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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 16 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Watanabe (WO 2020202779 A1).
Claim 1: Watanabe teaches a range imaging device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate (Fig. 24, substrate 31);
and a pixel circuit formed at a surface of the semiconductor substrate (pg 4, pg 5-6 of attached PDF and Fig. 2)
and comprising a photoelectric conversion device configured to generate charge carriers based on light incident thereon from a space targeted for measurement (highlight spanning pg 4-5),
charge storages each configured to store at least part of the charge carriers (pg 19, storing and discharging taps),
transfer MOS transistors each positioned on a corresponding one of transfer paths and each configured to transfer at least part of the charge carriers from the photoelectric conversion device to a corresponding one of the charge storages through a respective one of the transfer paths (pg 5, transfer control mechanisms are MOS transistors),
and at least one charge drainage MOS transistor positioned on a drainage path and configured to drain the charge carriers from the photoelectric conversion device through the drainage path (pg 18, charge discharge mechanism GD),
wherein the photoelectric conversion device formed at the surface of the semiconductor substrate has an N-sided polygonal shape in plan view(Fig. 31, polygon),
a total number of the transfer MOS transistors and the at least one charge drainage MOS transistor is N or more (Fig. 31, GD1, GD2, G1-G3).
where N is an integer greater than or equal to 5 (Fig. 31, polygon),
and the N-sided polygonal shape of the photoelectric conversion device has N sides including at least one first side at which the at least one charge drainage MOS transistor is positioned (Fig. 30, transistors GD1, GD2),
and second sides other than the at least one first side such that each of the second sides is a side at which a corresponding one of the transfer MOS transistors is positioned (Fig. 31, GD1, GD2, G1-G3).
Claim 2: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to claim 1, wherein each of the transfer MOS transistors is positioned perpendicular to a corresponding one of the sides of the N-sided polygonal shape, and the transfer MOS transistors are positioned symmetrically with respect to an axis that passes through a center of the N-sided polygonal shape (Fig. 31, transfer MOS G1-G3 inside shaded region positioned perpendicularly to polygon).
Claim 3: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the sides of the N-sided polygonal shape is the at least one first side on which the at least one charge drainage MOS transistor is positioned (Fig. 31, GD1, GD2 positioned on two sides of polygon).
Claim 4: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the charge storages are positioned symmetrically with respect to the axis (Fig. 31, GD1 and GD2 inside shaded area positioned symmetrically with respect to z (up-down) axis).
Claim 6: Watanabe teaches a range imaging apparatus, comprising: a light receiving unit including the range imaging device of claim 1; and a distance image processing unit comprising circuitry configured to obtain a distance from the range imaging device to a subject based on a distance image captured by the range imaging device (pg 4, TOF device).
Claim 7: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the charge storages are positioned symmetrically with respect to the axis (Fig. 31, GD1 and GD2 inside shaded area positioned symmetrically with respect to z (up-down) axis).
Claim 9: Watanabe teaches a range imaging apparatus, comprising: a light receiving unit including the range imaging device of claim 2; and a distance image processing unit comprising circuitry configured to obtain a distance from the range imaging device to a subject based on a distance image captured by the range imaging device (pg 4, TOF device).
Claim 11: Watanabe teaches a range imaging apparatus, comprising: a light receiving unit including the range imaging device of claim 3; and a distance image processing unit comprising circuitry configured to obtain a distance from the range imaging device to a subject based on a distance image captured by the range imaging device (pg 4, TOF device).
Claim 13: Watanabe teaches a range imaging apparatus, comprising: a light receiving unit including the range imaging device of claim 4; and a distance image processing unit comprising circuitry configured to obtain a distance from the range imaging device to a subject based on a distance image captured by the range imaging device (pg 4, TOF device).
Claim 16: Watanabe teaches a range imaging apparatus, comprising: a light receiving unit including the range imaging device of claim 7; and a distance image processing unit comprising circuitry configured to obtain a distance from the range imaging device to a subject based on a distance image captured by the range imaging device (pg 4, TOF device).
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.
Claims 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe in view of Kawahito (US 20190206915 A1).
Claim 5: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to Claim 1. Watanabe does not teach, but Kawahito does teach, a microlens facing a surface of the pixel circuit such that the surface of the pixel circuit is positioned to receive the light, the microlens has an optical axis that is perpendicular to an entrance surface of the photoelectric conversion device and passes through a center of the entrance surface, and the entrance surface is positioned to receive the light (Fig. 30, microlens 17 and [0144]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the microlens as taught by Kawahito in the range imaging device as taught by Watanabe, because, as Kawahito teaches, this improves the sensitivity by improving the opening ratio ([0144]).
Claim 8: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to Claim 2. Watanabe does not teach, but Kawahito does teach, a microlens facing a surface of the pixel circuit such that the surface of the pixel circuit is positioned to receive the light, the microlens has an optical axis that is perpendicular to an entrance surface of the photoelectric conversion device and passes through a center of the entrance surface, and the entrance surface is positioned to receive the light (Fig. 30, microlens 17 and [0144]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the microlens as taught by Kawahito in the range imaging device as taught by Watanabe, because, as Kawahito teaches, this improves the sensitivity by improving the opening ratio ([0144]).
Claim 10: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to Claim 3. Watanabe does not teach, but Kawahito does teach, a microlens facing a surface of the pixel circuit such that the surface of the pixel circuit is positioned to receive the light, the microlens has an optical axis that is perpendicular to an entrance surface of the photoelectric conversion device and passes through a center of the entrance surface, and the entrance surface is positioned to receive the light (Fig. 30, microlens 17 and [0144]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the microlens as taught by Kawahito in the range imaging device as taught by Watanabe, because, as Kawahito teaches, this improves the sensitivity by improving the opening ratio ([0144]).
Claim 12: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to Claim 4. Watanabe does not teach, but Kawahito does teach, a microlens facing a surface of the pixel circuit such that the surface of the pixel circuit is positioned to receive the light, the microlens has an optical axis that is perpendicular to an entrance surface of the photoelectric conversion device and passes through a center of the entrance surface, and the entrance surface is positioned to receive the light (Fig. 30, microlens 17 and [0144]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the microlens as taught by Kawahito in the range imaging device as taught by Watanabe, because, as Kawahito teaches, this improves the sensitivity by improving the opening ratio ([0144]).
Claim 14: Watanabe, as modified, teaches a range imaging apparatus, comprising: a light receiving unit including the range imaging device of claim 5; and a distance image processing unit comprising circuitry configured to obtain a distance from the range imaging device to a subject based on a distance image captured by the range imaging device (Watanabe pg 4, TOF device).
Claim 15: Watanabe teaches the range imaging device according to Claim 7. Watanabe does not teach, but Kawahito does teach, a microlens facing a surface of the pixel circuit such that the surface of the pixel circuit is positioned to receive the light, the microlens has an optical axis that is perpendicular to an entrance surface of the photoelectric conversion device and passes through a center of the entrance surface, and the entrance surface is positioned to receive the light (Fig. 30, microlens 17 and [0144]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the microlens as taught by Kawahito in the range imaging device as taught by Watanabe, because, as Kawahito teaches, this improves the sensitivity by improving the opening ratio ([0144]).
Claim 17: Watanabe, as modified, teaches a range imaging apparatus, comprising: a light receiving unit including the range imaging device of claim 15; and a distance image processing unit comprising circuitry configured to obtain a distance from the range imaging device to a subject based on a distance image captured by the range imaging device (Watanabe pg 4, TOF device).
Conclusion
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/CLARA G CHILTON/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/HELAL A ALGAHAIM/SPE , Art Unit 3645