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 § 102
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US PGPUB 20150062390).
[Claim 1]
A light detecting device comprising:
a plurality of normal pixels (figs. 7a and 7b, red R and blue B pixels, Paragraph 67); and
a plurality of phase-difference detection pixels (Gr and Gb), the plurality of normal pixels and the plurality of phase-difference detection pixels being arranged in a mixed manner (figs. 7a and 7b), wherein
a shared on-chip lens is formed for adjacent phase- difference detection pixels (Paragraph 69, As illustrated in FIG. 7B, it may be possible to use a structure in which one microlens 177 for phase difference detection is used for two color filter arrays and also fig. 7a for four pixels),
an individual on-chip lens is formed for each of the normal pixels (microlens 176, figs. 7a and 7b is formed for general pixels R and B), and
at least two adjacent phase-difference detection pixels sharing the shared on-chip lens correspond to a first range of wavelengths of incident light (Paragraph 67, The phase difference detection is performed using pixels having the same color Gr and Gb).
[Claim 2]
The light detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the phase-difference detection pixels include a 2x2 arrangement of the phase-difference detection pixels (microlens 177 in fig. 7a, right side picture shows a 2x2 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels).
[Claim 3]
The light detecting device according to claim 2, wherein the shared-on chip lens covers the 2x2 arrangement of the phase-difference detection pixels (one microlens 177 for phase difference detection is used for 2x2 pixels in fig. 7a)
[Claim 4]
The light detecting device according to claim 2, wherein pixels of the 2x2 arrangement of the phase- difference detection pixels correspond to the first range of wavelengths of incident light (Paragraph 67, The phase difference detection is performed using pixels having the same color Gr and Gb).
[Claim 5]
The light detecting device according to claim 2, wherein the normal pixels include a 2x2 arrangement of the normal pixels, which correspond to a second range of wavelengths of incident light (fig. 7a, the right side shows a 2x2 arrangement of normal pixels having red R and blue B wavelengths).
[Claim 6]
The light detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the shared on-chip lens includes a plurality of 2x2 shared on-chip lenses (fig. 7a shows a plurality of shared lenses).
[Claim 7]
The light detecting device according to claim 6, wherein the individual on-chip lens includes a plurality of 1x1 individual on-chip lenses (fig. 7a).
[Claim 9]
The light detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the normal pixels are configured to generate a pixel signal of an image (normal pixels are used for imaging and phase-difference pixels are used for AF) .
[Claim 10]
The light detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the phase-difference detection pixels are configured to generate a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an auto-focus function (Paragraph 42, The phase difference detection pixel using a microlens according to the present invention can be applied to obtain a phase difference AF function regardless of arrangement positions in the center and outer peripheral areas of an image sensor).
Claim(s) 12, 13 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mlinar et al. (US PGPUB 20150381951).
[Claim 12]
A light detecting device comprising: a 4x4 arrangement of pixels (fig. 9, four columns and four rows from the top left side) including a first 2x2 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels (pixels marked as 100 in the dashed line, third and fourth rows and first two columns); and a second 2x2 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels (pixels marked as 100 in the dashed line, third and fourth rows and third and fourth column) .
[Claim 13]
The light detecting device according to claim 12, further comprising third and fourth 2x2 arrangements of normal pixels (top two rows and four columns in fig. 9).
[Claim 16]
A camera-equipped mobile apparatus comprising the light detecting device according to claim 12 (Paragraph 24).
Claim(s) 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kusaka (JP Patent # 2014041202A, published on 2014-03-06))(US PGPUB 20150234148 is being used as a translation).
[Claim 17]
A light detecting device comprising:
a first 2x1 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels in a first row of the 4x4 arrangement of pixels (Paragraph 121, fig. 17, blue color filters are each disposed at a focus detection pixel 311 in a first row);
a second 2x1 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels in a second row of the 4x4 arrangement of pixels (Focus detection pixels 321 each assume a structure that includes a pair of photoelectric conversion units 16 and 17 achieved by rotating the pair of photoelectric conversion units in a focus detection pixel 311 by 90.degree.. A red color filter is disposed at the focus detection pixel 321 of second row);
a third 2x1 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels in a third row of the 4x4 arrangement of pixels (Paragraph 121, blue color filters are each disposed at a focus detection pixel 311 in a third row); and
a fourth 2x1 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels in a fourth row of the 4x4 arrangement of pixels (Focus detection pixels 321 each assume a structure that includes a pair of photoelectric conversion units 16 and 17 achieved by rotating the pair of photoelectric conversion units in a focus detection pixel 311 by 90.degree. in a fourth row).,
wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth 2x1 arrangements of phase-difference detection pixels is covered by a 2x1 shared on-chip lens (Paragraph 55, On an image-capturing plane 110, a plurality of focus detection pixels 111 are arrayed. The focus detection pixels 11 are each constituted with a micro-lens 112 and a pair of photoelectric conversion units 113 and 114. The pair of photoelectric conversion units 113 and 114 are projected via the micro-lens 112 onto a focus detection pupil plane 120 set to the front of the image-capturing plane 110 over a distance d from the image-capturing plane 110 and thus, a pair of focus detection pupils 123 and 124 are formed).
[Claim 18]
The light detecting device according to claim 17, further comprising normal pixels, each covered by a 1x1 individual on-chip lens (Paragraph 121, fig. 17, Green color filters are each disposed at an image-capturing pixel 310 and the image-capturing pixels 310 each include a rectangular micro-lens 10, Paragraph 58).
[Claim 19]
A camera-equipped mobile apparatus comprising the light detecting device according to claim 17 (Paragraph 58).
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.
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US PGPUB 20150062390) in view of Fujiki (JP Patent # 2011049472).
[Claim 8]
Kim fails to teach wherein the phase-difference detection pixel includes an opening light- shielding structure that limits an opening of the photoelectric converter. However Fujiki teaches dummy microlenses 21 are provided in gap portions formed in the periphery of a second microlens L2 and of a third microlens L3. Since each of the dummy microlenses 21 serves as a stopper for impeding extension of a microlens L1 toward its radial direction in forming thereof, the microlens L1 is formed in a shape originally desired. Therefore, the light incident on a portion outer than the shape originally desired does not converge on a photodiode PD, and as a result, it is possible to prevent increase of the amount of the light received by the pixels adjacent to the dummy microlenses 21 (Abstract). Therefore taking the combined teachings of Kim and Fujiki, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art to have been motivated before the effective filing date of the invention to have been motivated to have the phase-difference detection pixel includes an opening light- shielding structure that limits an opening of the photoelectric converter the light incident on a portion outer than the shape originally desired does not converge on a photodiode PD, and as a result, it is possible to prevent increase of the amount of the light received by the pixels adjacent to the dummy microlenses.
Claim(s) 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US PGPUB 20150062390).
[Claim 11]
Kim teaches a camera in Paragraphs 5 and 7. However Kim fails to teach a camera-equipped mobile apparatus comprising the imaging device according to claim 1. However Official Notice is taken that it is very well known to have a camera in a mobile phone in order to take pictures. Therefore taking the combined teachings of Kim and Official Notice, il would be obvious to have a camera as taught in Paragraphs 5 and 7 to be used in Mobile devices like tablets, computers and cellphones in order to take pictures.
Claim(s) 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mlinar et al. (US PGPUB 20150381951) in view of Kim et al. (US PGPUB 20150062390).
[Claim 14]
Mlinar fails to teach wherein a first 2x2 shared on-chip lens covers the first 2x2 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels and a second 2x2 shared on-chip lens covers the second 2x2 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels. However Kim teaches (Paragraph 69, As illustrated in FIG. 7B, it may be possible to use a structure in which one microlens 177 for phase difference detection is used for two color filter arrays and also fig. 7a for four pixels. Therefore taking the combined teachings of Mlinar and Kim, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art to have been motivated before the effective filing date of the invention to have been motivated to have a first 2x2 shared on-chip lens covers the first 2x2 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels and a second 2x2 shared on-chip lens covers the second 2x2 arrangement of phase-difference detection pixels in order for light to be allowed to be collected only in a specific direction, the size of a signal may be small. Accordingly, the values of peripheral pixels are used in image expression, so that it is possible to prevent resolution reduction.
[Claim 15]
Fails to teach wherein a 1x1 individual on-chip lens covers each of the normal pixels in the third and fourth 2x2 arrangements of normal pixels. However Kim teaches (microlens 176, figs. 7a and 7b is formed for general pixels R and B). Therefore taking the combined teachings of Mlinar and Kim, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art to have been motivated before the effective filing date of the invention to have been motivated to have a 1x1 individual on-chip lens covers each of the normal pixels in the third and fourth 2x2 arrangements of normal pixels in order for light to be allowed to be collected only in a specific direction, the size of a signal may be small. Accordingly, the values of peripheral pixels are used in image expression, so that it is possible to prevent resolution reduction.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YOGESH K AGGARWAL whose telephone number is (571)272-7360. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30-6.
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, Sinh Tran can be reached at 5712727564. 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.
/YOGESH K AGGARWAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2637