DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to communication filed 01/06/2026.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention 1, Species 1 in the reply filed on 01/26/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 9 and 14-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention and species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/26/2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/18/2023 is acknowledged. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 .
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 20080191334 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Lee et al. (see, e.g., FIG. 3) discloses an image sensor package (120) comprising: a substrate (103, 109, 110, 113, 114, 115, and 116) including a metal portion (103 and paragraph [0022]: “metal layer”); an image sensor chip (111) on the substrate; and a transparent glass cover (150) disposed on the substrate and including an upper plate (portion of 150 not defined by 101) and sidewalls (101), the upper plate and the sidewalls defined by a cavity (112) at a lower portion and spaced from the image sensor chip, wherein the sidewalls are directly bonded to the metal portion of the substrate, and the image sensor chip is sealed by the transparent glass cover and the substrate.
Regarding claim 3, Lee et al. discloses the image sensor package of claim 1, wherein the upper plate and the sidewalls are integrated.
Claims 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wakabayashi et al. (US 20250054834 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Wakabayashi et al. (see, e.g., FIG. 3) discloses an image sensor package (10) comprising: a substrate (11, 12a, and 12b) including a metal portion (12a and 12b); an image sensor chip (35) on the substrate; and a transparent glass cover (13 and 14) disposed on the substrate and including an upper plate (14) and sidewalls (13), the upper plate and the sidewalls defined by a cavity (54a and 54b) at a lower portion and spaced from the image sensor chip, wherein the sidewalls are directly bonded to the metal portion of the substrate, and the image sensor chip is sealed by the transparent glass cover and the substrate.
Regarding claim 4, Wakabayashi et al. discloses the image sensor package of claim 1, wherein the metal portion (12a and 12b) includes a square ring shape (12a) surrounding the image sensor chip.
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakabayashi et al. (US 20250054834 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Otsuka et al. (US 20220352227 A1).
Regarding claim 2 Wakabayashi et al. teaches the image sensor package of claim 1.
However, Wakabayashi et al. fails to teach that the package is further comprising a light blocking film consecutively extending along surfaces of the sidewalls and along an edge of a surface of the upper plate.
Otsuka et al. (see, e.g., FIG. 2) teaches an image sensor package (200) comprising a light blocking film (220) consecutively extending along surfaces of the sidewalls (251 and 253) and along an edge of a surface of the upper plate (210) for the purpose of preventing adhesive deterioration and prevent flare from bonding wires (paragraph [0005]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the light blocking film as described by Otsuka et al. into the image sensor package as described by Wakabayashi et al. for the purpose of preventing flare from the bonding wires (paragraph [0005]).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 20080191334 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Beggs (US 2857663 A).
Regarding claim 5, Lee et al. teaches the image sensor package of claim 1.
However, Lee et al. fails to specifically teach that the metal portion includes stainless steel (SUS), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al) (Lee et al. teaches that the metal portion is for bonding by eutectic bonding in paragraph [0022]).
Beggs teaches that the metal portion includes stainless steel (SUS), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al) (Table 1: “Ti-Cu” and “Zr-Cu”) for the purpose of being a suitable allow for eutectic bonding (column 3, lines 24-54).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the specific alloys described by Beggs to the image sensor package as described by Lee et al. for the purpose of providing a suitable bonding material (column 3, lines 24-54).
Claims 6, 8, and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakabayashi et al. (US 20250054834 A1) in view of Otsuka et al. (US 20220352227 A1) and further in view of Dabich et al. (US 10283731 B2).
Regarding claim 6, Wakabayashi et al. (see, e.g., FIGS. 3 and 8) teaches an image sensor package (10) comprising: a substrate (11, 12a, 12b, 34, 91b, and 111) including an insulation layer (11), redistribution lines (111) and redistribution vias (91b) formed in the insulation layer, and a metal portion (12a and 12b); an image sensor chip (35) on the substrate; a connection member (50) for electrically coupling the redistribution lines and the image sensor chip; a transparent glass cover (13 and 14) disposed on the substrate and including an upper plate (14) and sidewalls (13), the upper plate and the sidewalls defined by a cavity (54a and 54b) at a lower portion and spaced from the image sensor chip; and the image sensor chip is sealed by the transparent glass cover and the substrate.
However Wakabayashi et al. fails to teach that the image sensor package comprises: a light blocking film consecutively extending along surfaces of the sidewalls and along an edge of a surface of the upper plate; and laser welding lines protruding from the metal portion, wherein the sidewalls are directly bonded to the metal portion by the laser welding lines.
Otsuka et al. (see, e.g., FIGS. 2 and 3) teaches an image sensor package (200) comprising a light blocking film (220) consecutively extending along surfaces of the sidewalls (see annotated Fig. 3 below: sidewall defined as 251 and 253 and surface defined as the area of 251 contacting “first region”) and along an edge of a surface of the upper plate (see annotated Fig. 3 below: upper plate defined as 210 and edge of surface defined as the area of 210 contacting “second region”) for the purpose of preventing adhesive deterioration and prevent flare from the connection member (paragraph [0005] and [0057]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the light blocking film extending a distance along an edge of a surface of the upper plate as described by Otsuka et al. into the image sensor package as described by Wakabayashi et al. for the purpose of preventing flare from the connection member (paragraph [0005] and [0057]).
However Wakabayashi et al. in view of Otsuka et al. fails to teach that the image sensor package comprises laser welding lines protruding from the metal portion, wherein the sidewalls are directly bonded to the metal portion by the laser welding lines.
Dabich et al. (see, e.g., FIGS. 2, 23, and 24) teaches laser welding lines (visible in FIGS. 23 and 24) protruding from the metal portion, wherein the sidewalls (380) are directly bonded to the metal portion (304) by the laser welding lines for the purpose of providing a hermetic seal of metal to glass at a low temperature (column 2, lines 4-13).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the laser welding lines as described by Dabich et al. to the image sensor package as described by Wakabayashi et al. in view of Otsuka et al. for the purpose of providing a hermetic seal of metal to glass at a low temperature (column 2, lines 4-13).
Regarding claim 8, Wakabayashi et al. (see, e.g., FIG. 3) teaches the image sensor package of claim 6, wherein an upper surface of the metal portion (12a and 12b) protrudes from an upper surface of the insulation layer (11).
Regarding claim 11, Wakabayashi et al. (see, e.g., FIG. 3) teaches the image sensor package of claim 6, wherein the connection member (50) includes a bonding wire (50).
Regarding claim 12, Wakabayashi et al. in view of Otsuka et al. as combined in the rejection of claim 6 above (see, e.g., Otsuka et al. FIGS. 2 and 3) teaches the image sensor package of claim 11 , wherein the light blocking film (220) includes a first region (see annotated Fig. 3 below: “first region”) extending along an internal surface of the sidewalls, and a second region (see annotated Fig. 3 below: “second region”) having a predetermined first width and extending toward a center of an internal surface of the upper plate from an edge of the internal surface of the upper plate.
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Regarding claim 13, Wakabayashi et al. in view of Otsuka et al. as combined in the rejection of claim 6 above (see, e.g., Otsuka et al. FIGS. 2 and 3) teaches the image sensor package of claim 12, wherein the predetermined first width is longer than a length from the edge of the internal surface of the upper plate to a point of the surface of the upper plate vertically overlapping an end point of a bonding pad to which the bonding wire is bonded (paragraph [0056] and [0057]).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakabayashi et al. (US 20250054834 A1) in view of Otsuka et al. (US 20220352227 A1) and further in view of Dabich et al. (US 10283731 B2) as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Exposito et al. (US 6870238 B2).
Regarding claim 7, Wakabayashi et al. teaches the image sensor package of claim 6.
However Wakabayashi et al. fails to expressly teach that the metal portion is electrically insulated from the image sensor chip and the redistribution lines.
Exposito et al. teaches an image sensor package, wherein the metal portion is electrically insulated from the image sensor chip and the redistribution lines (column 1, lines 43-56) for the purpose of improving the quality of the electrical signals the semiconductor component delivers (column 1, lines 32-34).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the shielding as described by Exposito et al. to the image sensor package as described by Wakabayashi et al. for the purpose of improving the quality of the electrical signals the semiconductor component delivers (column 1, lines 32-34).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakabayashi et al. (US 20250054834 A1) in view of Otsuka et al. (US 20220352227 A1) and further in view of Dabich et al. (US 10283731 B2) as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Hsiao (US 5707894 A).
Regarding claim 10, Wakabayashi et al. teaches the image sensor package of claim 6.
However, Wakabayashi et al. fails to teach that the image sensor package includes a fixing portion bonded to a bottom surface of the metal portion and embedded in the insulation layer.
Hsiao (see, e.g., FIG. 4A) teaches a fixing portion (56) bonded to a bottom surface of the metal portion (60) and embedded in the insulation layer (10 and 58) for the purpose of preventing the metal portion from peeling from the substrate (column 2, lines 29-32).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the fixing portion as described by Hsiao to the image sensor package as described by Wakabayashi et al. for the purpose of preventing the metal portion from peeling from the substrate (column 2, lines 29-32).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AIDAN D BANKLER whose telephone number is (571)272-0883. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday 7:00-5:00.
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/AIDAN D BANKLER/Examiner, Art Unit 2817
/Kretelia Graham/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2817 February 17, 2026