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 .
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) 1-4; 12-15; and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Wang et al (DE10 2020 000901, wherein US2020/0263041 is the English language equivalent).
Wang sets forth anti-reflective coating compositions. Said compositions comprise (a) hollow silica nanoparticles; (b) a siloxane binder having reactive groups; (c) at least one additional material having reactive groups; (d) an initiator; and (e) solvent—see abstract and [0033] – [0038].
Wang explicitly teaches the hollow silica nanoparticles (a) are present in an amount of 30-80 % by weight, preferably from 40 to 65 % by weight, based on the total weight of solids in the composition—see [0044]. The siloxane binder having reactive groups are present in an amount of 15 to 70 wt. %, preferably from 40 to 50 % by weight, based on the total weight of solids—see [0055]. Wang explicitly teaches the additional materials having reactive groups (c) are selected from the group consisting of monomers, oligomers, surfactants, and combinations thereof—see [0056]. Wang sets forth said reactive groups include (meth) acrylate, isocyanate; and/or epoxide groups—see [0058] – [0060]. Said monomeric materials are presented in amounts from 0 to 15 % by weight, based on the total weight of solids in the compositions and said oligomeric materials are presented in amounts from 1.5-7.0 % by weight, based on the total weight of solids in the composition—see [0062] and [0067]. Wang additionally teaches said compositions can further comprise 0.1 to 5 wt. % of a fluoro-surfactant; 0.5 to 5 wt. % of a photoinitiator; and 1 to 50 wt. % of a solvent—see [0068] – [0069]; [0072]; [0075]; and [0076] – [0078].
Wang explicitly sets forth in example 3 a composition which is deemed to anticipate claims 1-4 and 12. Per example 3, Wang sets forth obtaining a composition for an anti-reflective coating comprising (a) diluting 30.0536 g of the binder solution from Synthesis Example 2 (SB-2) with 64.8297 g with PGMEA to form a 25% solution. To this solution adding 0.8280 g of Esacure KTO 46, 1.6916 g LED 02, 0.4091 g of TfBDMBA (thermal acid generator), and 1.6059 g KY 1203 (fluoro-surfactant [claim 12]) to obtain composition (a). Wang then adds 1.6015 g of composition (a) to 3.0319 g DU-10085IV (b), wherein this mixture comprises in solid content of each component: 0.606g of hollow silica particles (DU-10085IV) + 0.374 g SB-2 (siloxane binder) + 0.0391 g of LED02 (mercapto-functional polyester acrylate oligomer, a resin) + 0.0192 g KTO (free radical photoinitiator blend) + 0.0094 g of TfDMBA (a thermal acid generator) +0.0074 of a fluoro-surfactant = 1.0551 g—see [0135]. It is deemed the hollow particles comprise free silanol group. Said composition comprises a solid content of silica particles having silanol groups in an amount of 57.43 wt. % based on the total solids [claims 1-4].
Regarding claim 13: The SB-2 binder in example 3 is an acylate-modified polysilsesquioxane obtained by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of acryloylpropyl trimethoxysilane and non-fluorohexyl trimethoxysilane. It is deemed the SB-2 binder comprises alkoxy groups, specifically methoxy groups, from the acryloyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane. Thus, claim 13 is anticipated.
Regarding claim 14: The solid content of the resin component, interpreted as the polymerizable component, from the LED 02 in example 3 is 3.7 solid wt. %. Thus, claim 14 is anticipated.
Regarding claims 15 and 20: Wang sets forth spin-coating the composition of example 3 onto a silicon wafer; baking at 90 deg. C to dry; exposing to broadband UV radiation to cure; and heating to 200 deg. C for 1 hour—see [0139]. The obtained film is deemed to anticipate claims 15 and 20.
Regarding claim 19: Wang sets forth said anti-reflection compositions can be used to coat the top-most part of a display device (understood as an image display device)—see [0100].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 5-6, 8-9, and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang as applied to claims 1-4 and 12-15 above.
Wang is set forth above as anticipating the compositions and cured film of claims 1-4 and 12-15.
Wang does not expressly set teach compositions comprising 1 to 10 wt. % of a photoacid and/or photo base. However, in the overall teachings of the reference Wang sets forth photoinitiators, such as onium salts (known photoacid and photo base initiators) can be added to the composition, alone or in combination. It would have been within the skill level of an ordinary artisan, prior to the effective filing date, from the overall teachings of the reference to understand photoacids and/or photo base generating photoinitiators, such as onium salts can be added to the composition with a reason motivation to successfully obtain a thoroughly cured anti-reflection film upon exposure to radiation in absence of evidence to the contrary and/or unexpected results. Thus, claims 5-6 and 8-9 are deemed obvious in view of the teachings.
Wang does not expressly set forth optical fiber r solid-state imaging elements comprises cured films of the disclosed anti-reflection compositions. However, anti-reflecting coatings and films are known components in optical fibers and solid-state imaging devices since they provide reduction in coupling losses, i.e. minimizing Frensel reflections--light bouncing back where the glass meets air or another medium (optical fiber) and minimizing internal glare, color-mixing (crosstalk), and ghost images that occur when light bounces between internal structure (solid-state imaging). Therefore, it is deemed it would have been obvious for a skilled artisan to use the anti-reflection coatings, as set forth by Wang, for known uses, such as in optical fiber and solid-state imaging elements in absence of evidence to the contrary and /or unexpected results.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 10-11 and 16 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANZA L MCCLENDON whose telephone number is (571)272-1074. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5.
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/SANZA L. McCLENDON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1765
SMc
