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 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.
Claims 1-3, 7 and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et al (WO 2015041190) in view of Birtane et al ( Thermally Stable Phosphonium Organoclay Reinforced Polyimide Nanocomposites, Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering, Volume 56, Issue 4 (2017), pages 443-452), necessitated by Amendment.
Kobayashi teaches a laminate comprising a polyimide film filled with clay particles (i.e., lubricant) having
an average particle diameter of 0.001 to 10 µm.
The reference further teaches that preferred volume average particle diameter of the lubricant particles
is within the range of 0.05 to 0.3 µm (meeting the limitations of claim 7).
Regarding corresponding limitation of claim 1, Kobayashi teaches that the amount of the lubricant in
the polyimide is 0.02 to 50% by mass with respect to the polymer solid content in the polyamic acid
solution, and the upper limit of the addition amount is preferably 5% by mass.
Regarding claim 3, Kobayashi disclose that the polyimide maybe formed from pyromellitic
dianhydride (preferred) combined with 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane.
In reference to claims 10 and 11, Kobayashi discloses the polyimide film have a glass transition
temperature of 350° C or higher, or no glass transition point in the region of 500° C or lower.
Regarding optical characteristics, Kobayashi discloses that the film has transmittance of 89% or more,
the haze value is preferably 0.6% or less, and the YI value (yellow index) is preferably 3 or less.
The average linear expansion coefficient (CTE) is preferably -3 ppm / C to +10 ppm / C
In reference to claims 12-15, Kobayashi teaches a laminate and semiconductor device.
Kobayashi fails to teach an organically modified clay.
Birtane discloses a transparent modified clay polyimide films (see Table 2) formed from 3',4,4'-Benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4'-Oxydianiline (ODA) comprising 1, 3 and 5 wt. % wt. clay modified with octyl triphenylphosphonium bromide clay (see Abstract and page 7, chapter Synthesis Of Polyimide-Modified Clay Nanocomposites).
Clays are hydrophilic layered silicates with layer dimensions in nanoscale (generally the thickness of single layer is around 1 nm (see Page 2).
Birtane teaches that thermal properties of the polyimide composition significantly improves with addition of modified clay (see Table 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skills in the art to use modified clay in
Kobayashi's polyimide film in order to improve its thermal properties.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-3, 7 and 10-15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Note that rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Kobayashi et al (WO 2015041190) in view of Choi et al (Colorless and transparent polyimide nanocomposites: Comparison of the properties of homo- and co- polymers, Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 19 (2013) 1593-1599) as evidences by Huang et al (Advanced anticorrosive materials prepared from amine-capped aniline trimer-based electroactive polyimide-clay nanocomposite materials with synergistic effects of redox catalytic capability and gas barrier properties, / Polymer 52 (2011) 2391-2400) is withdrawn in view of claims 1 and 11 amendments.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 GREGORY LISTVOYB whose telephone number is (571)272-6105. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Heidi Riviere Kelley can be reached at (571) 270-1831. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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GL
/GREGORY LISTVOYB/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1765
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