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 .
Claims 1-10 are currently pending. Claim 1 is independent.
Priority
The instant application claims priority as follows:
PNG
media_image1.png
96
522
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Election/Restriction
Applicants’ election with traverse of Group I, claims 1-5, drawn to a method for suppressing deactivation of a phenolic polymerization inhibitor in a glycidyl methacrylate composition, in the reply filed December 5, 2025 is acknowledged.
Applicant traversed the restriction requirement on the grounds that the examiner did not establish that the claims lack unity of invention under PCT Rule 13.1 and 37 CFR 1.475. The examiner must disagree because at page 3 of the requirement the examiner stated why the claims lack unity of invention and why the restriction is proper:
PNG
media_image2.png
226
688
media_image2.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image3.png
144
684
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Applicants additionally argue that
PNG
media_image4.png
66
694
media_image4.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image5.png
60
646
media_image5.png
Greyscale
Applicants further state that both inventions identified by the Examiner meet the unity of requirement at least under 37 CFR 1.475(b)(2) because claims 1-5 and 6-10 overlap in scope.
The examiner cannot agree because, as provided in 37 CFR 1.475(a), a national stage application shall relate to one invention only or to a group of inventions so linked as to form a single general inventive concept (“requirement of unity of invention”). Where a group of inventions is claimed in a national stage application, the requirement of unity of invention shall be fulfilled only when there is a technical relationship among those inventions involving one or more of the same or corresponding special technical features. The expression “special technical features” shall mean those technical features that define a contribution which each of the claimed inventions, considered as a whole, makes over the prior art.
The technical relationship among Invention I and Invention II of the instant claims is the glycidyl (meth)acrylate composition with the features of claim 6. This was known in the prior art, as previously explained.
Since the glycidyl (meth)acrylate composition of claim 6 is not novel over the prior art, no “special technical feature” exists for subject matter that is common to all the claims. See PCT International Search and Preliminary Examination Guidelines, as in force from March 25, 2004, chapter 10, page 80 section 10.21, Example 1 which deals exactly with this situation, stating “However, if substance X is known in the art, unity would be lacking because there would not be a special technical feature common to all the claims.”
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Accordingly, claims 6-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction requirement in the reply filed on 12/05/2025.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakawaki et al. (JPH07118251A- cited by Applicant-Google translation provided by the examiner).
The prior art teaches a method for reducing the content of a quaternary ammonium salt to 1ppm or less in a composition containing glycidyl acrylate or glycidyl methacrylate and a phenolic polymerization inhibitor.
By reducing the content of the quaternary ammonium salt to 1ppm or less it is possible to suppress the deactivation of the phenolic polymerization inhibitor. This is disclosed in at least paragraph [0038] of this application.
Regarding claims 2 and 3, the prior art teaches that the quaternary ammonium salts used as the catalyst are tetramethylammonium chloride, tetraethylammonium chloride, tetrabutylammonium chloride, trimethyethyllammonium chloride, trimethylbenzylammonium chloride, triethylmethylammonium chloride, and triethylbenzylammonium chloride (see para [0013]).
Regarding claim 4, the prior art teaches that the polymerization inhibitor is phenothiazine, hydroquinone, hydroquinone monomethyl ether, N,N’diphenylparaphenylenediamine, and the like (see para [0014]).
Conclusion
Claims 1-5 are rejected. No claim is in condition for allowance.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VALERIE RODRIGUEZ-GARCIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5865. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:30am-5:30pm.
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, Clinton Brooks can be reached at 571-270-7682. 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.
/VALERIE RODRIGUEZ-GARCIA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1621