13/514,421
`'
`Application No.:
`February 24, 2014
`Amendment Dated:
`Reply to Office Action of: December 23, 2013
`
`MAT—10566US
`
`RemarkslArguments:
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`Claims 1-4 are presently pending, with all pending claims rejected. Applicants
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`herein amend claim 1 andadd new claim 5. Reconsideration is respectfully requested
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`in view of the above amendments and the following remarks.
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`Claim Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. § 103
`
`Claims 1-4 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as unpatentable over
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`Matsumoto (US 2005/0104993) in view of Feng et al. (US 2006/0165399). However,
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`it
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`is
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`respectfully submitted that
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`these claims are patentable over
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`the applied
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`references for the reasons set forth below.
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`Applicants’ invention, as recited by claim 1,
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`includes features which are not
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`disclosed, taught, or suggested by the applied references, namely:
`
`...'the lens control unit moves the lens in a stepwise
`manner...and the imaging device further includes a light
`emission control unit for selecting an amount of light to
`be emitted...the light emission control unit selecting the
`amount of light based on a focus position of the lens in
`each field during the stepwise movement of the lens by
`the lens control unit.
`
`The light emission control unit changes the amount of light emitted based on a
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`focus position of the lens during the stepwise movement of the lens by the lens control
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`unit. This feature is found in the originally filed application at page 9, line 13 to page
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`10, line 18, and FIGS. 4A and 4D. No new matter is added.
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`Applicants respectfully submit that the applied references fail to disclose, teach,
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`or suggest at least this feature of claim 1.
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`Matsumoto is directed to an autofocusing device. Matsumoto discloses moving
`
`a lens 12 during an autofocusing process. During the autofocusing process, the device
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`determines whether autofocusing failed due to low luminance of the object to be
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`imaged.
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`If autofocusing failed, the device actuates an auxiliary light circuit 81 to
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`illuminate the object. See Matsumoto at 1] 83 and 108-118.
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`Page 4 of 7
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`

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`13/514,421
`Application No.:
`February 24, 2014
`Amendment Dated:
`Reply to Office Action of: December 23, 2013
`
`MAT—10566US
`
`The Office Action asserts that
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`the auxiliary light circuit 81 of Matsumoto
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`corresponds to the light emission control unit of claim 1. Applicants respectfully
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`disagree.
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`The light emission control unit changes the amount of light emitted based on a
`focus position of the lens during a stepwise movement. Matsumoto fails to disclose,
`
`teach, or suggest that auxiliary light circuit 81 of Matsumoto changes an amount of
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`light emitted based on a focus position of lens 12 during the autofocussing process for
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`lens 12. To the contrary, Matsumoto determines whether or not to actuate auxiliary
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`light circuit 81 based on whether or not the object to be imaged has a low luminance.
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`This is different from claim 1, which requires changing the amount of light emitted
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`based on the focus position of the lens.
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`Feng fails to make up for the deficiencies of Matsumoto with respect to claim 1.
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`Feng is directed to a camera system.
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`:As shown in FIG. 3, Feng discloses a system
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`having a control unit 1, a lens 2, a focus motor 3, an image sensor 5, and a flash 6.
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`Control unit 1 controls focus motor 3 to move lens 2 in order to focus the image on
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`image sensor 5. KSee Feng at 1111 20 and 22.
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`Feng fails to disclose,
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`teach, or suggest
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`that control unit
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`1 controls the
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`intensity of flash 6 during the process of focusing lens 2. To the contrary, Feng
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`teaches that control unit 1 controls the intensity of. flash 6 after lens 2 has been
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`focused.
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`See Feng at 1111 20 and 22. Thus, Feng provides no reason for one of
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`ordinary skill in the art to change an amount of emitted light during the autofocussing
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`process in Matsumoto. Likewise, Feng provides no reason for one of ordinary skill to
`change an amount of emitted light based on a focus position of lens 12 during the
`
`autofocussing process in Matsumoto.
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`For the above reasons, Applicants respectfully submit that Matsumoto in view
`
`of Feng fails to disclose, teach, or suggest the feature of “the imaging device further
`includes a
`light emission control unit
`for selecting an amount of
`light
`to be
`
`emitted...the light emission control unit selecting the amount of light based on a focus
`position 'of the lens in each field during the stepwise movement of the lens by the lens
`
`control unit," as recited in claim 1.
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`Page 5 of 7
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`

`

`13/514,421
`Application No.:
`February 24, 2014
`Amendment Dated:
`Reply to Office’Action of: December 23, 2013
`
`MAT—10566US
`
`- The above feature of claim 1 provides the following advantages not achieved
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`by the applied references: “This allows lightemission control unit 26 to increase the
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`amount of light emitted from light emitting element 13 from the near point toward the
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`far point of the focus position of lenses 15, which reduces electric power consumption
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`when acquiring imaging data for each field of the focus region.” See'page 10,
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`lines 14—18.
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`‘
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`Therefore, for the reasons set forth above, claim 1 is allowable over the applied
`
`references.
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`Claims
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`2—4
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`include the features of claim 1,
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`from which they depend.
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`Accordingly, claims 2—4 are allowable over the applied references for at
`
`least the
`
`reasons set forth above with respect to claim 1.
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`New Claim
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`Applicants herein add new claim 5. Claim 5 includes the features of claim 1,
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`from which it depends. Accordingly, claim 5 is allowable over the applied references
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`for at least the reasons set forth above with respect to claim 1.
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`Claim 5'
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`includes additional
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`features which are not disclosed,
`
`taught, or
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`suggested by the applied references, namely:
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`...the light emission control unit selects a first amount of
`light greater than zero for a first focus position of the
`lens, and a second amount of light greater than zero and
`different than the first amount of light for a second focus
`position of the lens.
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`The light emission control unit selects a first amount of light greater than zero for a
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`first focus position of the lens, and a second amount of light greater than zero and
`different than the first amount of light for a second focus position of the lens. This
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`feature is found in the originally filed application at page 9, line 13 to page 10, line 18,
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`and FIGS. 4A and 4D. No new matter is added.
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`Page 6 of 7
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`

`

`13/514,421
`‘
`Application No.:
`February 24, 2014
`Amendment Dated:
`Reply to Office Action of: December 23, 2013
`
`MAT-10566US
`
`The applied references fail to disclose, teach, or suggest the above feature of
`
`claim 5. To the contrary, Matsumoto discloses that auxiliary light circuit 81 is either
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`turned on or off during the autofocussing process of lens 12.
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`Therefore,
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`for at
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`least
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`the additional
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`reasons set forth above, claim 5 is
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`allowable over the applied references.
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`Conclusion:
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`In view of the amendments and arguments set forth above,
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`the above-
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`identified application is
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`in condition for allowance which action is
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`respectfully
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`req uested.
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`AK/dmw/fp
`
`Dated: February 24, 2014
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`,7
`P.O. Box 980
`Valley Forge, PA 19482-0980
`(610) 407-0700
`
`FP_2160500
`
`Attorney for Applicants
`
`
`
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`Page 7 of 7
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