DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the application No. 18/412,026 filed on January 12, 2024.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 3 disclosed in Figs. 2A-3B and 10-13 in the reply filed on 05/27/2026 is acknowledged. The Applicants indicated that claims 1-7, 10, 19, and 20 read on the elected species. Claims 8, 9, and 11-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a non-elected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Accordingly, pending in this Office action are claims 1-20.
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.
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 1-7, 10, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Roh (US 2021/0167110) in view of Ahn (US 2022/0344399).
Regarding Claim 1, Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 6-11), teaches an image sensor comprising:
a sensor substrate 410 (see, e.g., par. 0075) comprising:
a first pixel group comprising a plurality of first pixels 412 that are continuously arranged (see, e.g., par. 0076);
a second pixel group comprising a plurality of second pixels 411 that are continuously arranged (see, e.g., par. 0076); and
a third pixel group comprising a plurality of third pixels 413 that are continuously arranged (see, e.g., par. 0076); and
a color separation lens array 440 (see, e.g., par. 0078) configured to:
separate incident light into green light, blue light, and red light, according to wavelengths (see, e.g., par. 0106);
multi-condense the blue light onto the plurality of first pixels 412 (see, e.g., par. 0081),
multi-condense the green light onto the plurality of second pixels 411 (see, e.g., par. 0081), and
multi-condense the red light onto the plurality of third pixels 413 (see, e.g., par. 0081),
wherein the color separation lens array 440 comprises:
a first pixel correspondence region 442 facing the first pixel group and comprising a plurality of first nanoposts NP (see, e.g., par. 0079);
a second pixel correspondence region 441 facing the second pixel group and comprising a plurality of second nanoposts NP (see, e.g., par. 0079); and
a third pixel correspondence region 443 facing the third pixel group and comprising a plurality of third nanoposts NP (see, e.g., par. 0079),
wherein:
a blue light phase profile viewed in a first cross-section immediately after passing through the first pixel correspondence region 442 comprises a plurality of first maximum points (see, e.g., par. 0110),
a number of points in the plurality of first maximum points is the same as a first number of pixels 412 in the plurality of first pixels 412 (see, e.g., Fig. 9, par. 0109).
Roh is silent with respect to the claim limitation that first positions of the plurality of first maximum points are not aligned with and deviate from a first center of the plurality of first pixels.
Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), in similar image sensors to Roh, on the other hand, teaches that first positions of the plurality of first maximum points are not aligned with and deviate from a first center of the plurality of first pixels, to implement an auto-focusing function of the image sensor by using differences among signals obtained from the photosensitive cells (see, e.g., par. 0081).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have in Roh’s device, first positions of the plurality of first maximum points not being aligned with and deviate from a first center of the plurality of first pixels, as taught by Ahn, to implement an auto-focusing function of the image sensor by using differences among signals obtained from the photosensitive cells.
Regarding Claim 2, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 1. Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 6-11) and (Ahn see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach that the first positions of the plurality of first maximum points are spaced apart from positions facing the first center of the plurality of first pixels 412 in a direction toward a center of the first pixel correspondence region 442 (see, e.g., Roh, Fig. 11, par. 0110) and Ahn (see, e.g., par. 0081).
Regarding Claim 3, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 1. Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 6-11) and Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach that:
a red light phase profile viewed from a third cross-section immediately after passing through the third pixel correspondence region 443 comprises a plurality of third maximum points (see, e.g., Figs. 14-15, par. 0112),
a number of the plurality of third maximum points is the same as a number of the plurality of third pixels 413, and
Ahn teaches that third positions of the plurality of third maximum points are not aligned with and deviate from a third center of the plurality of third pixels (see, e.g., par. 0081).
Regarding Claim 4, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 3. Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 6-11) and Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach that the third positions of the plurality of third maximum points of the red light phase profile are spaced apart from positions facing the third center of the plurality of third pixels 413 in a direction toward a center of the third pixel correspondence region 443 (see, e.g., Roh, Figs. 14-15, par. 0112) and Ahn (see, e.g., par. 0081).
Regarding Claim 5, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 1. Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 6-11) and Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach:
a green light phase profile viewed from a second cross-section immediately after passing through the second pixel correspondence region 441 comprises a plurality of second maximum points (see, e.g., Figs. 12-13, par. 0111),
a number of the plurality of second maximum points is the same as a number of the plurality of second pixels 411, and
Ahn teaches that second positions of the plurality of second maximum points are not aligned with and deviate from a second center of the plurality of second pixels (see, e.g., par. 0081).
Regarding Claim 6, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 5. Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 6-11) and Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach that the second positions of the plurality of second maximum points of the green light phase profile are spaced apart from positions facing the second center of the plurality of second pixels 411 in a direction toward a center of the second pixel correspondence region 441 (see, e.g., Roh, Figs. 12-13, par. 0111) and Ahn (see, e.g., par. 0081).
Regarding Claim 7, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 1. Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 6-11) and Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach that:
the sensor substrate 410 further comprises a fourth pixel group comprising a plurality of fourth pixels 414 that are continuously arranged (see, e.g., par. 0076), and
the first pixel group, the second pixel group, the third pixel group, and the fourth pixel group are arranged in a 2×2 shape in a first direction and a second direction (see, e.g., par. 0076).
Regarding Claim 10, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 7. Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach that:
each of the plurality of first pixels 111, each of the plurality of second pixels 112, each of the plurality of third pixels 113, and each of the plurality of fourth pixels 114 comprises two photosensitive cells 111a/b, 112a/b, 113a/b, 114a/b (see, e.g., Fig. 5A, par. 0081), and
the two photosensitive cells 111a/b, 112a/b, 113a/b, 114a/b are configured to independently sense the incident light (see, e.g., Fig. 5A, par. 0081).
Regarding Claim 19, Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 6-11, 22, 23), teaches an electronic apparatus comprising:
a lens assembly CM10 comprising at least one lens and configured to form an optical image of an object (see, e.g., par. 0167);
an image sensor 1000 configured to convert the optical image formed by the lens assembly CM10 into an electrical signal (see, e.g., pars. 0080, 0168); and
a processor CM60 configured to process a signal generated by the image sensor 1000 (see, e.g., pars. 0029, 0171),
wherein the image sensor 1000 comprises:
a sensor substrate 410 (see, e.g., par. 0075) comprising:
a first pixel group comprising a plurality of first pixels 412 that are continuously arranged (see, e.g., par. 0076);
a second pixel group comprising a plurality of second pixels 411 that are continuously arranged (see, e.g., par. 0076); and
a third pixel group comprising a plurality of third pixels 413 that are continuously arranged (see, e.g., par. 0076); and
a color separation lens array 440 (see, e.g., par. 0078) configured to:
separate incident light into green light, blue light, and red light, according to wavelengths (see, e.g., par. 0106);
multi-condense the blue light onto the plurality of first pixels 412 (see, e.g., par. 0081),
multi-condense the green light onto the plurality of second pixels 411 (see, e.g., par. 0081), and
multi-condense the red light onto the plurality of third pixels 413 (see, e.g., par. 0081),
wherein the color separation lens array 440 comprises:
a first pixel correspondence region 442 facing the first pixel group and comprising a plurality of first nanoposts NP (see, e.g., par. 0079);
a second pixel correspondence region 441 facing the second pixel group and comprising a plurality of second nanoposts NP (see, e.g., par. 0079); and
a third pixel correspondence region 443 facing the third pixel group and comprising a plurality of third nanoposts NP (see, e.g., par. 0079),
wherein:
a blue light phase profile viewed in a first cross-section immediately after passing through the first pixel correspondence region 442 comprises a plurality of first maximum points (see, e.g., par. 0110),
a number of points in the plurality of first maximum points is the same as a first number of pixels 412 in the plurality of first pixels 412 (see, e.g., Fig. 9, par. 0109).
Roh is silent with respect to the claim limitation that first positions of the plurality of first maximum points are not aligned with and deviate from a first center of the plurality of first pixels.
Ahn (see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), in similar image sensors to Roh, on the other hand, teaches that first positions of the plurality of first maximum points are not aligned with and deviate from a first center of the plurality of first pixels, to implement an auto-focusing function of the image sensor by using differences among signals obtained from the photosensitive cells (see, e.g., par. 0081).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have in Roh’s device, first positions of the plurality of first maximum points not being aligned with and deviate from a first center of the plurality of first pixels, as taught by Ahn, to implement an auto-focusing function of the image sensor by using differences among signals obtained from the photosensitive cells.
Regarding Claim 20, Roh and Ahn teach all aspects of claim 19. Roh (see, e.g., Figs. 1, 6-11, 22, 23) and (Ahn see, e.g., Figs. 5A, 11, 13), teach that the first positions of the plurality of maximum points are spaced apart from positions facing the center of the plurality of first pixels 412 in a direction toward a center of the first pixel correspondence region 442 (see, e.g., Roh, Fig. 11, par. 0110) and Ahn (see, e.g., par. 0081).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nelson Garces whose telephone number is (571) 272-8249. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 9:00 AM-5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Wael Fahmy can be reached on (571) 272-1705.
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/Nelson Garces/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814
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