CTNF 18/694,435 CTNF 91724 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 06-52 The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/22/2024 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Specification The abstract and title are consistent with the requirements set forth in the MPEP 608.01(b) and 606, respectively. Claim Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim 7 is o bjected to because of the following informalities: [ Claim 7. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein]a discharge transistor that resets the charge of the photoelectric converter is not provided between the photoelectric converter and the discharge destination. Appropriate correction as flows is required: [Claim 7. [Claim 7] The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein]a wherein a discharge transistor that resets the charge of the photoelectric converter is not provided between the photoelectric converter and the discharge destination. 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 14 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. Claim 14 recites the limitation "the other portion of the discharge path portion is disposed to extend in the normal direction from a part of the discharge path portion" in lines 6-8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because there is no previous mention of another portion of the discharge path portion and it is unclear if a part of the discharge path portion in lines 8-9 is the same or different from a part of the discharge path portion in line 3. For examination purposes and for proper antecedence the limitation is being interpreted as " the other another portion of the discharge path portion is disposed to extend in the normal direction from [[a]] the part of the discharge path portion." Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1-8 and 12-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Watanabe et al. US PGPub. 2017/0338272. Regarding claim 1, Watanabe teaches a solid-state imaging device (30, fig. 2, 5 or 9) [0062] comprising: a photoelectric converter (31, fig. 9) [0062] configured to generate a charge according to an amount of received light (incident light, fig. 2) [0062]; and a discharge path portion (32+33, fig. 9; hereinafter called 32-33) [0065] that is disposed between the photoelectric converter (31) and a discharge destination (34 or 71, fig. 9)[0067] [0098] of the charge and through which the charge overflowing (fig. 3, [0067]) from the photoelectric converter (31) passes (Watanabe et al., fig. 3 and 9) . Regarding claim 2, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein the discharge path portion (32-33) has a potential different (lower, fig. 3 and examiner’s fig. 1) from a potential (PRP, examiner’s fig. 1) of an outer peripheral region surrounding the photoelectric converter (31) and the discharge path portion (32-33) (Watanabe et al., fig. 3 and examiner’s fig. 1). PNG media_image1.png 709 812 media_image1.png Greyscale Examiner’s Fig. 1 Regarding claim 3, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 2, wherein the discharge path portion (32-33) includes: a first discharge path portion (32, fig. 3 and 9) disposed to be in contact with at least a part of the photoelectric converter (31), and having a potential lower (fig. 3) than the potential (PRP) of the outer peripheral region and higher than a lowest value (see examiner’s fig. 1) of the potential of the photoelectric converter (31); and a second discharge path portion (33, fig. 3 and 9) disposed to allow the charge having passed through the first discharge path portion (32) to pass therethrough, and having a potential lower (see examiner’s fig. 1) than the potential of the first discharge path portion (32) (Watanabe et al., fig. 3 and examiner’s fig. 1). Regarding claim 4, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 3, wherein the discharge path portion (32-33) further includes a third discharge path portion (32/33 – the interface portion of 32 and 33; see examiner’s fig. 1) disposed between the first discharge path portion (32) and the second discharge path portion (33) and having a potential (steep change in potential, fig. 3) between the potential of the first discharge path portion (32) and the potential of the second discharge path portion (33) (Watanabe et al., fig. 3 and examiner’s fig. 1). Regarding claim 5, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein the discharge path portion (32-33) has a potential that gradually decreases (stepwise decrease, fig. 3) from the photoelectric converter (31) to the discharge destination (34) (Watanabe et al., fig. 3) Regarding claim 6, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein the discharge path portion (32-33) has an impurity concentration different (p-type impurity 1E16-18 and n-type impurity 1E16-18, [0065]) from an impurity concentration in an outer peripheral region (p-type well of the Si substrate, [0064]) surrounding the photoelectric converter (31) and the discharge path portion (32-33) (Watanabe et al., [0064]-[0065]). Regarding claim 7, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein a discharge transistor that resets the charge of the photoelectric converter (31) is not provided between the photoelectric converter (31) and the discharge destination (34) (No discharge transistor present in embodiment of fig. 2) (Watanabe et al., fig. 2). Regarding claim 8, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer unit (51, fig. 5) [0089] configured to transfer the charge generated by the photoelectric converter (31), wherein the discharge path portion (32-33) is disposed to be close to the transfer unit (51) (Watanabe et al., fig. 5). Regarding claim 12, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric converter (31) is disposed inside a substrate (11, fig. 9) [0062], and at least a part (32, fig. 9) of the discharge path portion (32-33) is disposed to extend in a normal direction (z direction, fig. 2) of a substrate surface (back surface side, fig. 9) of the substrate (11) (Watanabe et al., fig. 9). Regarding claim 13, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 12, wherein the discharge path portion (32-33) is disposed to overlap the photoelectric converter (31) when viewed from the normal direction (z-direction, plan view) (Watanabe et al., fig. 9). Regarding claim 14, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 12, wherein a part (33, fig. 9) of the discharge path portion (32-33) is disposed to extend from at least a part of the photoelectric converter (31) in a direction (in the x direction, fig. 9) along the substrate surface (back surface side) of the substrate (11), and the other portion (32, fig. 9) of the discharge path portion (32-33) is disposed to extend in the normal direction (z-direction, fig. 9; 32 protrudes/extends from 33) from a part (33) of the discharge path portion (32-33) (Watanabe et al., fig. 9). Regarding claim 15, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein the discharge destination (71 to 74, fig. 10) [0098]-[0099]is shared by a plurality of pixels (fig. 10) (Watanabe et al., fig. 10, [0098]-[0099]). Regarding claim 16, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein the discharge destination (34) is placed to be close to the photoelectric converter (31) (Watanabe et al., fig. 9). Regarding claim 17, Watanabe teaches the solid-state imaging device (30) according to claim 1, wherein the discharge destination (71) is a reference voltage node (power source, fig. 9) [0098] (Watanabe et al., fig. 9, [0098]) . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim s 9-11 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. 13-03-01 AIA The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior arts of record taken alone or in combination neither anticipates nor renders obvious a solid-state imaging device comprising “a transfer unit configured to transfer the charge generated by the photoelectric converter, wherein the transfer unit is disposed to be in contact with a first straight portion of an outer edge of the photoelectric converter when viewed from a normal direction of a substrate surface of a substrate on which the photoelectric converter is provided, and the discharge path portion is disposed to be in contact with the first straight portion when viewed from the normal direction” as recited in claim 9 in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 1; a solid-state imaging device comprising “a transfer unit configured to transfer the charge generated by the photoelectric converter; a charge accumulation unit that accumulates the charge transferred by the transfer unit; and a reset unit configured to reset the charge accumulated in the charge accumulation unit, wherein the transfer unit and the reset unit are placed to be close to each other” as recited in claim 10 in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 1; and a solid-state imaging device comprising “a transfer unit configured to transfer the charge generated by the photoelectric converter; a charge accumulation unit that accumulates the charge transferred by the transfer unit; and a reset unit configured to reset the charge accumulated in the charge accumulation unit, wherein the transfer unit and the reset unit are disposed along a second straight portion of an outer edge of a pixel region” as recited in claim 11 in combination with the rest of the limitations of claim 1 . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Tayanaka et al. US PGPub. 2018/0033809 (fig. 2-3) and Azami et al. US PGPub. 2016/0351606 (fig. 1-2) teach a solid state imaging device which discharges the overflowed charges from the photodiode to a power supply . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NDUKA E OJEH whose telephone number is (571)270-0291. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 9am - 5pm.. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, DREW N RICHARDS can be reached at (571) 272-1736. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NDUKA E OJEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 2 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 4 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 5 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 6 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 7 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 8 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 9 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 10 Art Unit: 2892 Application/Control Number: 18/694,435 Page 11 Art Unit: 2892
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