DETAILED ACTION
Applicant’s response filed on June 17, 2025 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
Applicants must continue to share prior art references throughout the patent application process. A supplemental IDS must be submitted if prior art is discovered through a foreign patent application or an International Patent Search, or a related application before a prosecution closes.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AlA) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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:
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mano et al. (US20160308301, hereinafter Mano) in view of Tomohito et al. (JP2019108637A, prior cited reference, herein referred to as Tomohito) or Watanabe et al. (US20210261768A1, herein referred to as Watanabe).
Referring to claim 1, Mano discloses an anti-corrosive material comprising:
an ultraviolet curable resin comprising:
a polymerizable compound including at least one of a photopolymerizable (meth)acrylate monomer and a photopolymerizable (meth)acrylate oligomer (see claim 1; paragraphs 0011),
the polymerizable compound includes a combination of a monofunctional (meth)acrylate monomer and a bifunctional (meth)acrylate monomer, or a combination of at least one of a monofunctional (meth)acrylate monomer or a bifunctional (meth)acrylate monomer and at least one of a trifunctional (meth)acrylate monomer or a polyfunctional (meth)acrylate monomer having four or more functional groups (see claim 1 of Mano),
the anti-corrosive material has a viscosity of 18,900 mPa- s or less, the viscosity being measured at 25 °C according to JIS Z8803 (see claim 1).
Mano fails to disclose the photopolymerizable (meth)acrylate oligomer has a polycarbonate diol-derived structure as a main skeleton being a main chain of the oligomer and excluding any sub chain
Tomohito or Watanabe discloses the photopolymerizable (meth)acrylate oligomer has a polycarbonate diol-derived structure as a main skeleton being a main chain of the oligomer and excluding any sub chain (herein a polycarbonate diol-derived urethane (meth)acrylate oligomer UN-5500 or UN9200A has a main skeleton being a main chain of the oligomer, which does not include any sub chain; specification mentions to have Component A1, which is a polycarbonate diol-derived urethane (meth)acrylate oligomer UN-5500 or UN9200A manufactured by Negami Chemical Co., Ltd. (same as mentioned in applicant’s specification); (Meth)acrylate oligomers include urethane (meth)acrylate oligomers in paragraph 0013-0014 in Tomohito; OR in Watanabe (paragraph 0160), a polycarbonate diol-derived urethane (meth)acrylate oligomer UN-5500 inherently has a main skeleton being a main chain of the oligomer, which does not include any sub chain; Note: applicant invention defines usable photopolymerizable (meth)acrylate oligomers in the present embodiment are UN-5500 produced by Negami Chemical Industrial Co., LTD., KUA-PC21 produced by KSM CO., LTD., and the like.).
It would have been obvious to a person of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material of the Mano to have Oligomer material as taught by Tomohito because this type of arrangement would provide high elongation rate and excellent feel at impact (supported by Tomohito in paragraph 0034); and/or to improve the elongation of the cured product of the photocurable resin composition; and to cure rapidly even with a low light irradiation amount and increase productivity (paragraph 0019 of Tomohito); and/or to enhance the heat resistance and thus, it can effectively enhance the crack resistance (paragraph 0163 of Watanabe)
Referring to claim 2, Mano in view of Tomohito disclose a wire with a terminal, comprising:
a wire including a conductor and a wire covering member configured to cover the conductor;
a metal terminal connected to the conductor of the wire; and
a sealing member configured to cover a joint between the conductor and the metal terminal,
the sealing member being formed by curing the anti-corrosive material according to claim 1 (see paragraph 0003 of Mano states, “The present invention relates to an anti-corrosive material, a wire with a terminal, and a wire harness. More specifically, the present invention relates to an anti-corrosive material, a wire with a terminal including a sealing member formed by curing the anti-corrosive material, and a wire harness including the wire with a terminal” and see 30 in figure 3 of Mano and paragraph 0058 of Mano; note: the sealing member “configured to” defines only intended use, therefore, by having sealing member, sealing member has capabilities to or used to cover around the terminal structure mentioned above; however, examiner provided rejection based on “a sealing member ).
Referring to claim 3, Mano in view of Tomohito disclose the wire with the terminal according to claim 2, wherein the sealing member has tensile elongation of 60% or greater after being retained at a temperature of 120 °C for 4,000 hours (by having same claimed material and/or structure, the claimed result is inherent or equivalent; the product is what it is, not, how it is used or tested under different tests or conditions (such as standard tests JIS1701 or JIS 7113 ( JIS 7127) or JIS 7133) ; additionally, Mano discloses in paragraph 0034 to have elongation rate as much as 600%).
Referring to claim 4, Mano in view of Tomohito disclose the wire with the terminal according to claim 2, wherein the sealing member has tensile elongation of 60% or greater after being retained at a temperature of 80 °C at a humidity of 95% RH for 1,000 hours (by having same claimed material and/or structure, the claimed result is inherent or equivalent; the product is what it is, not, how it is used or tested under different tests or conditions (such as standard tests JIS1701 or JIS 7113 ( JIS 7127) or JIS 7133) ; additionally, Mano discloses in paragraph 0034 to have elongation rate as much as 600%).
Referring to claim 5, Mano in view of Tomohito disclose the wire with the terminal according to claim 4, wherein the conductor includes an elemental wire formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the metal terminal contains copper or a copper alloy (Paragraph 0013 of Mano states, “wherein the conductor includes an elemental wire formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the metal terminal includes copper or a copper alloy”).
Referring to claim 6, Mano in view of Tomohito disclose a wire harness comprising: the wire with the metal terminal according to claim 4 (paragraph 0003 of Mano states, “The present invention relates to an anti-corrosive material, a wire with a terminal, and a wire harness. More specifically, the present invention relates to an anti-corrosive material, a wire with a terminal including a sealing member formed by curing the anti-corrosive material, and a wire harness including the wire with a terminal” ).
Pertinent Prior Arts
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please refer to the enclosed PTO-892 form for the citation of pertinent art in the present case, all of which disclose various curable resin composition.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 06/17/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Responding to applicants’ arguments, applicant mentioned that Tomohito fails to disclose or suggest that the polycarbonate diol-derived portion forms a main skeleton that is limited to the main chain and explicitly excludes any sub chain;
However, Applicant specification clearly discloses “Note that the main skeleton indicates a main chain of the oligomer, which does not include a sub chain” and “A weight average molecular weight of the photopolymerizable (meth)acrylate oligomer is preferably 1,000 to 20,000, more preferably, 1,000 to 15,000. Usable photopolymerizable (meth)acrylate oligomers in the present embodiment are UN-5500 produced by Negami Chemical Industrial Co., LTD., KUA-PC21 produced by KSM CO., LTD., and the like”.
Cited Reference Tomohito discloses same material UN-5500 thefore it satisfies “the main skeleton indicates a main chain of the oligomer, which does not include a sub chain” for the reason that it is possible to obtain a synthetic string having excellent low rigidity and excellent feel at impact. (paragraph 0007); and to cure rapidly even with a low light irradiation amount and increase productivity (paragraph 0019). And It is proper and obvious to Mano to have many reasons to use Urethane Oligomer material as taught by Tomohito as reason given above.
Furthermore, Watanabe discloses the similar material UN-5500.
Additionally, It was known that the urethane (meth)acrylate may be a urethane (meth)acrylate having a polycarbonate chain. This is because flexible components are easily introduced into a molecular structure and a cured product thereof is easily made relatively flexible ( WO2019045071 or US20210070894A1).
Therefore, applicant’s arguments are not persuasive.
Communication
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/PARESH PAGHADAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847