DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This Office action is in response to the application received July 12, 2023.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NAKAJIMA et al (2018/0120706) or HAMADA et al (2006/0224009) in view of ARAYAMA et al (20190302618) which references WO-2016/136481A (TAKADA et al ) and JP-2011-221494A (SUGIHARA et al).
The claimed invention recites the following:
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NAKAJIMA et al report a photosensitive resin composition comprising a silicone resin, a photoacid generator and a nitrogen-containing compound.
Page 31, para. [0248] disclose the use of onium salts such as those of carboxylic acid with an ammonium salt, see below:
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HAMADA et al (2006/0224009) disclose a silsesquioxane compound formulated with photoacid generators and nitrogen-containing compound (basic compounds) in para. [0152] wherein specific basic compounds include nitrogen-containing compounds having carboxylic groups, see below:
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ARAYAMA et al (2019/0302618) disclose photosensitive resin composition comprising photoacid generators and polymers having acid-decomposable group. The use of basic compounds is reported on page 16, para. [0227] wherein basic compounds are disclosed to be formulated in the composition with specific compounds from WO-2016/136481A (TAKADA et al )and JP-2011-221494A (SUGIHARA et al). TAKADA et al disclose specific nitrogen-containing ammonium salts of carboxylic as seen here from page145, compound N-11:
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ammonium salt of carboxylic acid and the like are disclosed in the photosensitive layer. SUGIHARA et al disclose photosensitive resin composition formulating a polymer, photoacid generator and a basic compound such as quaternary ammonium salt of carboxylic acid as a component (G).
Claims 2-3 are met by the silicone containing resins of the HAMADA et al and NAKAJIMA et al above.
Claims 4 are met by the sulfonium photoacids in para. [0115] of HAMADA et al.
Claim 5 and 6 for the crosslinker are met by NAKAJIMA et al at para. [0038] for crosslinking agents.
Claim 7 recite a solvent which is taught in para. [0175] of NAKAJIMA et al.
Claims 8 and 9 recite the coating composition and a support which are taught in the para. [0397] of NAKAJIMA et al.
Claims 10-14 for the pattern formation method are disclosed in NAKAJIMA et al at para. [0397] for developability.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of photosensitive composition to use any of the quaternary ammonium carboxylic salts as a basic compound/quencher in either of NAKAJIMA et al or TAKADA et al with the reasonable expectation of having excellent resolution, and precise patterns.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN S CHU whose telephone number is (571)272-1329. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, IFP-Flex.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Huff, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-1385. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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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.
/John S. Chu/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737
J. Chu
March 21, 2026
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