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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-9, 11-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cesareo (US 10,435,837) in view of Jang (US 20100055458).
The new claim language of 6/5/2025 is considered to be met by the art of record.
Cesareo (US 10,435,837) teaches a dispersion of nanoparticles consisting of graphene in water and a surfactant; wherein: the dispersion is substantially free from graphite; the concentration of said nanoparticles of graphene in water is from 7% to 50% by weight; the C/O ratio in said nanoparticles of graphene is ≥100:1; at least 90% of said nanoparticles of graphene have a lateral size (x, y) from 10 to 10,000 nm, and a thickness (z) from 0.34 to 30 nm, the lateral size being always greater than the thickness (x, y>z); and said surfactant is present in an amount from 1 to 20% by weight with respect to the weight of said nanoparticles of graphene and is an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or combination thereof (claim 1).
The dispersion having nanoparticles of graphene have a lateral size (x, y) from 50 to 5,000 nm (claim 2). The nanoparticles of graphene have a thickness (z) from 0.34 to 20 nm Claim 3). The dispersion C/O ratio in said nanoparticles of graphene is greater than or equal to 150:1 (claim 4).
The dispersion surfactant (wetting agent) is present in an amount from 5 to 15% by weight with respect to the weight of said graphene (claim 5), said surfactant is an anionic surfactant (claim 6) for wettability (column 1 lines 35-55). The dispersion wherein the concentration of said nanoparticles of graphene is from 7% to 40% by weight. The dispersion having nanoparticles of graphene have a lateral size (x, y) from 100 to 2,000 nm (see claims 7-8).
Example 1 describes the production of ultra-thin graphene sheets by means of ultrasonication of graphite flakes dispersed in water at the concentration of 0.5% for 2 hours and subsequent spray-drying of the dispersion obtaining dried NPGs with a thickness of 1-5 graphene layers.
The substrate can be silicon oxide substrate, meeting the claim limitations.
Regarding claims to graphene dispersion with wetting agent, lubricating agent, defoaming agents and/or pH control agent, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide one or the other to wet the graphene, control oxygen content (for pH or conductivity) or lubricate and or disperse the graphene.
Regarding claim 16, the substrate covered is considered a coating as claimed.
The above reference may not specifically teach surface area.
Jang teaches a dispersion of graphene solution/ dispersion comprising graphene of single to few layer graphene having a surface areas from 300 m2/g to 2600 m2/g (see claims, [0136, 0207, 0187]), an overlapping range that would be obvious to provide dependent upon desired properties.
Jang teaches a specific Example wherein the surface area is 430 m2/g and contains many single layer graphene sheets along with the few layered sheets [0211].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide the overlapping surface area to provide a substantially identical exemplary surface area to provide for graphene films for electrical and other applications.
OBJETED TO CLAIMS:
Claim 10 is objected to.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/5/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Examiner notes that the cited reference was not properly submitted as an IDS submission; Evidence on the record.
Example 1 describes the production of ultra-thin graphene sheets by means of ultrasonication of graphite flakes dispersed in water at the concentration of 0.5% for 2 hours and subsequent spray-drying of the dispersion obtaining dried NPGs with a thickness of 1-5 graphene layers. This is considered to render obvious the new claim language.
Rejection maintained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL H MILLER whose telephone number is (571)272-1534. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 9-6.
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/DANIEL H MILLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1783