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 1-4, in the reply filed on 05 March 2026 is acknowledged. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL. Claims 5-6 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05 March 2026. 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. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rogojina et al. (US 2015/0364615). Considering claim 1 , Rogojina teaches a paste composition comprising Al and Sn dispersed in an organic medium (abstract). Examples are disclosed in Table 1 including Example 1 of 70 wt.% Sn and 18 wt.% Al (Paragraph 100) and the Al content is about 25.7 parts by mass per 100 parts Sn using these values (from 18/70). This falls within and anticipates the instantly claimed range. See MPEP 2131.03. The recitation of “for forming a germanium compound layer” occurs in the preamble of the claim before the transitional phase and is considered an intended use of the paste. See MPEP 2111.02 (II). As Rogojina teaches a substantially identical paste as that which is claimed the paste of Rogojina is considered capable of performing said intended use, absent an objective showing. Considering claim 2 , Example 3 of Rogojina teaches 44 wt.% Al and 40 wt.% Sn (Table 1) with a ratio of 110 parts by mass Al per 100 parts Sn (from 44/40) . See MPEP 2131.03. Considering claims 3-4 , Rogojina teaches examples of ethyl cellulose with terpineol (e.g. a resin) and Example 3 has 0.6 wt.% of the ethyl cellulose to 40 wt.% Sn and 44 wt.% Al corresponding to about 0.7 parts by mass of the ethyl cellulose to the total Al and Sn content (from 0.6/88). See MPEP 2131.03. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Brenner et al. (US 2010/0059116), Jee et al. (US 2013/0104973), and Koroki et al. (US 2016/0158896) teach similar pastes as that which is claimed . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT SETH DUMBRIS whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-5105 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 6:00 AM - 3:30 PM . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Humera Sheikh can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-0604 . 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. FILLIN "Examiner Stamp" \* MERGEFORMAT SETH DUMBRIS Primary Examiner Art Unit 1784 /SETH DUMBRIS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1784