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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A in the reply filed on 11/7/25 is acknowledged.
Claims 6, 7, 11-12 and 19 are cancelled from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/7/25.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-5, 8-10, 13-16, 21-22 and 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen (US PGPub 2022/0246592).
Claim 1: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) an optical device package, comprising: a sensor (12) comprising a sensing region (121); and a light-transmitting region (220) at least partially in the sensor, the light-transmitting region allowing an external light to transmit therethrough and reach the sensing region, wherein a width of the light-transmitting region adjacent to a level of the sensing region is equal to or smaller than a width of the sensing region [0057].
Claim 2: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) the width of the light-transmitting region adjacent to the level of the sensing region is in a direction substantially parallel to a diagonal line of the sensing region from a top view perspective [0057].
Claim 3: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) an area of the light-transmitting region adjacent to the level of the sensing region is smaller than an area of the sensing region [0057].
Claim 4: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) a width of a portion the light-transmitting region proximal to the sensing region is less than a width of a portion of the light-transmitting region distal from the sensing region [0057].
Claim 5: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) the light- transmitting region is configured to allow mainly the external light having a wavelength range excluding a visible spectrum to transmit therethrough and reach the sensing region [0057].
Claim 8: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) an optical device package, comprising: a sensor (12) comprising a sensing region (121); a light-transmitting region (220) adjacent to the sensing region and configured to allow an external light to transmit therethrough and reach the sensing region; and a first light-limiting structure partially exposing the sensing region from a top view perspective, the sensing region and the first light-limiting structure are at opposite sides of the sensor.
Claim 9: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) the first light- limiting structure defines an aperture allowing the external light to transmit therethrough, and the first light-limiting structure comprises a first portion over the sensor and surrounding the aperture.
Claim 10: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) a second light-limiting structure (30) contacting a lateral surface of the sensor and configured to block the external light from entering the sensor through the lateral surface.
Claim 13: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) the first light- limiting structure has an outer edge substantially aligned with a lateral surface of the sensor.
Claim 14: The optical device package as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a second light-limiting structure encapsulating the sensor, wherein a bottom surface of the first light-limiting structure substantially aligns with a top surface of the second light-limiting structure.
Claim 15: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) an optical device package, comprising: a carrier (10); a sensor (12) disposed over the carrier and comprising a sensing region (121); a light-transmitting region (220) adjacent to the sensing region and configured to allow an external light to transmit therethrough and reach the sensing region; and a light-limiting structure defining a light-transmitting area at a side of the light- transmitting region away from the sensing region, wherein a distance between the sensing region and the light-transmitting area is configured to reduce a distance between a top surface of the light-limiting structure and the carrier [0057].
Claim 16: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) the sensing region and the light-limiting structure are at opposite sides of the sensor.
Claim 21: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) a first light-limiting structure partially exposing the sensing region from a top view perspective.
Claim 22: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) a second light-limiting structure (30) contacting a lateral surface of the sensor, wherein a lateral surface of a first light-limiting structure is recessed from a lateral surface of the second light-limiting structure.
Claim 24: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) [0057] a width of a portion the light-transmitting region proximal to the sensing region is less than a width of a portion of the light-transmitting region distal from the sensing region.
Claim 25: Chen teaches (Fig. 5B) at least a portion of the sensing region is embedded in the light-transmitting region.
Claims 15-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawai (US PGPub 2008/0075474).
Claim 15: Kawai teaches (Fig. 2) an optical device package, comprising: a carrier (22); a sensor (1) disposed over the carrier and comprising a sensing region (4); a light-transmitting region (1) adjacent to the sensing region and configured to allow an external light to transmit therethrough and reach the sensing region; and a light-limiting structure (7) defining a light-transmitting area at a side of the light- transmitting region away from the sensing region, wherein a distance between the sensing region and the light-transmitting area is configured to reduce a distance between a top surface of the light-limiting structure and the carrier [0057].
Claim 16: Kawai teaches (Fig. 2) the sensing region and the light-limiting structure are at opposite sides of the sensor.
Claim 17: Kawai teaches (Fig. 2) a distance between the sensing region and the carrier is less than a distance between the sensing region and the light-limiting structure.
Claim 20: Kawai teaches (Fig. 2) at least a portion of the sensing region is embedded in the light-transmitting region.
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.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawai (US PGPub 2008/0075474), as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Schell et al. (US PGPub 2005/0212929)
Regarding claim 18, as described above, Kawai substantially reads on the invention as claimed, and Kawai teaches wherein the carrier is light- blocking, and the light-limiting structure further comprises an encapsulant the sensor and the processing component. Kawai does not teach a processing component electrically connected to the sensor. Schell teaches a processing component electrically connected to the sensor, to generate a coordinate system. Additionally processors are commonly found in electrical systems to add functionality to the overall device Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device taught by Kawai to have included a processor so that the light gathered by the sensor could be processed in a meaningful way as taught by Schell (ABS)
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US PGPub 2022/0246592), 4as applied to claim 21 above, and further in view of Schell et al. (US PGPub 2005/0212929)
Regarding claim 23, as described above, Chen substantially reads on the invention as claimed, except Chen does not teach a processing component (DSP) electrically connected to the sensor (120), wherein the second light-limiting structure encapsulates the sensor and the processing component. Schell teaches a processing component (DSP) electrically connected to the sensor, wherein the second light-limiting structure (transparent material) encapsulates the sensor and the processing component to generate a coordinate system. Additionally processors are commonly found in electrical systems to add functionality to the overall device Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the device taught by Kawai to have included a processor so that the light gathered by the sensor could be processed in a meaningful way as taught by Schell (ABS)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARAH KATE SALERNO whose telephone number is (571)270-1266. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30am-2:30pm.
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/SARAH K SALERNO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814