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 .
Benefit & Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for domestic benefit under 35 U.S.C. 365 (c) with PCT/CN2024/127771, which in turn claims foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d) with CN202323086279.3. The certified copy for foreign priority has been filed with the Office on 08/04/2025. Accordingly, the earliest effective filing date was recognized as 11/14/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/09/2025 was considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: In ¶ 0004, “roof” should be changed to – ceiling – in order to put the disclosure in proper form.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 7-12 are objected to because of the following informalities.
Re Claim 7:
On lines 4-5, the claim recites “a rear side of the external flash is mountable on a front side of a body of the camera-mounted flash”, while on line 10 the claim recites “a rear side of the external flash is mounted on a front side of the body”. There is no patentable distinguishment between the recited limitations; therefore, the claim is improper and objected to.
On lines 7-8 and lines 12-13, the claim recites the same limitations of “light emitted by the light source in the external flash is emitted toward the front side of the external flash through the light-transmitting window”. Therefore, the claim is improper and objected to.
Re Claims 8-20:
The claims are objected to due to their dependence on base claim 7.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 –
Claims 1-4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hagiuda et al. (US 20020039490 A1; “Hagiuda”).
Re Claim 1:
Hagiuda discloses an external flash (external flash device 11, shown in at least Figs 1-5 ), wherein the external flash (11) is detachably mounted on a camera-mounted flash (detachably mounting on internal flash device 19, including the housing shown with shading in Fig 5 of Hagiuda with the Examiner’s annotations below; camera-mounted flash referred to hereinafter as “19”; mounting of 11 to 19 is via mating of mounting unit of 11 with mounting seat 15 of camera 13 to mounting unit 23 of 21 as shown in Figs 1-5 and description in at least ¶¶ 0055-0056; detachability is disclosed by the description of mounting seat 15 as a hot shoe in ¶ 0055), and the external flash is electrically connected to the camera-mounted flash (shown in at least Fig 6 and described in ¶¶ 0059-0063);
a rear side (side facing toward 13) of the external flash (of 11) is mountable on a front side (side facing away from 13) of a body of the camera-mounted flash (mounting via 15 mating with 23; configuration shown in Fig 4 of Hagiuda below); and
a light-transmitting window (window of luminescent unit 25 of 11; shown in Fig 2 of Hagiuda with the Examiner’s annotations, below) for light emission is provided on an outer side of the external flash (shown in Fig 2 of Hagiuda; herein after “window”), and light emitted by a light source in the external flash (specifically 25 of 11) is emitted toward the front side of the external flash (side away from 13) through the light-transmitting window (through the window; Fig 2 of Hagiuda, below, transposed with Fig 4 of Hagiuda, below).
Figure 4 of Hagiuda with the Examiner's annotations
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Figure 2 of Hagiuda with the Examiner's annotations
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Re Claim 2:
Hagiuda further discloses wherein an electrical signal between the external flash (11) and the camera-mounted flash (19) is a wireless signal (via the electromagnetic wave from 19 to sensor 39 which in turn influences IGBT 41 as described in at least ¶¶ 0062-0064).
Re Claim 3:
Hagiuda further discloses wherein the external flash is electrically connected to the camera-mounted flash through a terminal (through the terminals of in the circuit shown in Fig 6 and described in at least ¶¶ 0062-0064, specifically including the IGBT).
Re Claim 4:
Hagiuda further discloses a power supply module (power supply 43; Fig 6; ¶ 0062), and the power supply module (43) is electrically connected to the terminal (Fig 6, ¶ 0062).
Re Claim 7:
Hagiuda discloses a flash system (described by the following) comprising an external flash (external flash device 11, shown in at least Figs 1-5 ) and a camera-mounted flash (internal flash device 19, including the housing as shown in Fig 5 of Hagiuda with the Examiner’s annotations, above; referred to hereinafter as “19”), wherein the external flash (11) is detachably mounted on the camera-mounted flash (detachably mounting on 19, shown in Fig 5 of Hagiuda with the Examiner’s annotations above; mounting of 11 to 19 is via mating of mounting unit of 11 with mounting seat 15 of camera 13 to mounting unit 23 of 21 as shown in Figs 1-5 and description in at least ¶¶ 0055-0056; detachability is disclosed by the description of mounting seat 15 as a hot shoe in ¶ 0055);
wherein the external flash is electrically connected to the camera-mounted flash (shown in at least Fig 6 and described in ¶¶ 0059-0063);
a rear side (side facing toward 13) of the external flash (of 11) is mountable on a front side (side facing away from 13) of a body of the camera-mounted flash (mounting via 15 mating with 23; configuration shown in Fig 4 of Hagiuda below);
a light-transmitting window (window of luminescent unit 25 of 11; shown in Fig 2 of Hagiuda with the Examiner’s annotations, below) for light emission is provided on an outer side of the external flash (shown in Fig 2 of Hagiuda; herein after “window”), and light emitted by a light source in the external flash (specifically 25 of 11) is emitted toward the front side of the external flash (side away from 13) through the light-transmitting window (through the window; Fig 2 of Hagiuda, below, transposed with Fig 4 of Hagiuda, above); and
the camera-mounted flash (19) comprises a body (shown in Fig 4, above) and a flash head (shown in Fig 4, above) rotatably provided at a top of the body (rotation shown transposing Figs 3-4 with 5 ), a rear side of the external flash is mounted on a front side of the body (mounting via 15 mating with 23; configuration shown in Fig 4 of Hagiuda below); an
end surface of the flash head away from the body is a light-emitting surface of the camera-mounted flash (shown in Fig 4, above), and light emitted by the light source in the external flash is emitted toward the front side of the external flash through the light-transmitting window (through the window; Fig 2 of Hagiuda, above, transposed with Fig 4 of Hagiuda, above).
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 5-6 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hagiuda.
Re Claim 5:
Hagiuda further discloses a housing (housing of 11, specifically including the housing of 25; necessarily occurring) and a lamp tube (xenon discharge tube 55; Fig 6; ¶ 0064).
With further regard to the lamp tube (55), drawings must be evaluated for what they reasonably disclose and suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art. In re Aslanian, 590 F.2d 911, 200 USPQ 500 (CCPA 1979); see also MPEP § 2125. The Examiner notes that the lamp tube (55) is not shown outside of the external flash (specifically including 25 of 11). Therefore, it is more likely than not that the lamp tube (55) is inside the housing of the external flash (specifically including 25 of 11). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (PHOSITA) to have recognized Hagiuda as at least suggesting the lamp tube is provided inside the housing due to the configuration of Fig 6 transposed with Figs 3-5 and the description in ¶ 0064.
Re Claim 6:
Hagiuda does not explicitly disclose a Fresnel lens provided at the light-transmitting window.
The Examiner takes Official Notice that Fresnel lenses provided at light-transmitting windows were well-known within the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a PHOSITA to configure the external flash of Hagiuda with a well-known Fresnel lens at the light-transmitting window of Hagiuda for the benefit of using a lens that is light weight and capable of versatile light adjustment.
Re Claim 17:
Hagiuda further discloses wherein an electrical signal between the external flash (11) and the camera-mounted flash (19) is a wireless signal (via the electromagnetic wave from 19 to sensor 39 which in turn influences IGBT 41 as described in at least ¶¶ 0062-0064).
Re Claim 18:
Hagiuda further discloses wherein the external flash is electrically connected to the camera-mounted flash through a terminal (through the terminals of in the circuit shown in Fig 6 and described in at least ¶¶ 0062-0064, specifically including the IGBT).
Re Claim 19:
Hagiuda further discloses a power supply module (power supply 43; Fig 6; ¶ 0062), and the power supply module (43) is electrically connected to the terminal (Fig 6, ¶ 0062).
Re Claim 20:
Hagiuda further discloses a housing (housing of 11, specifically including the housing of 25; necessarily occurring) and a lamp tube (xenon discharge tube 55; Fig 6; ¶ 0064).
With further regard to the lamp tube (55), drawings must be evaluated for what they reasonably disclose and suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art. In re Aslanian, 590 F.2d 911, 200 USPQ 500 (CCPA 1979); see also MPEP § 2125. The Examiner notes that the lamp tube (55) is not shown outside of the external flash (specifically including 25 of 11). Therefore, it is more likely than not that the lamp tube (55) is inside the housing of the external flash (specifically including 25 of 11). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (PHOSITA) to have recognized Hagiuda as at least suggesting the lamp tube is provided inside the housing due to the configuration of Fig 6 transposed with Figs 3-5 and the description in ¶ 0064.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-16 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.
Below is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Re Claim 8:
The closest prior art of record (Hagiuda) fails to disclose, teach, suggest, or render obvious the combined structure and functionality of the first terminal and the second terminal as set forth in the claim.
Re Claims 9-16:
The claims contain allowable subject matter due to their dependence on intervening claim 8.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chen (US 20150153631 A1) discloses an external flash for a camera.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH G DELAHOUSSAYE whose telephone number is (469)295-9088. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9:00 am-5:00 pm CST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Greece can be reached at (571) 272-3711. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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KEITH G. DELAHOUSSAYE JR.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/KEITH G. DELAHOUSSAYE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875