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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 9/25/2026 has been entered.
In the Instant Amendment, Claim(s) 1 and 8 has/have been amended; Claim(s) 1 is/are independent claims. Claims 1-11 have been examined and are pending in this application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/25/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 8 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Objections
Claims 8-11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 8 is suggested to be amended as “at least one processor or circuit configured to function as following units[[;]]:” for addressing a typographical error.
Claims 9-11 are also objected for being dependent of the base claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 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) 1-3, 5 and 7-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al (US 20200236317 A1) in view of Ikedo (US 20160198110 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches An image sensor (Fig. 4; image sensor module 410/180) being an integral component of an image capturing apparatus (Fig. 1), the image sensor comprising:
a pixel portion (Fig. 5A) in which unit pixels are arrayed in a matrix, the unit pixels each including
at least one processor or circuit (431-437) configured to function as following units:
a readout unit (431) configured to read out signals from the pixel portion, the readout unit being capable of performing a first readout operation of reading out mixed signals obtained by mixing signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements of the unit pixels, and a second readout operation of reading out unmixed signals which are not a mixture of signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements of the unit pixels (Fig. 4, 5B; paras. 0102-0105; “raw image data (Bayer (L+R)) and left image data (Bayer (L)) from the ADC 431”);
a sorting unit (432/532-1) configured to store signals obtained through the first readout operation and the second readout operation into captured image signals and focus detection signals (Fig. 4, 5B; paras. 0102-0105; “raw image data (Bayer (L+R)) and left image data (Bayer (L)) from the ADC 431” is input into 432/532-1 to generate “pixel information data” R and L; para. 0112: “memory 433 may store raw image data and pixel information data”; para. 0143: “the pixel information data is data for phase autofocus”);
a first compression unit (compressor 434) configured to encode the captured image signals sorted by the sorting unit (Fig. 4; para. 0113: “device 400 may include a compressor for compressing only pixel information data, separate from the compressor 434 for compressing raw image data”);
a second compression unit (compressor 434) configured to encode the focus detection signals sorted by the sorting unit (Fig. 4; para. 0113: “device 400 may include a compressor for compressing only pixel information data, separate from the compressor 434 for compressing raw image data”);
a first output unit (437) configured to output the captured image signals encoded by the first compression unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0113, 0138); and
a second output unit (437) configured to output the focus detection signals encoded by the second compression unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0113, 0138),
but fails to expressly teach
the unit pixels each including one microlens and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements.
However, in the same field of endeavor Ikedo teaches
the unit pixels each (100) including one microlens (111) and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (101A,B) (Figs. 1-7).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in this art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to use the teachings as taught by Ikedo in Kim to have the unit pixels each including one microlens and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements for improving obtained optical image signals via a corresponding microlens and better quality image and focus signals can be acquired yielding a predicted result.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 1. In addition, Ikedo teaches wherein with respect to the unit pixels in a first region (image capture region 701) of the pixel unit, the first readout operation is performed and the mixed signals are read out, and with respect to a second region (an image capture and focus detection region 702) different from the first region of the pixel unit, the first readout operation and the second readout operation are performed and the mixed signals and the unmixed signals are read out (Figs. 7’s; paras. 0063-0064).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in this art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to use the teachings as taught by Ikedo in the combination to have wherein with respect to the unit pixels in a first region of the pixel portion, the first readout operation is performed and the mixed signals are read out, and with respect to a second region different from the first region of the pixel portion, the first readout operation and the second readout operation are performed and the mixed signals and the unmixed signals are read out for enabling region readouts only in required regions so that shorter readout and lower power consumption can be obtained yielding a predicted result.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 2. In addition, Kim teaches wherein the sorting unit distributes the mixed signals that have been read out from the first region to the first output unit, and distributes the mixed signals and the unmixed signals that have been read out from the second region to the second output unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0113, 0138).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 1. In addition, Ikedo teaches wherein the at least one processor or circuit is configured to further function as a resize unit configured to reduce the focus detection signals before the focus detection signals are output from the second output unit (Figs. 7’s; paras. 0068-0069).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in this art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to use the teachings as taught by Ikedo in the combination to have wherein the at least one processor or circuit is configured to further function as a resize unit configured to reduce the focus detection signals before the focus detection signals are output from the second output unit for enabling region readouts only in required regions so that shorter readout and lower power consumption can be obtained yielding a predicted result.
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 1. In addition, Kim teaches the image sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sorting unit transmits the focus detection signals to the second compression unit once every multiple frames (Figs. 10, 4; paras. 0125-0129).
Regarding claim 8, Kim teaches An image capturing apparatus (Figs. 1-4), comprising:
an image sensor (Fig. 4; image sensor module 410/180) being an integral component of the image capturing apparatus (Fig. 1), the image sensor including a pixel portion (Fig. 5A) in which unit pixels are arrayed in a matrix, the unit pixels each including photoelectric conversion elements (Fig. 5A), and at least one processor or circuit (431-437) configured to function as following units;
a readout unit (431) configured to read out signals from the pixel portion, the readout unit being capable of performing a first readout operation of reading out mixed signals obtained by mixing signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements of the unit pixels, and a second readout operation of reading out unmixed signals which are not a mixture of signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements of the unit pixels (Fig. 4, 5B; paras. 0102-0105; “raw image data (Bayer (L+R)) and left image data (Bayer (L)) from the ADC 431”),
a sorting unit (432/532-1) configured to store signals obtained through the first readout operation and the second readout operation into captured image signals and focus detection signals (Fig. 4, 5B; paras. 0102-0105; “raw image data (Bayer (L+R)) and left image data (Bayer (L)) from the ADC 431” is input into 432/532-1 to generate “pixel information data” R and L; para. 0112: “memory 433 may store raw image data and pixel information data”; para. 0143: “the pixel information data is data for phase autofocus”),
a first compression unit (compressor 434) configured to encode the captured image signals sorted by the sorting unit (Fig. 4; para. 0113: “device 400 may include a compressor for compressing only pixel information data, separate from the compressor 434 for compressing raw image data”);
a second compression unit (compressor 434) configured to encode the focus detection signals sorted by the sorting unit (Fig. 4; para. 0113: “device 400 may include a compressor for compressing only pixel information data, separate from the compressor 434 for compressing raw image data”);
a first output unit (437) configured to output the captured image signals encoded by the first compression unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0113, 0138), and
a second output unit (437) configured to output the focus detection signals encoded by the second compression unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0113, 0138); and
at least second one processor or circuit (450) configured to function as:
a first processing unit configured to process the captured image signals output from the first output unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0140-0143); and
a second processing unit configured to process the focus detection signals output from the second output unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0140-0143).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 8. In addition, Kim teaches wherein the first processing unit transmits the captured image signals to the second processing unit (Fig. 4; paras. 0140-0143).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 9. In addition, Kim teaches wherein the second processing unit records the captured image signals into a recording medium (Fig. 4, 2B; paras. 0140-0143, 0057).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 8. In addition, Kim teaches wherein the second processing unit performs focus detection based on the focus detection signals (Fig. 4; paras. 0140-0143).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al (US 20200236317 A1) in view of Ikedo (US 20160198110 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nishida (US 7050202 B1).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 1. In addition, Ikedo teaches that A+B image signal has higher resolution than AF image signal (Figs. 7-9) for the same reasons as in claim 2, but fails to teach
wherein a communication speed at which signals are output from the first output unit is higher than a communication speed at which signals are output from the second output unit.
However, in the same field of endeavor Nishida teaches
wherein a communication speed at which signals are output from the first output unit is higher than a communication speed at which signals are output from the second output unit (col. 12, lines 23-27: “low resolution image data is transmitted at a slower transmission speed and high resolution image data is transmitted at a faster transmission speed”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in this art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to use the teachings as taught by Nishida in the combination to have wherein a communication speed at which signals are output from the first output unit is higher than a communication speed at which signals are output from the second output unit for shortening time taken for image transferring optimizing image data transfer speed yielding a predicted result.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al (US 20200236317 A1) in view of Ikedo (US 20160198110 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wakabayashi (US 20150163403 A1).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Kim and Ikedo teaches everything as claimed in claim 1, but fails to teach
further comprising a memory configured to adjust a processing speed in accordance with a communication speed of the second output unit.
However, in the same field of endeavor Wakabayashi teaches
further comprising a memory configured to adjust a processing speed in accordance with a communication speed of the second output unit (Fig. 2; para. 0149: “allowing the readout speed by the data processing unit 33, that is, data output rate, to be lower than the transfer speed of the pixel data to the memory unit 32, reduction of the channels of the interface unit 38 and lower processing speed of the signal processing block (for example, DSP) in the latter stage can be realized. This can contribute to low power consumption of the entire system including the signal processing block in the latter stage”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in this art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to use the teachings as taught by Wakabayashi in the combination to have further comprising a memory configured to adjust a processing speed in accordance with a communication speed of the second output unit for realizing high-speed readout of pixel data with lower power consumption yielding a predicted result.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kadambala et al (US 20190068869 A1): Fig. 5A teaches An image sensor being an integral component of an image capturing apparatus, the image sensor comprising: a pixel portion in which unit pixels are arrayed in a matrix, the unit pixels each including one microlens and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; at least one processor or circuit configured to function as following units: a readout unit configured to read out signals from the pixel portion, the readout unit being capable of performing a first readout operation of reading out mixed signals obtained by mixing signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements of the unit pixels, and a second readout operation of reading out unmixed signals which are not a mixture of signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements of the unit pixels; a sorting unit configured to store signals obtained through the first readout operation and the second readout operation into captured image signals and focus detection signals;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Quan Pham whose telephone number is (571)272-4438. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-7pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sinh Tran can be reached at (571) 272-7564. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Quan Pham/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2637
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