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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2023-019401, filed on 02/10/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/18/2024 and 06/25/2024 were compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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) 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kuroda (US 2020/0412989 A1) hereinafter Kuroda.
Regarding Claim 1, Kuroda teaches an apparatus comprising: a photoelectric conversion device (fig.1; unit 10) including an avalanche photodiode for photoelectrically converting an optical image (fig.1; unit 10 with avalanche photodiode); at least one processor (Para.0027; processing circuit 22); and a memory coupled to the at least one processor (Para.0086; CPU 510 includes memory), the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (Para.0086; CPU 510 includes memory), cause the at least one processor to: generate an image signal based on an output signal from the photoelectric conversion device (Para.0086-0087; CPU 510 includes memory and process and output signal), and output a number of times of avalanche amplification occurrences by performing predetermined transformation processing based on the generated image signal (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17).
Regarding Claim 2, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image signal is generated for each area of the photoelectric conversion device (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12), and the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences is output for each area (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; number of pulses output from the inverter 17).
Regarding Claim 3, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to generate the image signal for each pixel of the photoelectric conversion device and output the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences on each pixel (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses).
Regarding Claim 4, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to output information to notify a user based on the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences (fig.2; Para.0030-0035 and Para. 0091; avalanche amplification type diode 12; counter counts number of pulses output and notify the user as an alarm).
Regarding Claim 5, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to store an operation time of the photoelectric conversion device, and determine information to notify a user based on a cumulative value of the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences for a plurality of the image signals (), and the operation time of the photoelectric conversion device (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17).
Regarding Claim 6, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output signal indicates a number of pulses of the avalanche amplification occurrences in the photoelectric conversion device (fig.1), wherein the image signal is a signal obtained by transforming the output signal by the predetermined transformation processing (Para.0087), and wherein the predetermined transformation processing is inverse transformation processing of the predetermined transformation processing on the image signal (fig.2; Para.0030-0035 and Para.0087; avalanche amplification type diode 12; processing the output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17 and transformation processing on the image signal).
Regarding Claim 7, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined transformation processing includes at least one of digital gain processing and linear transformation processing on a characteristic value of the photoelectric conversion device (Para.0086-0087; digital conversion and image processing).
Regarding Claim 8, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined transformation processing is performed based on a digital gain determined for each frame (Para.0086-0087; digital conversion and image processing and capturing images).
Regarding Claim 9, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined transformation processing includes at least one of fixed pattern noise (FPN) correction processing, shading correction processing, optical correction processing, white balance correction processing, edge enhancement processing, and noise reduction processing (Para.0087; color interpolation and other image processing).
Regarding Claim 10, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to output a cumulative value of the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences based on a plurality of the image signals (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output and optical system 502 capturing images).
Regarding Claim 11, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to record a cumulative value of the output number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences (fig.2; Para.0030-0035 and Para. 0091; avalanche amplification type diode 12; counter counts number of pulses).
Regarding Claim 12, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to output information to notify a user in a case where the cumulative value of the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences exceeds a predetermined number of times (fig.2; Para.0030-0035 and Para. 0091; avalanche amplification type diode 12; counter counts number of pulses output and notify the user as an alarm).
Regarding Claim 13, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to output information to notify the user based on a maximum value of cumulative values of the numbers of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences on respective individual areas (fig.2; Para.0030-0035 and Para. 0091; avalanche amplification type diode 12; counter counts number of pulses output and notify the user as an alarm).
Regarding Claim 14, Kuroda teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to transmit to an external apparatus data related to the photoelectric conversion device determined based on a cumulative value of the output number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17), and wherein the data related to the photoelectric transformation device is information indicating a state of the photoelectric conversion device or a necessity of replacement of the photoelectric conversion device (fig.2; Para.0030-0035 and Para. 0091; avalanche amplification type diode 12; counter counts number of pulses output and notify the user as an alarm).
Regarding Claim 15, Kuroda teaches an information processing system including an imaging apparatus and an output apparatus (fig.1), the imaging apparatus including a photoelectric conversion device including an avalanche photodiode for photoelectrically converting an optical image (fig.1; unit 10 with avalanche photodiode), the output apparatus outputting notification information to a user (Para.0091; notify the user), wherein the imaging apparatus includes: a generation unit configured to generate an image based on an output signal from the photoelectric conversion device (Para.0086-0087; CPU 510 includes memory and process and output signal); and a setting unit configured to set a mode to notify the user of a number of times of avalanche amplification occurrences in the photoelectric conversion device (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17), the number of times being estimated in a plurality of the images (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17), and wherein the output apparatus includes an output unit configured to output the notification information based on the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences with the imaging apparatus set to the mode (fig.2; Para.0030-0035 and Para. 0091; avalanche amplification type diode 12; counter counts number of pulses output and output to the user as an alarm).
Regarding Claim 16, Kuroda teaches same reason as Claim 1.
Regarding Claim 17, Kuroda teaches the method according to claim 16, wherein the image signal is generated for each area of the photoelectric conversion device, and the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrences is output for each area (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17).
Regarding Claim 18, Kuroda teaches the method according to claim 16, wherein the image signal is generated from each pixel of the photoelectric conversion device, and wherein the number of times of the avalanche amplification occurrence is output for each pixel (fig.2; Para.0030-0035; avalanche amplification type diode 12; output signal or pulse signal where number of pulses output from the inverter 17).
Regarding Claim 19, Kuroda teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for a computer's controlling each unit of the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1 (Para.0086; CPU 510 with computer program stored in a memory).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FAYEZ A BHUIYAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1562. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:00 - 6:00 M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached on 571-272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FAYEZ BHUIYAN/
Examiner, Art Unit 2639
/LIN YE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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