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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/28/2024 is in 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 (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.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7-8, 10-11, 15, 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Pat. No. 10,416,365 to Hou (hereinafter Hou).
Regarding claims 1 and 5, Hou discloses an optical sensing arrangement for a camera or a camera module for at least one of an automotive application and an electronic device (Fig. 2-4), the optical sensing arrangement comprising: an optical lens or a lens system (lens 14, Figs. 2 & 4); a sensor (image sensor 16, Figs. 2 & 4); and an infrared cut-off filter arrangement (IR filter 12, Figs. 2-4), which has a total thickness of less than 0.8 mm (”the cut-off filter has a thickness of less than 0.3 m”, Claim 10) and which includes: at least one infrared cut-off filter element (infrared absorbing cut-off filter 12.2, Figs. 2-4), which includes a first major surface and which includes or consists of a glass which includes copper oxide (“CuO-doped fluorophosphate glasses with different CuO”, col. 4, ll. 11-20 & col. 5, ll. 1-30); and a first cover element, which is arranged in front of the first major surface of the at least one infrared cut-off filter element and which includes an ultra-thin glass (“a transparent cover element 12.1 made of sapphire to obtain a protective IR filter 12”; col. 7, ll. 42-55).
Regarding claims 3 and 7, Hou discloses the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes a second cover element, which is arranged in an optical beam path (“an antireflection layer 12.4 which is arranged, or preferably formed as a coating, on one face of the cover element 12.1”, Fig. 3).
Regarding claims 4 and 8, Hou discloses at least one of: (a) a thickness of the ultra-thin glass of the first cover element is at least one of less than 0.3 mm and greater than 0.05 mm (necessitated by total thickness being less than 0.3mm; Fig. 3; col. 4, ll. 15-20); and (b) the second cover element includes an ultra-thin glass, a thickness of the ultra-thin glass of the second cover element being at least one of less than 0.3 mm and greater than 0.05 mm.
Regarding claim 10, Hou discloses the at least one infrared cut-off filter element includes or consists of at least one of the following: phosphate glass; fluoride phosphate glass; and silicate glass (“CuO-doped fluorophosphate glasses with different CuO”, col. 4, ll. 11-20 & col. 5, ll. 1-30).
Regarding claim 11, Hou discloses a thickness of the at least one infrared cut-off filter element is less than 0.22 mm (“a filter glass element can have a thickness of less than 0.3 mm, preferably less than 0.25 mm or 0.21 mm”).
Regarding claim 15, Hou discloses the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes at least one of an infrared coating and an antireflection coating, wherein at least one of: (a) the at least one infrared cut-off filter element includes a front, and at least one of the infrared coating and the antireflection coating is deposited on the front of the at least one infrared cut-off filter element (“an antireflection layer 12.4 which is arranged, or preferably formed as a coating, on one face of the cover element 12.1”, Fig. 3); (b) the at least one infrared cut-off filter element includes a second major surface, and at least one of the infrared coating and the antireflection coating is deposited on the second major surface of the at least one infrared cut-off filter element.
Regarding claim 17, Hou discloses the total thickness of the infrared cut-off filter arrangement is less than 0.5 mm (“a filter glass element can have a thickness of less than 0.3 mm, preferably less than 0.25 mm or 0.21 mm”).
Regarding claim 18, Hou discloses a method for producing an infrared cut-off filter arrangement for an optical sensing arrangement for a camera or a camera module for at least one of an automotive application and an electronic device (image sensor 16, Figs. 2 & 4), the method comprising the steps of: providing at least one infrared cut-off filter element (IR filter 12, Figs. 2-4) at a first cover element (“a transparent cover element 12.1 made of sapphire to obtain a protective IR filter 12”; col. 7, ll. 42-55), the at least one infrared cut-off filter element including or consisting of a glass including copper oxide (“CuO-doped fluorophosphate glasses with different CuO”, col. 4, ll. 11-20 & col. 5, ll. 1-30), the first cover element including an ultra-thin glass (“a filter glass element can have a thickness of less than 0.3 mm, preferably less than 0.25 mm or 0.21 mm”); and combining the first cover element with the at least one infrared cut-off filter element such that the first cover element is arranged in front of a first major surface of the at least one infrared cut-off filter element (Figs. 2-4).
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.
Claims 2, 6, 9, 12-14, 16, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hou as applied to claim 1, 5 above, and further in view of JP 3212936 to Jhang, et al. (hereinafter Jhang).
Regarding claims 2 and 6, Hou discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose copper oxide content.
Jhang discloses wherein the at least one infrared cut-off filter element includes or consists of the glass which has a copper oxide content of approximately more than 9 wt% (“one specific embodiment, the phosphate-based infrared filter glass is predominantly 40% -75% P2O5 , 10% -28% Al2O3 and 3%-8.5% CuO”). Jhang does not explicitly disclose more than 9 wt% of copper oxide but discloses a value in close proximity to the claimed range. A prima facie case of obviousness exists where the claimed ranges or amounts do not overlap with the prior art but are merely close. Titanium Metals Corp. of America v. Banner, 778 F.2d 775, 783, 227 USPQ 773, 779 (Fed. Cir. 1985). There is no criticality to the claimed range as it is recognized in art that the degree to which copper oxide is a content of the filtering glass determines the degree to which particular wavelengths are absorbed.
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a particular content of copper oxide as taught by Jhang with the system as disclosed by Hou. The motivation would have been to provide “[absorbance] of red light and having low transmittance”.
Regarding claim 9, Hou discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose at least one of the first cover element and the second cover element includes or consists of at least one of the following: alumosilicate glass; lithium alumosilicate glass; sodalime glass; and boroslicate glass.
Jhang discloses at least one of the first cover element and the second cover element includes or consists of at least one of the following: alumosilicate glass; lithium alumosilicate glass; sodalime glass; and boroslicate glass (“transparent substrate is glass (for example, white glass, borosilicate glass, soda lime glass, aluminosilicate glass, alkaline earth silicate glass”, Fig. 2).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a cover element as taught by Jhang with the system as disclosed by Hou. The motivation would have been to control a thermal expansion coefficient (“the expansion coefficient of the absorption near-infrared filter glass used depends on the transparent substrate used”).
Regarding claims 12 and 19, Hou discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes a second cover element, wherein the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes at least one layer including an adhesive, the at least one layer including the adhesive being arranged between the at least one infrared cut-off filter element and at least one of the first cover element and the second cover element.
Jhang discloses the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes a second cover element (substrate 10 and multilayer 14 each cover absorption near-infrared filter glass 30, Fig. 2), wherein the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes at least one layer including an adhesive (adhesive 20, Fig. 2), the at least one layer including the adhesive being arranged between the at least one infrared cut-off filter element and at least one of the first cover element and the second cover element (Fig. 2).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a cover element as taught by Jhang with the system as disclosed by Hou. The motivation would have been to control a thermal expansion coefficient (“the expansion coefficient of the absorption near-infrared filter glass used depends on the transparent substrate used”).
Regarding claim 13, Hou discloses a thickness of the at least one layer including the adhesive is less than 0.1 mm (“the thickness of the adhesive layer is 0.1 μm to 10 μm”).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a n adhesive in order to adhere a cover layer as taught by Jhang with the system as disclosed by Hou. The motivation would have been to control a thermal expansion coefficient (“the expansion coefficient of the absorption near-infrared filter glass used depends on the transparent substrate used”).
Regarding claim 14, Hou discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose the at least one layer including the adhesive is at least one of (a) transparent and (b) includes at least one of (i) ink and (ii) a plurality of pigments.
Jhang discloses the at least one layer including the adhesive is at least one of (a) transparent and (b) includes at least one of (i) ink and (ii) a plurality of pigments (“the organic coat layer 12” … “the organic coating layer has an organic dye and a polymer“).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an ink/pigment as taught by Jhang with the system as disclosed by Hou. The motivation would have been to provide further infrared absorption.
Regarding claim 16, Hou discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes a second cover element which includes an ultra-thin glass, the total thickness of the infrared cut-off filter arrangement including a thickness of the ultra-thin glass of the second cover element, the thickness of the ultra-thin glass of the second cover element being below 0.35 mm.
Jhang discloses the infrared cut-off filter arrangement includes a second cover element which includes an ultra-thin glass, the total thickness of the infrared cut-off filter arrangement including a thickness of the ultra-thin glass of the second cover element, the thickness of the ultra-thin glass of the second cover element being below 0.35 mm (Fig. 2; “the transparent substrate 10 has a thickness of 20 to 50 μm”).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide a thin cover as taught by Jhang with the system as disclosed by Hou. The motivation would have been to control a thermal expansion coefficient (“the expansion coefficient of the absorption near-infrared filter glass used depends on the transparent substrate used”).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hou and Jhang as applied to claim 19 above, and further in view of US PG Pub. 2014/0247480 to Tatemura et al. (hereinafter Tatemura).
Regarding claim 20, Hou discloses the claimed invention as cited above though does not explicitly disclose at least one of the group consisting of the at least one infrared cut-off filter element, the first cover element, and the second cover element is prepared as a sheet glass, and laser cutting is applied to cut the sheet glass.
Tatemura discloses at least one of the group consisting of the at least one infrared cut-off filter element, the first cover element, and the second cover element is prepared as a sheet glass, and laser cutting is applied to cut the sheet glass ([0059]).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to laser cut layers as taught by Tatemura with the system as disclosed by Hou. The motivation would have been to right-size layers ([0059]).
Conclusion
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/CHRISTOPHER STANFORD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872