Appeal No. 2002-1910
Application 08/901,409
position of the second lens group 2 (column 4, lines 62
through 65, and column 5, lines 9 through 12), the storage of
the position information is not performed when the focusing lens
is in focus. When an in-focus state is reached, Okino merely
detects the positions of the second and the first lens groups
(column 5, lines 51 through 55). The examiner’s contentions to
the contrary notwithstanding, Okino is completely silent as to
storing any of the detected position information. In fact,
“[p]osition information corresponding to the zoom position and
indicating a position to which the fourth lens group is to be
moved is read out” from the memory 17 in a subsequent step to the
detection step (emphasis added) (column 5, lines 56 through 59).
Thus, the anticipation rejection of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5 is
reversed because Okino is silent as to storing the detected
position information.
The obviousness rejection of claims 3 and 6 through 10
is reversed because the teachings of Hirasawa fail to cure the
noted shortcoming in the teachings of Okino.
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