DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
2. The Applicants submitted a response to the office action mailed on 9/8/2025. The status of the claims is as follows.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by (US 2019/0231658 A1) to Lei et al. (hereinafter Lei).
The above noted rejection is withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. Claim 13 and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 2019/0231658 A1) to Lei et al. (hereinafter Lei).
The above noted rejection is maintained.
5. Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 2019/0231658 A1) to Lei et al. (hereinafter Lei).
The above noted rejection is withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
6. Applicant's arguments filed 12/8/2025 have been fully considered but they are not fully persuasive. The arguments regarding anticipation were persuasive and the rejection has been withdrawn. The 103 rejection of claim 13 has been maintained as the elements are met and the term “further” is not sufficient to limit the polymerization as argued. Claim 14 is objected as being allowable if placed into independent form including claim 13 because this clearly shows the argued separate polymerizations.
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claim 14 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art does not teach the order of shell polymerization layers claimed.
Conclusion
9. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
10. 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.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY D WASHVILLE whose telephone number is (571)270-3262. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
12. 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.
13. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Randy Gulakowski can be reached at 571-272-1302. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
14. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JEFFREY D WASHVILLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1766
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