Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/283,079

Semiconductor Device And Electronic Apparatus

Final Rejection §102§103
Filed
Sep 20, 2023
Examiner
WHALEN, DANIEL B
Art Unit
2893
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
793 granted / 993 resolved
+11.9% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+16.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
53 currently pending
Career history
1046
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
43.4%
+3.4% vs TC avg
§102
32.3%
-7.7% vs TC avg
§112
17.3%
-22.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 993 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. The following title is suggested: SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND ELELECTRONIC APPARATUS COMPRISNG STACKED-LAYER STRUCTURE OF IMAGING UNIT AND DISPLAY UNIT 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 1-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ikeda et al. (US 2020/0127064 A1; hereinafter “Ikeda”). Regarding claim 1, Ikeda teaches a semiconductor device (an imaging display device 110) comprising: an imaging unit (an imaging portion of 110); and a display unit (a display portion of 110) (Figs. 1 and 4A and paragraphs 53-59 and 80), wherein the imaging unit comprises a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a matrix (photoelectric conversion elements of pixels arranged in a matrix), wherein the display unit comprises a plurality of display pixel circuits arranged in a matrix (display pixel circuits of pixels arranged in a matrix) and a plurality of display elements arranged in a matrix (display elements of pixels arranged in a matrix) (Figs. 4A, 4C, 6A, and 23A and paragraphs 80-90, 103, and 346-347), wherein the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are provided in a first layer (111) (Figs. 4A and 23A and paragraphs 347-350), wherein the plurality of display pixel circuits are provided in a second layer (112) over the first layer (Figs. 23A and 25A and paragraph 362), wherein the plurality of display elements are provided in a third layer (113) over the second layer (Figs. 23A and paragraph 363), and wherein one of the plurality of display pixel circuits is electrically connected to one of the plurality of display elements (Figs. 6A and 23A and paragraphs 86-90 and 347, 162b is connected to 163). Regarding claim 2, Ikeda teaches wherein the semiconductor device is configured to obtain imaging data using the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (), and wherein the semiconductor device is configured to supply the imaging data of all columns to the display unit row by row (Figs. 4A, 4C, 6A and 7A and paragraphs 80-93). Regarding claim 3, Ikeda teaches wherein the semiconductor device is configured to adjust a voltage of the imaging data and supplying the imaging data to the display unit (Fig. 8A and paragraphs 117-138). Regarding claim 4, Ikeda teaches wherein the display pixel circuit is configured to control emission luminance of the display element (Figs. 8A and 23A and paragraphs 117-138 and paragraphs 368-369). Regarding claim 5, Ikeda teaches wherein the display element is an organic EL element (paragraphs 363-364). Regarding claim 6, Ikeda teaches wherein the display pixel circuit comprises a transistor comprising an oxide semiconductor (Fig. 25A and paragraphs 4 and 362). Regarding claim 7, Ikeda teaches wherein the first layer and the second layer are connected to each other by an adhesive layer (361-362) and a bump (353-354) (Fig. 23A and paragraph 351-359). Regarding claim 9, Ikeda teaches an electronic apparatus comprising: the semiconductor device according to claim 1, and at least one of a mounting unit, a lens, a main body (a main body 901), and a cable, wherein the electronic apparatus is configured to obtain user information through the lens (Fig. 27A and paragraphs 440-441). 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 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda. Regarding claim 8, Ikeda teaches an electronic apparatus comprising: the semiconductor device according to claim 1 (Fig. 27A and paragraphs 440-441). While Ikeda does not explicitly teach that the electronic apparatus further comprises at least one of an antenna, a battery, and a microphone, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include at least one of the antenna, the battery, and the microphone as claimed such as the battery in order to provide the portable electrical power to the various electronic apparatus. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL B WHALEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3418. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8AM-5PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue Purvis can be reached on (571)272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DANIEL WHALEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 20, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 16, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103
Feb 23, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 09, 2026
Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
80%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+16.0%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 993 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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