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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Applicant's submission filed on January 18, 2026 was received and has been entered. Claims 1-3, 5, 7-12, 21, and 24 were amended. Claims 4, 8-10, and 18-19 were cancelled. Claim 24 was added. Claims 11-17 and 20-23 have been withdrawn. Claims 1-3, 5-7, and 24 are in the application and pending examination. A replacement paragraph was submitted to amend the title.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Drawings
The previous objection to the drawings under 37 CFR 1.83(a) is withdrawn based on the “a first material” and “a second material” in claim 1 shown in Fig. 8A, “substrate is paper, glass, thin plastic film, and thin metallic film” in claim 5 based on Applicant’s arguments, and “planar, continuous laminar flow” in claim 6 based on Applicant’s arguments.
The previous objection to the “planar, continuous creeping flow” in claim 7 is maintained. This limitation must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The previous objection to the title of the invention for not being descriptive is withdrawn based on the submission of an amended title.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 5 recites: “the substrate is selected from the group consisting of paper, glass, plastic film, and metallic film”.
A suggested revision is as follows: “the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a paper, a glass, a plastic film, and a metallic film”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The previous rejection of claim 5 is withdrawn based on the deletion of the term thin from claim 5.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-7 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Pat. Num. 20070110836 A1 to Fork et al (hereinafter Fork) .
Regarding claim 1, Fork teaches a method comprising:
feeding two or more materials (first material, different material in ) into a slot die (12) via two or more respective sets of inlets (36, 36; 38, 38) , each respective material feeding into the slot die via a respective set for the inlets;
within an interaction channel (34) of the slot die (12) , co-laminar flowing the two or more materials (multipatterned thin film material including a first material and a different material) ; and
depositing from a slot of the slot die (12) a dimensionally scaled width-wise multi-material stripe pattern of the two or more materials;
wherein the material of adjacent stripes of the dimensionally scaled width-wise multi-material stripe pattern differ across a width of the slot (30) ; and
a geometry of the interaction channel determines the dimensional scaling of the width-wise multi-material strip pattern. ( See Fork, Abstract, Figs. 1-20, paragraphs 27-37, 44-54, and 81-82.)
Regarding claim 2, Fork teaches wherein:
a first material of the two or more materials is fed into the slot die (12) via a set of first inlets (36, 36; 38, 38) of the two or more respective sets of inlets;
a second material of the two or more materials is fed into the slot die via a set of second inlets (38) of the two or more respective sets of inlets;
a continuous flow path (26) exists between the first set of inlets (36) and the interaction channel (34) ; and
a continuous flow path (26) exists between the second set of inlets (38) and the interaction channel (34). ( See Fork, Abstract, Figs. 1-20, paragraphs 27-37, 44-54 and 81-82.)
Regarding claim 3, Fork teaches comprising controlling uniformity of the dimensionally scaled width-wise multi-material stripe pattern. ( See Fork, Abstract, Fig. 2, paragraphs 28-29, 33, 50-54.)
Regarding claim 5, Fork teaches the width-wise multi-material stripe pattern is deposited on a surface of a substrate; and wherein the substrate (photovoltaic substrate) is selected from the group consisting of paper, glass, plastic film, and metallic film. ( See Fork, Abstract, Fig. 2, paragraphs 50-54.) Examiner is considering a photovoltaic to be equivalent to a glass substrate.
Regarding claim 6, Fork teaches the first and second materials flow through the slot die in a planar, continuous laminar flow. ( See Fork, Abstract, Figs. 1-20, paragraphs 27-37, 44-54.)
Regarding claim 7, Fork does not explicitly teach the first and second materials flow through the slot die in a planar, creeping flow. ( See Fork, Abstract, Fig. 2, paragraphs 50-54.) (Examiner is considering depositing highly viscous material in Table 2 and paragraph 85 to be equivalent to having a creeping flow.)
Regarding claim 24, Fork teaches a method comprising:
co-laminar flowing (laminar flow) of at least a first material (first material) and a second material (different material) within an interaction channel (34) of a slot die (14), the interaction channel (34) free of a physical barrier separating the flow of the first material and the second material; and
depositing (producing a desired shape on the substrate) from a slot of the slot die a width-wise multi-material stripe pattern of the first and second materials ; wherein the material of adjacent stripes of the width-wise multi-material stripe pattern differ across a width of the slot (first material, and a different material). ( See Fork, Abstract, Figs. 1-20, paragraphs 27-37, 44-54 and 81-82.)
The previous rejection of claims 1-3 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The previous rejection of claims 1-3 and 5 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Parsekian et al “Extrusion on demand pattern coating using a hybrid manufacturing process”, Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 109 (216) pages 20-31 (hereinafter Parsekian) and US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
The previous rejection of claim 4 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Parsekian et al “Extrusion on demand pattern coating using a hybrid manufacturing process”, Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 109 (216) pages 20-31 (hereinafter Parsekian) and US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) as applied to claim 1 and further in view of US Pat. Num. 4,324,816 to Landis et al (hereinafter Landis) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
The previous rejection of claim 6 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Parsekian et al “Extrusion on demand pattern coating using a hybrid manufacturing process”, Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 109 (216) pages 20-31 (hereinafter Parsekian) and US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) as applied to claim 2 and further in view of US Pat. Num. 5,614,260 to John J. Darcy (hereinafter Darcy) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
The previous rejection of claim 7 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Parsekian et al “Extrusion on demand pattern coating using a hybrid manufacturing process”, Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 109 (216) pages 20-31 (hereinafter Parsekian) and US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) as applied to claim 2 and further in view of US Pat. Num. 5,614,260 to John J. Darcy (hereinafter Darcy) and US Pat. Pub. No. 20120141633 A1 to Marder et al (hereinafter Marder) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
The previous rejection of claim 5 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) as applied to claim 2 and further in view of Parsekian et al “Extrusion on demand pattern coating using a hybrid manufacturing process”, Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 109 (216) pages 20-31 (hereinafter Parsekian) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
The previous rejection of claim 6 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) as applied to claim 2 and further in view of US Pat. Num. 5,614,260 to John J. Darcy (hereinafter Darcy) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
The previous rejection of claim 7 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat. Num. 6,159,544 to Liu et al (hereinafter Liu) as applied to claim 2 and further in view of US Pat. Num. 5,614,260 to John J. Darcy (hereinafter Darcy) and US Pat. Pub. No. 20120141633 A1 to Marder et al (hereinafter Marder) is withdrawn based on the amendment to claim 1.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-7 and 24 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Pat. Num. 7,922,471 B2 to Fork et al; US Pat. Num. 8,226,391 B2 to Fork et al.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 KARL V KURPLE whose telephone number is (571)270-3477. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8 AM-5 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, Dah-Wei Yuan can be reached at (571) 272-1295. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KARL KURPLE/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1717
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