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Claims 12 and 13 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 04/24/2026.
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, claims 1-11 in the reply filed on 04/24/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Wilken et al. neither discloses nor provides any indication of a coating method according to the invention of Applicant's amended claim 1, i.e., by applying a dispersion of silicate nanoparticles, but rather merely discloses plasma processes or sputtering for the coating of the ETFE film.. This is not found persuasive because applicant states the art used to break unity has a typo which is not clear whether or not the water contact angle taught by Wilken et al. is a typo. Nonetheless, by Jing et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0033694) the prior art used infra teaches hydrophilic fluoropolymer material which has a contact angle with water of less than 30.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jing et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0033694).
Regarding claim 1, Jing et al. teaches coating may further provide a hydrophilic surface to the substrate and is particularly useful in providing a hydrophilic surface to hydrophobic polymer substrates which meets the limitation of the production of a hydrophilic coating (paragraph 9). Jing et al. teaches a polycarbonate substrate having a perfluoropolyether coating thereon which meets a broad and reasonable interpretation of wherein a coated fluoropolymer material is obtained which has a contact angle with water of less than 30˚ (paragraphs 36, 83 and Table 10). Jing et al. teaches tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and oligomeric forms, such as alkyl polysilicates and silica nanoparticles which meets a broad and reasonable interpretation of - providing an aqueous dispersion of silicate nanoparticles (paragraphs 16, 20, 27). Jing et al. teaches applying the silicate dispersion onto the fluoropolymer material, and - drying the applied coating (paragraph 83). Jing et al. teaches once coated, the article is typically dried at temperatures of between 20 and 150 ̊C in a recirculating oven which meets the limitation of drying (paragraph 51).
Regarding claim 2, Jing et al. teaches wherein the mean value of the particle size distribution in the dispersion is 1-100 nm (Table 10; paragraph 15).
Regarding claim 3, Jing et al. teaches once coated, the article is typically dried at temperatures of between 20 and 150 ̊C in a recirculating oven which meets the limitation wherein drying of the applied coating is carried out at a temperature of 40-130 ̊C (paragraph 51).
Regarding claim 4, Jing et al. teaches dried at 110-120 ˚ C. for 5-10 minutes which overlaps with , wherein drying of the applied coating is carried out for a period of 0.01-8 mins (paragraph 84).
Regarding claim 5, Jing et al. teaches tetraalkoxy coupling agents, such as tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and oligomeric forms, such as alkyl polysilicates (paragraph 27).
Regarding claim 6, Jing et al. teaches perfluoropolyether coating which meets the limitation of fluoropolymer (FP) (paragraphs 55 and 83).
Regarding claims 7 and 8, Jing et al. teaches surface energy may be increased by oxidizing the substrate surface prior to coating which meets the limitation of wherein the surface energy of the fluoropolymer material is raised by means of priming (paragraph 43).
Regarding claims 9 and 11, Jing et al. teaches compositions are preferably coated on the article using conventional techniques, such as bar, roll, curtain, rotogravure, spray, or dip coating techniques which imply atmospheric pressure (paragraph 48).
Regarding claim 10, Jing et al. teaches a recirculating oven which meets a broad and reasonable interpretation of wherein drying of the applied coating is carried out by means of a recirculating air dryer (paragraph 51).
Conclusion
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/GUINEVER S GREGORIO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1732 06/26/2026
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