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 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With regards to claim 4, claim 4 states that the polypropylene polyol has a number average molecular weight from 6000 to 20,000. However, the claim from which it depends, claim 3, contains two urethane (meth)acrylate compounds that are both made from polypropylene polyols. Therefore, it is unclear as to which polypropylene polyol this claim is meaning to further limit.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1, 3-4, and 7-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimoto et al (US 2007/0203258).
With regards to claim 1, Sugimoto teaches a curable resin composition (abstract) that is used to coat optical fibers for protection (0002) that contains a urethane (meth)acrylate having a structure originating from a polyol having a number average molecular weight of 6,000 to 20,000 g/mol (abstract) and a polyisocyanate (0015). Sugimoto further teaches the polyol to be polypropylene glycol (0029). Sugimoto teaches the addition of a photoinitiator (0043).
Sugimoto does not teach the polyisocyanate to be an isocyanate group containing (meth)acrylate.
Homma teaches a curable resin composition for optical fiber coating containing urethane (meth)acrylates and photoinitiators (0005) wherein the urethane is formed from propylene glycol (0020) and an isocyanate group containing (meth)acrylate (0018). Homma teaches the motivation for using an isocyanate group containing (meth)acrylate to be because it improves the dynamic fatigue characteristics of optical fibers (0023). Homma and Sugimoto are analogous in the art of curable compositions for the coating of optical fibers. In light of the benefit above, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to use the isocyanate of Homma as the isocyanate of Sugimoto, thereby obtaining the present invention.
With regards to claim 3 and 4, Sugimoto teaches the composition to contain a urethane (meth)acrylate that is formed from a polyol having a number average molecular weight of 6,000 to 20,000 g/mol (abstract) that is a polypropylene (0029), a polyisocyanate, and a (meth)acrylate containing a hydroxyl group (0015).
With regards to claim 7, Sugimoto teaches the fabrication of an optical fiber that contains glass fibers, a primary coating, and a secondary coating (0002) wherein the primary coating is the coating referenced above (0014).
With regards to claim 8, Sugimoto teaches the resin composition to be coated onto an optical fiber and cured (0003) using light (0043), in particular ultraviolet light (0044).
With regards to claim 9, Sugimoto teaches the optical fibers to be arranged with a resin for an optical fiber ribbon (0001-0002).
With regards to claims 10 and 11, Sugimoto teaches the optical fiber to be processed into cables (0003).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimoto et al (US 2007/0203258) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yamaguchi et al (CN 101027259).
The disclosure of Sugimoto is adequately set forth in paragraph 5 above and is herein incorporated by reference.
With regards to claim 2, Sugimoto does not teach the addition of an isocyanate group-containing silane compound.
Yamaguchi teaches a radiation-curable liquid resin composition (title) for coating an optical fiber (title) that includes a urethane (meth)acrylate that is formed from a polyol, polyisocyanate, and a hydroxyl group-containing (meth)acrylate (0014) and a photoinitiator (0018). Yamaguchi further teaches a compound having a funcationl a group capable of addition with the isocyanate to replace part of a hydroxyl group containing (meth)acrylate to be a silane isocyanate compound (0046) and teaches the motivation for doing to so to be because it improves adhesion to the base glass (0046). Yamaguchi and Sugimoto are analogous in the art of curable resin compositions for coating optical fibers. In light of the benefit above, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to add the silane compound of Yamaguchi to the composition of Sugimoto, thereby obtaining the present invention.
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimoto et al (US 2007/0203258) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Homma (WO 2022/138119).
The disclosure of Sugimoto is adequately set forth in paragraph 5 above and is herein incorporated by reference.
With regards to claims 5 and 6, Sugimoto does not teach the addition of a urethane (meth)acrylate formed from a polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether.
Homma teaches a resin composition for an optical fiber (title) that contains a urethane (meth)acrylate that is formed from a polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether and a (meth)acrylate containing an isocyanate group (0004) wherein the polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether has a number average molecular weight of 2000 to 10000 (0014). Homma teaches the motivation for using the polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether to be because it has an increased compatibility with other components (0015) and because it obtains a suitable Young’s modulus (0043). Homma and Sugimoto are analogous in the art of curable compositions for optical fibers. In light of the benefit above, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art prior to the effective filing date of the present invention would know to add the urethane formed from the polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether of Homma to the composition of Sugimoto, thereby obtaining the present invention.
Conclusion
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/JESSICA WHITELEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763