Image sensor

The examiner maintains that all pending claims are obvious under §103. Claims 1-4 are rejected over a combination of two prior patents (Sekine 2017 and Watanabe 2006), which the examiner believes together teach all the claimed features. Claim 5 adds a third reference (Chiu 2006), and claim 8 adds a different Sekine patent from 2015. This is a Final Office Action, meaning the examiner has reviewed at least one prior response and is closing prosecution on these grounds.

A Final Office Action typically requires a response within 3 months (extendable up to 6 months with fees). The applicant can argue the references don't teach what the examiner says, amend the claims to distinguish over the prior art, request an examiner interview to narrow the issues, or file an RCE to reopen prosecution if more time or claim scope adjustment is needed. An attorney typically handles this; if you'd like patentreply.ai to draft a response, click 'Get this drafted'.