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 of Group I, claims 1-12, in the reply filed on August 5, 2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 13-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected method, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on August 5, 2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Murata et al. (US 2015/0166405).
Regarding claims 1 and 2, Murata discloses a glass substrate with a glass composition that comprises, in terms of mol %, 40 to 80% of SiO2, 5 to 15% of Al2O3, 0 to 8% of B2O3, 0 to 10% of Li2O, 0 to 20% of Na2O, 0 to 20% of K2O, 0 to 10% of MgO and 0 to 6% CaO [0026 & 0068]. Additionally, the reference discloses that the glass substrate has a density of 2.42 g/cm3 or less [0048]. Note that the disclosed ranges for the composition and density overlap the claimed ranges and that a prima facie case of obviousness exists where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art”; see MPEP 2144.05 I.
Regarding claim 3, given the reference discloses that the composition comprises, in terms of mol %, 40 to 80% of SiO2 and 5 to 15% of Al2O3 [0026], the reference is considered to render obvious the claimed difference, see above discussion.
Regarding claim 4, given the reference discloses that the composition comprises, in terms of mol %, 0 to 10% of MgO and 0 to 6% CaO [0026 & 0068], the reference is considered to render obvious the claimed sum, see above discussion.
Regarding claim 5, the reference discloses the total content of SrO and BaO is preferably from 0 to 6%, which is considered to render obvious a composition substantially free of SrO and BaO [0070]; see MPEP 2144.05 I.
Regarding claim 6, the reference discloses the content of alkali metal oxides R2O (R represents one or more kinds selected from Li, Na, and K) is from 10 to 25%, which overlaps the claimed range [0062]; see MPEP 2144.05 I.
Regarding claim 7, given the reference discloses that the composition comprises, in terms of mol %, 0 to 10% of Li2O, 0 to 20% of Na2O [0026], the reference is considered to render obvious the claimed expression, see above discussion.
Regarding claims 8-10, the reference discloses ranges for the composition that render obvious Applicant’s Example 18; see above discussion, Applicant’s Example 18 and MPEP 2144.05 I. As such, the reference is considered to render obvious a composition that satisfies the claimed expressions.
Regarding claim 11, the reference discloses that the glass substrate has a Young’s modulus of 77 GPa or more, which overlaps the claimed range [0054]; see MPEP 2144.05 I. While the reference does not specifically disclose the claimed specific modulus, note that the reference does render obvious Applicant’s Example 18, see above discussion. As such, the reference is considered to render obvious a composition with the claimed specific modulus given “products of identical chemical composition can not have mutually exclusive properties"; see MPEP 2112.01 II.
Regarding claim 12, the reference discloses ranges for the composition that render obvious Applicant’s Example 18; see above discussion, Applicant’s Example 18 and MPEP 2144.05 I. As such, the reference is considered to render obvious a composition that satisfies the claimed expressions. While the reference does not specifically disclose the claimed specific modulus, the reference is considered to render obvious a composition with the claimed property given “products of identical chemical composition can not have mutually exclusive properties"; see MPEP 2112.01 II and above discussion.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAURA A AUER whose telephone number is (571)270-5669. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9 am - 4 pm EST.
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/LAURA A AUER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1783