CTNF 18/269,078 CTNF 100236 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 USC § 103 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-5, 11-13, 16-18, 24-25, 28-29, 33, 46, 51, 62, 66, and 68 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Presetyanto (“Towards Eumelanin@Zeolite Hybrids: Pore-Size-Controlled 5,6-Dihydroxyindole Polymerization,” 2014), further in view of Lackner (US 20080031801 A1) . With respect to claim 1 , the claim requires “ a porous artificial melanin material comprising: one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof; wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof comprise a plurality of covalently-bonded melanin base units; wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof are arranged to form an internal structure having a plurality of pores; wherein the porous artificial melanin material is characterized by a pore volume per mass of material greater than or equal to 0.1 cm 3 /g and wherein at least a portion of said pores have at least one size dimension greater than or equal to 0.5 nm; and capturing the one or more target compounds via an interaction between the porous artificial melanin material and the one or more target compounds. Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches a SBA-15 type mesoporous silica with pore size 10.8 nm, BET surface area 733 m 2 /gram and pore volume 1.23 cm 3 /gram (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Claim 1 further requires “using a capture device, the method comprising :exposing the capture device to an environment comprising the one or more target compounds.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach using a capture device, the method comprising :exposing the capture device to an environment comprising the one or more target compounds. However, Lackner teaches a capture device exposed to atmosphere to remove carbon dioxide (target compound) (Lackner, [0051]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, as using a capture device, the method comprising :exposing the capture device to an environment comprising the one or more target compounds as Lackner teaches advantageously, air extraction of CO 2 and systems for this purpose can be sited based on site-specific conditions (Lackner, [0057]). Regarding claim 2 , the claim requires “wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds and/or one or more solvated or aqueous compounds; and wherein the environment is a gaseous and/or a liquid environment.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds and/or one or more solvated or aqueous compounds; and wherein the environment is a gaseous and/or a liquid environment. However, Lackner teaches extracting CO 2 from the air using liquid sorbents (Lackner, [0022]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, the one or more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds and/or one or more solvated or aqueous compounds; and wherein the environment is a gaseous and/or a liquid environment as Lackner teaches this advantageously serves to regenerate the sorbent employed in the method (Lackner, [0018]). Regarding claim 3 , the claim requires “wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more solvated or aqueous compounds, and the environment is a liquid environment.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more solvated or aqueous compounds, and the environment is a liquid environment. However, Lackner teaches extracting CO 2 from the air using liquid sorbents (Lackner, [0022]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more solvated or aqueous compounds, and the environment is a liquid environment as Lackner teaches once again that this process advantageously serves to regenerate the sorbent employed in the method (Lackner, [0018]). Regarding claim 4 , the claim requires “wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds, the environment is a gaseous environment, and the capture device is a gas- capture device.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds, the environment is a gaseous environment, and the capture device is a gas-capture device. However, Lackner teaches gaseous carbon dioxide being captured by systems and apparatuses for extracting, capturing, or entraining CO 2 from the air or wind (Lackner, [0024]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, target compounds that are one or more gaseous compounds, the environment is a gaseous environment, and the capture device is a gas-capture device as Lackner teaches once again this process has more efficient use of the primary energy source (Lackner, [0083]). With respect to Claim 5 , the claim requires “A method of capturing one or more target compounds using a gas- capture device, wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds, the method comprising: exposing the gas-capture device to a gaseous environment comprising the one or more gaseous compounds.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach using a gas- capture device, wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds, the method comprising: exposing the gas-capture device to a gaseous environment comprising the one or more gaseous compounds. However, Lackner teaches a capture device exposed to atmosphere to remove carbon dioxide (target compound) (Lackner, [0051]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, as using a capture device, the method comprising :exposing the capture device to an environment comprising the one or more target compounds as Lackner teaches advantageously, air extraction of CO 2 and systems for this purpose can be sited based on site-specific conditions (Lackner, [0057]). Claim 5 further requires “wherein the device comprises: a porous artificial melanin material comprising: one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof; wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof comprise a plurality of covalently-bonded melanin base units; wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof are arranged to form an internal structure having a plurality of pores; wherein the porous artificial melanin material is characterized by a pore volume per mass of material greater than or equal to 0.1 cm3/g and wherein at least a portion of said pores have at least one size dimension greater than or equal to 0.5 nm; and capturing the one or more gaseous compounds via an interaction between the porous artificial melanin material and the one or more gaseous compounds. Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches a SBA-15 type mesoporous silica with pore size 10.8 nm, BET surface area 733 m 2 /gram and pore volume 1.23 cm 3 /gram (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Regarding claims 11 , the claim requires “wherein the one or more target compounds comprise one or more greenhouse gas compounds, one or more toxic compounds, one or more nerve agents or nerve toxins, one or more chemical warfare agents, one or more pesticides, one or more chemical irritants, one or more decontamination or sterilization agents, or any combination of these.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more target compounds comprise one or more greenhouse gas compounds, one or more toxic compounds, etc. However, Lackner teaches carbon dioxide as the target compound (Lackner, abstract). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, the one or more target compounds comprise one or more greenhouse gas compounds, one or more toxic compounds, one or more nerve agents or nerve toxins, one or more chemical warfare agents, one or more pesticides, one or more chemical irritants, one or more decontamination or sterilization agents, or any combination of these as Lackner teaches these methods and components are suitable and can be utilized to design a plant comprising a self-contained system for extraction of CO 2 directly from air using wet scrubbing techniques (Lackner, [0009]). Regarding claims 12 , the claim requires “wherein the one or more target compounds are selected from the group consisting of CH 4 , NH 3 , CO 2 , N 2 , H2, NH 3 , diazinon, paraoxon, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and any combination thereof.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more target compounds are selected from the group consisting of CH 4 , NH 3 , CO 2 , N 2 , H2, NH 3 , diazinon, paraoxon, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and any combination thereof. However, Lackner teaches carbon dioxide as the target compound (Lackner, abstract). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, target compounds are selected from the group consisting of CH 4 , NH 3 , CO 2 , N 2 , H2, NH 3 , diazinon, paraoxon, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and any combination thereof as Lackner teaches these methods and components are suitable and can be utilized to design a plant comprising a self-contained system for extraction of CO 2 directly from air using wet scrubbing techniques (Lackner, [0009]). Regarding claim 13, the claim requires “wherein one or more gaseous compounds are characterized by a relative amount in the gaseous environment selected from the range of greater than 0 mol% to 100 mol%; and wherein the pressure of the gaseous environment is selected from the range of greater than 0 to 1 bar.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach these ranges. However, Lackner teaches removing carbon dioxide from ambient air environments, ambient air contains gaseous compounds at concentrations greater than 0 mol% and is present at approximately atmospheric pressure (about 1 bar), which falls within the claimed ranges (Lackner, [0007]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, the capture device within the reference operates with a gaseous compounds present at concentrations greater 0 mol% and at approximately one atmospheric pressure (~1 bar), which falls within the claimed range. Regarding claim 16 , Presetyanto teaches the larger pores of SBA-15 type mesoporous Silica that resulted in black eumelanin-type polymer. This could be considered to have porous artificial melanin material is on a substrate (Presetyanto, abstract). Regarding claim 17 , the claim requires “wherein the device is an article of clothing, is incorporated with an article of clothing, and/or comprises an article of clothing.” Presetyanto does not wherein the device is an article of clothing, is incorporated with an article of clothing, and/or comprises an article of clothing. However, Lackner teaches (Lackner, [0033]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, a device is an article of clothing, is incorporated with an article of clothing, and/or comprises an article of clothing as Lackner teaches that this allows air passage while limiting sorbent loss through spray (Lackner, [0033]). Regarding claim 18 , the claim requires “wherein the device is a textile material, is incorporated with a textile material, and/or comprises a textile material.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach “wherein the device is a textile material, is incorporated with a textile material, and/or comprises a textile material. However, Lackner teaches CO 2 capture apparatuses with textile membranes (Lackner, [0033]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, as Lackner teaches once again that this allows air passage while limiting sorbent loss through spray (Lackner, [0033]). Regarding claim 24 , Presetyanto teaches a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Presetyanto further teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches synthesis of a crystalline structure (Presetyanto, Results and Discussion). Regarding claim 25, Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches synthesis of a crystalline structure (Presetyanto, Results and Discussion). Regarding claim 28 , Presetyanto teaches synthesis of ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) (porous and black eumelanin-type polymers) (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Regarding claim 29 , Presetyanto teaches a medium-sized disk-shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter (Presetyanto 1600, Experimental Section). Regarding claim 33 , Presetyanto teaches Oxidative polymerization of indoles (Presetyanto i, 1.3. Oxidative polymerization of indoles into zeolite ). With respect to Claim 46 , the claim requires “a capture device Presetyanto does not explicitly teach gas-capture device, wherein the one or more target compounds are one or more gaseous compounds, the method comprising: exposing the gas-capture device to a gaseous environment comprising the one or more gaseous compounds. However, Lackner teaches a capture device exposed to atmosphere to remove carbon dioxide (target compound) (Lackner, [0051]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, as using a capture device, the method comprising :exposing the capture device to an environment comprising the one or more target compounds as Lackner teaches advantageously, air extraction of CO 2 and systems for this purpose can be sited based on site-specific conditions (Lackner, [0057]). Claim 46 further requires “a porous artificial melanin material comprising: one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof; wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof comprise a plurality of covalently-bonded melanin base units; wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof are arranged to form an internal structure having a plurality of pores; wherein the porous artificial melanin material is characterized by a pore volume per mass of material greater than or equal to 0.1 cm 3 /g and wherein at least a portion of said pores have at least one size dimension greater than or equal to 0.5 nm.” Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches a SBA-15 type mesoporous silica with pore size 10.8 nm, BET surface area 733 m 2 /gram and pore volume 1.23 cm 3 /gram (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). With respect claim 51, A method of making a capture device, the method comprising: depositing or incorporating a porous artificial melanin material onto or into a substrate; wherein the porous artificial melanin material comprises: one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof; and wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof comprise a plurality of covalently-bonded melanin base units; wherein the one or more melanin oligomers, polymers, or a combination thereof are arranged to form an internal structure having a plurality of pores; wherein the porous artificial melanin material is characterized by a pore volume per mass of material greater than or equal to 0.1 cm 3 /g and wherein at least a portion of said pores have at least one size dimension greater than or equal to 0.5 nm. Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches a SBA-15 type mesoporous silica with pore size 10.8 nm, BET surface area 733 m 2 /gram and pore volume 1.23 cm 3 /gram (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Regarding claim 62 , “comprising catalytically degrading of the one or more target compounds. ” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach comprising catalytically degrading of the one or more target compounds. However, Lackner teaches a method involving the use of an alkaline liquid sorbent, e.g., sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-based, to remove CO 2 from ambient air and produce carbonate ions (Lackner, [0018]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, wherein the capture device comprises one or more catalytic materials for catalytic degradation of the one or more target compounds as Lackner teaches advantageously serves to regenerate the sorbent employed in the method (Lackner, [0018]). Regarding claim 66 , “wherein the capture device comprises one or more catalytic materials for catalytic degradation of the one or more target compounds.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach wherein the capture device comprises one or more catalytic materials for catalytic degradation of the one or more target compounds. However, Lackner teaches a method involving the use of an alkaline liquid sorbent, e.g., sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-based, to remove CO 2 from ambient air and produce carbonate ions (Lackner, [0018]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, wherein the capture device comprises one or more catalytic materials for catalytic degradation of the one or more target compounds as Lackner teaches advantageously serves to regenerate the sorbent employed in the method (Lackner, [0018]). Regarding claim 68 , the claim requires “removing or capturing CO 2 from the gaseous environment, removing or capturing toxic gas(es) from air, and/or storing of one or more useful target compounds, such as for transport and rapid delivery in a solid state device.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach removing or capturing CO 2 from the gaseous environment, removing or capturing toxic gas(es) from air, and/or storing of one or more useful target compounds, such as for transport and rapid delivery in a solid state device. However, Lackner teaches carbon dioxide extraction, reduction, capture, disposal, sequestration, or storage, particularly from the air (Lackner, [0023]). Lackner further teaches capturing the carbon dioxide, e.g., in a solid form; and (d) releasing the captured carbon dioxide to a system for collection, storage, or transport (Lackner, [0013]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, CO 2 from the gaseous environment, remove or capture toxic gas(es) from air, and/or storing of one or more useful target compounds, such as for transport and rapid delivery in a solid state as Lackner teaches the process can eliminate the energy penalty that can result from other implementations of mineral sequestration (Lackner, [0028]) . 07-22-aia AIA Claim (s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Presetyanto (“Towards Eumelanin@Zeolite Hybrids: Pore-Size-Controlled 5,6-Dihydroxyindole Polymerization,” 2014) and Lackner (US 20080031801 A1) as applied to claim s 1, 5, 46, 51 above, and further in view of McLellan (US 20110217220 A1) . With respect to claim 19 , the method of claim 1 has been discussed above. Claim 19 further requires “wherein the device is a personal protective equipment, is incorporated with a personal protective equipment, and/or comprises a personal protective equipment.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach wherein the device is a personal protective equipment, is incorporated with a personal protective equipment, and/or comprises a personal protective equipment. However, McLellan teaches a device used as PPE (McLellan, abstract). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have, by the method of Presetyanto, the device as personal protective equipment, as McLellan teaches this type of equipment is used for where poisonous gases can be present or oxygen levels can be lower than ambient (McLellan, [0112]) . 07-22-aia AIA Claim (s) 60 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Presetyanto (“Towards Eumelanin@Zeolite Hybrids: Pore-Size-Controlled 5,6-Dihydroxyindole Polymerization,” 2014), further in view of Lackner (US 20080031801 A1) as applied to claim s 1, 5, 46, 51 above, and further in view of Lee (US 20120205590 A1) . With respect to claim 60 , the method of claim has been discussed above. Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches a SBA-15 type mesoporous silica with pore size 10.8 nm, BET surface area 733 m 2 /gram and pore volume 1.23 cm 3 /gram (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Claim 60 further requires “polymerization of said porous artificial melanin material for a time selected from the range of 0.5 hours to 24 hours.” Presetyanto does not explicitly teach “polymerization of said porous artificial melanin material for a time selected from the range of 0.5 hours to 24 hours” However, Lee teaches 5 hours for polymerization to obtain melanin particles (Lee, example 1) . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim s 6-10, 14-15, 20, 23, 28, 31-32, 34, 41, 45, and 80 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. 13-03-01 AIA The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Presetyanto (“Towards Eumelanin@Zeolite Hybrids: Pore-Size-Controlled 5,6-Dihydroxyindole Polymerization,” 2014), Lackner (US 20080031801 A1), and Lee (US 20120205590 A1) are considered to be the closest prior art to the instant claims. Regarding claim 6 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 2, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the step of capturing is characterized by an uptake of the one or more target compounds selected from the range of at least 1.5 cm 3 /g at a temperature of 273 K, 288 K, or 298 K and at a pressure of 1 bar. Regarding claim 7 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 2, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the step of capturing is characterized by: an uptake of CO 2 gas selected from the range of 11 cm 3 /g to 51 cm 3 /g, an uptake of CH 4 gas selected from the range of 0.2 cm 3 /g to 14 cm 3 /g, an uptake of H2 gas selected from the range of 0.2 cm 3 /g to 13 cm 3 /g, an uptake of N 2 gas selected from the range of 99 cm 3 /g to 1001 cm 3 /g, and/or an uptake of NH 3 gas selected from the range of 179 cm 3 /g to 379 cm 3 /g, at a temperature of 270 K to 325 K and at a pressure of 1 bar. Regarding claim 8 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 2, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the step of capturing is characterized by: a saturation loading of aqueous diazinon selected from the range of 14 g/g to 125 g/g, an affinity of aqueous diazinon selected from the range of 9000 M -1 to 92000 M -1 , a saturation loading of aqueous paraoxon selected from the range of 4 g/g to 13 g/g, and/or an affinity of aqueous paraoxon selected from the range of 3000 M -1 to 12000 M -1 , at a temperature of 270 K to 325 K. Regarding claim 9 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 2, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the step of capturing is characterized by: a peak rate of permeation of aqueous dimethyl methylphosphonate through a nylon-cotton textile having the porous artificial melanin material attached thereto, the peak rate being less than or equal to 1 g/m 2 /h Regarding claim 10 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 2, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the step of capturing is characterized by a selectivity for CO2 being greater than that for CH4 by 50% to 200%. Regarding claim 14 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the interaction comprises adsorption of the one or more target compounds at or to the porous artificial melanin material. Regarding claim 15 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the porous artificial melanin material is a coating on or otherwise incorporated in a textile material; and wherein the textile material comprising the porous artificial melanin material is characterized by a water vapor transport rate within 20% of a water vapor transport rate of the same or equivalent textile material free of the porous artificial melanin material. Regarding claim 20 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach pores of said porous artificial melanin material include mesopores each having at least one average size dimension selected from the range of 2 nm to 200 nm. Rather Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches a SBA-15 type mesoporous silica with pore size 10.8 nm, BET surface area 733 m 2 /gram and pore volume 1.23 cm 3 /gram (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Regarding claim 23 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach the pores of said porous artificial melanin material include micropores each having at least one average size dimension selected from the range of 0.5 nm to 2 nm; and/or (ii) the pores of said porous artificial melanin material include mesopores each having at least one average size dimension selected from the range of 2 nm to 200 nm. Rather, Presetyanto teaches 5,6-Dihydroxyindole ( 1 ), 5,6-dihydroxy-1-methylindole ( 2 ) and 5,5’,6,6’-tetraacetoxy-1,1’-dimethyl-2,2’-biindole ( 5 ) were synthesized using a medium sized disk shape zeolite L with 150 nm in diameter, 50 nm thickness and 0.7 nm pore size. Presetyanto further teaches a SBA-15 type mesoporous silica with pore size 10.8 nm, BET surface area 733 m 2 /gram and pore volume 1.23 cm 3 /gram (Presetyanto, 1. Materials and experimental detail). Regarding claim 28 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the porous artificial melanin material is at least partially in the form of porous artificial melanin particles. Regarding claim 31 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein said porous artificial melanin particles are purified or isolated. Regarding claim 32 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the porous artificial melanin material is provided as a film or a coating; or wherein the porous artificial melanin material is at least partially in the form of porous artificial melanin particles provided as a film or a coating. Regarding claim 34 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the porous artificial melanin material comprises allomelanin. Regarding claim 41 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the porous artificial melanin particles are characterized by a peak size selected from the range of 10 nm to 300 nm and a polydispersity index less than or equal to 0.10. Regarding claim 45 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the porous artificial melanin material comprises a plurality of the melanin oligomers; wherein each melanin oligomer is non-covalently associated with at least one other melanin oligomer or a melanin monomer via at least one of hydrogen bonding and r-r stacking of naphthalene rings; and wherein the melanin monomer comprises the melanin base unit Regarding claim 80 , Presetyanto teaches the method of 1, as discussed above. However, neither Presetyanto nor other prior art teach wherein the interaction between the porous artificial melanin material and the one or more target compounds comprises adsorption of the one or more target compounds at one or more internal portions and/or one or more external portions of the porous artificial melanin material. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STARFARI TESHAWN MCCLAIN whose telephone number is (571)272-0169. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 AM- 5 PM. 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /STARFARI TESHAWN MCCLAIN/Examiner, Art Unit 1736 /DANIEL C. MCCRACKEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 2 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 3 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 4 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 5 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 6 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 7 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 8 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 9 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 10 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 11 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 12 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 13 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 14 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 15 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 16 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 17 Art Unit: 1736 Application/Control Number: 18/269,078 Page 18 Art Unit: 1736
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