DETAILED ACTION
Applicant’s amendment dated 11 March 2026 is hereby acknowledged. Claims 49-53 and 55-67 as amended are pending, with claims 55-67 withdrawn. All outstanding objections and rejections made in the previous Office Action, and not repeated below, are hereby withdrawn.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior office action.
New grounds of rejection set forth below are necessitated by applicant’s amendment filed on 11 March 2026. For this reason, the present action is properly made final.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 49, 50, 52, and 53 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2019-167429 A (“Kaneko”) as evidenced by US 2022/0289922 (“Tajima”) and US 2014/0378580 (“Amou”).
As to claim 49, Kaneko teaches an epoxy resin composition. Kaneko teaches forming the epoxy resin composition into carbon fibers, thus a carbon fiber reinforcement to form a sheet molding compound (see 3-3, translation p. 14). Examples 5 and 6 of Kaneko disclose a composition containing JER 807 or 828, both of which are bisphenol type epoxy resins (see translation, p. 13), and JER 630, which is an aminophenol type epoxy resin. While the exact structure is not stated by Kaneko, it is acknowledged by applicant (see specification, table 1 that JER 630 is the recited structure. Both examples employ jER 630 in excess of 35 % of epoxy resins. Examples 5 and 6 of Kaneko further include a curing agent (B) (translation, pp. 6-7, discussing component B). Since the sheet molding compound is treated at higher temperatures (translation, p. 13), it is reasonable to presume that the epoxy resin composition is thickened.
Kaneko does not exemplify a carboxylic acid anhydride thickener of the recited viscosity in the recited amount. However, Kaneko requires a component [C} that may be an amine or an acid anhydride that is a compound that causes low temperature curing (translation, pp. 7-8), and thus has a thickening effect (translation, p. 8).
As the anhydride, Kaneko teaches numerous anhydrides, including methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (translation, p. 8, p. 13, teaching MHAC-P). While not stated, it is known from Amou, para. 0101 to have viscosity in the recited range. In addition, while Kaneko does not state the recited amount of anhydride, Kaneko teaches 0.1 to 0.4 equivalents per epoxy equivalent may be used to obtain early thickening while allowing molding (translation, p. 8). Using the MHAC-P, for example, having an anhydride equivalent of 177-170 g/eq (Amou, para. 0101), to the epoxies set forth in Example 5, having 50 parts of JER 828 50 parts of JER 630 (epoxy equivalent weights of 189 and 98 g/eq, respectively, as evidenced by Tajima, para. 0045), is calculated to suggest an amount of anhydride such as MHAC-P from 13.6 to 55 parts per 100 parts epoxy resins, which includes amounts below 20 parts. As such, modifying the composition of Kaneko, including having the recited amount of anhydride of the recited viscosity, is an obvious modification suggested by Kaneko for obtaining early thickened epoxy resin.
As to claim 50, Kaneko teaches glass transition temperatures in the recited range. While the ratio of dynamic storage elastic modulus at 200 over 100 degrees C is not stated, Kaneko teaches the use of the ratios of bisphenol epoxy resin and the triglycidylamine in the same proportions as taught to provide the recited cured properties; it is reasonable to expect that the same properties would be obtained.
As to claim 52, Kaneko, example 5, has bisphenol epoxy resin at 50 wt % of the epoxy resin.
As to claim 53, Kaneko, examples 5 and 6 have bisphenol epoxy resin at 50 wt % and 30 wt %, respectively.
Claim 51 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2019-167429 A (“Kaneko”) as evidenced by US 2022/0289922 (“Tajima”) and US 2014/0378580 (“Amou”) as applied to claim 49, further as evidenced by US 2024/0294812 (“Ishikawa”).
The second reference is used to show a recited characteristic is inherent. See MPEP 2124, 2131.01.
As to claim 51, Kaneko teaches example 6 using YH-404 along with Jer 827 and 630. Kaneko teaches YH-404 is tetraglydicyl diaminophenylmethane epoxy resin (translation, p. 13). While Kaneko does not state the exact structure, Ishikawa is used to show this resin has the structure
PNG
media_image1.png
134
270
media_image1.png
Greyscale
(Ishikawa, para. 0205), which is the same formula as recited in claim 51. The examiner calculates, based on this structure, that the use of anhydride, such as MHAC-P from approximately 15 to 60 parts by weight is suggested from the equivalent range of Kaneko, and as such, the use of less than 20 parts of anhydride is an obvious modification.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11 March 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, while Kaneko does not exemplify the recited amount of the anhydride of the recited viscosity, Kaneko teaches a range of the use of anhydride that includes amounts below 20 parts. Further, the anhydride of component (C), while characterized as a low temperature curing agent, serves to thicken the composition, and in fact, the recited amounts of the anhydride are taught to provide such early thickening tendency. As such, applicant’s amendment as to the amount of anhydride of the recited viscosity is not sufficient to patentably distinguish over Kaneko.
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 KREGG T BROOKS whose telephone number is (313)446-4888. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 9 am to 5:30 pm.
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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arrie Reuther can be reached at (571)270-7026. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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.
/KREGG T BROOKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1764
Prosecution Insights