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. DETAILED ACTION Responsive to claim set of 12/7/2022 Claims pending 1 ,3-6,8-16 Claims currently under consideration 1,3-6,8-16 Priority This application has a filing date of 12/07/2022 and is a 371 of PCT/JP2022/014255 filed 03/25/2022 Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 03/26/2021 . Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of document no. 2021-054300 required by 37 CFR 1.55. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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. Claim s 1,3 - 5,11,13,15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Heydari et al ( 2007 Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A 83(4):906- 9 14 ; doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.31368 ) . Heydari et al teach , throughout the document and especially the abstract , modification of a substrate with photoreactive gelatin for attaching cells. More particularly, such as disclosed on p 908 plus figures 2 , 6 ,7 , Heydari prepares a substrate that has a surface to which a cell is to be immobilized and on which a layer of a substance immobilizing agent is formed . The substrate comprises: said substance immobilizing agent has photoreactive groups and contains a water - soluble polymer or else a water-soluble monomer (amino acids) which turn into the water-soluble polymer by polymerization ; a thickness of the layer of the substance immobilizing agent is not less than 3 nm and less than 500 nm ; a contact angle with water of the surface of the substrate, to which surface thesubstance is to be immobilized, is not less than 20° and less than 80° ; and the water-soluble polymer is a water-soluble naturally occurring polymer derivative which has, in one collagen molecule thereof, at least two photoreactive groups The foregoing reads on claims 1B, 3,4,5 , 13 & 15 (aromatic azide groups) and appears to read on claim 11 as well. 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 - 5,11,13,15 and 1 A , 6, 8, 9,10,12, 14 ,16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Heydari et al (2007 Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A 83(4):906- 9 14 ; doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.31368 ) in view of Sivakumar et al ( 2013 PLOS One vol 8 issue 12 e81726 ). Heydari et a is relied on as above regarding claims 1B,3-5,11,13,15. Heydari et al do not explicitly teach : a synthetic polymer in a spot-like shape with at least two photo reactive groups in an amount not less than 2.5 mol percent and less than 50 mol %, that is electrically neutral and is for antibody/ allergen sample testing per claims 1A,6c, 8, 9,10 ,12 and 16; a structure of claim 14 . As in claims 1A,6c, 8, 9,10,12 , 16;14(i) when R 1 is an aromatic azide R 12 is a single bond and R 2 is a PEG ; and 16, Sivakumar et al suggest throughout the document and especially the first page and figures 1 , 3 and 7, a synthetic polymer with least two photoreactive groups in an amount not less than 2.5 mol percent and less than 50 mol % , that is electrically neutral and is for antibody/allergen sample testing in a spot-like shape . It would have been prima facie obvious for one of o rdinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the chemistry of Sivakumar et al for the cell substrate of Heydari et al . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to have used the chemistry of Sivakumar et al for the cell substrate of Heydari et al and had a reasonable expectation of success in doing so in light of the excellent diagnostic sensitivity results reported by Sivakumar et al in table 4 and moreover, in the second paragraph of the Discussion section at p 8 , Sivakumar et al note photoreactive PEG has been shown to be a stable, uniform, suitable for miniaturization, and appropriate for photo-immobilization studies of cells and proteins. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 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. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Claim 11 provides for use of the substrate recited in claim 1 , however in so far as a claim may be deemed indefinite when it merely recites a use without any active, positive steps delimiting how this use is actually practiced , the disconnect (lack of nexus) between the body and preamble renders unclear what method/process claim 11 is intending to encompass . (cf. Ex parte Dunki , 153 USPQ 678 (Bd. App. 1967) and Clinical Products, Ltd. v. Brenner, 255 F. Supp. 131, 149 USPQ 475 (D.D.C. 1966)). In accordance with MPEP 2173.02: If the language of the claim is such that a person of ordinary skill in the art could not interpret the metes and bounds of the claim so as to understand how to avoid infringement, a rejection of the claim under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, would be appropriate. See Morton Int ’l, Inc. v. Cardinal Chem. Co. , 5 F.3d 1464, 1470, 28 USPQ2d 1190, 1195 (Fed. Cir. 1993). 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 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT CHRISTOPHER M GROSS whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-4446 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 10-6 . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /CHRISTOPHER M GROSS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1684