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 of Invention I claims 1 – 6 in the reply filed on 02/17/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1 – 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SHI (CN 115793338 A, “SHI”).
Regarding claim 1, SHI discloses (Fig. 3, 6, 9 &11) an electrochromic variable-transmittance glass, comprising: an electrochromic variable-transmittance film device (140), at least two pieces of glass (500 / 700), and laminating adhesive (400 / 600), wherein: the laminating adhesive is positioned on each opposing surface of the two pieces of glass, the electrochromic variable-transmittance film device is sandwiched between the two pieces of glass and wrapped by the laminating adhesive (See Fig. 11), the electrochromic variable-transmittance film device comprises a conductive tape electrode (170 / 180), a lead-out electrode, and a protective layer (110), the conductive tape electrode is positioned on a conductive substrate (130 / 150) of the electrochromic variable-transmittance film device, the lead-out electrode is positioned on the conductive substrate or the conductive tape electrode, conductively connected with the conductive tape electrode, and extended out of the two pieces of glass for connection to an external power source, and the protective layer (110) covers and seals the conductive tape electrode (170 / 180) onto the conductive substrate (130 / 150).
SHI does not show the lead-out electrode is positioned on the conductive substrate or the conductive tape electrode, conductively connected with the conductive tape electrode, and extended out of the two pieces of glass for connection to an external power source.
However, SHI discloses (para [0048] and [0050]) that a conductive part is used for electrical connection to an external power supply, and in order to achieve this connection, a lead-out electrode is provided, which is provided on a conductive substrate or a conductive tape electrode and is in communication with the conductive tape electrode and extends outside the glass for connection to an external power supply, as is conventional in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified SHI to provide the lead-out electrode is positioned on the conductive substrate or the conductive tape electrode, conductively connected with the conductive tape electrode, and extended out of the two pieces of glass for connection to an external power source. Doing so would provide an electrical connection point to external devices (para [0048] and [0049])
Regarding claim 2, SHI discloses the electrochromic variable-transmittance glass according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer (110) is selected from at least one of protective film and protective adhesive, the protective film being one of polyethylene terephthalate film, polyimide film, polypropylene film, polyethylene film, or epoxy resin film, and the protective adhesive being one of epoxy resin, UV-curable adhesive, two-component mixed-curing adhesive, conductive silver adhesive, or conductive copper adhesive (See Embodiment 8: 24th paragraph).
Regarding claim 3, SHI discloses the electrochromic variable-transmittance glass according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the protective layer is between 10 micrometers to 1000 micrometers (See Embodiment 8: 1st paragraph).
Regarding claim 4, SHI discloses the electrochromic variable-transmittance glass according to claim 1, wherein at least one end of the conductive tape electrode (170 / 180) includes conductive glue (See Embodiment 8: 25th paragraph).
Regarding claim 5, SHI discloses the electrochromic variable-transmittance glass according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is selected from protective film or protective adhesive, wherein the protective adhesive covers and seals the conductive tape electrodes a onto the conductive substrate, and the protective film covers the protective adhesive (See Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 6, SHI discloses the electrochromic variable-transmittance glass according to claim 5, wherein the electrochromic variable-transmittance film device (140) is sandwiched between conductive substrates (130 / 150) on both upper and lower sides, the protective film extending between the conductive substrates and the laminating adhesive, and covering portions of the upper and lower sides of the conductive substrates (See Embodiment 1 and Fig. 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SIDI MOHAMED MAIGA whose telephone number is (703)756-1870. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am 5 pm.
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/SIDI M MAIGA/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847