CTNF 18/577,351 CTNF 75784 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1-2, 5-6, 8-10, 12-13 and 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) as being anticipated by Kawai et al. (US 2015/0368448) . Kawai discloses a rubber composition for a hose inner tube, comprising: a rubber component A) containing acrylonitrile butadiene rubber; sulfur B); a sulfenamide vulcanization accelerator C); and a bismaleimide compound D) represented by the following general formula (I), where A represents a C6-18 divalent aromatic group or a C7-24 divalent alkyl aromatic group, and X and y each independently represent an integer from 0 to 3, the rubber composition for a hose inner tube further comprising a cobalt compound E) as an optional component, wherein a content of the cobalt compound is 0.1 mass% or less, in terms of cobalt content, of the rubber composition for a hose inner tube overall, and wherein a content of the sulfenamide vulcanization accelerator C) is 1 part by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) (paragraphs [0001-0002], [0018-0021], [0026], [0030-0031], [0034-0035], [0042-0045], Table 1). Kawai discloses wherein the rubber component A) contains two or more types of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, wherein the content of the sulfur B) is 2.3 parts by mass or more and 3 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), further comprising carbon black, wherein a content of the carbon black is more than 110 parts by mass and less than 120 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), wherein a content of the bismaleimide compound D) is 1 part by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), a laminated body comprising a layer composed of a vulcanizate of the rubber composition for a hose inner tube according to claim 1, and a brass-plated wire, an inner side in a hose radial direction and an outer rubber layer disposed on an outer side in the hose radial direction, wherein the content of the sulfur B) is 2.3 parts by mass or more and 3 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), further comprising carbon black, wherein a content of the carbon black is more than 110 parts by mass and less than 120 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) (paragraphs [0001-0002], [0018-0021], [0026], [0030-0031], [0034-0035], [0042-0045], Table 1) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 3-4, 7, 11, 14 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawai et al. (US 2015/0368448) in view of JP2016-069608 (English machine translation provided herein) . Kawai discloses wherein a content of the bismaleimide compound D) is 1 part by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), wherein the content of the sulfur B) is 2.3 parts by mass or more and 3 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) (paragraphs [0001-0002], [0018-0021], [0026], [0030-0031], [0034-0035], [0042-0045], Table 1). Kawai does not disclose further comprising silica, wherein a content of the silica is less than 20 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), wherein the content of the silica is 5 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) and further comprising N-phenyl-N-(trichloromethylthio)benzenesulfonamide, wherein a content of the N-phenyl-N-(trichloromethylthio)benzenesulfonamide is 0.1 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A). JP2016-069608 discloses further comprising silica, wherein a content of the silica is less than 20 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), wherein the content of the silica is 5 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) and further comprising N-phenyl-N-(trichloromethylthio)benzenesulfonamide, wherein a content of the N-phenyl-N-(trichloromethylthio)benzenesulfonamide is 0.1 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) (paragraphs [0022], [0026]) in a rubber composition for the purpose of providing improved adhesion and aging resistance (paragraph [0012]). Therefore it would have been obvious to have provided further comprising silica, wherein a content of the silica is less than 20 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A), wherein the content of the silica is 5 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) and further comprising N-phenyl-N-(trichloromethylthio)benzenesulfonamide, wherein a content of the N-phenyl-N-(trichloromethylthio)benzenesulfonamide is 0.1 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component A) in Kawai in order to provide improved adhesion and aging resistance as taught or suggested by JP2016-069608. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL C MIGGINS whose telephone number is (571)272-1494. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 1-9 pm EST. 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. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Aaron Austin can be reached at 571-272-8935. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MICHAEL C MIGGINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1782 MCM April 27, 2026 Application/Control Number: 18/577,351 Page 2 Art Unit: 1782 Application/Control Number: 18/577,351 Page 3 Art Unit: 1782 Application/Control Number: 18/577,351 Page 4 Art Unit: 1782 Application/Control Number: 18/577,351 Page 5 Art Unit: 1782 Application/Control Number: 18/577,351 Page 6 Art Unit: 1782
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