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 .
According to paper filed on March 3, 2026, the applicants have filed RCE. The applicants have also amended claims 1, 7, 10-12 and 24.
Claims 1-5, 7-8, 10-16, 18, 20-21 and 24 are pending in the application. Claims 15-16 remain withdrawn as being directed to non-elected subject matter.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see paper, filed March 3, 2026, with respect to claims 1-5, 7-8, 10-14, 18, 20-21 and 24 have been fully considered and are persuasive regarding indefiniteness rejection, written description rejection and Improper Markush group rejection. Therefore, all rejections are withdrawn.
NEW GROUNDS OF REJECTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
5. 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.
Claims 1-5, 7-8, 10-11, 13-14, 18, 20-21 and 24 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.
In independent claim 1, variable L2 represents phenyl group only. However, the value of variable V2 is defined to represent either C or N. Therefore, it is not clear how the variable L2 can represent phenyl group when variable V2 represents N.
Claim 7 depends upon claim 1. In claim 7, the values of variables Y5-Y8 are defined to represent either C or N. However, according to amended claim 1, the value of variable L4 represents 5-membered heteroaryl ring containing two N only. Therefore, claim 7 lacks antecedent basis when all variables Y5-Y8 represent C or N or only one or two of Y5-Y8 represent C.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "more than one double bond (dotted lines) for variable L1" in claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 21 recites the limitation "more than one double bond (dotted lines) for variable L1"
in claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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/CHARANJIT AULAKH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1621