DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
This application is examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-47 are pending.
Election
Applicant’s election of Invention I and species A1/B1/C1/D1/E1/F5/G1 without traverse in the Reply filed 22 December 2025 is acknowledged. The elected Invention encompasses claims 1-7, 21, 25-33, and 42-44. Claims 8-20, 22-24, 34-41, and 45-47 are withdrawn from further consideration as being drawn to nonelected Invention(s). The lack of unity requirement is deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claims 1-6, 21, 25-33, and 42-44 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Venneri (US 10,032,528).
Venneri (cited via IDS) teaches a nuclear fuel system (100) comprising fuel particles (120) disposed in a matrix material (110). Each fuel particle comprises a fuel kernel and fuel coating (e.g., SiC) that covers a surface of the fuel kernel. Particularly note col. 7, lines 16-37; and Figures 1A and 1B. A fuel coating comprises an inner porous buffer layer made of carbon and a subsequent SiC layer, which constitutes a functionally graded coating in density. The density increases along an outward radial direction referenced to a center of the fuel kernel. The fuel kernel comprises at least one of an oxide, a carbide, an oxycarbide, a boride, or a nitride.
Claims 1-7, 21, 25-33, and 42-44 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Venneri (US 2017/0040069).
Venneri (cited via IDS) teaches a nuclear fuel system (10) comprising fuel particles (20) disposed in a matrix material (15). Each fuel particle comprises a fuel kernel (25) and fuel coating (22, 24, 26, 28) that covers a surface of the fuel kernel. Particularly note paragraphs [0017], [0050]-[0054], [0059], [0064]; and also Figures 1-2, and 6. A fuel coating comprises an inner porous buffer layer made of carbon and a subsequent SiC layer, which constitutes a functionally graded coating in density. The density increases along an outward radial direction referenced to a center of the fuel kernel. The fuel coating is fabricated using chemical vapor deposition [0064].
Objection to the Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims or the feature(s) must be canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The following recited features are not shown:
only a single coating layer (claims 26 and 44).
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Objection to the Title
The Title is objected to because it is too generic for the recited invention. The Title is directed to conventional prior art. Correction is required.
Additional Comments
The action dated 2 September 2025 in corresponding application JP2023552023 has been noted.
The Applied References
For Applicant’s benefit, portions of the applied reference(s) have been cited (as examples) to aid in the review of the rejection(s). While every attempt has been made to be thorough and consistent within the rejection, it is noted that the prior art must be considered in its entirety by Applicant, including any disclosures that may teach away from the claims. See MPEP 2141.02 (VI).
Application Status Information
Applicants seeking status information regarding an application should check Patent Center on the Office website at www.uspto.gov/PatentCenter. Alternatively, the requester may contact the Application Assistance Unit (AAU). See MPEP § 1730, subsection VI.C. See MPEP § 102 for additional information on status information. For a USPTO Customer Service Representative call 800-786-9199 or 571-272-1000.
Interview Information
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.
Contact Information
Examiner Daniel Wasil can be reached at (571) 272-4654, on Monday-Thursday from 10:00-4:00 EST. Supervisor Jack Keith (SPE) can be reached at (571) 272-6878.
/DANIEL WASIL/
Examiner, Art Unit 3646
Reg. No. 45,303
/JACK W KEITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3646