DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-7 and 13-15, in the reply filed on February 11, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 1-15 are pending of which claims 8-12 are withdrawn and claims 1-7 and 13-15 are now under consideration.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
3. Claims 7, 13, and 15 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.
Claim 7 recites an “ultra-thin glass layer”. The term “ultra-thin” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “ultra-thin” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Similar ambiguity exists in claims 13 and 15.
Appropriate clarification or correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
4. Claims 1-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chaney (US 2013/0008483 A1).
Chaney discloses a foldable, portable, lightweight photovoltaic module (equivalent to the foldable transparent composite film of the claimed invention) has a carrier layer (equivalent to the non-folding part of the claimed invention) divided into equal sections separated by hinge spaces, a substrate layer (equivalent to the plastic film layer of the claimed invention) on the carrier layer, and a photovoltaic cell layer on the substrate layer, wherein the hinge spaces each have a free space between opposing edges of the adjacent sections to enable them to be folded in accordion-like fashion for storage. The modules can be used to power some types of small, portable electrical devices such as calculators, flashlights, lanterns, mobile phones, etc. In accordance with one embodiment, an improved method for fabricating a foldable, portable, lightweight photovoltaic module comprises: providing a carrier layer made of durable, flexible and foldable material having a given width and an extended length that is divided into a plurality of equal sections of equal section-length which are separated by hinge spaces extending width-wise between adjacent sections; providing a plurality of section-substrates made of a lightweight, semi-rigid material, each lying in a substrate layer on a facing surface of the carrier layer and dimensioned to fit within the given width and section-length for each section; providing a plurality of photovoltaic section-modules, each lying in a photovoltaic cell layer on a facing surface of a respective one of the section substrates, and each being comprised of a plurality of photovoltaic cells dimensioned and arranged to fit with the given width and section-length for each section; providing adhesive layers of thermally fusable, transparent film material between the carrier layer and the substrate layer, and between the substrate layer and the photovoltaic cell layer; and providing for hinge spaces between adjacent sections by leaving a free space of a predetermined hinge width between opposing edges of section-substrates and photovoltaic section-modules of the adjacent sections, wherein the free spaces are obtained by inserting removable spacers of a length equal to the given width of the adjacent sections. Examples of suitable materials for the substrate layer include standard types of printed circuit board (PCB) or glass fiber board (meeting the limitation that the non-folding part comprises a glass-fabric reinforced plastic film layer). An example of suitable glass fiber material is a fire-rated electrical-grade, dielectric laminate of epoxy resin (equivalent to the plastic resin layer of the claimed invention) combined with a glass fabric substrate (meeting the limitation that the transparent glass-fabric reinforced plastic film layer is buried in the plastic resin layer). The module can include a top cover layer of photovoltaic glazing material. FIG. 6 illustrates the layers that are laminated together to form a hinge space in between PV sections of the foldable photovoltaic module, as seen along view lines VI-VI in FIG. 4. The hinge space laminate has only the carrier layer, three EVA film layers (if continuous sheets are laid over the entire length of the module), and the PVOF layer. (See Abstract and paragraphs 0002, 0003, 0013-0018, 0039-0045).
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 4, 5, and 14 are 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.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEEBA AHMED whose telephone number is (571)272-1504. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7am-6pm.
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, CALLIE SHOSHO can be reached at 571-272-1123. 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.
/SHEEBA AHMED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787
Prosecution Insights