www.uspto.gov
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/347,460
`
`06/14/2021
`
`SANSHIRO SHISHIDO
`
`083710-3421
`
`3485
`
`McDermott Will and Emery LLP
`The McDermott Building
`500 North Capitol Street, N.W.
`Washington, DC 20001
`
`SEVEN, EVREN
`
`2812
`
`09/28/2023
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`Thetime period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`
`mweipdocket@mwe.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-17 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`Claim(s) 11-17 is/are allowed.
`C] Claim(s) 1-4 and 10 is/are rejected.
`Claim(s) 5-9 is/are objectedto.
`O Claim(s
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* 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:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)L) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)0) The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)C] accepted or b)C) 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) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)LJ None of the:
`b)L) Some**
`a) All
`1.4) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2..) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.0.) 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)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) (J Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20230923
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/347 ,460
`SHISHIDO etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`EVREN SEVEN
`2812
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this 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
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 6/14/2021.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`
`2a)() 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: 17/347,460
`Art Unit: 2812
`
`Page 2
`
`Detailed Action
`
`The present application,filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
`
`inventorto 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}(1) the claimed invention was patented, described ina printed publication, or in public use, on sale,
`or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
`
`Claims 1-4 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pat. No.
`
`20080237481 to Zentaietal. (Zentai).
`
`Regarding Claim 1, Zentai teaches an imaging device comprising:
`
`a first pixel; and
`
`a second pixel adjacentto the first pixel, wherein each of the first pixel and the second
`
`pixel includes (see Fig. 4, each TFT is for a single pixel):
`
`a first electrode 108a/b;
`
`a second electrode 114 positioned on or abovethe first electrode and facing the
`
`first electrode;
`
`a photoelectric conversion 112 layer positioned between thefirst electrode and
`
`the second electrode; and
`
`a first charge-blocking layer (402, may be N or P type to block holesor electrons, [0018])
`
`positioned between thefirst electrode and the photoelectric conversion layer, the firs t charge-blocking
`
`layer of the first pixel is separated from thefirst charge-blocking layer of the second pixel, the
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/347,460
`Art Unit: 2812
`
`Page 3
`
`photoelectric conversion layer is disposed continuously to thefirst pixel and the second pixel, and an
`
`area of the first charge-blocking layer of the first pixel is larger than an area of the first electrode of the
`
`first pixel in plan view (seeFig. 4)).
`
`Regarding Claim 2, Zentai teaches the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein thefirst
`
`electrode of thefirst pixel is positioned inside the first charge-blocking layer of the first pixel in plan view
`
`(see again Fig. 4).
`
`Regarding Claim 3, Zentai teaches the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein electrical
`
`conductivity of the first charge-blocking layer is higher than electrical conductivity of the photoelectric
`
`conversionlayer in each of thefirst pixel and the secondpixel (n or p doped semiconductor vs. the
`
`materials listed in [0020]).
`
`Regarding Claim 4, Zentai teaches the imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:
`
`a first insulation layer 106 positioned on or below thefirst charge-blocking layer of the
`
`first pixel and the first charge-blocking layer of the second pixel; and
`
`a second insulation layer 404b positioned between thefirst charge-blocking layer of the
`
`first pixel and the first charge-blocking layer of the second pixel.
`
`Regarding Claim 10, Zentaiteaches the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a portion
`
`of the photoelectric conversion layer is positioned between the first charge-blocking layer of the first
`
`pixel and the first charge-blocking layer of the second pixel (see againFig. 4).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/347,460
`Art Unit: 2812
`
`Page 4
`
`Allowable Subject Matter
`
`Claims 5-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be
`
`allowable if rewrittenin independentform including all of the limitations of the base claimand any
`
`intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasonsfor the indication of allowable subject
`
`matter: The cited prior art does not teach:
`
`the first insulation layer and the second insulation layer contain a same material (the
`
`second insulation layer of Zentaiis derived from the blocking layer so it cannot be the same material
`
`as the underlying firstlayer);
`
`a third electrode that is in contact withthe secondinsulation layer and positioned in
`
`plan view between the first electrode of the first pixel and the first electrode of the second pixel
`
`(no third electrode as describedin the cited prior art); or
`
`a third electrode positioned in plan view between the first electrode of thefirst pixel
`
`and the first electrode of the second pixel; and
`
`a second charge-blocking layer positioned between the third electrode and the
`
`photoelectric conversion layer, wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the
`
`first charge- blocking layer of the first pixel and the first charge-blocking layer of the second
`
`pixel is separated from the second charge-blocking layer.
`
`Claims 11-17 are allowed.
`
`The following isan examiner’s statement of reasonsfor allowance: the cited prior art does not
`
`teacha blocking layerthat is smallerin area thanthe pixel electrode.
`
`Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment
`
`of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany theissue fee. Such
`
`submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/347,460
`Art Unit: 2812
`
`Page5S
`
`Conclusion
`
`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
`
`should be directed to EVREN SEVEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5666. The examiner can
`
`normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00- 5:00 Pacific.
`
`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 reachthe examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
`
`Charles Garber can be reached on (571) 272-2194. 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 managepatent 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 aboutfiling 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.
`
`/EVREN SEVEN/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
`
`