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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-5, 7-13, 15-16, 19-20 and 31-32) in the reply filed on February 6, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 27-28 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KIM et al. ("Real-Time Monitoring of Gas-Phase and Dissolved CO2 Using a Mixed-Matrix Composite Integrated Fiber Optic Sensor for Carbon Storage Application", Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56, 15, 10891-10903 (Pages A – M).)
Regarding claim 1, Kim et al. shows in Fig. 1 an optical fiber (FG105LCA) comprising a layer of coating composition disposed on the exterior of a glass fiber (Page C, left column last paragraph - right column first paragraph); and wherein the layer of coating composition comprises: plasmonic nanocrystals (NCp) dispersed in a porous polymer (Page F, right column line 8); or a composite comprising polymer and functionalized plasmonic nanocrystals.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chau et al. (Patent Pub> NO. US 2010/0182607 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chau et al. shows in Fig. 1 an optical fiber (2) comprising a layer (3) of coating composition disposed on the exterior of a glass fiber; and wherein the layer of coating composition comprises: plasmonic nanocrystals (3) dispersed in a porous polymer (4) ([0032]); or a composite comprising polymer and functionalized plasmonic nanocrystals.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 7-13, 15-16, 19-20 and 31-32 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Kumar et al. (Patent No. US 10,725,373 B1) discloses nano-patterning and graphene oxide (GO) layering on functional surfaces and devices including improved fabrication methods and applications.
Lincoln et al. (Patent No. US 11,988,602 B2) discloses a surface plasmon resonance detection system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEUNG C SOHN whose telephone number is (571)272-4123. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 8 - 5.
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/SEUNG C SOHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
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