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 .
Response to Amendment
In response to the amendment received on 07/07/2026:
-currently, claim(s) 16-18, 21-25, 28-30 is/are pending, with claims 16-18, 21-22, and 29-30 withdrawn from consideration.
-a new ground of rejection is applied for the reasons set forth below
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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-AIA ) 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.
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) 23-25 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Pub. No. 2014/0197038 to Park (hereinafter referred to as “PARK”).
As to claim 23, PARK teaches to an electrolyte solution (see PARK at ¶13 for teaching an aqueous electrolyte solution) that extracts a precipitate and/or an inclusion in a metal material by electrolysis (see PARK at ¶9, ¶56, and ¶57 for teaching an electrolyte solution containing copper salts that are used to manufacture a copper bump by electrolysis, in which copper is extracted from the copper salts), the electrolyte solution comprising
an adsorbent that is adsorbed to a surface of the precipitate and/or a surface of the inclusion, wherein the adsorbent is a compound having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of a thiol group, a sulfide group, and a disulfide group (see PARK at ¶60 and ¶61 for teaching bis-(3-sulfo-3-isopropyl)disulfide as the adsorbent to the copper surface)
wherein a content of the adsorbent is 2 g/L or more with respect to a base electrolyte solution containing an electrolyte and a solvent (see PARK at ¶60 and ¶61 for teaching that the disulfide compound may have a concentration of about 3 g/L to about 100 g/L).
As to claim 24, PARK teaches to the solution, wherein the adsorbent is adsorbed to a surface of a matrix metal of the metal material (see PARK at ¶60 and ¶61 for teaching bis-(3-sulfo-3-isopropyl)disulfide as the adsorbent to the copper surface; copper is a common matrix metal)
As to claim 25, PARK teaches to the solution, further comprising an agent that forms a complex with a matrix metal of the metal material (see PARK at ¶60 and ¶61 for teaching bis-(3-sulfo-3-isopropyl)disulfide as the adsorbent to the copper surface, necessarily forming a complex).
As to claim 28, PARK teaches to the solution, wherein the metal material is a steel material (see PARK at ¶60 and ¶61 for teaching bis-(3-sulfo-3-isopropyl)disulfide as the adsorbent to the copper surface; hot-rolled steel sheets frequently contain trace amounts of copper as a residual element or impurity)
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 07/07/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 23 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made. Please see above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN LEE whose telephone number is (703)756-1254. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7:00-16:00.
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/JOHN LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 1794 /BRYAN D. RIPA/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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