DETAILED ACTION
Status of Application
Acknowledgement is made of amendments filed 03/12/2026. Upon entering the amendments, claims 4-5 are canceled, claim 26 is added, and claims 1-2 are added. The claims 1-3, 6-22, and 26 are pending and presented for the examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/12/2026 was filed after the mailing date of the Non-Final Office Action on 12/12/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Rejections Over USC 112 Withdrawn
3. Claim 2 has been amended to overcome the indefiniteness rejection set forth in the previous office action. Therefore, this ground of rejection is withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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.
5. Claims 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dittmer et al (US 2018/0244563 A1).
Regarding claim 19, Dittmer et al teaches a lithium silicate-wollastonite glass ceramic that comprises 72.7 wt% SiO2, 3.3 wt% Al2O3, and 12.9 wt% Li2O (see Table 1, example 29). The glass ceramic is formed from a starting glass having the same composition. As such, Dittmer et al teaches a starting glass comprising the components (SiO2, Li2O, and Al2O3 in the respective ranges) of instant claim 1. The claim remains anticipated by the prior art of record.
Regarding claim 20, the Dittmer et al starting glasses are subject to nucleation (see Table 1), and the resultant glass ceramics contain lithium disilicate and two quartz solid solution phases. Said starting glass thus contains nuclei for the crystallization of two different quartz solid solution phase and for lithium disilicate. Claim 19, from which claim 20 depends, is drawn to a glass comprising the components of instant claim 1, and these are listed in claim 1 as the SiO2, Li2O, and Al2O3 compounds from which the glass and glass-ceramic are made. The claim 19 glass does not need to contain the crystalline phases of the amended claim 1. Claim 20 further limits the claim 19 by reciting that there are nuclei for the crystallization of two different quartz solid solution phases and for lithium disilicate or lithium metasilicate. Thus, the claim 20 glass also does not need to contain the crystalline phases of amended claim 1 or nuclei for forming the same. In Dittmer et al, the crystalline phases of wollastonite and lithium aluminosilicate phases are quartz solid solution phases according to the definitions of the instant Specification, and as such, the Dittmer et al starting glass has nuclei for forming phases meeting the instant claim 20 limitations after the nucleation step. Claim 20 therefore remains anticipated by the prior art of record.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 1-3, 6-18, 21-22, and 26 are allowed. The prior art, either alone or in combination, fails to teach or suggest a glass ceramic comprising SiO2, Al2O3, and Li2O in amounts falling within the ranges of the instant claims, and wherein the glass ceramic comprises at least two different quartz solid solution phases having the X-ray powder diffraction characteristics of instant claim 1.
Response to Arguments
7. Applicant’s arguments filed 03/12/2026 have been fully considered. The arguments are persuasive regarding the amended claims 1-2 and claims 3, 6-18, 21-22, and 26 depending therefrom, and the previously applied grounds of prior art rejection are thus withdrawn from these claims. The arguments are not, however, persuasive regarding claims 19-20. As discussed above, claim 19 is drawn to a starting glass with the components of instant claim 1. These are the ranges of SiO2, Li2O, and Al2O3. The limitations to the quartz solid solution phases and characteristic X-ray powder diffraction peaks are not a part of claim 19, and the coverage of the claim is not limited by any ability to form such phases and peaks. Thus, a glass meeting the claim 1 compositional limitations anticipates the starting glass of claim 19; even though said claim depends from allowed claim 1, the wording of the claim means that it does not contain all of the limitations that render claim 1 allowable. Thus, the grounds of rejection previously issued are maintained for claims 19 and 20 for the reasons set forth above.
Conclusion
8. Claims 1-3, 6-18, 21-22, and 26 are allowed. Claims 19-20 are rejected.
9. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NOAH S WIESE whose telephone number is (571)270-3596. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amber Orlando can be reached on 571-270-3149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
11. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NOAH S WIESE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1731
NSW5 June 2026
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