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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 1-5 and 8-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cattin-Liebl Pub. No.: US 2005/0030625 (Hereinafter “Cattin-Liebl”) in view of Wang WO2020/010810 (Hereinafter “Wang’810”).
Regarding Claim 1, Cattin-Liebl discloses a multispectral image sensor, comprising:
a plurality of photosensitive elements, each configured to capture electromagnetic radiation received from a scene or an object and to generate a photo signal depending on the captured electromagnetic radiation (see paragraphs [0050] and [0053]); and
a first optical modulator arranged on an incident side of the plurality of photosensitive elements, the first optical modulator being configured to modulate electromagnetic radiation within a first wavelength range, and to transmit electromagnetic radiation outside the first wavelength range (see paragraphs [0050] and [0052]: Mask 21 having the first color code (wavelength) or visible light); and
a second optical modulator arranged on an incident side of the plurality of photosensitive elements, the second optical modulator being configured to modulate electromagnetic radiation within a second wavelength range, and to transmit electromagnetic radiation outside the second wavelength range (see paragraphs [0050] and [0052]: Mask 22 having the second color code (wavelength) or invisible light);
wherein the first wavelength range is different form the second wavelength range (see paragraphs [0050] and [0052]: first color code (wavelength) or visible light and second color code (wavelength) or invisible light));
Cattin-Liebl fails to disclose:
wherein the first and/or second optical modulator is realized by a spatially distributed plurality of pinholes or by a passive matrix that is based on a phase mask.
In analogous art, Wang’810 teaches:
wherein the first and/or second optical modulator is realized by a spatially distributed plurality of pinholes or by a passive matrix that is based on a phase mask (see paragraph [0075] ).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the multispectral image sensor of Cattin-Liebl with the teaching as taught by Sato in order decode (i.e. convert) an intermediate image into a captured image of the scene 62.
Regarding Claim 2, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further teaches wherein the first and second wavelength ranges do not overlap (see paragraph [0050]).
Regarding Claim 3, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further teaches wherein the first wavelength range is in the visible, near-infrared, NIR, or short-wavelength infrared, SWIR, portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (see paragraphs [0028] and [0052]).
Regarding Claim 4, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further teaches wherein the second wavelength range is in the visible, near-infrared, NIR, or short-wavelength infrared, SWIR, domain of the electromagnetic spectrum (see paragraphs [0028] and [0052]).
Regarding Claim 5, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further teaches wherein the photosensitive elements are silicon-based photodiodes or organic photodetectors, OPDs (see paragraphs [0050] and [0053]).
Regarding Claim 8, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further teaches a plurality of illuminating light emitters configured to illuminate the scene or the object with electromagnetic radiation within the first and/or second wavelength range (see paragraph [0028]).
Regarding Claim 9, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 8. Wang’810 further teaches wherein the illuminating light emitters are OLEDs, micro-LEDs or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, VCSELs (see paragraph [0086]).
Regarding Claim 10, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Wang’810 further teaches wherein the first and/or second optical modulator is realized by an active matrix that is based on one of: liquid crystals, optical switches, digital light processors and spatial light processors (see paragraph [0097]).
Regarding Claim 11, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Wang’810 further teaches wherein the first and/or second optical modulator is realized by a passive matrix that is based on one of: an amplitude mask, a phase mask, and a plurality of diffractive elements (see paragraph [0098]).
Regarding Claim 12, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Wang’810 further teaches wherein the first and/or second optical modulator is realized by a spatially distributed plurality of pinholes (see paragraph [0091]).
Regarding Claim 13, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Wang’810 further teaches wherein the first and/or second optical modulator is realized by a dye-based polymer (see paragraph [0096]).
Regarding Claim 14, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further teaches wherein the first and/or second optical modulator forms a coded aperture mask, in particular characterized by a uniformly redundant array, URA, or an optimized random pattern, ORA (see paragraph [0052]).
Regarding Claim 15, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further teaches wherein the multispectral image sensor is transparent in the visible domain of the electromagnetic spectrum (see paragraph [0050]).
Regarding Claim 16, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further wherein the plurality of photosensitive elements are arranged on a substrate; and (see fig.2); and the first and second optical modulators are formed by respective mask layers that are arranged on a front surface of the substrate (see fig.2).
Regarding Claim 17, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1. Cattin-Liebl further one or more further optical modulators arranged on an incident side of the plurality of photosensitive elements, each further optical modulator being configured to modulate electromagnetic radiation within a respective further wavelength range, and to transmit electromagnetic radiation outside the respective further wavelength range (see paragraph [0052]).
Regarding Claim 18, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach camera system, comprising: a multispectral image sensor (Cattin-Liebl, paragraph [0052]:) in view of Wang’810, paragraph [0037]) according to claim 1; and a processing unit coupled to the multispectral image sensor and configured to reconstruct a first image for the first wavelength range and a second image for the second wavelength range by applying a set of algorithms to the photo signals generated by the photosensitive elements (see paragraphs [0050] and [0052]).
Regarding Claim 19, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach an electronic device comprising a multispectral image sensor according to claim 1 or a camera system according to claim 18 (Cattin-Liebl, paragraph [0052]:) in view of Wang’810, paragraph [0037]).
Regarding Claim 20, the claim is being analyzed with respect to the discussion made in rejection of claim 1.
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cattin-Liebl Pub. No.: US 2005/0030625 (Hereinafter “Cattin-Liebl”) in view of Wang WO2020/010810 (Hereinafter “Wang’810”) further in view of Evans,V et al. Pub. No.: US 2017/0251137 (Hereinafter “Evans,V”).
Regarding Claim 6, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 1.
Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 fails to explicitly teach:
a plurality of display pixels configured to generate a display image in the visible domain of the electromagnetic spectrum.
In analogous art, Evans,V teaches:
a plurality of display pixels configured to generate a display image in the visible domain of the electromagnetic spectrum (see paragraph [0086]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the multispectral image sensor of Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 with the teaching as taught by Evans,V in order to capture a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of pixels and produce an image comprising depth information.
Regarding Claim 7, Cattin-Liebl in view of Wang’810 and Evans,V teach the multispectral image sensor according to claim 6. Evans,V further teaches wherein the plurality of display pixels form an OLED display, a micro-LED display or a liquid crystal display, LCD (see paragraph [0059]).
Conclusion
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/ALAZAR TILAHUN/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2424
/A.T/February 07, 2026