DETAILED ACTION
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 15-16, 24-25 and 31-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aki et al. (Aki US 2003/0201433 of record).
Regarding claims 15 and 30, Aki shows a method of trimming light sensitivity of phototransistors (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9) that are produced in a wafer-based ( substrate 170) semiconductor process and that each have a rear-side collector ( N+ /22/30 collector in FIG. 9 and [0014]), a base (base 40 in FIG. 9 and [0014] embedded in the collector, an emitter ( emitter 50 in FIG. 9 and [0014]) embedded in the base, and a front- side metallization (electric lines 190) that comprises at least one bond pad (electrode 120) for the emitter (emitter 50), wherein regions of the front side covered by the metallization define a light-insensitive area (light emitting element 180) of the respective phototransistor (phototransistor 200) and metal-free regions of the front side define a light-sensitive area ( element 180) of the respective phototransistor ( phototransistor 200), wherein the method comprises the steps of measuring a collector-emitter current of the phototransistors ( the underlined limitations considered function of the phototransistor); and changing a size of the light-sensitive area by changing a size of the area covered by the metallization in dependence on the measured collector-emitter current ( the terms changing size and measured also considered function of the phototransistor of Aki).
Regarding claim 16, Aki shows a method of trimming light sensitivity of phototransistors (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9), wherein the front-side metallization comprises a trimming structure (structure 190 in FIG. 9), wherein changing the size of the light- sensitive area ( light emitting element 180) by changing the size of the area covered by the metallization comprises increasing the size of the light-sensitive area by changing the size of the area covered by the metallization ( structure 190) by removing at least a part of the trimming structure (interface between 190).
Regarding claim 24, Aki shows a method of trimming light sensitivity of phototransistors (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9), wherein the measurement of the collector-emitter current of the phototransistors (phototransistor 200)( comprises that the respective phototransistor is illuminated and the respective base (base 40) is unconnected or connected, or in that the measurement of the collector-emitter current of the phototransistors comprises that the respective base is connected and the respective phototransistor is unilluminated or illuminated (see FIG. 9).
Regarding claim 25, Aki shows a method of trimming light sensitivity of phototransistors (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9), wherein the metallization has as structures a bond pad for the emitter and a trimming structure and, optionally, additionally a bond pad for the base and/or at least one frame-like structure for shielding electrical fields, with the trimming structure being formed separately from the other structure or structures or being connected to the or at least one of the other structures (see FIG. 9).
Regarding claims 31 and 35, Aki shows a phototransistor (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9) that is produced in a wafer-based semiconductor ( substrate 170) process and whose light sensitivity ( element 180) can be trimmed and that has a rear-side collector (collector 22), a base (base 30) embedded in the collector (collector), an emitter (emitter 50) embedded in the base (base 30), and a front-side metallization (element 190) that comprises at least one bond pad (pad 120) for the emitter (emitter 50), wherein the regions of the front side covered by the metallization define a light-insensitive area ( element 180) of the phototransistor and the metal-free regions of the front side define a light-sensitive area of the phototransistor (phototransistor 200) , wherein the collector-emitter current can be measured, and wherein the size of the light-sensitive area can be changed in dependence on the measured collector-emitter current by changing the size of the area covered by the metallization (see FIG. 9).
Regarding claim 32, Aki shows a phototransistor (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9), wherein the front- side metallization comprises a trimming structure ( element 190), wherein changing the size of the light- sensitive area by changing the size of an area covered by the metallization comprises increasing the size of the light-sensitive area by changing the size of the area covered by the metallization by removing at least a part of the trimming structure (see FIG. 9).
Regarding claim 33, Aki shows a phototransistor (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9), wherein the phototransistor is configured for use in measuring an ambient light brightness (FIG. 9).
Regarding claim 34, Aki shows a phototransistor (phototransistor 200 in FIG. 9), wherein the phototransistor is further configured for setting the brightness of an instrument panel lighting and/or of an interior lighting of a motor vehicle (FIG. 9).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-23 and 26-29 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELIAS M ULLAH whose telephone number is (571)272-1415. The examiner can normally be reached M-F at 8AM-5PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yara Green can be reached at 571-270-3035. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ELIAS ULLAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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