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 1-7 in the reply filed on January 6, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claims 4-7 are objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in improper form because a multiple dependent claim cannot depend on a multiple dependent claim. See MPEP § 608.01(n). Accordingly, the claims 4-7 have not been further treated on the merits. It is important to note that there was an amended claim set that corrects this issue that was filed on September 19, 2023. However, another claim set was filed on March 1, 2024 and we must examine the most recently submitted claim set.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it exceeds 150 words in length. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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.
(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 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (WO 2005/059002).
With regards to claim 1, Chen teaches a cationically curing epoxy resin composition (title) that contains an epoxy resin, a thermal cationic initiator, a photoforce cation initiator, carbonates (reading on the resin modifier) (0010), and surfactants (0069). Chen teaches the amount of the compound reading on the resin modifier to be 2.9% and the amount of the surfactant and antioxidant to be 0 (table 1). Therefore, the amount 2.9% is equal to the claimed equation which is 0.029.
With regards to claim 2, Chen teaches the composition to only contain the resin modifier (table 1). Chen teaches the amount of the compound reading on the resin modifier to be 2.9% and the amount of the surfactant and antioxidant to be 0 (table 1)
With regards to claim 3, the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claims does not require the limitations to be met because the presence of the surfactant and the antioxidant are optional components and are not present in the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matsuoka (WO 2017/175735).
With regards to claim 1, Matsuoka teaches a cationic polymerizing composition (0009) that contains an epoxy resin (0015), a thermal cationic polymerization initiator, a photocationic polymerization initiator (0009), and an antioxidant (0042). Matsuoka teaches this to be the only compound present that reads on the claimed stabilizer, therefore, the amount would be equal to the value of the claimed equation.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references also read on the claimed composition of claim 1: Liu et al (CN 105086605), Yang et al (CN 104991419), and Chen et al (US 2007/0208106).
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/JESSICA WHITELEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763