DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 05/29/2026 has been entered.
3. Claims 1-12, 15-19, 21-25 are pending. Claims 15-19, 23-25 are under examination on the merits. Claim 15 is amended. Claims 13-14, 20 are previously cancelled. Claims 1-12, 21-22 are withdrawn to a non-elected invention from further consideration.
4. The objections and rejections not addressed below are deemed withdrawn.
5. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 15-19, 23-25 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Information Disclosure Statement
6. The information disclosure statement submitted on 05/29/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statement.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. 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.
8. Claims 15-16, 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Renzi et al. (US Pub. No.2006/0217506 A1, hereinafter “’506”) in view of Kawaguchi et al. (US Pub. No.2021/0171682 A1, hereinafter “’682”).
Regarding claims 15-16: ‘506 teaches a polymerizable liquid composition for the manufacturing of an optical material (Page 1, [0001]; Page 8, Claim 1), comprising: at least one polymerizable component comprising at least one diallyl compound such as diallyl carbonate (DAC), diethylene glycol (DEG), neopentyl glycol (NPG), and pentaerythritol (PE) (Page 4, [0080]-[0084], Example 1) corresponding to A. in the instant claim, and a polymerization initiator or a mixture of two or more polymerization initiators, stable at room temperature, belonging to the group of peroxides such as diiso-propyl-peroxy dicarbonate (IPP) (Page 1, [0007]) or di(4-t-butyl cyclohexyl)-peroxy-dicarbonate (BCHPC) (Page 5, Table 1, Example 3) corresponding to D. in the instant claim. ‘506 teaches the liquid polymerizable composition, can optionally contain one or more conventional additives such as, for example, antioxidants, light stabilizers, lubricants, dyes, pigments, UV-absorbers, IR-absorbers (Page 3, [0053]; Page 9, Claim 27). ‘506 does not expressly teach B. at least one ultraviolet and/or high-energy visible light-absorbing agent, and C. at least one tetraazaporphyrin dye, wherein the tetraazaporphyrin dye is present in an amount within a range of from 1.0 ppm to 50 ppm based on a weight of the polymerizable liquid composition.
However, ‘682 teaches a polymerizable liquid composition for the manufacturing of an optical material (Page 1, [0001]; Page 17, Claim 1), comprising: A) at least one polymerizable component comprising at least one diallyl compound (Page 1, [0019]; Page 4, [0058]; Page 5, [0076]-[0077]; Page 17, Claim 1) such as RAV 7AT (Poly(allyl carbonate) compound of diethylene glycol and pentaerythritol and oligomers thereof (Page 15, [0229]), C) at least one kind compound (C) corresponding to B &C of the instant compounds selected from compounds represented by General Formulas (3) to (6), wherein the compound (3) is UV light-absorbing agent (Page 7, [0104]; Page 17, Claim 1) such as Viosorb 583, 2-(2-hydroxy-5-t-octylphenyl) benzotriazole (Page 15, [0232]) or Tinuvin 326, 2-(3-t-butyl-2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)-5-chlorobenzotriazole (Page 15, [0233]), the compound (5) is tetraazaporphyrin dye (Page 1, [0019]; Page 8, [0119]) such as PD-311S, tetra-t-butyl-tetraazaporphyrin/copper complex represented by Formula (5a)(Page 15, [0231]), and the compound (6) is HEV light-absorbing agent (Page 1, [0019]; Page 8, [0121]) such as Hostavin PR-25, (p-methoxybenzy lidene) dimethyl malonate (Page 15, [0234]) or Plast Blue 8514, anthraquinone-based dye (Page 15, [0235]; Page 17, Claim 1), and D) the combination of at least one peroxydicarbonate ester (D1), the radical polymerization initiator (D2) (Page 1, [0019]; Page 10, [0139]; Page 10, [0154]; Page 17, Claim 1) such as Peroyl TCP, bis (4-t-butylcyclohexyl) peroxydicarbonate (Page 15, [0239]).
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‘682 discloses the tetraazaporphyrin dye having X1 to X4 each individually represents a tert-butyl group (Page 8, [0119]), Y1 to Y4 each individually represents a hydrogen atom group (Page 2, [0023]-[0024]; Page 8, [0116]; Page 8, [0119]) in the amount of 0.01 ppm or more and 50 ppm or less in terms of the weight basis with respect to an allyl carbonate compound (A) including two or more allyloxycarbonyl groups, and a (meth)acrylate compound (B) including two or more (meth)acryl groups (Page 1, [0019], preferably 0.1 ppm or more and 30 ppm or less, and more preferably 0.5 ppm or more and 20 ppm or less (Page 8, [0102]) with benefit of providing a plastic lens which has excellent surface hardness without impairing transparency, and for which the formability is excellent and the plastic lens product yield is improved. Furthermore, combining specific radical polymerization initiators makes it possible for the compound (C), which is an additive, to stably exhibit a desired effect in the obtained plastic lens (Page 4, [0056]).
In an analogous art of the polymerizable liquid composition for the manufacturing of an optical material, and in the light of such benefit before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify by the polymerizable liquid composition by ‘506, so as to include B. at least one ultraviolet and/or high-energy visible light-absorbing agent, and C. at least one tetraazaporphyrin dye, wherein the tetraazaporphyrin dye is present in an amount within a range of from 1.0 ppm to 50 ppm based on a weight of the polymerizable liquid composition as taught by ‘682, and would have been motivated to do so with reasonable expectation that this would result in providing a plastic lens which has excellent surface hardness without impairing transparency, and for which the formability is excellent and the plastic lens product yield is improved. Furthermore, combining specific radical polymerization initiators makes it possible for the compound (C), which is an additive, to stably exhibit a desired effect in the obtained plastic lens as suggested by ‘682 (Page 4, [0056]).
Regarding claim 23: The disclosure of ‘506 in view of ‘682 is adequately set forth in paragraph 7 above and is incorporated herein by reference. ‘682 teaches the polymerizable liquid composition for the manufacturing of an optical material (Page 1, [0001]; Page 17, Claim 1), wherein the tetraazaporphyrin dye is present in an amount within a range of from 1.35 ppm to 16.9 ppm (Page 8, [0102]; Page 17, Table 1, Example 1).
9. Claims 17-19, 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Renzi et al. (US Pub. No.2006/0217506 A1, hereinafter “’506”) in view of Kawaguchi et al. (US Pub. No.2021/0171682 A1, hereinafter “’682”) as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Sato et al. (US Pub. No. 2019/0006563 A1, hereinafter “’563”).
Regarding claims 17-19, 24-25: The disclosure of ‘506 in view of ‘682 is adequately set forth in paragraph 8 above and is incorporated herein by reference. ‘506 in view of ‘682 does not expressly teach tetraazaporphyrin with Y1 to Y4 substituents each individually represents a fluorophenyl group.
‘563 teaches a polymerizable liquid composition for the manufacturing of an optical material (Page 18, Table 1). ‘563 teaches a coloring material such as the azaporphyrin-based dye is not particularly limited but may be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include a tetra-t-butyl-tetraazaporphyrin metal complex and a tetra-m-fluorophenyl-tetraazaporphyrin metal complex. The azaporphyrin-based dye may also be a compound with the pyrrole ring of the tetraazaporphyrin metal complex substituted with two different substituents, a t-butyl group and an o-fluorophenyl group, represented by (Page 8, [0131]) with benefit of providing azaporphyrin-based dyes having various substituents and various central metals, and depending on the combination thereof, the absorption wavelength region and the half-value width of absorption vary. It is preferable to appropriately select an azaporphyrin-based dye that has a relatively small half-value width of absorption wavelength and is capable of selectively absorbing light of a desired wavelength region. In this case, light resistance may also be taken into consideration (Page 8, [0130]).
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In an analogous art of the polymerizable composition for an optical material, and in the light of such benefit before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the dye in the polymerizable liquid composition by ‘506, so as to include the tetraazaporphyrin dye with Y1 to Y4 substituents each individually represents a fluorophenyl group as taught by ‘563, and would have been motivated to do so with reasonable expectation that this would result in providing azaporphyrin-based dyes having various substituents and various central metals, and depending on the combination thereof, the absorption wavelength region and the half-value width of absorption vary. It is preferable to appropriately select an azaporphyrin-based dye that has a relatively small half-value width of absorption wavelength and is capable of selectively absorbing light of a desired wavelength region. In this case, light resistance may also be taken into consideration as suggested by ‘563 (Page 8, [0130]).
Thus, the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made, since the substitution of equivalents (i.e., in view of the art recognized functional equivalence of the two dye compounds) requires no express motivation as long as the prior art recognizes the equivalency. In re Fount USPQ 532 (CCPA 1982); In re Siebentritt, 152 USPQ 618 (CCPA 1967); Graver Tank & Mfg. Co. Inc. v Linde Air Products Co., 85 USPQ 328 (USSC).
Response to Arguments
10. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 15-19, 23-25 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Examiner Information
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bijan Ahvazi, Ph.D. whose telephone number is (571) 270-3449. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 9.00 A.M. -7 P.M..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Del Sole can be reached on 571-272-1130. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Bijan Ahvazi/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763
06/02/2026
bijan.ahvazi@uspto.gov
Prosecution Insights