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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I (Figures 1-8 – Claims 1-3, 7, and 18-19) in the reply filed on March 2, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 4-6 and 8-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on March 2, 2026.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 1-3, 7, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stavely et al. (U.S. Patent 10,012,361 B2).
With regards to Claim 1, Stavely discloses a light-emitting module [Figures 1-24] comprising:
A light source (1700) comprising a plurality of light-emitting parts (1701-1702) having respective light-emitting surfaces and including:
At least one first light-emitting part (1701) configured to emit light having a first chromaticity, and
At least one second light-emitting part (1702) configured to emit light having a second chromaticity different from the first chromaticity;
A lens (1705-1706) configured to transmit light from the light source;
An actuator (1501-1507) configured to change at least one of a relative position between the light source and the lens in a direction intersecting an optical axis of the lens or a relative inclination of the optical axis of the lens with respect to a corresponding one of the light-emitting surfaces; and
A controller (1508-1509) configured to control light emission of each of the plurality of light-emitting parts and operation of the actuator such that:
The plurality of light-emitting parts are caused to emit light while at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination is changed by the actuator, and there is at least partial overlap between (i) a position in an irradiation region on which light emitted from the first light-emitting part and transmitted through the lens is incident before a change in at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination and (ii) a position in the irradiation region on which light emitted from the second light-emitting part and transmitted through the lens is incident after the change in the at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination [note Figures 15-20 and Column 14, Line 31 – Column 19, Line 13].
With regards to Claim 2, Stavely discloses the controller (1508-1509) is configured to perform control such that there is at least partial overlap within a predetermined period of time for exposure between (i) the position in the irradiation region on which the light emitted from the first light-emitting part (1701) and transmitted through the lens is incident before a change in at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination is incident and (ii) the position in the irradiation region on which the light emitted from the second light-emitting part (1702) and transmitted through the lens is incident after the change in the at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination [note Figures 15-20 and Column 14, Line 31 – Column 19, Line 13].
With regards to Claim 3, Stavely discloses the controller (1508-1509) is configured to selectively cause at least one of the plurality of light-emitting parts (1701-1702) to emit light, and configured to individually control an amount of light from each of the plurality of light- emitting parts by controlling at least one of a drive current, a drive voltage, or a light emission period of time of each of the plurality of light-emitting parts [note Figures 15-20 and Column 14, Line 31 – Column 19, Line 13].
With regards to Claim 7, Stavely discloses the controller (1508-1509) being configured to cause the actuator (1501-1507) to change at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination a plurality of times within a predetermined period of time [note Figures 15-20 and Column 14, Line 31 – Column 19, Line 13].
With regards to Claim 18, Stavely discloses the light-emitting module is a flash light source (1601, 1604-1605) used in an imaging device (1602-1603), and the controller (1606 // 1508-1509) is configured to control the light emission of each of the plurality of light-emitting parts (1701-1702) and the operation of the actuator (1501-1507 // 1607) within at least one of the imaging cycle or an exposure period of the imaging device [note Column 12, Line 24 – Column 14, Line 29].
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Stavely et al. (U.S. Patent 10,012,361 B2).
With regards to Claim 19, Stavely discloses a light-emitting module [Figures 1-24] comprising:
A light source (1700) comprising a plurality of light-emitting parts (1701-1702) having respective light-emitting surfaces and including:
At least one first light-emitting part (1701) configured to emit light having a first chromaticity, and
At least one second light-emitting part (1702) configured to emit light having a second chromaticity different from the first chromaticity;
A lens (1705-1706) configured to transmit light from the light source;
An actuator (1501-1507) configured to change at least one of a relative position between the light source and the lens in a direction intersecting an optical axis of the lens or a relative inclination of the optical axis of the lens with respect to a corresponding one of the light-emitting surfaces; and
A controller (1508-1509) configured to control light emission of each of the plurality of light-emitting parts and operation of the actuator such that:
The plurality of light-emitting parts are caused not to emit light while at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination is changed by the actuator, and there is at least partial overlap between (i) a position in an irradiation region on which light emitted from the first light-emitting part and transmitted through the lens is incident before a change in at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination and (ii) a position in the irradiation region on which light emitted from the second light-emitting part and transmitted through the lens is incident after the change in the at least one of the relative position or the relative inclination [note Figures 15-20 and Column 14, Line 31 – Column 19, Line 13].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, but is not considered exhaustive:
U.S. Publication 2005/0062937 A1 to Imade et al. teaches a multi-colored illuminator rotated about relative to optic lenses [note Figures 16A-B].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON M HAN whose telephone number is (571)272-2207. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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Thursday, March 26, 2026
/Jason M Han/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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