DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant’s submission filed on February 20, 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mapro Co Ltd et al. (KR 101182194) in view of Nakayama et al. (US 2019/0077676), each of record.
Regarding claim 1, Mapro discloses a heat ray shielding resin sheet material (Abstract) comprising:
near infrared absorbing material particles (p. 9); and
a resin (para. [0058]),
wherein the near infrared absorbing material particles contain particles of a complex tungsten oxide (pp. 3-4; Examples) represented by General Formula: MxWyOz (where an element M is one or more elements selected from H, He, alkali metals, alkaline-earth metals, rare-earth elements, Mg, Zr, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ru, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Cd, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, B, F, P, S, Se, Br, Te, Ti, Nb, V, Mo, Ta, Re, Be, Hf, Os, Bi, and I, W represents tungsten, O represents oxygen (p. 4), 0.001≤x/y≤0.5 (p. 4), and 3.0<z/y<3.4 (p. 4)).
Mapro fails to explicitly disclose wherein a crystallite size of the particles of the complex tungsten oxide is 16.9 nm or more and 21.1 nm or less.
However, Nakayama discloses a heat ray shielding resin sheet material (paras. [0156-0157]), wherein a crystallite size of the particles of the complex tungsten oxide (para. [0054]) is 16.9 nm or more and 21.1 nm or less (para. [0088]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate wherein a crystallite size of the particles of the complex tungsten oxide is 16.9 nm or more and 21.1 nm or less, as in Nakayama, into the heat ray shielding resin sheet material of Mapro for excellent infrared shielding properties (Nakayama, para. [0088]).
Regarding claim 2, Mapro discloses wherein the element M includes one or more elements selected from Cs, Rb, K, Tl, In, Ba, Li, Ca, Sr, Fe, and Sn (p. 4).
Regarding claim 3, Mapro discloses wherein the particles of the complex tungsten oxide contain a crystal having one or more crystal structures selected from a hexagonal crystal, a tetragonal crystal, and a cubic crystal (paras. [0054, 0088]).
Regarding claim 4, Mapro fails to explicitly disclose wherein a particle diameter of the near infrared absorbing material particles is 54 nm or more and 100 nm or less.
However, Nakayama discloses wherein a particle diameter of the near infrared absorbing material particles is 54 nm or more and 100 nm or less (para. [0083]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate wherein a particle diameter of the near infrared absorbing material particles is 54 nm or more and 100 nm or less, as in Nakayama, into the heat ray shielding resin sheet material of Mapro for excellent infrared shielding properties (Nakayama, para. [0083]).
Regarding claim 5, Mapro discloses wherein the resin is a polycarbonate resin or an acrylic resin (para. [0058]).
Claims 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mapro Co Ltd et al. (KR 101182194) in view of Nakayama et al. (US 2019/0077676), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd (JP 2006-219662), hereinafter “Sumitomo,” of record.
Regarding claim 6, Mapro in view of Nakayama discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the heat ray shielding resin sheet material includes a plurality of sheet layers containing at least the resin, one or more of the sheet layers contain the near infrared absorbing material particles, the sheet layers include a first surface sheet layer, a second surface sheet layer, an intermediate sheet layer, and a connecting sheet layer, the first surface sheet layer, the intermediate sheet layer, and the second surface sheet layer are laminated in this order, and the connecting sheet layer connects between the first surface sheet layer, the intermediate sheet layer, and the second surface sheet layer, the first surface sheet layer includes a first surface, which is an outer surface of the heat ray shielding resin sheet material, the second surface sheet layer includes a second surface, which is an outer surface of the heat ray shielding resin sheet material located on an opposite side of the first surface, and the heat ray shielding resin sheet material includes a void between the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer, and has a hollow multilayer structure.
However, Sumitomo discloses a heat ray shielding resin sheet material (Figs. 1-2), wherein
the heat ray shielding resin sheet material includes a plurality of sheet layers containing at least the resin (paras. [0046-0047]),
one or more of the sheet layers contain the near infrared absorbing material particles (para. [0046]),
the sheet layers include a first surface sheet layer (11), a second surface sheet layer (12), an intermediate sheet layer (13), and a connecting sheet layer (14) (Fig. 1),
the first surface sheet layer (11), the intermediate sheet layer (13), and the second surface sheet layer (12) are laminated in this order (Fig. 1; para. [0053]), and the connecting sheet layer (14) connects between the first surface sheet layer (11), the intermediate sheet layer (13), and the second surface sheet layer (12) (Fig. 1),
the first surface sheet layer (11) includes a first surface, which is an outer surface of the heat ray shielding resin sheet material (Fig. 1),
the second surface sheet layer (12) includes a second surface, which is an outer surface of the heat ray shielding resin sheet material located on an opposite side of the first surface (Fig. 1), and
the heat ray shielding resin sheet material includes a void (15) between the first surface sheet layer (11) and the second surface sheet layer (12), and has a hollow multilayer structure (Fig. 1; para. [0048]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate wherein the heat ray shielding resin sheet material includes a plurality of sheet layers containing at least the resin, one or more of the sheet layers contain the near infrared absorbing material particles, the sheet layers include a first surface sheet layer, a second surface sheet layer, an intermediate sheet layer, and a connecting sheet layer, the first surface sheet layer, the intermediate sheet layer, and the second surface sheet layer are laminated in this order, and the connecting sheet layer connects between the first surface sheet layer, the intermediate sheet layer, and the second surface sheet layer, the first surface sheet layer includes a first surface, which is an outer surface of the heat ray shielding resin sheet material, the second surface sheet layer includes a second surface, which is an outer surface of the heat ray shielding resin sheet material located on an opposite side of the first surface, and the heat ray shielding resin sheet material includes a void between the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer, and has a hollow multilayer structure, as in Sumitomo, into the heat ray shielding resin sheet material of Mapro and Nakayama to improve a heat insulating effect (Sumitomo, para. [0052]).
Regarding claims 7-9, Mapro in view of Nakayama fails to explicitly disclose wherein all the sheet layers contain the near infrared absorbing material particles, wherein only one of the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer contains the near infrared absorbing material particles, and wherein only the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer contain the near infrared absorbing material particles.
However, Sumitomo discloses wherein all the sheet layers contain the near infrared absorbing material particles, wherein only one of the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer contains the near infrared absorbing material particles, and wherein only the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer contain the near infrared absorbing material particles (paras. [0050-0051]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate wherein all the sheet layers contain the near infrared absorbing material particles, wherein only one of the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer contains the near infrared absorbing material particles, and wherein only the first surface sheet layer and the second surface sheet layer contain the near infrared absorbing material particles, as in Sumitomo, into the heat ray shielding resin sheet material of Mapro and Nakayama to configure the particles on outer surfaces only, for example, depending on application for versatility (Sumitomo, para. [0052]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not solely rely on the primary reference applied in the prior rejection of record for the teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Therefore, the new ground of rejection over Mapro in view of Nakayama is considered appropriate in accordance with the amendment to the claim.
Conclusion
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/PAISLEY L WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871