Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
1. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 14 March 2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant’s arguments, see page 6, line 15, filed 14 March 2025, with respect to the rejection of Independent Claim 1 and Dependent Claims 2-16 under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement have been fully considered and, in light of the amendments made, are persuasive. The rejection of Independent Claim 1 and Dependent Claims 2-16 under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph has been withdrawn.
3. Applicant’s arguments, see page 6, line 20, filed 14 March 2025, with respect to the rejection
of Claims 1, 5-7, 11 and 15-16 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itatani et al. (United States Patent No. US 6,627,377 B1), hereinafter Itatani, and in further view of Yoshizawa et al. (United States Patent Publication No. US 2021/0311390 A1), hereinafter Yoshizawa; Claims 2-3 and 8-10 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itatani et al. (United States Patent No. US 6,627,377 B1), hereinafter Itatani, and in further view of Yoshizawa et al. (United States Patent Publication No. US 2021/0311390 A1), hereinafter Yoshizawa, and in further view of Anabuki et al. (Japanese Patent Publication No. JP 2017-137486 A), hereinafter Anabuki; Claims 2-3 and 8-10 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itatani et al. (United States Patent No. US 6,627,377 B1), hereinafter Itatani, and in further view of Yoshizawa et al. (United States Patent Publication No. US 2021/0311390 A1), hereinafter Yoshizawa, and in further view of Bi et al. (Chinese Patent Publication No. CN 105061754 A), hereinafter Bi; Claims 12-14 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itatani et al. (United States Patent No. US 6,627,377 B1), hereinafter Itatani, in view of Yoshizawa et al. (United States Patent Publication No. US 2021/0311390 A1), hereinafter Yoshizawa, and further in view of Hifumi et al. (United States Patent Publication No. US 20190055357 A1), hereinafter Hifumi; have been fully considered and, in light of the amendments made, are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Nakai et al. (Japanese Patent Publication No. JP 2011-075987 A), hereinafter Nakai.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
5. A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
6. Claims 1, 5-11, and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai et al. (Japanese Patent Publication No. JP 2011-075987 A), hereinafter Nakai.
7. Regarding Claims 1, 5-11, and 15-16, Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0040-0045 and 0057-0065], specifically dihalogenated aromatic monomers (b-30) to (b-35) and (b-37) to (b-38) of Paragraph [0045] and monomers (a-10), (a-15), (a-22), (a-24), (a-35), (a-43), (a-49), (a-55), (a-60), and (a-64) of Paragraphs [0062-0064]) a polymer comprising a structural unit represented by Formula (a1) of the present application. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0040-0045 and 0057-0065], specifically dihalogenated aromatic monomers (b-30) to (b-35) and (b-37) to (b-38) of Paragraph [0045] and monomers (a-9), (a-23), (a-38), and (a-61) of Paragraphs [0062-0064]) a polymer comprising a structural unit represented by Formula (a2) of the present application. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0040-0045, 0057-0065, and 0285-0287], specifically dihalogenated aromatic monomers (b-30) to (b-35) and (b-37) to (b-38) of Paragraph [0045], monomers (a-10), (a-15), (a-17), (a-21), (a-22), (a-24), (a-30), (a-34), (a-35), (a-43), (a-48), (a-49), (a-54), (a-53), (a-54), (a-55), (a-60), and (a-64) of Paragraphs [0062-0064], and Experimental Example Polymer (a-3) of Paragraphs [0285-0287]) a polymer comprising a structural unit represented by Formula (a3) of the present application. Nakai teaches (Paragraph [0082]) the combination of two or more kinds of monomers taught therein. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0210-0243]) a crosslinking agent. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0127-0187]) a photocation generator, therein a photoacid generator. Nakai teaches (Paragraph [0270]) forming a coating film on a substrate by applying the photosensitive resin composition. Nakai teaches (Paragraph [0271]) selectively exposing the coating film. Nakai teaches (Paragraph [0273]) developing the coating film after selectively exposing of the coating film with a developing solution comprising an organic solvent. Nakai teaches (Paragraph [0275]) a resin film having a pattern. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0269-0270]) a semiconductor circuit substrate, therein a semiconductor substrate used for a semiconductor device, comprising the resin film having a pattern. Nakai teaches (Paragraph [0082]) a polymer comprising a combination of a structural units represented by Formulae (a1), (a2), and (a3) of the present application and thus, at minimum, teaches equal amounts of a structural units represented by Formulae (a1), (a2), and (a3) of the present application, i.e. 33 mol% of structural units represented by Formulae (a1), (a2), and (a3) of the present application with respect to 100 mol% of all the structural units of the polymer. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0082, 0084, and 0091-0093]) a content ratio of the structural unit represented by formula (a1) of the present application in the polymer is 50 mol% or more, with respect to 100 mol% of all the structural units of the polymer. Therein, Nakai teaches a combination of structural unit represented by formulae (a1), (a2), and (a3) of the present application, as well as a greater ratio of the therein monomer (3) to monomer (2B) as well as teaching a molar ratio of a third monomer which, in combination with the monomer (3) of Nakai, of 0.1% to 70% of all monomers of the polymer and the third monomer taught therein teach, in combination with the monomer (3) of Nakai, both structural units represented by formulae (a1) and (a2) of the present application. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0082, 0084, and 0091-0093]) a content ratio of the structural unit represented by formula (a1) of the present application in the polymer is 70 mol% or more, with respect to 100 mol% of all the structural units of the polymer. Therein, Nakai teaches a combination of structural unit represented by formulae (a1), (a2), and (a3) of the present application, as well as a greater ratio of the therein monomer (3) to monomer (2B) as well as teaching a molar ratio of a third monomer which, in combination with the monomer (3) of Nakai, of 0.1% to 70% of all monomers of the polymer and the third monomer taught therein teach, in combination with the monomer (3) of Nakai, both structural units represented by formulae (a1) and (a2) of the present application. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0040-0045 and 0057-0065], specifically dihalogenated aromatic monomers (b-30) to (b-35) and (b-37) to (b-38) of Paragraph [0045] and monomers (a-10), (a-15), (a-22), (a-24), (a-35), (a-43), (a-55), (a-60), and (a-64) of Paragraphs [0062-0064]) wherein in the Formula (a1) of the present application, R4 is an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group having 4 to 20 carbon atoms. Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0187 and 0243]) a content of the polymer in the photosensitive resin composition is 50 to 98.5 % by mass with respect to a total mass of a solid component of the photosensitive resin composition. Therein, Nakai teaches 0.5 to 30% photocation generator by mass with respect to a total mass of a solid component of the photosensitive resin composition and 1.0 to 20% crosslinking agent by mass with respect to a total mass of a solid component of the photosensitive resin composition. . Nakai teaches (Paragraphs [0187 and 0243]) a content of the polymer in the photosensitive resin composition is 60 to 95 % by mass with respect to a total mass of a solid component of the photosensitive resin composition. Therein, Nakai teaches 0.5 to 30% photocation generator by mass with respect to a total mass of a solid component of the photosensitive resin composition and 1.0 to 20% crosslinking agent by mass with respect to a total mass of a solid component of the photosensitive resin composition.
8. A person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that each element of the composition claimed herein, although not necessarily in a single experimental example, with the only difference between the claimed invention and the teaching of Nakai being the lack of an actual combination of said process elements in a single experimental example. One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods, and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately. Also, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to compose the composition taught in the detailed description of Nakai.
9. Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai et al. (Japanese Patent Publication No. JP 2011-075987 A), hereinafter Nakai, in further view of Bi et al. (Chinese Patent Publication No. CN 105061754 A), hereinafter Bi.
10. Regarding Claims 2-3, Nakai teaches all limitations of Claim 1 above. However, Nakai fails to explicitly teach wherein R1 of Formula (a1) of the present application is an unsubstituted or substituted nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring and wherein the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is an unsubstituted or substituted pyrimidine ring.
11. Bi teaches (Page 2, Lines 16-21 of the English language equivalent) wherein R1 of Formula (a1) of the present application is an unsubstituted or substituted nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring. Bi teaches (Page 2, Lines 16-21 of the English language equivalent) wherein the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is an unsubstituted or substituted pyrimidine ring. Bi teaches (Page 1, Lines 6-21 and Page 3, Lines 3-18 of the English language equivalent) the polymer therein has good thermal stability and mechanical properties while being more easily synthesized.
12. It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakai to incorporate the teachings of Bi wherein R1 of Formula (a1) of the present application is an unsubstituted or substituted nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring; wherein the nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring is an unsubstituted or substituted pyrimidine ring. Doing so would result in a polymer having good thermal stability and mechanical properties while being more easily synthesized, as recognized by Bi.
13. Claims 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakai et al. (Japanese Patent Publication No. JP 2011-075987 A), hereinafter Nakai, in view of Hifumi et al. (United States Patent Publication No. US 20190055357 A1), hereinafter Hifumi.
14. Regarding Claims 12-14, Nakai teaches all limitations of Claim 1 above. However, Nakai fails to explicitly teach the polymer comprising a terminal group represented by Formula (g1) of the present application. Furthermore, Nakai fails to explicitly teach wherein in Formula (g1) of the present application R7 is a phenolic hydroxyl group, a thiol group, an amino group, or a carboxy group. Furthermore, Nakai fails to explicitly teach wherein in Formula (g1) of the present application R7 is a phenolic hydroxyl group.
15. Hifumi teaches (Paragraphs [0158 and 0232]) the polymer comprising a terminal group represented by Formula (g1) of the present application, therein teaching a terminating agent of one of the monomers of the polymer and the monomers taught comprise a number of structures within the scope of Formula (g1) of the present application. Hifumi teaches (Paragraphs [0158 and 0232]) wherein in Formula (g1) of the present application R7 is a phenolic hydroxyl group, a thiol group, an amino group, or a carboxy group. Hifumi teaches (Paragraphs [0158 and 0232]) wherein in Formula (g1) of the present application R7 is a phenolic hydroxyl group. Hifumi teaches (Paragraphs [0018-0021]) the polymer therein exhibits improved heat resistance, mechanical properties, solubility, and a high refractive index.
16. It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Nakai to incorporate the teachings of Hifumi wherein the polymer comprising a terminal group represented by Formula (g1) of the present application; wherein in Formula (g1) of the present application R7 is a phenolic hydroxyl group, a thiol group, an amino group, or a carboxy group; and wherein in Formula (g1) of the present application R7 is a phenolic hydroxyl group. Doing so would result in a polymer which exhibits improved heat resistance, mechanical properties, solubility, and a high refractive index, as recognized by Hifumi.
Conclusion
17. Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to RICHARD D CHAMPION at telephone number (571) 272-0750. The examiner can normally be reached on 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Fri EST.
18. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MARK F HUFF can be reached at (571) 272-1385. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/R.D.C./Examiner, Art Unit 1737
/MARK F. HUFF/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1737