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 .
Response to Amendment
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Any rejections and/or objections made in the previous Office action and not repeated below are hereby withdrawn.
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).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 7-18 are 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites the terminology “the aqueous layer” which lacks antecedent basis. It is unclear whether the aqueous layer is meant to result from the water addition step or not.
As claims 8-18 depend from claim 7 they are rejected for the same issue discussed above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Specifically, Takemoto discussed within the previous office action fails to describe adding water of 12 times or more the weight of polycarbonate-based resin to the depolymerization reaction product to afford a solid layer between the depolymerization reaction product and aqueous layer, of which the solid layer is recovered. Sufficient motivation within Takemoto is not found to arrive at the subject matter claimed.
The closest prior art with respect to claim 7 as amended is Oku (JPH10-259151A), cited 5/31/2024. Specifically, Oku teaches depolymerizing polycarbonates using a mixture of alcohol solvent such as ethanol and at least one solvent selected from benzene, toluene, xylene, and dioxane (Abstract; Examples) whereby excess water is added whereupon two phases form where BPA is precipitated/crystalized out as a solid phase (examples). However, claim 7 as amended requires the solid layer to be precipitated between the depolymerization reaction product and aqueous layer. In the case of Oku, bisphenol A (density ~ 1.2) would not be expected to form between the liquid layers, but rather would fall beneath the aqueous and organic layers. Oku is not seen to describe organic solvents that would effect precipitatation/crystallization between the layers and is not seen to provide sufficient motivation for such.
Ogasawara (US 2009/0170969 A1), cited 4/14/2023, describes the depolymerization of polycarbonates in dichloromethane with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution (Abstract; Examples) whereby after reaction solids of BPA disodium salt are deposited (¶ 77). Excess water is then added, upon which the BPA salt is dissolved; subsequent workup is performed via solvent-solvent extractions (¶ 77-79). However, the addition of excess water that results in a solid precipitate comprising aromatic diol compound between depolymerization reaction product and aqueous layer is not described. The use of ethanol is also not described.
Takemoto (JP2006-022029A) describes methods of depolymerizing polycarbonate in dichloromethane/alcohol blends (Abstract; Examples). Solids are dissolved over the course of reaction, after which excess aqueous hydrochloric acid is added to create organic and aqueous phases (¶ 59-61). However, Takemoto fails to describe recovering a solid layer comprising aromatic diol compound precipitate between the aqueous and organic phases. Rather, Takemoto separates the organic phase, evaporates the phase to dryness, and then washes the resulting solids with dichloromethane and water (¶ 60-61). Takemoto is not seen to describe the subject matter claimed and is not seen to provide sufficient motivation to arrive at the subject matter claimed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/2/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
It does not appear Applicant’s arguments pertain to the new grounds of rejection set forth above.
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 STEPHEN E RIETH whose telephone number is (571)272-6274. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8AM-4PM Mountain Standard Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Curtis Mayes can be reached at (571)272-1234. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEPHEN E RIETH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759
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