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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim wording “at least one few layer” needs to be addressed. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Haq qet al. (US 2016/0284449).
In Re claim 1, Haq et al. discloses a polymer matrix isolator comprising an elastomeric material (see 10, 12; par. 0055) provided with a reinforcing graphene layer (14; par. 0055).
In Re claim 2, par. 0055 discloses the use of butadiene rubber.
In Re claim 3, the graphene is dispersed and applied to the entirety of the polymer matrix, thus understood to include a face.
In Re claim 4, see plate-shaped graphene nanosheet (14B).
In Re claim 5, see pair of steel plates (22; par. 0069).
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sun et al. (CN 109252599 A).
In Re claim 1, Haq et al. discloses a elastomeric isolator comprising an elastomeric material (4) provided with a reinforcing graphene layer (not labeled, see description of fig. 2 and claim 10).
In Re claim 2, Sun et al. disclose the use of silicone rubber.
In Re claim 3, Sun et al. disclose coating the rubber layer with graphene, understood to include a face (see claim 10).
In Re claim 4, the graphene coating is understood to comprise a sheet-like structure.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/THOMAS W IRVIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616