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.
Claims 1-2, 12-15, 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being disclosed by Yokota US 2014/0071239.
Regarding claim1, Yokota discloses an image capture system(fig. 1), comprising: an image sensor([0034-0035], imager 31 includes image sensor such as CCD, a CMOS or the like); a lens element disposed in front of the image sensor([0034], fig. 1 object optical system 32); a first light projection unit([0039], fig. 1 first light source 41); a second light projection unit([0043], fig. 1 second light source 51); and a control unit coupled to the image sensor, the first light projection unit and the second light projection unit([0050], [0060-0061], fig.1 main control unit 22 controls the first and second light sources, [0051], the main control unit 22 are connected to the imager control unit 33), wherein a first recording timing of the image sensor is synchronized with a turn-on timing of the first light projection unit to obtain a first image([0069], the main control unit 22 controls to acquire a light field image obtained by illuminating the illumination light on the specimen at the imaging unit 30 in a state in which the illumination light is emitted from the first light source 41, fig. 3), and a second recording timing of the image sensor is synchronized with a turn-on timing of the second light projection unit to obtain a second image([0069], the main control unit 22 controls to acquire a pattern projection image obtained by projecting a stripe pattern on the specimen at the imaging unit 30 in a state in which the projection light is emitted, fig. 3).
Regarding claim2, Yokota discloses the image capture system as claimed in claim 1, the first light projection unit and the second light projection unit are alternately turned on (see fig. 3, [0062-0065], first light source and second light source turned on/off alternately).
Regarding claim 12, Yokota discloses the image capture system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first light projection unit and the second light projection unit comprise different light emitting elements within a light emitting element array([0044], the second light source 51 is a light source configured to emit different light from the first light source 41. The second light source 51 is disposed in the main body section 20. An LED light source, a laser light source, or the like, may be employed as the second light source 51. In the preferred embodiment, the LED light source is employed as the second light source 51).
Regarding claim13, Yokota discloses the image capture system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a media player coupled to the control unit(fig. 1 video processor coupled to monitor 28); and a display coupled to the media player(fig. 1 video processor coupled to monitor 28).
Claim 14 is rejected for similar reason as discussed in claim 1 above.
Claim 15 is rejected for similar reason as discussed in claim 2 above.
Regarding claim17, Yokota discloses the image generation method as claimed in claim 14, wherein activating the first recording timing or the second recording timing of the image sensor comprises: initiating an exposure on the image sensor through a lens element([0069], the main control unit 22 controls to acquire a light field image obtained by illuminating the illumination light on the specimen at the imaging unit 30 in a state in which the illumination light is emitted from the first light source 41, fig. 3); completing the exposure on the image sensor through the lens element([0069]); and acquire data from the imaging sensor([0069], the main control unit 22 controls to acquire a light field image obtained by illuminating the illumination light on the specimen at the imaging unit 30 in a state in which the illumination light is emitted from the first light source 41, fig. 3).
Regarding claim 18, Yokota discloses the image generation method as claimed in claim 17, wherein activating the first recording timing or the second recording timing of the image sensor further comprises: storing the data to a memory ([0114], [0162-0163], acquired images stored on the RAM 24).
Regarding claim19, Yokota discloses the image generation method as claimed in claim 14, wherein combining the first image and the second image comprises combining the first image and the second image in a line by line format or a side by side format([0052], video processor process the video signal acquired by the imager,[0052], monitor displays the video signal processed by the video processor,[0166]).
Regarding claim20, Yokota discloses the image generation method as claimed in claim 14, wherein turning on the first light projection unit and activating the first recording timing of the image sensor at the same time to obtain the first image and turning on the second light projection unit and activating the second recording timing of the image sensor at the same time to obtain the second image are repeated until a video recording stops([0144-0145]).
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 3, 8-9, 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokota as applied to claims 1-2, 12-15, 17-20 above, and further in view of Pasula et al US 2020/0311889(hereinafter Pasula).
Regarding claim3, Yokota teaches all the limitations of claim1 above but does not teach and Pasula teaches at each of the first recording timing and the second recording timing of the image sensor, a plurality of light emitting elements of each of the first light projection unit and the second light projection unit are at least partially turned on, and wavelengths or polarizations of light beams from the first light projection unit and the second light projection unit at the first recording timing or the second recording timing of the image sensor are different([0021], the camera 105 captures an image of a subject under illumination of a first polarization state during a particular time-period, and another image of the same subject under illumination of a second polarization state during another time-period).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to perform image capturing as in Pasula to reduce reflection strength to improve performance of biometric authentication.
Regarding claim8, Yokota teaches all the limitations of claim3 above but does not teach and Paula teaches the light beams from the first light projection unit and the second light projection unit at the first recording timing or the second recording timing of the image sensor are circularly polarized light beams in different directions([0027], In some implementations, the illumination sources 115a and 115b may radiate illumination of different polarization states substantially concurrently. In such cases, the multiple images corresponding to different polarization states can be captured either using multiple cameras, or by adjusting an active polarizer associated with a single camera. Either linear or circular polarizers can be used for implementing the technology described herein, [0030]).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use different polarization state for different light sources as in Paula to reduce the strength of reflection.
Regarding claim9,Yokota in view of Paula teaches the image capture system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: a first polarizer and a second polarizer respectively arranged in front of the image sensor at the first recording timing and the second recording timing of the image sensor, wherein: the first polarizer allows the light beams from the first light projection unit to pass through and filters the light beams from and the second light projection unit, and the second polarizer allows the light beams from the second light projection unit to pass through and filters the light beams from and the first light projection unit(Paula:[0029], the one or more processing devices 415 of the image capture engine 405 can be used to control the camera 105, as well as one or more motors 410 that adjusts one or more polarizers 420a, 420b, 420c, etc. (420 in general). In some implementations, the motors 410 are in communication with polarizers 420a and 420b associated with the illumination sources 115a and 115b, respectively).
The motivation for combining the prior arts discussed in claim8 above.
Claim16 is rejected for similar reasons as discussed in claim3 above.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokota as applied to claim 1-2, 12-15, 17-20 above, and further in view of Ghosh et al US 2023/0022108(hereinafter Ghosh).
Regarding claim11, Yokota teaches all the limitations of claim1 above but does not teach and Ghosh teaches a distance between the first light projection unit and the second light projection unit is adjustable([0068], track relative positions and/or orientation of the two or more displays, [0072], fig. 1-4c).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to arrange plurality of light projection unit to be adjustable as in Ghosh in order to arrange the displays(light projection unit) substantially symmetrically about a plane including an optical axis of the camera([0031]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7, 10 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GIRUMSEW WENDMAGEGN whose telephone number is (571)270-1118. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-7:00 PM.
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GIRUMSEW WENDMAGEGN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2484
/GIRUMSEW WENDMAGEGN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484
Prosecution Insights