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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 19 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 6/8/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-18, 20 in the reply filed on 6/8/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claims 7, 12 objected to because of the following informalities: grammar. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3-5, 15-17 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 3/15, the claim recites a fourth distance being a maximum distance among a plurality of distances among the plurality of electronic components. It is unclear what is meant by “a plurality of distances among the plurality of electronic components”. The distance is not defined as being between any two particular points, hence the claim is rendered indefinite.
For the purposes of examination, examiner will take to mean that the distance is measured between adjacent electronic components.
Claims 4-5, 16-17 are dependent upon claim 3/15 and are similarly rejected.
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.
(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) 1-18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Motohara (WO 2016092986 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Motohara teaches An image pickup unit, comprising:
a circuit board including:
a first surface (fig. 15, element f9, p. 10, para. 4, f9 surface of circuit board 240);
a first side surface and a second side surface both intersecting the first surface (fig. 16, element f5, p. 10, para. 3, f9 surface has two surfaces to either side);
a depression (fig. 19, element 43, p. 10, para. 3, recess 243) including a first wall surface and a second wall surface (fig. 17, recesses defined by walls), the depression dividing the first surface into a plurality of surfaces;
a plurality of electronic components (fig. 15, element 242a-m, p. 9, para. 3, connection electrodes 242a-m) accommodated in the depression, and
a first resin (p. 5, para. 2, The connection portion between the circuit board 30 and the odd-shaped circuit board 40 and the inside of the recess 43 in which the electronic components 51 and 52 are accommodated are sealed with a sealing resin (not shown)) disposed in the depression,
wherein the plurality of electronic components comprises a first electronic component disposed closest to the first side surface (fig. 15, element 242f),
a first distance between the first electronic component and the first wall surface, and
the first distance is greater than a second distance between each of the plurality of electronic components other than the first electronic component and whichever wall surface is closer between the respective first wall surface and the second wall surface (Defining a first distance as the distance between leftmost component and rightmost wall, all other electronic leads would be disposed closer to their nearest wall than the furthest lead from the furthest wall).
Regarding claim 2, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 1,
wherein the first distance is greater than a third distance between the first electronic component and the second wall surface (fig. 17, Defining a first distance as the distance between leftmost component and rightmost wall, all other electronic leads would be disposed closer to their nearest wall than the furthest lead from the furthest wall).
Regarding claim 3, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 2,
wherein the first distance is greater than a fourth distance being a maximum distance among a plurality of distances among the plurality of electronic components (Fig. 17, electronic leads are disposed closer to each other than the length of the device).
Regarding claim 4, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 3,
wherein the first distance is greater than a fifth distance being a maximum distance among a plurality of distances between the plurality of electronic components and a bottom surface of the depression (Fig. 17, electronic leads are disposed closer to the bottom of the groove than the length of the device).
Regarding claim 5, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 4,
wherein the bottom surface of the depression is inclined with respect to the first surface in such a state that the fifth distance decreases toward a side of the second side surface from a side of the first side surface (p. 9, para. 3, preferably form an isosceles triangle when the f9 surface and the f10 surface are extended).
Regarding claim 6, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 1,
wherein a long side of the first electronic component is disposed parallel to the first side surface (fig. 17, element 64a) and a long side of each of the plurality of electronic components other than the first electronic component is disposed perpendicular to the first side surface (fig. 17, element 64b-f, wires 242b-f have increased length relative to the first wire 242a and have a longer side perpendicular to the side wall).
Regarding claim 7, Motohara teaches the image pickup unit according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of electronic components have a same size each other (fig. 17, element 242a/g, wires above and below the center line have matching sizes).
Regarding claim 8, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 1,
comprising at least two electronic components of the plurality of electronic components have different sizes, wherein the first electronic component is largest among the at least two electronic components (fig. 17, element 242a-f, wires across the distance have different sizes. Wire 242f is larger than wire 242a).
Regarding claim 9, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 1,
wherein each height of each of the plurality of electronic components is same (fig. 17, the height allotted to each groove is the same, hence the sealing resin fills to the same level).
Regarding claim 10, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 1,
wherein a distance between the first wall surface and the second wall surface decreases toward the bottom surface (p. 9, para. 3, preferably form an isosceles triangle when the f9 surface and the f10 surface are extended).
Regarding claim 11, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 1, further comprising:
a sensor configured to pick up an image (fig. 15, element 20, p. 4, para. 2, image pickup device in the semiconductor package 20 ); and
a planar circuit board (fig. 16, element 230, p. 9, para. 1, circuit board 230 ) including a second surface (fig. 16, element f3) and a third surface (fig. 16, element f4) opposite to the second surface, the planar circuit board including:
a first plurality of electrodes disposed on the second surface (p. 4, para. 5, semiconductor package 20, and the f3 surface of the circuit board 30 are connected), the first plurality of electrodes being electrically connected to the sensor; and
a second plurality of electrodes disposed on the third surface, each of the plurality of electronic components being bonded to respective ones of the second plurality of electrodes (p. 9, para. 1, The f4 surface, which is the back surface of the circuit board 230, is provided with connection electrodes 33a, 33b, 33c, 33e, 33f, 33g, 33h, 33i, 33j, 33k, and 33m).
Regarding claim 12, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 11, wherein the planar circuit board further comprising:
a notch located at a corner on the second surface; and
a second resin disposed in the notch (p. 4, para. 4, The connection portion between the connection electrode on the f3 surface and the connection electrode 21 on the f2 surface is sealed with a sealing resin 23 (see FIG. 7).).
Regarding claim 13, Motohara teaches An endoscope comprising:
an image pickup unit (fig. 15, element 20, p. 4, para. 2, image pickup device in the semiconductor package 20 ) disposed in a distal end portion of an insertion portion, the image pickup unit including:
a circuit board including: a first surface (fig. 15, element f9, p. 10, para. 4, f9 surface of circuit board 240);
a first side surface and a second side surface both intersecting the first surface (fig. 16, element f5, p. 10, para. 3, f9 surface has two surfaces to either side);
a depression (fig. 19, element 43, p. 10, para. 3, recess 243) including a first wall surface and a second wall surface (fig. 17, recesses defined by walls), the depression dividing the first surface into a plurality of surfaces;
a plurality of electronic components (fig. 15, element 242a-m, p. 9, para. 3, connection electrodes 242a-m) accommodated in the depression; and
a first resin (p. 5, para. 2, The connection portion between the circuit board 30 and the odd-shaped circuit board 40 and the inside of the recess 43 in which the electronic components 51 and 52 are accommodated are sealed with a sealing resin (not shown)) disposed in the depression,
wherein the plurality of electronic components comprises a first electronic component disposed closest to the first side surface (fig. 15, element 242f),
a first distance between the first electronic component and the first wall surface, and
the first distance is greater than a second distance between each of the plurality of electronic components other than the first electronic component and whichever wall surface is closer between the respective first wall surface and the second wall surface (Defining a first distance as the distance between leftmost component and rightmost wall, all other electronic leads would be disposed closer to their nearest wall than the furthest lead from the furthest wall).
Regarding claim 14, Motohara teaches The endoscope according to claim 13,
wherein the first distance is greater than a third distance between the first electronic component and the second wall surface (fig. 17, Defining a first distance as the distance between leftmost component and rightmost wall, all other electronic leads would be disposed closer to their nearest wall than the furthest lead from the furthest wall).
Regarding claim 15, Motohara teaches The endoscope according to claim 14,
wherein the first distance is greater than a fourth distance being a maximum distance among a plurality of distances among the plurality of electronic components (Fig. 17, electronic leads are disposed closer to each other than the length of the device).
Regarding claim 16, Motohara teaches The endoscope according to claim 15,
wherein the first distance is greater than a fifth distance being a maximum distance among a plurality of distances between the plurality of electronic components and a bottom surface of the depression (Fig. 17, electronic leads are disposed closer to the bottom of the groove than the length of the device).
Regarding claim 17, Motohara teaches The endoscope according to claim 16,
wherein the bottom surface of the depression is inclined with respect the first surface in such a state that the fifth distance decreases toward a side of the second side surface from a side of the first side surface (p. 9, para. 3, preferably form an isosceles triangle when the f9 surface and the f10 surface are extended).
Regarding claim 18, Motohara teaches The endoscope according to claim 13, further comprising:
a sensor configured to pick up an image (fig. 15, element 20, p. 4, para. 2, image pickup device in the semiconductor package 20 ); and
a planar circuit board (fig. 16, element 230, p. 9, para. 1, circuit board 230 ) including a second surface (fig. 16, element f3) and a third surface opposite to the second surface (fig. 16, element f4) , the planar circuit board including:
a first plurality of electrodes disposed on the second surface (p. 4, para. 5, semiconductor package 20, and the f3 surface of the circuit board 30 are connected), the first plurality of electrodes being electrically connected to the sensor; and
a second plurality of electrodes disposed on the third surface, each of the plurality of electronic components being bonded to respective ones of the second plurality of electrodes (p. 9, para. 1, The f4 surface, which is the back surface of the circuit board 230, is provided with connection electrodes 33a, 33b, 33c, 33e, 33f, 33g, 33h, 33i, 33j, 33k, and 33m).
Regarding claim 20, Motohara teaches The image pickup unit according to claim 1,
wherein the first resin fills the depression (p. 5, para. 2, The connection portion between the circuit board 30 and the odd-shaped circuit board 40 and the inside of the recess 43 in which the electronic components 51 and 52 are accommodated are sealed with a sealing resin (not shown)).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY TUAN LUU whose telephone number is (703)756-4592. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday.
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/TIMOTHY TUAN LUU/ Examiner, Art Unit 3795
/MICHAEL J CAREY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3795
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