DETAILED ACTION
An amendment, amending claims 1 and 15-17 was entered on 1/16/26. Claims 7-10 and 21 remain withdrawn pursuant to an election.
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 Arguments
Applicant argues that the amendments to claim 1, specifically that the gas shroud is separately injected, are not taught by the prior art on record. This is persuasive and a new rejection is presented below in response to this amendment.
Applicant also argues that the amendments overcome the rejection of claims under § 112. This is persuasive and these rejections have been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-6, 11-17, 19-20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Facchetti et al. (US 2013/0196469) in light of Yukinobu et al. (US 2012/0223302) and Johnson et al. (US 2003/0160033).
Claims 1-3, 5, 6, 12, 13, 20 and 22: Facchetti teaches a method of making a metal oxide thin film (Abst.), comprising the steps of: depositing a precursor on a glass substrate via inkjet printing (¶¶ 0058, 0065, 0076), wherein the precursor comprises at least one metallic oxidant salt species, such as indium nitrate (¶¶ 0041, 0044, 0047) and at least one organic complexing fuel species, such as acetylacetone (i.e. claimed ketone) or nitromethane (i.e. claimed aliphatic organic nitro compound) (¶¶ 0040, 0045); and combusting the precursor to form a metal oxide, such as indium oxide, wherein oxygen for the oxide layer comes at least partially from the oxidant (¶¶ 0040-0041).
Facchetti also teaches that the film can be subjected to a plasma treatment (see, e.g., ¶ 0126), but fails to detail such a step. Like Facchetti, Yukinobu teaches a method of forming a thin film metal oxide for electronic device (Abst.; ¶ 0005) and explains that, after forming the metal oxide, the metal oxide is subjected to plasma treatment using air as an oxidizing gas (i.e. plasma treatment which does not require a vacuum or inert environment) in order to provide oxygen vacancies in the metal oxide film (¶¶ 0213-0218). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of filing to have subjected the metal oxide film of Facchetti to the plasma treatment of Yukinobu in order to have introduced oxygen vacancies into the film.
Facchetti and Yukinobu fails to teach separately injecting a gas shroud. Johnson teaches a process of plasma treatment and explains that the process should include a separate means for injecting a gas shroud (¶ 0013) where the gas shroud surrounds the plasma (including its afterglow) in order to confine the plasma and increase its density (¶ 0016). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of filing to have utilized a separately injected gas shroud around the plasma in the process of Facchetti, as modified by Yukinobu, in order to have ensured confinement of the plasma.
Claim 4: Facchetti fails to teach a specific nozzle speed for inkjet printing. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that the nozzle speed is a result effective variable where an operator balances how quickly deposition should occur versus the degree of care in ensuring a uniform deposition. Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. MPEP § 2144.05(II)(A). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of filing to have selected a nozzle speed of 1 mm/s or greater with the predictable expectation of success.
Claim 11: While Facchetti does not discuss the role of the complexing fuel species as a complexing ligand, the features of claim 11 are considered inherent in Facchetti because Facchetti teaches the same compounds as those which applicant discloses to provide these features.
Claim 14: While Facchetti does not expressly state that oxygen is provided by the nitromethane, it is considered inherent that oxygen would be provided by the nitromethane because applicant discloses that the nitromethane would provide oxygen in the same reaction that is disclosed by Facchetti.
Claims 15 and 17: Yukinobu teaches that the plasma provide an inert environment by using helium as an ionizing gas (¶¶ 0213, 0215).
Claim 16: Yukinobu teaches RF plasma (¶ 0208).
Claim 19: Johnson teaches that the shroud gas is air, nitrogen or helium (¶ 0079).
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 Robert A Vetere whose telephone number is (571)270-1864. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-4:00 EST.
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/ROBERT A VETERE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712