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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s argument, filed 02/06/2026, regarding the new language has changed the grounds of rejection to include a new reference, Zhou.
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.
Claim(s) 9-16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhou (CN 1157141440).
Regarding claims 9-13, Zhou teaches a packaging structure comprising:
a substrate (1);
an optoelectronic element (2) arranged on and electrically connected to the substrate, the optoelectronic element comprising a sensing area (21) and a non-sensing area surrounding the sensing area;
a sealant (6) only formed on the non-sensing area and surrounding the sensing area; and
an encapsulation portion (4) covering and directly contacting the non-sensing area and the substrate and directly bonded to the sealant (Figs. 6-7, the sealant 6 formed a frame structure around the photosensitive region 21 to protect the photosensitive region during the injection process, thus it is implicit that the encapsulation portion 4 comes into direct contact with the sealant 6);
wherein the optoelectronic element further comprises a photosensitive chip (2) [claim 10];
wherein the non-sensing area comprises a first pad, the substrate comprises a second pad, and the first pad and second pad are electrically connected to a wire (pg. 5, para. 5) [claim 11];
wherein the wire is a gold wire or a silver wire (pg. 8, para. 3) [claim 12];
wherein the encapsulation portion comprises epoxy resin (pg. 5, para. 6) [claim 13].
Regarding claims 14-16 and 20, Zhou teaches a camera module comprising:
a packaging structure, the packaging structure comprising:
a substrate (1);
a photosensitive chip (2) arranged on and electrically connected to the substrate, the photosensitive chip comprising a sensing area (21) and a non-sensing area surrounding the sensing area;
a sealant (6) only formed on the non-sensing area and surrounding the sensing area; and
an encapsulation portion (4) covering and directly contacting the non-sensing area and the substrate and directly bonded to the sealant (Figs. 6-7, the sealant 6 formed a frame structure around the photosensitive region 21 to protect the photosensitive region during the injection process, thus it is implicit that the encapsulation portion 4 comes into direct contact with the sealant 6);
wherein the non-sensing area comprises a first pad, the substrate comprises a second pad, and the first pad and second pad are electrically connected to a wire (pg. 5, para. 5) [claim 15];
wherein the wire is a gold wire or a silver wire (pg. 8, para. 3) [claim 16]; and
a passive element, wherein the passive element is arranged on a surface of the substrate and covered by the encapsulation portion (the signal pins, connected to the second pad, are inherent resistor/passive elements) [claim 20].
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(s) 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou in view of Yajima (WO 2020041942).
Regarding claims 17-19, Zhou teaches all the claimed limitations except for a filter, wherein the filter is arranged on the encapsulation portion, and the filter is arranged opposite to the photosensitive chip [claim 17]; wherein the filter is opposite to the sensing area [claim 18]; a lens, wherein the lens is arranged on a surface of the encapsulation portion facing away from the substrate, and the filter is located on an optical path of the lens [claim 19]. Yajima teaches a camera module comprises a filter (50), wherein the filter is arranged on the encapsulation portion, and the filter is arranged opposite to the photosensitive chip; wherein the filter is opposite to the sensing area (Fig. 11) [claim 18]; a lens, wherein the lens is arranged on a surface of the encapsulation portion facing away from the substrate, and the filter is located on an optical path of the lens (Fig. 8) [claim 19]. It would have been obvious to one having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a filter and a lens as taught by Yajima within said camera module in order to focus and filter light entering the photosensitive area of the photosensitive chip.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINH Q PHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3898. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
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MINH Q. PHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2852
/MINH Q PHAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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