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 .
Withdrawn Rejections
The 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejections of claims 1-6 are withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendment, affidavit and clarifications in the response filed on February 26, 2026, and the higher resolution duplicate affidavit in the response filed on March 19, 2026.
The 35 U.S.C. 102(a/1) and 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections of claims 1-6 over Eguchi as the primary reference, are withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendment, affidavit and clarifications in the response filed on February 26, 2026, and the higher resolution duplicate affidavit in the response filed on March 19, 2026.
New Rejections
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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a/1) as being unpatentable over Eguchi (Clarivate Analytics English translation of JP-H0827291-A) in view of Tiessen (US 2019/0389236).
Regarding claim 1, Eguchi teaches a surface treatment agent (applied to a glass substrate, 5th last para of page 6) comprising a pretreatment agent (composition (A), 5th last para of page 6) and a hydrophilizing treatment agent (composition (B), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid,2nd last para of page 6, hydrophilic monomer (d), paras 9-10 of page 5), the pretreatment agent (composition (A)) and the hydrophilizing treatment agent (composition (B)) being sequentially applied, in this order, to an inorganic substrate (composition (A) obtained in (1) was applied to a glass plate substrate, to form a cured coating layer, 5th last para of page 6; cured film obtained in the step (2) is treated with the following composition (B), 4th last para of page 6), the pretreatment agent (composition (A)) comprising: a silane compound ([Symbol font/0x67]-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane [0039]) having reactive silyl group (silane [0039]) and an organic functional group (methacryloxy [0039]), and a polyfunctional monomer (pentaerythritol triacrylate 6th last para of page 6), the polyfunctional monomer has: one or more first reactive groups (triacrylate, 6th last para of page 6) that radically react with the organic functional group (methacryloxy [0039]); and one or more second reactive groups (triacrylate, 6th last para of page 6) that radically react with the hydrophilizing treatment agent (composition (B), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid,2nd last para of page 6, the acryloyl group contained in the coating and the hydrophilic monomer (d) are copolymerized on the surface of the cured coating, 1st para of page 6), and the hydrophilizing treatment agent comprises a radical polymerization initiator (composition (B) comprises … a photopolymerization initiator (c), paras 6-7 of page 5, may be sulfide, benzoate, peroxide, phenazine, halogenated ketone, paras 2-10 of page 4).
Eguchi teaches that the pretreatment agent also comprises the radical polymerization initiator (photopolymerization initiator (c) [0010], the photopolymerization initiator in the composition (A) is preferably used, 5th last para of page 5), and hence fails to teach that an amount of a radical polymerization initiator contained in the pretreatment agent is below a detection limit.
However, Eguchi teaches that the pretreatment agent is a primer (abstract).
Tiessen teaches that in a surface treatment agent comprising a pretreatment agent that is a primer, which is applied to an inorganic substrate (primer layer … is printed on the substrate [0082], glass [0050]), and a layer that comprises a radical polymerization initiator, which is applied to the pretreatment agent, in that order (one or more link layers with photoinitiator are printed on top [0082],coatings containing unsaturated bonds that can be cured into polymers by means of free radical addition, sources of free radicals … photogeneration (e.g. photoinitiators) [0058]), the pretreatment agent does not contain any radical polymerization initiator (primer without photoinitiator [0082]), such that an amount of a radical polymerization initiator contained in the pretreatment agent is below a detection limit, for the purpose of minimizing undesired effects caused by the residue of any unreacted radical polymerization initiator ([0004]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time, to have removed any radical polymerization initiator from the pretreatment agent of the surface treatment agent of Eguchi, such that an amount of any radical polymerization initiator contained in the pretreatment agent is below a detection limit, in order to minimize undesired effects caused by the residue of any unreacted radical polymerization initiator, as taught by Tiessen.
Regarding claim 2, Eguchi teaches that a blending amount of the polyfunctional monomer is 48% by mass of a solid content of the pretreatment agent (composition (A): (5 g of pentaerythritol triacrylate x 100)/ (5 g of pentaerythritol triacrylate + 5 g of [Symbol font/0x67]-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane + 0.2 g of 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone + 0.1 g of 4-dimethylaminobenzoic acid), last 6th to 8th paras of page 6, [0039]) which is within the claimed range of 1% by mass or more and 99% by mass or less.
Regarding claim 3, Eguchi teaches that the first reactive group is an acryloyl group (1st acryloyl group of pentaerythritol triacrylate, 6th last para of page 6).
Regarding claim 4, Eguchi teaches that the second reactive group is an acryloyl group (2nd acryloyl group of pentaerythritol triacrylate, 6th last para of page 6).
Regarding claim 5, Eguchi teaches that the hydrophilizing treatment agent comprises a hydrophilic compound which has a sulfonic acid group (composition (B), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid,2nd last para of page 6, hydrophilic monomer (d), paras 9-10 of page 5).
Regarding claim 6, Eguchi teaches that the hydrophilizing treatment agent comprises a hydrophilic compound which has a sulfonic acid group in the working examples (composition (B), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid,2nd last para of page 6, hydrophilic monomer (d), paras 9-10 of page 5). Eguchi teaches in the broader disclosure that the hydrophilizing treatment agent can also comprise a hydrophilic compound (composition (B), hydrophilic monomer (d), 6th para of page 5) which has a quaternary ammonium group (8th para of page 5), in addition to, or in place of (at least one, para 8 of page 5, alone or in combination, para 11 of page 5) the hydrophilic compound which has a sulfonic acid group (at least one are preferable, para 8 of page 5), for the purpose of providing the desired combination of physical properties such as solution pH and/or charge properties (sulfonic acid group, … quaternary ammonium group, para 8 of page 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time, to have provided a hydrophilic compound which has a quaternary ammonium group in addition to, or in place of the hydrophilic compound which has a sulfonic acid group, in the hydrophilizing treatment agent of the working examples, of the surface treatment agent of Eguchi, in order to obtain the desired combination of physical properties such as solution pH and/or charge properties, as taught by Eguchi.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because of the new reference in the new grounds of rejection.
Furthermore, Applicant’s showing of unexpectedly superior results in the affidavit containing supplemental comparative data generated by combinations of specific chemical compounds, is not commensurate with the scope of the present claims.
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 should be directed to Sow-Fun Hon whose telephone number is (571)272-1492. The examiner is on a flexible schedule but can usually be reached during a regular workweek between the hours of 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Aaron Austin, can be reached at (571)272-8935. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571)273-8300.
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/Sophie Hon/
Sow-Fun Hon
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1782
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