DETAILED ACTION
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
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/17/2026 has been entered.
Claims 13-16 and 20 are remain withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to non-elected inventions.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims recite a “melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUP)”, yet also recites “wherein the MUF resin has a molar ratio (MR) of total moles formaldehyde to total moles urea plus, if present, the one or more melamine compounds of from about 0.25:1 to about 2.50:1.” The term “If present” suggests that the melamine need not be present, thus it is unclear if applicant is actually claiming a melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUP) resin as recited in the preamble. This disconnect in the claims renders the claims indefinite, as it is unclear exactly what applicant is claiming.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-12 and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102((a)(1)/(a)(2)) as being anticipated by Willegger et al. (USPN 3,994,850)
In col. 1, lines1-20, Claim 1, and Examples 1 and 2, Willegger et al. teach an adhesive comprising a resin system and a method for making the resin system, comprising (see D1, claim 1 and example 1 ):
mixing 7700 kg of urea-formaldehyde with 1700 kg (according to 13 wt% of the total amount of the resin system) of lignin-sulfonate waste liquor (containing 57% by weight of sodium ligno-sulfonate),
adding triethanolamine (a buffering and stabilizing agent),
adding 2100 kg of urea to decrease the formaldehyde to urea (F:U) ratio to 2.1 :1, and
after the adhesive resin is formed and a viscosity of 350 centipoise is reached, triethanolamine is added to raise the pH to 7.3, then
a further amount of urea is added to reduce the F:U ratio to 1.6:1.
Thus, the requirements for rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102((a)(1)/(a)(2)) are met.
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.
Claim(s) 1-12 and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Markessini et al. (USPN 4,886,854) in view of BE 832584.
In Col. 1, lines 60 to col. 2, line 4, col. 4, line 23 to col. 5, line 20, and sample 3 of Example 2, Markessini et al. teach an adhesive comprising a resin system and a method for making the resin system, comprising mixing formaldehyde and urea in a ratio of 1 :1, and calcium lignosulfonate and water,
wherein the amount of calcium lignosulfonate is 15,6 wt% and wherein the pH of the resin system is adjusted to 7.5 to 8.
While Markessini et al. does not specifically disclose the addition of a buffer/stabilizing agent, the claimed range for the buffer capacity is very broad and it is known in the art to add buffering and stabilizing agents in order to provide a buffer capacity, such as taught in BE 832584 (See example 1).
In Example 1, BE 832584 teaches an adhesive comprising a resin system and a method for making the resin system, comprising mixing a urea - formaldehyde resin and ammonium lignosulfonate, wherein the amount of ammonium lignosulfonate is 27 wt% of the adhesive, wherein a buffering agent is added to the adhesive order to provide a buffer capacity.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made, to add the buffer and stabilizing agent in the adhesive resin of Markessini et al., in order to obtain the advantages taught by BE 832584, motivated by a reasonable expectation of success.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/02/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the 112 rejection, as shown above, it is still unclear if applicant is actually requiring the melamine component in the resin.
Applicant’s art arguments are all based on the exclusion of the urea-formamide resins as the resin system. However, urea-formamide resins are not actually excluded in the claims; the claims do not clearly specify this distinction. Thus, the claims are still rejected for reasons previously stated, based on the teachings of urea-formamide resins.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KELECHI CHIDI EGWIM whose telephone number is (571)272-1099. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9-7.
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/KELECHI C EGWIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1762
KCE