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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 18 objected to because of the following informalities: the clause “wherein the receiver comprising” should be “the receiver comprising” or “wherein the receiver comprises” for grammatical consistency. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The clause “integrated into a one-piece structure” in claims 11-15 is broadly interpreted to include a part manufactured as a single piece as well as the case that the separate components (e. g. packaging sidewall and cirecuit board) are connected after manufacturing.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The clause “a central wavelength corresponding to the coating materials increases in a direction from the central region to the annular region of the optical filter” is unclear because, it is not explained what the meaning of the central wavelength is (e. g., it is the optical wavelength at which the optical filter has the highest transmissivity). Clarification and correction are required.
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) 1-7, 9-11, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Camarri et al. (US 2016/0025855).
With regard to claim 1, Camarri discloses a receiver for a LIDAR, comprising (e. g. Fig. 6):
A circuit board (PCB 110);
a plurality of receiving units (array of spatially distributed light sensitive elments (108), para. [0021] ) provided on the circuit board and configured to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal;
a packaging sidewall (114) protruding from the circuit board and disposed around the plurality of receiving units to form a cavity accommodating the plurality of receiving units; and
a packaging layer (116 and cover 122B) provided on the packaging sidewall and covering the cavity.
With regard to claim 2, an optical filter (121B) covers the though hole (para. [0027]).
With regard to claims 3-5, the sensor (detectors surface) is at the focal point of the lens located in the hole at the focal plane of the optical assembly (para. [0020-21]).
With regard to claim 6, the height of the packaging sidewall is configured such that the maximum incident angle of echo beams on the light detection surface is 15 degrees (para. [0020], field of view of lens 120B is 15 degrees or no more than 10 degrees).
With regard to claim 7, the sensors are connected to application-specific integrated circuits (112) that can be mounted within a cavity in the opposite side of the printed circuit board (110) (outside the packaging sidewall), para. [0018] and Figs. 1 & 3.
With regard to claims 9-10, the optical filter is provided on the surface of the packaging layer facing the plurality of receiving units or on a surface of the packaging layer facing away from the receiving units (filter coating on one or both sides of transmissive cover 122B, para. [0027]).
With regard to claim 11, the circuit board (110), packaging sidewall (114), and packaging layer (116) are integrated into a one-piece structure in the final assembly.
With regard to claim 17, the circuit board (110), packaging sidewall (114), and the packaging layer (116) are independent component prior to assembly of the receiver.
With regard to claim 18, the plurality of receiving units are arranged in an array (matrix), para. [0021].
With regard to claim 19, Camarri discloses a LIDAR, comprising:
A transmitter for providing a transmitting beam, and
A receiver for detecting an echo beam formed by the transmitting beam via an object, the receiver comprising
A circuit board (PCB 110);
a plurality of receiving units (array of spatially distributed light sensitive elments (108), para. [0021] ) provided on the circuit board and configured to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal;
a packaging sidewall (114) protruding from the circuit board and disposed around the plurality of receiving units to form a cavity accommodating the plurality of receiving units; and
a packaging layer (116 and cover 122B) provided on the packaging sidewall and covering the cavity.
With regard to claim 20, the transmitter is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (para. [0018]).
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) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Camarri et al. as applied to claims 1-2 above, and further in view of Liphardt (US 10,209,528), cited in Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement. Camarri et al. do not disclose, but Liphardt teaches in the same field of endeavor, (e. g. Fig. 1a1) an optical filter comprising a central region (OP) and at least one annular region located around the central region, the central region (radius < r1) and the annular region (r1 < radius < r2) being made of different filtering materials (8th col. lines 16-30). The different filtering materials have different passbands (central wavelength corresponding to transmission maximum), resulting in an improved focus of a lens for focusing light over a range of wavelengths on an element (3rd col. lines 57-65). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, e. g. an optical engineer, before the effective filing date of the application, to include the optical filter taught by Liphardt, coated on the lens (120B) in the receiver of Camarri, for the purpose of improving the focus and thereby efficiency of the sensor.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Camarri et al. as applied to claims 1 and 11 above, and further in view of Stettner et al. (US 2015/0301180). Camarri et al. disclose separate (printed) circuit board, packaging sidewall, and packaging layer (prior to assembly). Camarri et al. do not specifically disclose, but Stettner et al. teach (see Fig. 4 and para. [0038]), the packaging sidewall (44) is an insulating sidewall, and the packaging layer (cover 47) of a receiver is a metal layer with a glass window. The metal cover is welded, soldered, or epoxied to the side walls to create a hermetically sealed package for the detector. The method of manufacture was well-known in the art, and advantageously seals the receiver to prevent entry of dust or dirt. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art, e. g. an optical engineer, before the effective filing date of the application to choose the packaging layer in the receiver of Camarri et al. to be made of metal and assembled as taught by Stettner et al.
Claims 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Camarri et al.
The exact order of assembly of the circuit board, packaging sidewall, and packaging layer of the receiver of Camarri et al. into structures is a mere design choice that would have been known to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention. Therefore, these claims would have been obvious.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed on Oct 1, July 2, April 2, and Feb. 3, 2025; Sept. 2 and May 2, 2024 have been considered by the Examiner.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Findlay et al. discloses a sensor array microchip, Muenzer et al. and Tsai et al. disclose optical detectors with filters and angular light dependence.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to ERIC L BOLDA whose telephone number is 571-272-8104. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 8:30am to 5pm.
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/ERIC L BOLDA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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