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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on August 18, 2026 has been entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 1 and 4-9 are pending and are under consideration.
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.
(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.
Claims 1 and 49 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Miyazaki et al. (US 20/0222999 A1).
Miyaz et al. disclose a photosensitive composition (equivalent to the visible-laser-curable or infrared-laser-curable cationically polymerizable epoxy resin composition of the claimed invention) excellent in photo-curability which comprises an epoxy compound having two or more epoxy groups, and a hydroxyl group-containing compound having one or more hydroxyl groups and one or more of at least one of a vinyl ether group and an oxetanyl group in a molecule, and a cured product of the same whose film is excellent in adhesion to various substrates, water resistance and flexibility. The photosensitive composition forms cured films in the air by the irradiation of energy beams. The composition comprises from 30 to 90 percent by weight of an epoxy compound (a) having two or more epoxy groups in a molecule (equivalent to component (A) - an epoxy resin comprising alicyclic epoxy resin in an amount of 10 wt. % or more based on the weight of the epoxy resin and a glycidyl ether epoxy resin in an amount of 10 wt. % or more based on the weight of the epoxy resin as recited in claim 1); and from 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of an energy beam-sensitive cationic polymerization initiator (c) (equivalent to component (B) - an acid generator in an amount of 0.01 wt.% to 10 wt. % based on the weight of the cationically polymerizable resin composition as recited in claim 1) and from 1 to 60 percent by weight of a hydroxyl-group containing compound (d) having one or more hydroxyl groups and one or more of at least one of a vinyl ether group and an oxetanyl group in a molecule (equivalent to component (A1) - an oxetane resin in an amount of 3 wt.% to 60 wt. % based on the weight of the cationically polymerizable resin composition as recited in claim 1). The epoxy compound comprises a glycidyl ether type epoxy compounds and alicyclic epoxy compounds (meeting the limitations that component (A) comprises an epoxy resin comprising alicyclic epoxy resin and a glycidyl ether epoxy resin). Specific examples of the glycidyl ether type epoxy compounds may include bisphenol A type epoxy compounds, bisphenol F type epoxy compounds, phenol novolac type epoxy compounds, cresol novolac type epoxy compounds, hydrogenated bisphenol A type epoxy compounds, diglycidyl ethers of alkylene oxide adducts of bisphenol A, diglycidyl ethers of alkylene oxide adducts of bisphenol F, diglycidyl ethers of alkylene oxide adducts of hydrogenated bisphenol A, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, propylene glycol diglycidyl ether, neopentyl glycol diglycidyl ether, butanediol diglycidyl ether, hexanediol diglycidyl ether, cyclohexanedimethanol diglycidyl ether, polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, polypropylene glycol diglycidyl ether etc. Specific examples of the alicyclic epoxy compounds includes 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate, 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl-5,5-spiro-3,4-epoxy)cyclohexane-meta-dioxane, bis(3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl)adipate, vinylcyclohexene dioxide, 4-vinylepoxycyclohexane, bis(3,4-epoxy-6-methylcyclohexylmethyl)adipate, 3,4-epoxy-6-methylcyclohexyl-3,4-epoxy-6-methylcyclohexanecarboxylate, methylenebis(3,4-epoxycyclohexane), dicyclopentadiene diepoxide, ethyleneglycol-di(3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl)ether, ethylenebis(3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate), propylenebis(3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate), dioctyl epoxyhexahydrophthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl epoxyhexahydrophthalate, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol-di(3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate) and the like. The energy beam-sensitive cationic polymerization initiators (c) used is capable of generating substances which initiate cationic polymerization by energy-ray irradiation, preferably onium salts which generate Lewis acids by irradiation and examples include CPI-100P which is identical to the acid generator used in the instant invention. The oxetane compounds used include those listed in paragraph 0055. Other polymerization initiators which generate a material to initiate cationic polymerization by heating can also be used in combination with the polymerization initiator (c) (meeting the limitations of claim 6). Particulate inorganic fillers (equivalent to component (C) – an inorganic filler as recited in claim 5) and silane coupling agents are added to effectively reduce moisture permeability. Transparent or translucent glass, or resins such as polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, cycloolefin-based polymers, or the like, can be used as the substrate 1. Flexible substrates composed of the thin films of these materials may also be used. The coating agent is applied on a substrate to form a relatively thin film with a high degree of accuracy, and micro-gravure coating, roll coating, spin coating, die coating, cast transfer, spray coating or the like is particularly used for applying the film on a substrate. The coating is cured at a high speed by irradiating it with active light (meeting the limitations of claims 8 and 9), but the irradiation may optionally be combined with heating to cure the composition. The coating can be used in the manufacture of an OLED display (meeting the limitations of claim 7) and is excellent in curability in the air and the cured product is excellent in adhesion to various substrates, water resistance and flexibility, can be suitably utilized in the fields of photosensitive coating materials, ink jet inks, adhesives, and particularly sealers for flat panel displays (FPD) such as organic EL. (See Abstract and paragraphs 0001, 0020042, 0052-0066, 0070- 0083, 0130, and 0134). With regards to the limitation that the epoxy resin composition is curable at a visible or infrared laser having a wavelength of 600 to 1200 nm, the Examiner takes the position that such a limitation is inherent in the composition taught by Miyazaki et al. given that the composition taught by Miyazaki et al. and that of the claimed invention are identical.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEEBA AHMED whose telephone number is (571)272-1504. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7am-6pm. 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 CALLIE SHOSHO can be reached at 571-272-1123. 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
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/SHEEBA AHMED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787
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