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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-15, in the reply filed on Oct. 7, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 16-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on Oct. 7, 2025.
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. § 112(d)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. § 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 9 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(d) as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of a previous claim.
Claim 9 recites a chemical formula of a copolymer for which the repeating units have subscripts m and n. The corresponding repeating units of the chemical formula recited in base claim 8 are n and m, respectively. Claim 9 recites an amount m of the left repeating unit which exceeds the amount permitted by the amount n that is recited in base claim 8. The subscript m in claim 9 therefore does not specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed in base claim 8.
Claim 13 recites a chemical formula (III) which includes repeating units having subscripts x and y. These repeating units are derived from the repeating unit in chemical formula (I) which has subscript n. Chemical formula (I) and the definitions of its subscripts are recited in base claim 1. Claim 13 recites amounts x and y of the left and middle repeating unit (both in combination and for subscript y individually) which exceed those permitted by the amount n that is recited in base claim 1. The subscripts x and y in claim 13 therefore do not specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed in base claim 1. Claim 14 is dependent upon claim 13, and claim 15 recites the same corresponding values for subscripts x and y, and these claims fail to comply with 35 U.S.C. § 112(d) for the same reason.
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. § 112(b)
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.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 11 depends upon itself. The circular definition of claim 11 does not set forth the scope of the claimed invention with reasonable clarity.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following reference is noted.
WO 2019/079223 A1 to Klausen describes copolymers of organoboranes (see formulas 3-5 on p. 3) and their oxidation to polyvinyl alcohol copolymers (see formulas 9-11 on pp. 4-5). The copolymers include pendant group R13 which can be “carbonyl” (see p. 4, l. 6). Klausen does not specifically disclose methyl methacrylate or a derivative thereof.
Claims 1-8, 10, and 12 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD A. HUHN whose telephone number is (571)270-7345. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM EST.
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/RICHARD A. HUHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1764