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 .
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.
(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, 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Moon US 2022/0293653.
Regarding claim 1, Moon discloses an image sensor (100; claim 1), comprising a microlens array (112; claim 1), a filter array (111; claim 1), and a photosensitive chip (110) sequentially arranged along a direction of incident light (fig. 2), wherein the photosensitive chip comprises a plurality of pixel units (PX; claim 1); the filter array (111) comprises at least one filter unit set (G1, G2, G3, G4), each of the at least one filter unit set (G1, G2, G3, G4) comprises a plurality of filters (CF1, CF2, W, Gr, R, Gb, B) corresponding to different wavelengths (para. 0044, 0049-0052, 0055-0056; claim 1), and each of the plurality of filters (CF1, CF2, W, Gr, R, Gb, B) is configured for a corresponding wavelength of the incident light to pass (para. 0044, 0049-0052, 0055-0056; claim 1); and the microlens array (111) comprises at least one microlens unit (ML), and the at least one microlens unit (ML) is configured to converge the incident light (ML is a convex lens which converges light), and focus the converged incident light on the photosensitive chip after passing through the filter array (figs. 2, 8; light passed through converging lenses ML, pass through filter CF, and are focused on pixel array 110 [PD]; para. 0061, 0077-0078).
Regarding claim 3, Moon discloses wherein the filters corresponding to the different wavelengths(CF1, CF2, W, Gr, R, Gb, B) in the filter array (111) are arranged in a two-dimensional plane (figs. 2-6 and 10).
Regarding claim 4, Moon discloses wherein the photosensitive chip (110) further comprises a plurality of photodiodes (PD) and a signal processing module (130, 150), and each of the plurality of pixel units (PX) comprises at least one photodiode (PD; para. 0078); the photodiodes are electrically connected to the signal processing module (fig. 1 CL); each of the photodiodes is configured to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal (para. 0078 “photoelectric conversion”); and the signal processing module is configured to process the electrical signals outputted by the plurality of pixel units to obtain a light sensing result (para. 0037-0039).
Regarding claim 5, Moon discloses wherein one filter (CF) in the at least one filter unit set covers one or more of the plurality of pixel units (PX, PD; figs. 2, 8).
Regarding claim 6, Moon discloses wherein the at least one filter unit set is a 3*3 filter matrix (para. 0052; claims 1, 11 “…three rows and three columns”).
Regarding claim 7, Moon discloses further comprising a base (fig. 8 SUB, L2; para. 0078), wherein the photosensitive chip, the filter array, and the microlens array ( the set of PD, CF, and ML) are sequentially arranged (fig. 8) on the base (SUB, L2; fig. 8 shows the pixel array which makes up the photosensitive chip L1, PD, as being “in” the substrate SUB, but para. 0078 describes the photodiodes being “on” the substrate. As such L2 and/or SUB are a base).
Regarding claim 8, Moon discloses wherein each of the at least one microlens unit (ML) is arranged on each of the at least one filter unit set (figs. 2 and 5-8).
Regarding claim 9, Moon teaches an imaging device (figs. 12-14, 1100a-c), comprising at least one image sensor (100, 1142; claim 1), at least one lens (1111; para. 0118), and a circuit board (L2; para. 0081 “wiring layer”), wherein the at least one image sensor comprises a microlens array (112; claim 1), a filter array (111; claim 1), and a photosensitive chip (110) sequentially arranged along a direction of incident light (fig. 2), wherein the photosensitive chip comprises a plurality of pixel units (PX; claim 1); the filter array (111) comprises at least one filter unit set (G1, G2, G3, G4), each of the at least one filter unit set (G1, G2, G3, G4) comprises a plurality of filters corresponding to different wavelengths (CF1, CF2, W, Gr, R, Gb, B), and each of the plurality of filters (CF1, CF2, W, Gr, R, Gb, B) is configured for a corresponding wavelength of the incident light to pass (para. 0044, 0049-0052, 0055-0056; claim 1); and the microlens array (111) comprises at least one microlens unit (ML), and the at least one microlens unit (ML) is configured to converge the incident light (ML is a convex lens which converges light), and focus the converged incident light on the photosensitive chip after passing through the filter array (figs. 2, 8; light passed through converging lenses ML, pass through filter CF, and are focused on pixel array 110 [PD]; para. 0061, 0077-0078); the at least one image sensor (fig. 8) and the at least one lens (1111) is arranged on the circuit board (L2); and the at least one lens (1111) is arranged on the at least one image sensor (here “arranged on” is interpreted to mean positioned above with respect to the direction of incident light. This does not require any contact and allows for layers between, since the claim requires the lens to be arranged on both the image sensor and circuit board. The lens is above the sensor which itself is on the circuit board. As such, the lens must be arranged on both the image sensor and circuit board), to irradiate the incident light on the at least one image sensor after passing through the at least one lens (para. 0118-0119).
Regarding claim 10, Moon discloses wherein the at least one lens comprises an imaging lens and a pedestal (para. 0119; actuator being a pedestal); the imaging lens is arranged on the pedestal (para. 0119); and the at least one image sensor (1142) is connected to the pedestal (para. 0119) and is arranged on the circuit board (L2; fig. 8).
Regarding claim 12, Moon discloses wherein the filters corresponding to the different wavelengths(CF1, CF2, W, Gr, R, Gb, B) in the filter array (111) are arranged in a two-dimensional plane (figs. 2-6 and 10).
Regarding claim 13, Moon discloses wherein the photosensitive chip (110) further comprises a plurality of photodiodes (PD) and a signal processing module (130, 150), and each of the plurality of pixel units (PX) comprises at least one photodiode (PD; para. 0078); the photodiodes are electrically connected to the signal processing module (fig. 1 CL); each of the photodiodes is configured to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal (para. 0078 “photoelectric conversion”); and the signal processing module is configured to process the electrical signals outputted by the plurality of pixel units to obtain a light sensing result (para. 0037-0039).
Regarding claim 14, Moon discloses wherein one filter (CF) in the at least one filter unit set covers one or more of the plurality of pixel units (PX, PD; figs. 2, 8).
Regarding claim 15, Moon discloses wherein the at least one filter unit set is a 3*3 filter matrix (para. 0052; claims 1, 11 “…three rows and three columns”).
Regarding claim 16, Moon discloses further comprising a base (fig. 8 SUB, L2; para. 0078), wherein the photosensitive chip, the filter array, and the microlens array ( the set of PD, CF, and ML) are sequentially arranged (fig. 8) on the base (SUB, L2; fig. 8 shows the pixel array which makes up the photosensitive chip L1, PD, as being “in” the substrate SUB, but para. 0078 describes the photodiodes being “on” the substrate. As such L2 and/or SUB are a base).
Regarding claim 17, Moon discloses wherein each of the at least one microlens unit (ML) is arranged on each of the at least one filter unit set (figs. 2 and 5-8).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 2 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon US 2022/0293653 in view of Agranov et al. US 2013/0222603.
Regarding claim 2, Moon teaches wherein each of the at least one filter unit set (G1, G2, G3, G4) comprises a broadband filter matrix (matrix of filters CF; color filters are broadband), and the broadband filter matrix is configured for light in a visible light band (para. 0045) and an infrared band in the incident light to pass.
Moon fails to teach the broadband filter matrix is additionally configured for light in an infrared band in the incident light to pass.
Agranov teaches wherein a broadband filter matrix (fig. 3) is configured for light in a visible light band (G, B, R) and an infrared band (NIR) in the incident light to pass (0020) for the purpose of simultaneously capturing visible and infrared images (para. 0020).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the broadband filter matrix is additionally configured for light in an infrared band in the incident light to pass as taught by Agranov in the imaging device of Moon for the purpose of simultaneously capturing visible and infrared images.
Regarding claim 11, Moon teaches wherein each of the at least one filter unit set (G1, G2, G3, G4) comprises a broadband filter matrix (matrix of filters CF; color filters are broadband), and the broadband filter matrix is configured for light in a visible light band (para. 0045) and an infrared band in the incident light to pass.
Moon fails to teach the broadband filter matrix is additionally configured for light in an infrared band in the incident light to pass.
Agranov teaches wherein a broadband filter matrix (fig. 3) is configured for light in a visible light band (G, B, R) and an infrared band (NIR) in the incident light to pass (0020) for the purpose of simultaneously capturing visible and infrared images (para. 0020).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the broadband filter matrix is additionally configured for light in an infrared band in the incident light to pass as taught by Agranov in the imaging device of Moon for the purpose of simultaneously capturing visible and infrared images.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Richard Toohey whose telephone number is (703)756-5818. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 7:30am – 5pm.
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/RICHARD O TOOHEY/Examiner, Art Unit 2884 /EDWIN C GUNBERG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884