through the opening (¶0093 “The lights having entered the communicating light guide holes 444 of the light shielding member 440 are reflected only by the inner surfaces of the light guide holes 444 formed in the plurality of light shielding plates 442. On the other hand, the lights propagating toward the space layers 443 between the light shielding plates 442 are reflected toward the incidence side by the light shielding plates 442. Further, the lights propagating toward the space layers 443 are attenuated through a plurality of reflections”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill of art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the optical lens imaging module, as taught by Tung, with the metal collector, as taught by Tsujino, for the purpose of providing a light shielding member producing less stray light (¶0007).
Tung teaches, as claimed in claim 13, wherein the metal light collecting component (113) is arranged on an outer surface of the third reflecting surface (1123c) of the light reflecting element (112).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-11, 14 and 15 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 fails to teach all of the limitations of claim 3 which includes wherein the metal light collecting component further comprises a first pressure sensitive adhesive disposed between the metal sheet and the light shielding sheet, wherein A is defined as an area of the light shielding sheet, B is defined as an area of the first pressure sensitive adhesive, and C is defined as an area of the opening, and the condition of A>B+C is satisfied.
Regarding claims 4-11 have dependency on claim 3.
The prior art fails to teach all of the limitations of claim 14 which includes ,the surface of the light-transmitting region has a microstructure anti-reflection film, and the surface of the non-light-transmitting region has a second black film, and the metal light collecting component is adhered to the non-light-transmitting region by a second pressure sensitive adhesive, and the light shielding sheet is arranged on the light-transmitting region.
Regarding claims 15 has dependency on claim 14.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Tsai (US Patent Publication Number 2023/0324656 A1) considered the closest prior art teaches an optical lens imaging module (Fig. 2), comprising a barrel an optical imaging lens (20) arranged in the barrel; a light reflecting element (30) arranged in the barrel , and the light reflecting element (30) comprises a first reflecting surface, a second reflecting surface, a third reflecting surface and a fourth reflecting surface; a metal component (40) arranged on an outer surface of one of the first reflecting surface (See Fig. 2), the third reflecting surface.
Seo (US Patent Number 11,785,324 A1) teaches an optical lens imaging module, comprising a barrel, an optical imaging lens arranged in the barrel, a light reflecting element.
Feldman (US Patent Publication Number 2022/0163706 A1) teaches a metal light collecting component comprising a metal sheet.
Liu (US Patent Publication Number 2024/0134167 A1) teaches an optical lens imaging module, comprising a barrel, an optical imaging lens arranged in the barrel, a light reflecting element.
Su (US Patent Publication Number 2023/0370707 A1) teaches an optical lens imaging module, comprising a barrel, an optical imaging lens arranged in the barrel, a light reflecting element.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOURNEY F SUMLAR whose telephone number is (571)270-0656. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricky Mack can be reached at 571-272-2333. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JOURNEY F. SUMLAR
Examiner
Art Unit 2872
11 September 2026
/RICKY L MACK/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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