DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to Applicant’s submission dated April 8, 2026, in which Applicant elected the invention of Group I without traverse.
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
The references contained in the IDS dated January 16, 2024 are made of record.
Election/Restriction
Claims 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a non-elected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on April 8, 2026.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 1-16 are examined. A complete reply to the final rejection must include cancellation of non-elected claims or other appropriate action (37 CFR 1.144) See MPEP § 821.01.
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancellation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be amended in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(b) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. Any amendment of inventorship must be accompanied by a request under 37 CFR 1.48(b) and by the fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-2 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rabha, et al, Cheilocostus speciosus extract-assisted naringenin-encapsulated poly-e-caprolactone nanoparticles: evaluation of anti-proliferative activities, Green Chem. 23, 7701-7711 (2021). Rabha, et al. teaches leaf extract (PE)-mediated polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulating naringenin (N). Instant claim 5 specifies that polycaprolactone (PCL) is an example of the polymer or copolymer of claim 1. Specifically, the reference teaches how to synthesize active naringenin-encapsulated polymer NPs (abstract). Table 1 shows that the nanoparticle comprising a polymer or copolymer is conjugated to a naringenin ligand: NP-SFB-Ab (sorafenib with anti-GPC3 antibody conjugated TPGS-b-PCL/pluronic P123 polymeric nanoparticles). This result demonstrated a good binding affinity between the hydrophobic polymer and the naringenin molecules. Page 7703.
Claim Objections
Claims 3-4 and 6-16 are objected to as being dependent upon rejected independent claim 1, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claims and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to ERICH A LEESER whose telephone number is (571) 272-9932. The Examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 10-6 PST, M-F. PST.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Mr. James Alstrum-Acevedo can be reached at (571) 272-5548. The fax number for the organization where this application is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERICH A LEESER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1622
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Tel. No.: (571) 272-9932
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