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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 06/18/2025 and 12/06/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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 18 and 20 are 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.
Claim 18 recites limitations that contradict with claim 17 where it depends upon. Specifically, claim 18 recites “the detection circuit is configured to sequentially output a leakage signal through a second readout line as many times as the number of pixel circuits by using time division.” However, claim 17 requires “a readout line commonly connected to the pixel circuit and the detection circuit”. It is clear in claim 17 that both the pixel circuit and the detection circuit are commonly connected to a single readout line (as illustrated in Fig. 1 and corresponding timings in Figs. 4 & 5 in the original specification). On the other hand, claim 18 directly contradicts or conflicts with the readout structure defined in claim 17 by claiming “the detection circuit is configured to sequentially read out through a second readout line” (as illustrated in Figs. 6 & 7). These are different embodiments with different circuit structures and operations from each other and cannot be implemented in single readout circuitry according to the disclosure in the specification. Therefore, the scope of claim 18 cannot be determined as it depends on a contradicting/conflicting claim 17.
Claim 20 recites “the leakage data” and “the original sensing data”. There are insufficient antecedent bases for these limitations in the claim. Although there is the limitation of “the leakage signals” in claim 16, the term “data” may be understood as data that is different than signal(s). For “the original sensing data”, there is no original sensing data in all preceding claims.
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)(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.
Claims 1-17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kume (US 2009/0021622 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kume discloses a leakage compensation device (Figs. 4A-17, par. [0003], [0037], [0045]-[0047] & [0059]) comprising:
a pixel array (Figs. 4A, 7, 10, 14) including a plurality of row lines each including a plurality of pixel circuits (main pixel circuits PIX11, PIX12,…), configured to store electric signals corresponding to light in the plurality of pixel circuits during a capture section (the electric signals during a capture section are stored in C11 (FD), C12(FD),… respectively), and sequentially output the stored electric signals by row line whenever a preset time elapses for each row line during an output section (par. [0040], [0044], [0048], [0059]-[0060]); and
a plurality of detection circuits (subpixel circuits PIX21, PIX22,…) configured to detect leakage signals for compensating the outputted electric signals (see Fig. 10 and par. [0059]-[0061]. Note that subpixels PIX21, PIX22 … may not contain photodiodes and are used to detect leakage signals for compensating the output of signals from main pixels PIX11, PIX12,… as described in preceding embodiments in par. [0040]-[0042], [0045]-[0047]).
Regarding claim 2, as clearly disclosed in Figs. 4A & 10 in Kume, the pixel circuit includes: a photodetector (photodiode PD11) configured to detect the light; and an output circuit (the circuit comprising MT11, MR11, MS11 and MA11) configured to store (in C11/FD) and output the electric signal corresponding to the detected light (par. [0037]-[0041] and [0059]-[0060]).
Regarding claim 3, Kume also discloses that the detection circuit (PIX21) has the same structure as a circuit structure of the output circuit (see Fig. 10).
Regarding claim 4, as further discloses by Kume, each of the outputted electric signals is a value reduced by the value leaked during the preset time from each of the stored electric signals (see Fig. 4B and par. [0038], [0041]-[0042], [0059]-[0060], [0068]-[0070]).
Regarding claim 5, it is also seen in Kume that the leakage signal is the same as the leaked value (Fig. 4B, par. [0038], [0041]-[0042]).
Regarding claim 6, Kume further discloses that the electric signal and the leakage signal are output simultaneously or differently (Figs. 5, 6 & 13; par. [0039]-[0041], [0059]-[0061] and [0067]-[0068]).
Regarding claim 7, as clearly shown in Figs. 7, 10 and 14 in Kume, the detection circuit (subpixel circuit) is positioned within the pixel circuit.
Regarding claim 8, also shown in Figs. 7, 10 and 14 in Kume, the detection circuit is located corresponding to the pixel circuit (the subpixel circuit is alternately located among the pixel circuit in either row or column direction).
Regarding claim 9, Kume also clearly discloses that a readout line (105 in Fig. 10) commonly connected to the pixel circuit and the detection circuit.
Regarding claim 10, it is clearly seen in Fig. 10 in Kume that the detection circuit is arranged adjacent to at least two or more pixel circuits to detect a leakage signal of each of the at least two or more pixel circuits.
Regarding claim 11, Kume also discloses that a first readout line commonly connected to the at least two pixel circuits (Fig. 7 shows all main pixels of a same column commonly connected to that the main column readout line); and a second readout line connected to the detection circuit (Fig. 7 also shows all subpixels of another column is connected to a second column readout line different from the main pixel column readout line).
Regarding claim 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 10 in Kume, at least one dummy pixel area (subpixel area including PIX21, PIX22,…which have no photodiodes) is provided around the pixel array, and wherein the detection circuit is provided in at least one position of the at least one dummy pixel area.
Regarding claim 13, Kume also discloses an image sensor comprising all limitations recited in this claim as similarly discussed in claim 1 above.
Regarding clam 14, Kume discloses that a correction circuit is configured to correct the outputted electric signals using the leakage signals (Fig. 4B and par. [0038], [0068]-[0070]).
Regarding claim 15, it is also seen in Kume that an output timing of the electric signal of the pixel circuit and the leakage signal of the detection circuit are different from each other (see par. [0039]-[0041], [0059]-[0061] and [0067]-[0068]. Note that SEL1 and SEL2 for outputting the electric signal of the pixel circuit and the leakage signal of the detection circuit, respectively, are different from each other).
Regarding claim 16, as further disclosed by Kume, a correction circuit configured to correct the electric signals outputted from the pixel circuits based on the leakage signals that are leaked differently at different preset times (see par. [0003], wherein the leakage signals are different from row to row, i.e., the longer retaining period of the charge is, the more leakage signals occur. As such the correction is based on the different leakage signals at different times due to sequential readout).
Regarding claim 17, Kume further discloses a readout line (105 in Fig. 10) commonly connected to the pixel circuit and the detection circuit, and wherein the two or more pixel circuits is configured to sequentially output electric signals through a first readout line using time division (see par. [0039]-[0041], [0059]-[0061] and [0067]-[0068]. Note that the electric signal of the pixel circuit and the leakage signal of the detection circuit are sequentially output by enabling SEL1 and SEL2, respectively).
Regarding claim 19, Kume discloses at least one dummy pixel area (subpixel area including PIX21, PIX22,… shown in Fig. 10) arranged around the pixel array, and wherein the pixel circuit is configured to correct the electric signals by using detection signals detected by detection circuits located in the at least one dummy pixel area (see Fig. 4B & 10 and par. [0038], [0059]-[0061], [0068]-[0070]).
Conclusion
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/NHAN T TRAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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