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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 3-13, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IM et al., US-20220246873-A1, in view of WU et al., US-20230235219-A1.
Claim 1. IM et al., disclose an X-ray detector (such as the one in figs. 1 and 2, item 100) comprising:
-a scintillator (item 110) configured to convert incident X-rays into visible rays (see abstract, wherein is disclosed a scintillator converting incident X-rays into visible light is combined with a perovskite photodetector);
-a photoelectric conversion part (item 120, fig. 1) disposed below the scintillator to convert the visible rays into electrical signals (as [0114] indicates the converted visible light is converted into electric charge through a photoelectric conversion device such as a photodiode). Further, Examiner notes that a perovskite photodetector is a specific recipe using a special ingredient (perovskite) that makes the dish (the detector) more efficient, faster, and easier to make);
-a substrate (item 121, [0104]) disposed below the photoelectric conversion part.
IM et al., appear to not disclose the exact formula with respect to the invention, e.g. “wherein the scintillator comprises a perovskite compound represented by following chemical formula 1. [Chemical Formula 1] A3B2X5: Activator (In the chemical formula 1, A is a monovalent metal cation, B is a divalent metal cation, X is a monovalent anion, and the activator is thallium (Tl) or indium (In))”.
However, in a similar invention, WU et al., disclose the general formulas of the compositions of the low-dimensional perovskite-structured metal halide are AB.sub.2X.sub.3, A.sub.2BX.sub.3, and A.sub.3B.sub.2X.sub.5; wherein, A is at least one of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, In, and Tl; B is at least one of Cu, Ag, and Au; and X is at least one of F, Cl, Br, and I (see abstract).
Thus, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have optimized the chemical formula of IM et al., and arrive at the claimed range through routine experimentation (see MPEP 2144.05); especially since the activator in A₃B₂X₅:Activator phosphors is essential for storing X-ray energy in metastable states, releasing it as light when read out, and thus enabling high-sensitivity, low-noise X-ray imaging in devices like computed radiography systems.
Claim 3. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, wherein the A comprises at least one of Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, or Au(I)+ (see Wu abstract, wherein is disclosed A is at least one of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, In, and Tl).
Claim 4. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, wherein the B comprises at least one of Sn2+, Ge2+, Cu2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Ti2+, Zr2+, Hf2+, or Rf2+ (see Wu abstract, wherein is disclosed B is at least one of Cu, Ag, and Au).
Claim 5. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, wherein the X comprises at least one of F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, SCN-, or BF4- (see Wu abstract, wherein is disclosed X is at least one of F, Cl, Br, and I).
Claim 6. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, wherein the perovskite compound is a nanocrystal particle (this limitation would read through [0028] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed the perovskite compound included in the scintillator may be a nanocrystal).
Claim 7. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 6, wherein the perovskite compound is created through quantum dot (QD) synthesis (this limitation would read through [0042] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed the perovskite photodetector can create a synergistic effect due to the perovskite compound, and thus, the PL lifespan and reaction characteristics of the perovskite X-ray detector can be improved).
Claim 8. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 6, wherein a particle size of the nanocrystal particle is in the range of 1 nm or more to 950 nm or less (this limitation would read through [0144] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed the diameter of the perovskite nanocrystal, may be 1 nm to 900 nm, preferably 1 nm to 500 nm).
Claim 9. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, wherein the scintillator further comprises an organic binder (this limitation would read through [0150] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed an organic binder may be further included when the scintillator 110 is fabricated).
Claim 10. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 9, wherein the organic binder comprises at least one of a poly-dimethyl siloxane resin, an acrylic resin, an ether resin, a polyvinyl acetate resin, a polystyrene resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polyamide resin, or a polyurethane resin (this limitation would read through [0151] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed organic binder may be, without being limited to, polyvinyl butyral resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, acrylic resin, phenoxy resin, polyester resin, polyvinyl formal resin, polyamide resin, polystyrene resin, polycarbonate resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, polyurethane resin, an epoxy resin or a combination thereof).
Claim 11. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 9, wherein the perovskite compound and the organic binder are contained in the scintillator at a weight ratio of 90:10 or 10:90 (this limitation would read through [0152] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed the scintillator 110 may include a perovskite compound and an organic binder in a weight ratio of 90:10 to 10:90).
Claim 12. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the scintillator is in the range of 1 um or more to 1,000 um or less (this limitation would read through [0167] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed the scintillator 110 may be fabricated to a thickness of 1μm to 1.5 mm).
Claim 13. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion part comprises at least one of a silicon photodiode, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor, or an organic photodiode (this limitation would read through [0183] of IM et al., wherein is disclosed the perovskite photodetector 120 may include a silicon photodiode as a photodiode (PD)).
Claim(s) 2, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IM et al., US-20220246873-A1, in view of WU et al., US-20230235219-A1, and further in view of Yokosawa et al., US 20120104266 A1.
Claim 2. The combination of IM et al., with WU et al., discloses the X-ray detector according to claim 1, but none of them does not disclose further comprising: a reflective layer disposed on the scintillator to reflect the visible rays downward; and a flexible substrate disposed on the reflective layer.
However, in a similar invention, [0029] fig. 1 of Yokosawa et al., disclose a reflective layer (item 14) disposed on the scintillator (item 12) to reflect the visible rays downward; and a flexible substrate (item 15, fig. 1) disposed on the reflective layer.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the X-ray detector structure of IM et al., with WU et al., with the feature as taught by Yokosawa, because the structure in FIG. of Yokosawa et al., would help to store X-ray energy in metastable states, releasing it as light when read out, and thus enabling high-sensitivity, low-noise X-ray imaging in devices like computed radiography systems.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILNER JEAN BAPTISTE whose telephone number is (571)270-7394. The examiner can normally be reached M-T 8:00-6:00.
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, Dale Page can be reached at 571-270-7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/W.J/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Prosecution Insights