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 1-6 and 8 in the reply filed on 04 August 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 7 and 9-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04 August 2026.
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 Issari et al. (WO 2021/225778), as cited on the IDS, in view of Tapio et al. (WO 2020/121278).
Regarding claims 1-6; Issari et al. teaches a composition comprising a photocrosslinker of Formula I:
PNG
media_image1.png
184
570
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Wherein R is H, a C1-C30 alkyl, or a halogen, R1 is H or CH3, and X when present is a C1 to C30 alkyl group [00043-00045]. Issari et al. teaches the composition further comprising a co-initiator [0050].
Issari et al. teaches the composition may further comprise a filler [00054], however fails to explicitly teach inorganic fine particles. Tapio et al. teaches a hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive composition comprising fillers, such as metal particles [p12, line1-11]. Issari et al. and Tapio et al. are analogous art because they are both concerned with the same field of endeavor, namely hot melt pressure sensitive adhesives suitable for use in producing tapes. At the time of filing, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to add the metal particles fillers, as taught by Tapio et al., to the composition of Issari et al., and would have been motivated to do so in order to modify cohesive strength and stiffness, as suggested by Tapio et al. [p12, line3-5].
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Issari et al. (WO 2021/225778), as cited on the IDS, in view of Tapio et al. (WO 2020/121278).
Regarding claim 8; Issari et al. teaches a composition comprising a photocrosslinker of Formula I:
PNG
media_image1.png
184
570
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Wherein R is H, a C1-C30 alkyl, or a halogen, R1 is H or CH3, and X when present is a C1 to C30 alkyl group [00043-00045]; which reads on the claimed compound wherein Ara01 and Ara02 is an aromatic group having 6 carbons, Ra01 is a radically polymerizable group, Xa01 is O, ma1 is 1 and ma2 is 0. A reference may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill the art, including the non-preferred embodiments. Merck & Co. v. Biocraft Laboratories, 874 F.2d 804, 10 USPQ2d 1843 (Fed. Cir.); see MPEP §2123.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA ROSWELL whose telephone number is (571)270-5453. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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, Mark Eashoo can be reached at 571-272-1197. 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.
/JESSICA M ROSWELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1767
Prosecution Insights