DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9 and 17-18 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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s response includes election of Group II drawn to Figure 10. Applicant indicates Group II encompasses claims 1-3, 8, 9, 14, 16-21. The Examiner notes that claim 3 requires a third power source equal to the voltage of the second power source which does not appear to be represented in Figure 10 or associated paragraphs. For clarification, Figure 10 illustrates a third power source equal to the ground and the first power source (601) is equal to VH. It is clear these two values are not equal. Applicant’s specification paragraph [0094] recites “in response to the cathode voltage VC dropping to a voltage equal to or smaller than the voltage of the third power source 603”, however, as laid out in the specification and Figure 10, the cathode voltage VC is not the same element as the first power source. Therefore, claim 3 will not be included in examination.
Claims 1-2, 8-9, 14 and 16-21 are entered into examination.
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, 14, 16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sasaki et al. US 2019/0327424 hereinafter referred to as Sasaki.
In regards to claim 1, Sasaki teaches:
“A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: an avalanche photodiode having a first terminal and a second terminal”
Sasaki Figure 1 and paragraph [0031] SPAD 121. A diode necessarily has two terminals.
“a first power source connected to the first terminal”
According to Applicant’s specification the first power source is equivalent to element 601, which is a power source connected to the APD 201 through a transistor element 202. Therefore, the Examiner interprets using broadest reasonable interpretation that the connection of the power source to the terminal does not have to be a direct connection. Sasaki Figure 1 teaches Vbias connected to SPAD 121 via quenching element 122.
“a second power source connected to the second terminal”
Sasaki Figure 1 teaches the other terminal of SPAD 121 is connected to ground.
“a charge unit configured to control a voltage of the first terminal”
According to Applicant’s specification the charge unit is a quench element 202. Sasaki Figure 1 and paragraph [0030] teaches quench element 122.
“a voltage control unit connected to the first terminal and configured to control a voltage of the first terminal in accordance with a voltage of the first terminal”
Sasaki paragraph [0031] and Figure 1 teaches The image sensor 100 of the present embodiment has a characteristic in that the voltage control unit 130 changes the value of the voltage Vqnc in accordance with shooting conditions of an image capturing apparatus 200.
“and a third power source connected with the voltage control unit”
The Examiner interprets this third voltage Vqnc is connected to the first terminal via quenching element 122 as illustrated in Figure 1.
In regards to claim 14, Sasaki teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches:
“wherein the first terminal is a cathode of the avalanche photodiode”
Sasaki Figure illustrates that the first terminal is the cathode.
In regards to claim 16, Sasaki teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches:
“further comprising a waveform shaping unit connected with the first terminal, wherein the waveform shaping unit is connected to the voltage control unit”
Sasaki paragraph [0033] teaches The inverter 123, which serves as a buffer stage, takes the voltage signal pulse generated by the SPAD 121 as described earlier as an input, and outputs a waveform-shaped signal pulse to the output terminal thereof (i.e., the node PLSd illustrated in FIG. 1). Of course, the width of the waveform-shaped signal pulse arising at the node PLSd differs depending on the voltage Vqnc.
In regards to claim 20, Sasaki teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches:
“the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1; and a signal processing unit configured to generate an image using a signal output from the photoelectric conversion apparatus”
Sasaki Figure 1 teaches digital front end 160.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki..
In regards to claim 2, Sasaki teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches:
“wherein a voltage of the third power source is a voltage between a voltage of the first power source and a voltage of the second power source”
From Figure 3 Vqnc is equal to 0-2V. This would be equivalent to a third power source. Sasaki paragraph [0030] teaches Vbias is equal to +20V. This would be equivalent to a first power source. The second power source is a ground voltage. While not explicitly stated, those of ordinary skill would generally consider a ground to be 0V. Therefore, when the third power source Vqnc is either 1V or 2V the limitations is satisfied. The Examiner interprets that a ground voltage of 0V would be considered a routine implementation and does not provide any unpredictable results. It has been held that “[t]he combination of familiar elements according to known methods is likely to be obvious when it does not more than yield predictable results.” KSR., 127 S. Ct. at 1739, 82 USPQ2d at 1395 (2007) (Citing Graham, 383 U.S. at 12).
Claim(s) 19 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki in view of Ota et al. US 2022/0238589 hereinafter referred to as Ota.
In regards to claim 19, Sasaki teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches:
“wherein the charge unit includes a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, and wherein a clock signal is input to a gate of the MOS transistor of the charge unit”
Ota paragraph [0056] teaches the quenching element 3010 is formed of a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor. Clock period pulses may be applied to the gate of the MOS transistor.
In regards to claim 21, Sasaki teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and further teaches:
“A movable body including the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, the movable body comprising: a control unit configured to control a movement of the movable body using a signal output from the photoelectric conversion apparatus”
Ota paragraph [0208] teaches a photoelectric conversion system and a moving body according to a tenth exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 21A and 21B. It would have been obvious for a person with ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed to have modified Sasaki in view of Ota to have included the features of “A movable body including the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, the movable body comprising: a control unit configured to control a movement of the movable body using a signal output from the photoelectric conversion apparatus” for providing a wiring configuration that solves the issues caused by the high wiring density of an APD sensor (Ota paragraph [0005]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL E TEITELBAUM, Ph.D. whose telephone number is (571)270-5996. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30AM-5:00PM EST.
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/MICHAEL E TEITELBAUM, Ph.D./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2422