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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 2-3 and 7-12 and Species group I in the reply filed on 11/04/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 13-16 and Species groups II-III (claims 4-6) are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected and species, respectively, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/04/2025.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “18” has been used to designate both an adhesive layer and a glass particle-containing layer that is an adhesive layer. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 2-3, 7-10 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(a) as being anticipated by Moriguchi et al. (JP 2009170110).
Regarding claims 2, 3 and 8, Moriguchi et al. teaches a laminated sheet, i.e. article comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 2, a glass resin composition layer 1, base film 4, the glass resin composition contains a (meth) acrylic copolymer (See Abstract, page 7) and glass fine particles as well as inorganic fine particles which includes glass frit as a ceramic filler (page 5). The protective film 3 corresponds to adherend as claimed (See Figs 1-2).
Given that Moriguchi et al. teaches glass particle-containing layer comprising materials and structure identical to that presently claimed and is in contact with the film layer and the adhesive layer, the glass particle-containing layer of Moriguchi et al. is considered a buffer layer as presently claimed.
Regarding claim 7, Moriguchi et al. teaches wherein the adhesive layer comprises an acrylic adhesive (pages 5-6).
Regarding claim 9, given that Moriguchi et al. teaches glass particles as presently claimed, the glass particles of Moriguchi et al. would necessarily have a softening point as presently claimed, absent evidence to the contrary.
Regarding claim 10, Moriguchi et al. teaches wherein the film layer comprises polyvinyl chloride (pages 7-8).
Regarding claim 12, Moriguchi et al. teaches wherein a thickness of the glass particle-containing layer is 150 to 200 µm (page 8) which falls within the claimed range of from 10 µm to 220 µm.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 is 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHENG HUANG whose telephone number is (571)270-7387. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from 7 AM to 5 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Callie Shosho, can be reached at 571-272-1123. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHENG YUAN HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787