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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/644,473
`
`03/04/2020
`
`Shinzo KOYAMA
`
`070469-0964
`
`7917
`
`McDermott Will and Emery LLP
`The McDermott Building
`500 North Capitol Street, N.W.
`Washington, DC 20001
`
`HULKA,JAMES R
`
`3645
`
`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`06/27/2022
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`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
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`mweipdocket@mwe.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-11 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`C} Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected.
`S)
`) © Claim(s)____is/are objected to.
`Cj) Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`S)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) )
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)0) The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)(J accepted or b)() objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)[M) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)Z None ofthe:
`b)() Some**
`a) All
`1.2 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.4% Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20220506
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/644,473
`KOYAMAetal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`JAMES R HULKA
`3645
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133}.
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
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`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 4 March 2020.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)L) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/644,473
`Art Unit: 3645
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`1.
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the
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`basis for the rejections under this section madein this Office action:
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`A personshall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(a)(2) the claimed invention wasdescribed 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, namesanother inventor and waseffectively filed before the effective filing date of the
`claimed invention.
`
`2.
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`Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as anticipated by or, in the
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`alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Takemoto (US 2018/0329063).
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`3.
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`Regarding Claim 1, Takemoto discloses a distance measuring methodfor use in a distance
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`measuring device [0051-53; 0056-63; 0067-69] that includes: a light source [0051-53; 0056-63;
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`0067-69]; a light-receiving element that receives light which has been emitted from the light
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`source, reflected by an object [005 1-53; 0056-63; 0067-69], and returned to the distance measuring
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`device [005 1-53; 0056-63; 0067-69] to generate an electric charge [0081-96]; a first capacitor and
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`a second capacitor that store the electric charge [Fig 20; 0081-96]; a transfer gate transistor that
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`connects the light-receiving elementandthefirst capacitor [Fig 20; 0081-96]; and a reset transistor
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`that connects the first capacitor and a voltage from an external source [Fig 20; 0081-96], the
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`distance measuring method being a method of measuring a distance based on time taken by the
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`light from the light source to return to the distance measuring device after being reflected by the
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`object [Fig 20; 0056-63; 0081-96], the distance measuring method comprising: (1) turning ON the
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`transfer gate transistor; and (2) turning OFFthereset transistor during a period in which the transfer
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`gate transistor is ON [Fig 20; 0081-96].
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/644,473
`Art Unit: 3645
`
`Page 3
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`4,
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`Regarding Claim 6, Takemoto discloses a distance measuring device [0051-53; 0056-63;
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`0067-69] comprising: a light source [0051-53; 0056-63; 0067-69]; a light-receiving elementthat
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`receiveslight which has been emitted from the light source [005 1-53; 0056-63; 0067-69], reflected
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`by an object, and returned to the distance measuring device [0051-53; 0056-63; 0067-69] to
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`generate an electric charge [0081-96]; a first capacitor and a second capacitorthat store the electric
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`charge [Fig 20; 0081-96]; a first transistor that connects the light-receiving element and thefirst
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`capacitor [Fig 20; 0081-96]; and a secondtransistor that connects the first capacitor and a voltage
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`from an external source [Fig 20; 0081-96], wherein the control circuit transmits to the first
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`transistor a signal that turns ONthefirst transistor [Fig 20; 0056-63; 0081-96], and transmits to
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`the secondtransistor a signal that turns OFF the secondtransistor in a period during whichthefirst
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`transistor is ON [Fig 20; 0056-63; 0081-96].
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`5.
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`Regarding Claims 2 and 7, Takemoto also discloses turning ON the reset transistor at a
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`timing that is before (2) is executed andthat is included in the period [Fig 20; 0081-96].
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`6.
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`Regarding Claims 3 and 8, Takemoto also discloses wherein the control circuit
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`simultaneously transmits the signal that turns ONthefirst (gate) transistor and the signal that turns
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`ON the second (reset) transistor [Fig 20; 0081-96].
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`7.
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`Regarding Claims 4 and 9, Takemoto also discloses wherein ... the reset (second) transistor
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`is turned OFFat a timing that is delayed by a predetermined time from a time at which the lightis
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`emitted [Fig 20; 0081-96].
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`8.
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`Regarding Claims 5 and 10, Takemoto also discloses wherein the light is pulse light [Fig
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`20; 0056-63; 0081-96].
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`9.
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`Regarding Claim 11, Takemoto also discloses wherein the control circuit includes: a
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`counter circuit that counts a total number of times incident light has reached, based ontheelectric
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/644,473
`Art Unit: 3645
`
`Page 4
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`charge, and outputs the total number as a count value; and a comparison circuit that outputs a
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`comparison signal that enters an ON state when the count value is greater than a predetermined
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`threshold [Fig 20; 0056-63; 008 1-96].
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`Conclusion
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`10.
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`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to JAMES R HULKA whose telephone number is (571)270-7553. The
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`examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9am-530pm.
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`11.
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`Examinerinterviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using
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`a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant
`
`is
`
`encouraged
`
`to
`
`use
`
`the
`
`USPTO
`
`Automated
`
`Interview
`
`Request
`
`(AIR)
`
`at
`
`
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`12.
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`If attempts to reach the examinerby telephoneare unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
`
`Isam Alsomiri can be reached on 5712726970. The fax phone numberfor the organization where
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`this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
`13.
`
`Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained
`
`from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Centeris available to registered
`
`users. To file and manage patent submissionsin Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov.
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`Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center
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`and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For
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`additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If
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`you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199
`
`(IN USA OR CANADA)or 571-272-1000.
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/644,473
`Art Unit: 3645
`
`Page 5
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`JAMES R. HULKA
`Primary Examiner
`Art Unit 3645
`
`/JAMES R HULKA/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
`
`