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
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sekiguchi et al. (Influence of Si on the particle growth of AlN ceramics; Applied Physics Express 7, 115503; 2014).
Regarding claim 1, Sekiguchi et al. teaches AlN particle growth with Si doping and investigated the influence of Si-doping on the growth and luminescence of the AlN particles which meets the limitation of silicon-containing aluminum nitride particles (page 11503-1, paragraph 1). Sekiguchi et al. teaches AlN (Tokuyama Type E, particle size of 0.96–1.07µm) and α-Si3N4 (Ube Industries SN-E10, particle size of 0.5µm) were used as starting materials which meets the limitation providing a raw material mixture comprising aluminum nitride and silicon nitride (page 11503-1, paragraph 2). Sekiguchi et al. teaches Si concentrations of 2.4-4.0% which is encompassed by wherein an amount of the silicon nitride is in a range of 2% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less based on a total amount of the aluminum nitride and the silicon nitride in the raw material mixture as 100% by mass (page 11503-2, Fig. 2). Sekiguchi et al. teaches the raw powders were packed into boron nitride (BN) crucibles and then fired in a gas-pressure sintering furnace (Fujidempa Kogyo FVPHR-R-10, FRET-40) with a graphite heater at 1950°C for 2, 4, and 8h under a nitrogen gas pressure of 0.92MPa which meets the limitation subjecting the raw material mixture to a heat treatment at a pressure of 0.101 MPa or more and a temperature in a range of 1,700°C or more and 2,100°C or less (page 11503-1, paragraph 2).
Regarding claim 2, Sekiguchi et al. teaches graphite heater at 1950°C for 2, 4, and 8h under a nitrogen gas pressure of 0.92MPa which meets the limitation wherein the heat treatment is subject in a nitrogen atmosphere (page 11503-1, paragraph 2).
Regarding claim 3, Sekiguchi et al. teaches for 2, 4, and 8h which meets the limitation of wherein the retention time of the raw material mixture at the temperature of the heat treatment is in a range of 1 hour or more and 10 hours or less (page 11503-1, paragraph 2).
Regarding claim 4, Sekiguchi et al. teaches nitrogen gas pressure of 0.92MPa which meets the limitation of comprising subjecting the raw material mixture to a heat treatment at a pressure in a range of more than 0.101 MPa and 1MPa or less (page 11503-1, paragraph 2).
Regarding claim 5, Sekiguchi et al. teaches Si concentrations of 4.0% which meets the limitation of wherein an amount of the silicon nitride is in a range of 4% by mass or more and 8% by mass or less based on a total amount of the aluminum nitride and the silicon nitride in the raw material mixture as 100% by mass (page 11503-2, Fig. 2).
Conclusion
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/GUINEVER S GREGORIO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1732 03/03/2026