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 § 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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0223900 to Rho et al. (“Rho”).
Regarding claim 1, Rho teaches an actuator for a camera, comprising:
a housing configured to provide an inner space (reference number 301, camera housing, see paragraph [0095]);
a carrier configured to move in an optical axis direction based on the housing (reference number 320);
a magnet installed in the carrier to face a coil installed in the housing (reference number 351c magnet and 351a coil, see paragraph [0112]);
a yoke plate installed in the housing and configured to generate an attractive force with the magnet; and a ball disposed between the housing and the carrier, wherein a height of the yoke plate is greater than the sum of a height of the magnet and a stroke, which is a moving distance of the carrier by AF driving (reference number 351b, see Figure 12).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMY R HSU whose telephone number is (571)270-3012. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached at (571)272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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AMY R. HSU
Examiner
Art Unit 2664
/AMY R HSU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638