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 .
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.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy of Korean patent application number 10-2024-0186189, filed on December 13, 2024, has been received and made of record.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (lDS) submitted on June 5, 2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and has been considered by the Examiner.
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 1-5 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US Pub. 2020/0333686), in view of Jeziorek (US Pub. 2014/0104792).
In regard to claim 1, note Kim discloses an actuator for a camera, comprising a first carrier configured to move in at least one direction (paragraph 0053, and figure 1: 120; the first carrier 120 moves to perform OIS), a housing configured to support the movement of the first carrier (paragraph 0052, and figure 1: 110, 120; the housing 110 supports the first carrier 120), a second carrier configured to move in at least one direction relative to the first carrier and having a magnet installed thereon (paragraph 0060, and figure 1: 130, M2; the second carrier 130 moves to perform AF, and includes a magnet M2), a coil configured to face the magnet (paragraph 0062, and figure 1: C2; the coil C2 faces the magnet M2, and is used to perform AF), and a circuit board (figure 1: 170) including a first part fixed to the housing (paragraph 0073, and figure 1: 170, 110-2; the circuit board 170 is fixed to the housing 110-2 ), a second part fixed to the first carrier and configured such that the coil is installed thereon (paragraph 0073, and figure 1: 170; the circuit board is fixed to the first carrier 120 in order to support coil C2 adjacent to the magnet M2 of the second carrier 130), and a connection part that connects the first and second parts and has at least one bending region (paragraph 0073, and figure 1: 170; the circuit board 170 includes a connection part between the different parts of the circuit board, which include at least one corner portion that is considered to be a bending region).
Therefore, it can be seen that the primary reference fails to explicitly disclose a supporting member provided in the bending region and configured to physically support the bending region.
In analogous art, Jeziorek discloses a supporting member provided in a bending region of a circuit board that is configured to physically support the bending region of the circuit board (paragraph 0058, and figures 6 & 8A: 60, 62; the circuit board 60 includes support member 62). Jeziorek teaches that the use of a supporting member provided in a bending region of a circuit board that is configured to physically support the bending region of the circuit board is preferred in order to resist damage due to unbending forces during use/movement (paragraphs 0003, 0058). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the primary reference to include a supporting member provided in the bending region and configured to physically support the bending region, in order to resist damage due to unbending forces during use/movement, as suggested by Jeziorek.
In regard to claim 2, note Jeziorek discloses that the supporting member has a bending shape (paragraph 0058, and figures 6 & 8A: 62).
In regard to claim 3, note Jeziorek discloses that the supporting member includes a body portion coupled to the bending region (paragraph 0058, and figures 6 & 8A: 62), and a hole configured to expose a center portion of the bending region (paragraphs 0066-67, and figures 6 & 8A: 82).
In regard to claim 4, note Jeziorek discloses that the hole has a bending shape (paragraphs 0066-67, and figures 6 & 8A: 82).
In regard to claim 5, note Jeziorek discloses that the hole has a shape of an elongated hole that extends in a longitudinal direction of the bending region (paragraphs 0066-67, and figures 6 & 8A: 82).
In regard to claim 8, note Kim discloses that the bending region has a smaller height or thickness than other portions of the connection part (figure 1: 170; the corner portions that include the bending region are smaller in height than the other portions of the circuit board 170).
In regard to claim 9, this is directed to a supporting member, which is identical to the supporting member of the actuator of claims 1 and 3. Therefore, claim 9 has been analyzed and rejected as previously discussed with respect claims 1 and 3 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2017/0108705: note the use of an imaging device having an actuator that includes a first and second carrier used for OIS and AF, and wherein the actuator includes a flexible circuit board that surrounds the actuator.
US 2023/0194959: note the use of an imaging device having an actuator that includes a first and second carrier used for OIS and AF, and wherein the actuator includes a flexible circuit board that surrounds the actuator.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISS S YODER III whose telephone number is (571)272-7323. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:00 PM.
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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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/CHRISS S YODER III/Examiner, Art Unit 2638
