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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Election/Restrictions
1. Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-7, in the reply filed on 01/23/2026 is acknowledged.
2. Claims 8-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention(s), there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01/23/2026.
Specification
3. The examiner has not checked the specification to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors (grammatical, typographical, and idiomatic). Cooperation of the applicant(s) is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant(s) may become aware of in the specification, in the claims and in any further amendment(s) that applicant(s) may file.
Applicant(s) is also requested to complete the status of the copending applications referred to in the specification by their Attorney Docket Number or Application Serial Number, if any.
The status of the parent application(s) and/or any other application(s) cross-referenced to this application, if any, should be updated in a timely manner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1 & 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 102114426 A, hereinafter “CN ‘426”.
CN ‘426 discloses a hydrogenation catalyst, the catalyst comprises: 20-60 parts by mass of nickel, 5-60 parts by mass of copper, 45-110 parts by mass of aluminum oxide and/or 45-110 parts by mass of silicon dioxide (silica), 2-10 parts by mass of cerium oxide and 2-10 parts of lanthanum oxide (see Abstract).
Regarding claim 1, the reference teaches a hydrogenation catalyst, comprises Ni, Cu, Ce, and silica as claimed.
With respect to the Ni amount in claim 1, the reference teaches Ni at an amount of 20-60 parts by mass (Abstract). The amount of Ni is calculated to be 9.5 wt.% - 52.6 wt.% (20/(60+110+10+20)*100% = 9.5% and 60/(5+45+2+2+60)*100% = 52.6%), which overlaps with the instant claimed range (40 to 80 parts by weight).
With respect to the Cu amount in claim 1, the reference teaches Cu at an amount of 5-60 parts by mass (Abstract). The amount of Cu is calculated to be 2.56 wt.% - 46.5 wt.% (5/(60+110+10+10+5)*100% = 2.56 wt.% and (60/(20+45+2+2+60)*100% = 46.5 wt.%), which overlaps with the instant claimed range (0.01 to 5 parts by weight).
With respect to the Ce amount in claim 1, Ce is taught to be in an amount of 2-10 parts by mass (Abstract). The amount of Ce is calculated to be 0.83 wt.% - 12.2 wt.% (2/(60+60+110+10+2)*100% = 0.83 wt.% and 10/(20+5+45+2+10)*100% = 12.2 wt.%), which overlaps with the instant claimed range (0.05 to 5 parts by weight).
Regarding the SiO2 amount in claim 1, the amount of silica taught by the reference is 45-110 parts (Abstract). The amount of SiO2 is calculated to be 15.3 wt.% - 79 wt.% (45/(60+60+110+10+10+45)*100% = 15.3 wt.% and 110/(20+5+2+2+110)+100% = 79 wt.%), which overlaps with the instant claimed range (10 to 30 parts by weight).
Regarding claim 2, the instant claim limitation is met by the reference because nickel, copper, and cerium disclosed and claimed are the same.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3-7 are 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.
CN 102114426 A is found to be the closest prior art, which teaches the claimed hydrogenation catalyst as recited in the instant claim 1, however this reference does not teach the claimed features or characteristics of the catalyst as further defined in these claims.
There is no motivation to combine the teachings of the prior art references together to arrive to the claimed invention.
Citations
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. All references are cited for related art. See PTO-892 Form prepared.
Conclusion
7. Claims 1-17 are pending. Claims 1 & 2 are rejected. Claims 3-7 are objected. Claims 8-17 are withdrawn. No claims are allowed.
Contacts
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Primary Examiner CAM N. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1357. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) at alternative worksite or at cam.nguyen@uspto.gov.
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, Anthony Zimmer, can be reached at 571-270-3591. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Cam N. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1736
/CNN/
February 19, 2026
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