CTNF 18/282,278 CTNF 87406 POLYMER ELECTROLYTE MATERIAL, POLYMER ELECTROLYTE MOLDED BODY USING SAME, ELECTROLYTIC MEMBRANE HAVING CATALYST LAYER ATTACHED THERETO, MEMBRANE-ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY, SOLID POLYMER FUEL CELL, AND WATER-ELECTROLYSIS-TYPE HYDROGEN GENERATOR DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority 02-26 AIA Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 9/15/2023 and 7/9/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA 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. 07-34-01 Claims 1-14 are 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. Claim 1 recites the limitations "the saturated crystallinity”, “the ion exchange capacity”, “the product of the IEC”, and “the heat of crystallization”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. Claim 5 recites the range “15 to 100 nm”. It is unclear if 15 is also in nanometers. Claim 9 recites the limitation "the number-average molecular weight”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-4, 6-8, and 10-14 are also rejected under 35 USC 112(b) for their dependence on claim 1. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Umeda et al. (US 2014/0322628 A1) . Regarding claims 1 and 2 , Umeda et al. teach a polymer electrolyte material composed of a block copolymer containing a segment containing an ionic group (hereinafter referred to as an "ionic segment") and a segment containing no ionic group (hereinafter referred to as a "nonionic segment") (Abstract discloses the polymer electrolyte membrane includes a block copolymer containing each one or more of: a segment (A1) containing anionic group; and a segment (A2) not containing an ionic group.) , wherein said polymer electrolyte material has a phase-separation structure (Abstract discloses the polymer membrane forms a co-continuous (M1) or lamellar phase-separated (M2) structure.) , and satisfies at least one of the following condition 1 or condition 2: <Condition 1> the saturated crystallinity of said polymer electrolyte material is 5% or more and 30% or less, as measured by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (Paragraph 0046 discloses the degree of crystallinity is 0.5% to 50% as measured by wide-angle X-ray diffractometry.) ; and <Condition 2> the ion exchange capacity (IEC) of said polymer electrolyte material is 1.8 meq/g or more and 3.0 meq/g or less (Paragraph 0088 discloses an ion-exchange capacity of 0.1 to 5 meq/q.) , and the product of the IEC (meq/g) of said polymer electrolyte material and the heat of crystallization (J/g) of said polymer electrolyte material, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry analysis, is 35.0 or more and 47.0 or less (Paragraph 0040 discloses a heat of crystallization being 0.1-500 J/g as measured by DSC.) . Regarding claim 3 , Umeda et al. the polymer electrolyte material according to claim 1, wherein said phase-separation structure has an average period size of 15 to 100 nm (Paragraph 0054 discloses the cycle length of the phase-separated structure is in a range of 2 to 200 nm.) . Regarding claims 4 and 5 , Umeda et al. teach the polymer electrolyte material according to claim 1, wherein said block copolymer is an aromatic polyether copolymer (Paragraph 0078) ; wherein said block copolymer is an aromatic polyether ketone copolymer (Paragraph 0079) . Regarding claim 6 , Umeda et al. teach the polymer electrolyte material according to claim 1, wherein said block copolymer comprises a linker site that links the ionic segment with the nonionic segment (Paragraph 0057 discloses the polymer electrolyte membrane according to the present invention, the block copolymer preferably further contains one or more of linker moiety connecting the segment (A1) with the segment (A2). The term "linker" referred to herein is defined as a moiety which connects the segment (A1) containing an ionic group with the segment (A2) not containing an ionic group.). Regarding claim 7 , Umeda et al. teach the polymer electrolyte material according to claim 1, wherein said nonionic segment comprises a structure represented by the following general formula (S3): [Chem. 1] PNG media_image1.png 54 434 media_image1.png Greyscale (wherein, in the general formula (S3), Ar 5 to Ar 8 independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group with the proviso that none of Ar 5 to Ar 8 has an ionic group; Y 3 and Y 4 independently represent a ketone group or a protective group that may be induced to a ketone group; and the symbol * represents a bond with the general formula (S3) or with another constituent unit.) (Paragraph 0082 discloses PNG media_image2.png 122 446 media_image2.png Greyscale where, in the general formula (S2), Ar 5 to Ar 8 are each an arbitrary divalent arylene group, which can each be arbitrarily substituted, and which do not contain ionic group; Ar 5 to Ar 8 can independently use two or more kinds of arylene group; and the symbol * signifies a bond moiety with the general formula (S2) or with other constituent unit.). Regarding claim 8 , the polymer electrolyte material according to claim 7, wherein said structure represented by the general formula (S3) is a structure represented by the following general formula (S4): [Chem. 2] PNG media_image3.png 66 396 media_image3.png Greyscale (wherein, in the general formula (S4), Y 3 and Y 4 independently represent a ketone group or a protective group that may be induced to a ketone group; and the symbol * represents a bond with the general formula (S4) or with another constituent unit.) (Example 1 discloses PNG media_image4.png 126 254 media_image4.png Greyscale which reads on the claim.) Regarding claim 9, Umeda et al. teach the polymer electrode according to claim 1, wherein the number-average molecular weight of said nonionic segment is 15,000 or more (Example 1; paragraph 0228 discloses an average molecular weight of 16,000.) . Regarding claim 10, Umeda et al. teach a molded polymer electrolyte product comprising said polymer electrolyte material according to claim 1 (Claim 1 discloses a polymer electrolyte membrane.). Regarding claim 11 , Umeda et al. teach a catalyst coated membrane constituted using said molded polymer electrolyte product according to claim 10 (Claim 12). Regarding claim 12, Umeda et al. teach a membrane electrode assembly constituted using said molded polymer electrolyte product according to claim 10 (Claim 13). Regarding claim 13 , Umeda et al. teach a polymer electrolyte fuel cell constituted using said molded polymer electrolyte product according to claim 10 (Claim 14) . Regarding claim 14 , Umeda et al. teach a water electrolysis hydrogen generator constituted using said molded polymer electrolyte product according to claim 10 (Paragraph 0124) . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL S GATEWOOD whose telephone number is (571)270-7958. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:30. 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, Ula Tavares-Crockett can be reached at 571-272-1481. 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. Daniel S. Gatewood, Ph.D. Primary Examiner Art Unit 1729 /DANIEL S GATEWOOD, Ph. D/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1729 March 19 th , 2026 Application/Control Number: 18/282,278 Page 2 Art Unit: 1729 Application/Control Number: 18/282,278 Page 3 Art Unit: 1729 Application/Control Number: 18/282,278 Page 4 Art Unit: 1729 Application/Control Number: 18/282,278 Page 5 Art Unit: 1729 Application/Control Number: 18/282,278 Page 6 Art Unit: 1729 Application/Control Number: 18/282,278 Page 7 Art Unit: 1729