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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 3-5, 8-11 and 14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 12/10/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 2 recites “a large-area pixel”. The term "large" is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite; it is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. “Large” is defined as " exceeding most other things of like kind especially in quantity or size” (see Merriam Webster online dictionary). This language is indefinite as the specification does not describe what the minimum area of a pixel should be in order to be considered having a “large area”. The term “large” requires a normal level or base of measurement above which the measurement is considered “large” neither the claims nor the specification defines this base measurement. If one were to poll 100 people having ordinary skill in the art, there would be many different responses for the base measurement. Thus, determining whether one is infringing the limitation is subjective, rather than objective, and thus the claim is unclear. Therefore, the claim is rejected as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 2 recites “a small-area pixel”. The term "small" is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite; it is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. “Small” is defined as " having comparatively little size or slight dimensions” (see Merriam Webster online dictionary). This language is indefinite as the specification does not describe what the maximum area of a pixel should be in order to be considered having a “small area”. The term “small” requires a normal level or base of measurement below which the measurement is considered “small” neither the claims nor the specification defines this base measurement. If one were to poll 100 people having ordinary skill in the art, there would be many different responses for the base measurement. Thus, determining whether one is infringing the limitation is subjective, rather than objective, and thus the claim is unclear. Therefore, the claim is rejected as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-7, 12-13, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2020/0075656 A1 (Lee).
Re claim 1, Lee teaches a solid-state imaging device (image sensor 2) comprising a plurality of unit pixels (active pixel array 10) arranged in a two-dimensional array, the plurality of unit pixels each comprising:
a photoelectric conversion unit (photoelectric conversion regions 110) that photoelectrically converts incident light; and
a wiring layer (read-out circuit layer 200) stacked on a surface opposite to a light-incident side surface of the photoelectric conversion unit and having a detection node (transfer gate electrode TG) that detects charge stored at the photoelectric conversion unit,
wherein in at least some of the plurality of unit pixels, a center of the detection node is substantially coincident with a light receiving center of the photoelectric conversion unit (Fig. 6).
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Re claim 2, Lee teaches wherein the plurality of unit pixels comprises a large-area pixel and a small-area pixel, and in both or one of the large-area pixel and the small-area pixel, the center of the detection node is substantially coincident with the light receiving center of the photoelectric conversion unit (all pixels have the central transfer gate positioning and any pixel in a large area of the array can be considered a large-area pixel and any pixel in a relatively smaller area can be considered a small-area pixel).
Re claim 6, Lee teaches wherein the wiring layer has a charge storage unit that stores charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit (charge storing node FD [0038]).
Re claim 7, Lee teaches wherein the wiring layer has a pixel transistor that performs signal processing on charge output from the photoelectric conversion unit (signal processing circuits TR [0086]).
Re claim 12, Lee teaches wherein at least some of the plurality of unit pixels comprise a color filter (optical filter layer 313 [0063]) corresponding to a different light wavelength and provided on the light-incident side of the photoelectric conversion unit.
Re claim 13, Lee teaches wherein the center of the detection node includes a transfer gate electrode for transferring charge stored at the photoelectric conversion unit (TG in Fig. 6).
Re claim 15, Lee teaches an electronic device comprising a solid-state imaging device (image sensor 2), the solid-state imaging device including a plurality of unit pixels (active pixel array 10) arranged in a two- dimensional array, the plurality of unit pixels each including:
a photoelectric conversion unit (photoelectric conversion regions 110) that photoelectrically converts incident light; and
a wiring layer (read-out circuit layer 200) stacked on a surface opposite to a light-incident side surface of the photoelectric conversion unit and having a detection node (transfer gate electrode TG) that detects charge stored at the photoelectric conversion unit,
wherein in at least some of the plurality of unit pixels, a center of the detection node is substantially coincident with a light receiving center of the photoelectric conversion unit (Fig. 6).
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIGITTE A PATERSON whose telephone number is (571)272-1752. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM.
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BRIGITTE A. PATERSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2896
/BRIGITTE A PATERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896