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 .
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. § 102
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 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.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. § 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 7-9, 16, 19, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. 1996, 92, 2825-2837 (herein “Pojman”).
As to claims 1 and 21: Pojman describes a method of frontal polymerization (see sections 6 and 6.1 on p. 2832) comprising activating a monomer solution (see benzoyl peroxide and methacrylic acid in sections 5.1-5.3 on p. 2831) to initiate a polymerization front that propagates longitudinally away from the initiation region (see Fig. 11 on p. 2832).
The continual polymerization is evidence that the polymerization reaction results in the spontaneous heating of monomer solution sufficient to propagate the polymerization front.
The polymerization occurs in a pulsating manner, and the phenomenon quickly repeats itself many times (see section 6.1 on p. 2832), corresponding to the presently recited cyclical polymerization reaction. The product has a pancake structure with layers of incompletely reacted materials between completely converted product, corresponding to the presently recited patterned polymer.
As to claims 2 and 19: The cited product has a pancake structure with layers of incompletely reacted materials between completely converted product, corresponding to the presently recited spatial variations in mechanical properties.
As to claim 3: The cited process includes immersing the reaction vessel in a 25 °C water bath (see section 6.1 at the top of p. 2832).
As to claims 7-8: The cited process includes front advances of 1.5 or 2 mm intervals (see section 6.1 at the top of p. 2832).
As to claim 9: The cited process is performed in a test tube (see section 6.1 at the top of p. 2832).
As to claim 16: The cited process includes benzoyl peroxide (see sections 5.1-5.3 on p. 2831) which undergoes a chemical reaction (decomposition) at a temperature-dependent rate.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 10-11, 13-15, 17-18, and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but they would be allowable if written in independent form.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD A. HUHN whose telephone number is (571)270-7345. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM EST.
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/RICHARD A. HUHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1764