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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/347,460
`
`06/14/2021
`
`SANSHIRO SHISHIDO
`
`083710-3421
`
`3485
`
`Rimon PC - Panasonic Corporation
`8300 Greensboro Dr.
`Suite 500
`McLean, VA 22102
`
`SEVEN, EVREN
`
`2812
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`04/24/2024
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time 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):
`USPTOmail @rimonlaw.com
`
`eofficeaction @appcoll.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-3,5-15 and 17-22 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`Claim(s) 5-9,11-16 and 19-22 is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-3,10 and 17-18 is/are rejected.
`[) Claim(s)__ is/are objectedto.
`C] Claim(s
`are subjectto 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) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)() The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)C] 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).) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`—_c)LJ None ofthe:
`b)LJ Some**
`a)D) All
`1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.2.) 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)
`
`2) (J Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20240418
`
`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 STATUTORYPERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensionsof 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 11 March 2024.
`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) 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)(2) 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
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`Page 2
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`Detailed Action
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`The presentapplication,filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
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`inventorto file provisions of the AIA.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a
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`prior Office action.
`
`Claims 1- are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Pat. Pub. No.
`
`20120313142 to Suzukietal. (Suzuki) in view of U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20080237481 to Zentaietal.
`
`(Zentai).
`
`Regarding Claim 1, Suzuki teaches an imaging device comprising:
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`a first pixel 100; and
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`a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel {adjacent 100), wherein:
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`each of the first pixel and the second pixel includes:
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`a first electrode 6;
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`a second electrode 7 positioned on or above the first electrode and facing the
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`first electrode;
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`a photoelectric conversion layer 9 positioned between the first electrode and
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`the second electrode; and
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`a first charge-blocking layer 7 positioned between thefirst electrode and the
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`photoelectric conversion layer,
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`an entirety of an upper surface of the first charge-blocking layer, which contacts the
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`photoelectric conversion layer, is flat, and
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/347,460
`Art Unit: 2812
`
`Page 3
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`an area of the first charge-blocking layer of the first pixel is largerthan an area of the
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`first electrode of the first pixel in plan view (see Fig. 2).
`
`Suzuki does not explicitly teach that the first charge-blocking layer of the first pixel is separated
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`from thefirst charge-blocking layer of the second pixel.
`
`However, in analogous art, Zentai teaches that a charge blocking layer 402 should be separated
`
`from those of adjacent pixels by regions 404.
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`It would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill
`
`in the art before the time offiling to include the teaching of Zentaito prevent the barrier layer from
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`shorting the pixels together, as taught by Zentai [0022].
`
`Regarding Claim 2, Suzuki teaches the imaging device according to claim 1, but does not
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`explicitly teach that the first electrode of the first pixel is positioned inside the first charge-blocking layer
`
`of the first pixel in plan view. However, Zentaiteaches sucha configuration in Fig. 3 at least. It would
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`have been obvious to the person of ordinaryskill in the art before the timeoffiling to include this
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`further teaching of Zentaias combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield
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`predictable results is within the purview of the person of ordinary skill (MPEP 2143A).
`
`Regarding Claim 3, Suzuki and Zentai teach the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein
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`electrical conductivity of the first charge-blocking layer is higher than electrical conductivity of the
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`photoelectric conversion layer in each of thefirst pixel and the second pixel (hole transport material vs.
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`organic semiconductor, [0045-0046]).
`
`Regarding Claim 10, Suzuki and Zentai teach the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a
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`portion of the photoelectric conversion layer is positioned between the first charge-blocking layer of the
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`first pixel and the first charge-blocking layer of the second pixel (see Fig. 3 of Zentai).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/347,460
`Art Unit: 2812
`
`Page 4
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`Regarding Claim 10, Suzuki and Zentai teach the imaging device according to claim 1, wherein
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`the first electrode is positioned on or below a bottom surface of the photoelectric conversion layer (Fig.
`
`2).
`
`Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzukiand Zentai as
`
`applied to claim 1 and furtherin view of U.S. pat. Pub. No. 20160211392 to So et al. (So)
`
`Regarding Claim 18, Suzuki and Zentai teach the imaging device according to claim 1, but does
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`not explicitly teach that the first charge-blocking layer contains a doped metal oxide or metal nitride.
`
`However, in analogous art, So teaches that a charge blocking layer in a photodetector may be
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`doped nickel oxide [0032].
`
`It would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before
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`the time offiling to include the teaching of So because NiO is highly light transmissive as taught by So in
`
`the quoted section.
`
`Conclusion
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`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
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`USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use
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`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.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/347,460
`Art Unit: 2812
`
`Page5S
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`
`/EVREN SEVEN/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
`
`