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
Claims 1-4 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 8/14/26.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 5-6 in the reply filed on 8/14/26 is acknowledged.
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) 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hirao et al. Macromolecules 2011,44,6345-6355 (herein Hirao).
As to claim 5, Hirao discloses a block copolymer (see abstract and examples) comprising three blocks (A, B, A’) with two blocks of polystyrene (PS, a styrene is a unit containing an aromatic hydrocarbon group, both of which are the same, reading on claim 6) and a second block is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, which comprises the unit methyl methacrylate which is an acrylic acid ester having a alpha position hydrogen substituted with a methyl group). The Third block is bonded to a side chain of the second block via a linking group containing an ester bond. Specifically, see scheme 2 showing the formation of PS-b-PMMA-b-P2VP, wherein PS and P2VP read on the first and third block having aromatic hydrogen groups and PMMA reads on the second block. Note that the P2VP group is attached to the PMMA group via an ester bond. Scheme 2 is reproduced below for convenience.
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Also see table 3 describing Ps-b-PMMA-b-PS blocks with the ACA’ structure, wherein the A’ represents a block with the ester bond linkage off a side chain (similar to the language utilized in the instant specification. As to the limitation “side chain”, note that the
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at the terminal end of the PMMA group reads on side chain and is similar to that utilized in the examples of the instant invention. Note that the PS or P2VP block is attached via the double bond of the atropate (alpha-phenyl acrylate) group. Again, Hirao discloses the following block copolymers:
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Wherein the red blue red structure represents ACA’ discussed above and the green blue green represents P2VP-b-PMMA-b-P2VP’ (also reading on claims 5 and 6) and the red-green-blue represents PS-b-PMMA-b-P2VP’ (also reading on claim 5).
All limitations are met.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARK S KAUCHER whose telephone number is (571)270-7340. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-6 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arrie Lanee Reuther can be reached at (571) 270-7026. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARK S KAUCHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1764
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