Appeal No. 1998-1698
Application No. 08/411,033
Here, Hieda reduces the capacity for accumulation of charge during the unwanted
charge integration period as compared with that during the substantial integration period
rather than increasing the capacity. While these capacities have a difference between the
wanted and unwanted charge integration periods, the examiner has not addressed the
difference and why skilled artisans would have been motivated to have the difference as
recited in the language of claim 1.
We note that the examiner has not stated that during the charge transfer to memory
that the drain structure been biased, nor has the examiner addressed the limitation of
biasing as opposed to the application of a series of pulses. According to The American
1
Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language , “bias” is defined as the fixed voltage
applied to an electrode and “biasing” is defined as applying a small voltage to (a grid).
Here, the examiner has not addressed the biasing of the lateral overflow antiblooming
drain structure as recited in the language of claim 1.
The examiner relies upon Hieda at col. 8, lines 29-32, for the knowledge that it is
possible to vary the antiblooming ability, and therefore, skilled artisans would have desired
to vary the ability to increase or decrease the capacity of the imaging area. To place this
1Third Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from
INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of
the United States. (A copy attached to this decision.)
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