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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgement is made of receipt of Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO-1449) filed 1/11/2024. An initialed copy is attached to this Office Action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8-13, and 15-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Broutin Jerome Rene (WO 2020263896), hereinafter ‘896 in view of Eom Seong Su (KR 20200063644), hereinafter ‘644.
Regarding claim 1, ‘896 discloses, in figure 1, an electrowetting optical device (101, electrowetting optical device) (paragraph 0068), comprising: a conductive liquid (135, second liquid) (paragraph 0069 and 0071) comprising a buffer, the buffer comprising an acid (acetic acid) and a conjugate base (sodium chloride) of the acid (paragraph 0071), a non-conductive liquid (133, first liquid) (paragraphs 0069 and 0070), the non-conductive liquid (133, first liquid) immiscible with the conductive liquid (135, second liquid) (paragraphs 0069 and 0070); and an insulating layer (139, first dielectric portion and 143, second dielectric portion) comprising a base layer and a dielectric topcoat (paragraph 0077), the dielectric topcoat in direct contact with the conductive liquid (135, second liquid) and the non-conductive liquid (135, second liquid) (paragraph 0077).
‘896 does not disclose the buffer controlling the pH of the conductive liquid to a predetermined pH.
‘896 and ‘644 are related as optical devices with lenses.
‘644 discloses the buffer controlling the pH of the conductive liquid to a predetermined pH (paragraph 0223).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of ‘896 with the predetermined pH of the conductive liquid of ‘644 for the purpose of balancing the base.
Regarding claim 2, ‘644 discloses wherein the predetermined pH is less than 7.0 (paragraph 0223 discloses when the pH of the conductive liquid is less than 5 (eg, strongly acidic) and when the pH exceeds 8 (eg, strongly alkaline).
Regarding claim 3, ‘644 discloses wherein the predetermined pH is greater than 3.0 (paragraph 0223 discloses when the pH of the conductive liquid is less than 5 (eg, strongly acidic) and when the pH exceeds 8 (eg, strongly alkaline).
Regarding claim 4, ‘896 discloses wherein the conductive liquid and the non-conductive liquid form a triple junction on the dielectric topcoat (see annotated figure 1 below).
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Regarding claim 5, ‘896 discloses wherein the acid is succinic acid (paragraph 0071).
Regarding claim 6, ‘896 discloses wherein the conductive liquid further comprises disodium succinate (paragraph 0071).
Regarding claim 8, ‘896 discloses wherein the non-conductive liquid comprises one or more of hexaethyldigermane, hexamethyldigermane, n-octyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, and diphenyldimethylgermane (paragraph 0070).
Regarding claim 9, ‘896 discloses wherein the non-conductive liquid comprises two or more of hexaethyldigermane, hexamethyldigermane, n-octyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, and diphenyldimethylgermane (paragraph 0070).
Regarding claim 10, ‘896 discloses wherein the acid is citric acid (paragraph 0071).
Regarding claim 11, ‘896 discloses wherein the conductive liquid further comprises potassium citrate (paragraph 0071).
Regarding claim 12, ‘896 discloses wherein the acid is acetic acid (paragraph 0071).
Regarding claim 13, ‘896 discloses wherein the conductive liquid further comprises potassium acetate (paragraph 0071).
Regarding claim 15, ‘896 discloses wherein the electrowetting optical device exhibits an optical power drift of less than about 0.040 diopter after a voltage of 50 volts has been applied for 10 seconds (paragraph 0087).
Regarding claim 16, ‘896 discloses wherein the electrowetting optical device exhibits a hysteresis of less than about 0.50 diopter (paragraph 0087).
Regarding claim 17, ‘896 discloses wherein the dielectric topcoat is hydrophobic (paragraph 0085).
Regarding claim 18, ‘896 discloses wherein the dielectric topcoat comprises Si (paragraph 0085).
Regarding claim 19, ‘896 discloses wherein the dielectric topcoat further comprises C (paragraph 0092).
Regarding claim 20, ‘896 discloses wherein the dielectric topcoat further comprises H (paragraph 0085).
Regarding claim 21, ‘896 discloses wherein the dielectric topcoat comprises Si, C, O, and H (paragraph 0085).
Regarding claim 22, ‘896 discloses wherein the electrowetting optical device is a liquid lens (paragraph 0087).
Regarding claim 23, ‘896 discloses further comprising a first electrode (109, first electrode) in direct contact with the conductive liquid (133, first liquid) and a second electrode (111, second electrode) in direct contact with the non-conductive liquid (135, second liquid) (paragraph 0047 and figure 1).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Broutin Jerome Rene (WO 2020263896), hereinafter ‘896 in view of Eom Seong Su (KR 20200063644), hereinafter ‘644 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Burger Bejamin (WO 2019183335), hereinafter ‘335.
Regarding claim 7, ‘896 discloses all the limitations in common with claim 1, and such is hereby incorporated.
‘896 does not disclose wherein the conductive liquid further comprises ethylene glycol at a concentration of greater than about 96% by weight and water at a concentration of at least about 3.0% by weight (paragraph 0078).
‘335 discloses wherein the conductive liquid further comprises ethylene glycol at a concentration of greater than about 96% by weight and water at a concentration of at least about 3.0% by weight.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of ‘896 with the conductive liquid of ‘335 for the purpose of designing the lens.
Claim(s) 14 and 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Broutin Jerome Rene (WO 2020263896), hereinafter ‘896 in view of Eom Seong Su (KR 20200063644), hereinafter ‘644 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Shui, Ling-Ling (CN 105527666), hereinafter ‘666.
Regarding claim 14, ‘896 discloses all the limitations in common with claim 1, and such is hereby incorporated.
‘896 does not disclose wherein the acid and the conjugate base are each present in the conductive liquid at a concentration of between about 0.0010 mol/L and about 1.0 mol/L.
‘666 discloses wherein the acid and the conjugate base are each present in the conductive liquid at a concentration of between about 0.0010 mol/L and about 1.0 mol/L (paragraph 0030 and 0039).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the device of ‘896 with the conductive liquid of ‘666 for the purpose of an electrolyte solution.
Regarding claim 24, ‘896 discloses, in figure 1, an electrowetting optical device (101, electrowetting optical device) (paragraph 0068), comprising: a conductive liquid (135, second liquid) (paragraph 0069 and 0071) comprising a buffer, the buffer comprising an acid (acetic acid) and a conjugate base (sodium chloride) of the acid (paragraph 0071), a non-conductive liquid (133, first liquid) (paragraphs 0069 and 0070), the non-conductive liquid (133, first liquid) immiscible with the conductive liquid (135, second liquid) (paragraphs 0069 and 0070), the conductive liquid and the non-conductive liquid form a triple junction on the dielectric topcoat (see annotated figure 1 below); and an insulating layer (139, first dielectric portion and 143, second dielectric portion) comprising a base layer and a dielectric topcoat (paragraph 0077), the dielectric topcoat in direct contact with the conductive liquid (135, second liquid) and the non-conductive liquid (135, second liquid) (paragraph 0077), the dielectric topcoat comprising SiOxCyHz (paragraph 0085 disclose silicon based compounds).
‘896 does not disclose the buffer controlling the pH of the conductive liquid to a predetermined pH, the predetermine pH in a range from 3.0 to 7.0, the acid and the conjugate base each present in the conductive liquid at a concentration of between 0.0010 mol/L and 1.0 mol/L.
‘644 discloses the buffer controlling the pH of the conductive liquid to a predetermined pH, the predetermine pH in a range from 3.0 to 7.0 (paragraph 0223 discloses when the pH of the conductive liquid is less than 5 (eg, strongly acidic) and when the pH exceeds 8 (eg, strongly alkaline).
‘666 discloses wherein the acid and the conjugate base are each present in the conductive liquid at a concentration of between about 0.0010 mol/L and about 1.0 mol/L (paragraph 0030 and 0039).
Regarding claim 25, ‘896 discloses wherein the acid is succinic acid, citric acid, or acetic acid (paragraph 0071).
Claim(s) 26 and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Broutin Jerome Rene (WO 2020263896), hereinafter ‘896 in view of Eom Seong Su (KR 20200063644), hereinafter ‘644 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Shui, Ling-Ling (CN 105527666), hereinafter ‘666 as applied to claim 24 above, and further in view of Burger Bejamin (WO 2019183335), hereinafter ‘335.
Regarding claim 26, ‘896 discloses all the limitations in common with claim 1, and such is hereby incorporated.
‘896 does not disclose wherein the conductive liquid further comprises ethylene glycol at a concentration of greater than about 96% by weight and water at a concentration of at least about 3.0% by weight (paragraph 0078).
‘335 discloses wherein the conductive liquid further comprises ethylene glycol at a concentration of greater than about 96% by weight and water at a concentration of at least about 3.0% by weight.
Regarding claim 27, ‘896 discloses wherein the non-conductive liquid comprises one or more of hexaethyldigermane, hexamethyldigermane, n-octyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, and diphenyldimethylgermane (paragraph 0070).
Conclusion
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/BRANDI N THOMAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872