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 .
This action is in response to Application filed on 02/26/2025
Application claims a FP date of 03/05/2024
Claim 1 is independent
Claims 1-6 are pending
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 the instant Application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 02/26/2025 and 09/24/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98(a)(4). Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Applicant disclosed prior art Yoshida et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2022/0294955 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Yoshida discloses an image capturing apparatus (Digital camera 400 is an exemplary embodiment disclosed by Yoshida) comprising:
an image sensor (¶0031: the imaging unit 411 uses a CCD sensor or CMOS sensor);
a lens mount portion to which an interchangeable image capturing lens is mountable (In ¶0110 Yoshida discloses that an interchangeable lens (not illustrated) is attached to and detached from a mount 26);
a housing (In ¶0117, Yoshida discloses that the exterior of the digital camera 100 is formed by the rear cover 21, the front base 22, top cover 23, bottom cover 24, and side cover 25) including an opening functioning as an optical path during image capturing (In ¶0030 Yoshida discloses that an optical image is formed that has passed through a lens 501);
a metallic plate (Heat transfer members 120 disclosed by Yoshida in ¶0187 - ¶0200. He also discloses that the heat transfer members include metal foils and heat pipe) formed on an imaging plane side relative to the housing (Fig 2 clearly discloses that the element 110 is on the imaging side relative to the housing); and
an air circulation conduit (Fig 6B – vent 25b, 21c) formed of the housing and the metallic plate and including an intake (In ¶0102, Yoshida discloses that a vent 21c, 25b is for suctioning or exhausting the air from the duct) and exhaust port (In ¶0090, Yoshida discloses that the fan 470 generates air current to exhaust the heat generated by the heat sources), the air circulation conduit being not communicated with an inside of the housing (In ¶0125-¶0126 Yoshida also discloses that the duct 110 brings the air outside the camera and it includes a centrifugal fan 131 which generates an air current inside the duct 110),
wherein the air circulation conduit (Fig 6B – vent 25b), is provided between the lens mount portion and the image sensor in an optical axis direction (Fig 6A clearly discloses that the vent 25b is located between the lens mount and the image sensor in the optical axis direction), and the metallic plate is located on a facing surface of the image sensor (In Fig 2A Yoshida discloses that the heat transfer elements 120 are located facing the image sensor).
Regarding Claim 2, Yoshida discloses wherein the metallic plate is thermally connected to the image sensor (In ¶0186 Yoshida discloses that the heat release mechanism 120 includes heat transfer members thermally connecting the plurality of heat sources (which is mostly the imaging element 11 see ¶0191) and the duct 110).
Regarding Claim 3, Yoshida discloses wherein the housing includes a tripod screw hole portion configured to fix the housing to a tripod (Fig 1B – tripod socket 22d), and the intake and exhaust port of the air circulation conduit is provided on a surface of the housing on which the tripod screw hole portion is not present (Since the vent 25b and 21c as disclosed in Fig 1A and 1B is on a surface different from the tripod socket 22d).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 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.
Reference Cited
The following prior art made of record but not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Naito et al. (U.S. Patent Number 10,939,577 B2) discloses a cooling unit can be downsized. Air is taken in through an intake port, and heat is discharged from a heat source through an exhaust port. A heat transport unit, forming a part of a cooling fan or is substantially in contact with it, has a first region which has one end facing the heat source and another end having a through hole which air taken in or air to be discharged passes through, and in which air passes through the through hole to perform heat exchange with the air in an inner wall of the through hole. The cooling fan has an intake opening and an exhaust opening. The through hole has an intake through hole and/or an exhaust through hole. Air passes through the intake port, the intake through hole, the intake opening, the exhaust opening, the exhaust through hole, and the exhaust port in this order.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PADMA HALIYUR whose telephone number is (571)272-3287. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7AM - 4PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Twyler Haskins can be reached at 571-272-7406. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/PADMA HALIYUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639 June 8, 2026
Prosecution Insights