Appeal No. 1998-0160
Application No. 08/529,330
Schmidt ‘905 discloses a “panoramic view apparatus” that may include an active
ranging system, as detailed in Figures 1 and 2, and column 3, lines 53 through 65. As
shown in Figure 1, laser emitter 36 emits radiation which is reflected by mirrors 37 and 38,
and finally reflected toward the object to be measured by “lookout mirror” 8. The emitted
radiation does not pass through the “daylight visual system,” which includes prism 12 and
lens 13. See Schmidt ‘905, column 2, lines 47-54. The emitted beam is, instead, offset
from the “day objective lens,” and passes through an unlabeled aperture shown in Figure 1.
Combining the Schmidt ‘905 teaching with the disclosure of Schmidt ‘757 would
appear to result in, at best, emitting radiation for ranging through “night light corrector lens”
11 (Schmidt ‘757 Figure 1), rather than through “daylight objective lens” 22. The Iizuka
reference teaches correction of chromatic aberration in a common objective lens for a
laser beam and an infrared light (see, for example, page 3 of the English translation,
“Purpose of the invention”). The teaching appears to be more relevant to the infrared
viewing system of Schmidt ‘757, as opposed to the optical system which includes “daylight
objective lens” 22. Hatfield discloses, with particular reference to column 2, line 37 through
column 3, line 54, a visible/laser assembly 11 (Figure 1) including a laser 22 which emits
radiation toward a target using beamsplitters 20 and 24. We do not find the disclosure of
Hatfield to be of any particular relevance to the argued limitation of Claim 16.
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