Detailed Office 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 .
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 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.
Examiner Comment – Independent Claim 1
In this Office action, independent claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tachibana et al. (2017/0307814; “Tachibana”) in view of Bonderer et al. (2020/0172747; “Bonderer”) and further in view of Niimi et al. (2017/0152404; “Niimi”).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-9 and 11-12
Claims 1-9 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tachibana et al. (2017/0307814; “Tachibana”) in view of Bonderer et al. (2020/0172747; “Bonderer”) and further in view of Niimi et al. (2017/0152404; “Niimi”).
Regarding claim 1, Tachibana discloses in figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text, embodiments of optical fibers 1 and 2 and optical fiber ribbons 100 comprising, “10: glass fiber, 12: core, 14: cladding, 20, 30: coating resin layer, 22, 32: primary resin layer, 24, 34: secondary resin layer, 36: ink layer, 40: ribbon material, [and/or] 100: optical fiber ribbon.” Tachibana, paragraph [0091].
Tachibana – Figures 1-3
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Tachibana – Selected Text
[0021] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one example of an optical fiber 1 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the optical fiber 1 of the present embodiment comprises a glass fiber 10 that is an optical transmitter and a coating resin layer 20.
[0022] The glass fiber 10 has a core 12 and a cladding 14, and includes a glass member, for example, SiO.sub.2 glass. The glass fiber 10 transmits light introduced to the optical fiber 1. The core 12 is provided in, for example, a region including the center axial line of the glass fiber 10. The core 12 includes pure SiO.sub.2 glass, or may additionally include GeO.sub.2, a fluorine element or the like. The cladding 14 is provided in a region surrounding the core 12. The cladding 14 has a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core 12. The cladding 14 may include pure SiO.sub.2 glass, or may include SiO.sub.2 glass to which a fluorine element is added.
[0023] The coating resin layer 20 may be configured from only one layer or a plurality of layers as long as it has a colored layer of 10 μm or more. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when the coating resin layer 20 has a primary resin layer 22 and a secondary resin layer 24, at least one of the primary resin layer 22 and the secondary resin layer 24 may be a colored layer. It is preferable that the secondary resin layer 24 be a colored layer from the viewpoint of an enhancement in distinguishability of the optical fiber 1.
[0024] The optical fiber of the present embodiment is different in configuration from a conventional optical fiber in terms of having no ink layer. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a conventional optical fiber 2 includes a glass fiber 10 and a coating resin layer 30, and the coating resin layer 30 has an ink layer 36 as the outermost layer, in addition to a primary resin layer 32 and a secondary resin layer 34.
[0025] The thickness of the colored layer is 10 μm or more, preferably 10 to 70 μm, more preferably 10 to 50 μm, further preferably 20 to 40 μm. When the thickness of the colored layer is 10 μm or more, it is possible to suppress color peeling.
[0026] The thickness of the primary resin layer 22 is usually about 20 to 50 μm, and when the primary resin layer 22 serves as the colored layer, the thickness of the primary resin layer 22 corresponds to the thickness of the colored layer. The thickness of the secondary resin layer 24 is usually about 20 to 40 μm, and when the secondary resin layer 24 serves as the colored layer, the thickness of the secondary resin layer 24 corresponds to the thickness of the colored layer.
[0027] The Young's modulus of the primary resin layer 22 is preferably 1 MPa or less at room temperature, more preferably 0.5 MPa or less. The Young's modulus of the secondary resin layer 24 is preferably 600 to 1000 MPa. In the present description, the room temperature here refers to 23° C.
[0028] The coating resin layer 20 can be formed by, for example, curing an ultraviolet curable resin composition containing an oligomer, a monomer and a photopolymerization initiator.
[0029] Examples of the oligomer include urethane (meth)acrylates and epoxy (meth)acrylates. The oligomer can be used as a mixture of two or more.
[0030] The urethane (meth)acrylates include those obtained by reacting a polyol compound, a polyisocyanate compound and a hydroxyl group-containing acrylate compound. Examples of the polyol compound include polytetramethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, bisphenol A-ethylene oxide adduct diol and the like. The polyisocyanate compound include 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate, 2,6-tolylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate and the like. Examples of the hydroxyl group-containing acrylate compound include 2-hydroxy (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxybutyl (meth)acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol mono(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritol tri(meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, tripropylene glycol di(meth)acrylate and the like. As the epoxy (meth)acrylate, for example, one obtained by reacting an epoxy compound and (meth)acrylic acid can be used.
[0033] As the monomer, a monofunctional monomer having one polymerizable group or a polyfunctional monomer having two or more polymerizable groups can be used.
[0034] The monofunctional monomer include N-vinyl monomers having a cyclic structure, such as N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylcaprolactam and (meth)acryloylmorpholine; and (meth)acrylate compounds such as isobornyl (meth)acrylate, tricyclodecanyl (meth)acrylate, benzyl (meth)acrylate, dicyclopentanyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, nonylphenyl (meth)acrylate, phenoxyethyl (meth)acrylate and polypropylene glycol mono(meth)acrylate. Among them, an N-vinyl monomer having a cyclic structure is preferable from the viewpoint of an enhancement in curing speed.
[0035] The polyfunctional monomer include polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, tricyclodecanediyl dimethylene di(meth)acrylate, bisphenol A-ethylene oxide adduct diol di(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, and the like.
[0036] The monomer can be used as a mixture of two or more. The content of the monomer is preferably 5 to 45% by mass, more preferably 10 to 30% by mass based on the total amount of the ultraviolet curable resin composition.
[0042] It is preferable that the colored layer contain a pigment from the viewpoint of an enhancement in distinguishability of the optical fiber. The pigment include coloring pigments such as carbon black, titanium oxide and zinc flower, magnetic powders such as γ-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, a mixed crystal of γ-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 and γ-Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, CrO.sub.2, cobalt ferrite, iron oxide to which cobalt adheres, barium ferrite, Fe—Co and Fe—Co—Ni, and inorganic pigments such as MIO, zinc chromate, strontium chromate, aluminum tripolyphosphate, zinc, alumina, glass and mica. In addition, an organic pigment such as an azo type pigment, a phthalocyanine type pigment, or a dyeing lake pigment can also be used. The pigment may be subjected to various treatments such as surface modification and formation of a composite pigment. The pigment may be preferably added so as to be included in an amount of 0.1 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.12 to 3.2% by mass, based on the sum amount of the coating resin layer 20.
[0044] For example, the coating resin layer 20 is formed by coating the cladding 14 with a curable resin composition, and curing the curable resin composition by irradiation with ultraviolet light. At least one of an ultraviolet LED and an ultraviolet lamp is here used as an ultraviolet light source.
[0045] When the coating resin layer 20 has the primary resin layer 22 and the secondary resin layer 24, a system (wet-on-dry system) may be used in which the cladding 14 is coated with a curable resin composition for the primary resin layer, the composition is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light to form the primary resin layer 22, and thereafter the primary resin layer 22 is coated with a curable resin composition for the secondary resin layer and the composition is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light to form the secondary resin layer 24. Alternatively, a system (wet-on-wet system) may be used in which the cladding 14 is coated with a curable resin composition for the primary resin layer and thereafter coated with a curable resin composition for the secondary resin layer, and the compositions are simultaneously cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light to form the primary resin layer 22 and the secondary resin layer 24.
[0046] In the optical fiber of the present embodiment, the change rate of the YI value of the coating resin layer 20 after aging due to temperature and humidity under an environment of 85° C. and 85% RH for 30 days is 5 or less per day. When the change rate of the YI value is 5 or less, the colored layer is small in the change in color over time and is excellent in distinguishability. The change rate of the YI value of the coating resin layer 20 can be reduced by adding titanium oxide to a resin material or by sufficiently curing the coating resin layer.
[0047] The degree of curing of the coating resin layer 20 is preferably higher from the viewpoints that the change in YI value of the optical fiber over time can be suppressed and distinguishability is enhanced. That is, the gel fraction of the coating resin layer 20 is preferably more than 75% by mass, more preferably 78% by mass or more, further preferably 80% by mass or more.
[0048] The amount of the unreacted photoinitiator in the coating resin layer 20 is preferably 3% by mass or less, more preferably 2% by mass or less, further preferably 1% by mass or less. A large amount of the unreacted initiator is not preferable because loss increases upon immersion of the optical fiber ribbon using the optical fiber of the present embodiment in hot water (60° C.).
[0049] (Optical Fiber Ribbon)
[0050] The optical fiber of the present embodiment can be used to produce an optical fiber ribbon. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an optical fiber ribbon 100 according to the present embodiment. The optical fiber ribbon 100 illustrated in the same figure is one in which a plurality of (4 in the case) the optical fiber 1 are arranged in parallel and integrated by a ribbon material 40. The ribbon material 40 is formed by, for example, an epoxy acrylate resin, a urethane acrylate resin or the like. Such an optical fiber ribbon can allow the optical fiber to be easily distinguished in an operation for removal of the ribbon material from the optical fiber ribbon and takeoff of the optical fiber, without the occurrence of any color peeling.
[0054] Resin composition C was prepared by mixing an urethane acrylate (75 parts by mass) consisting of polypropylene glycol having a number average molecular weight of 1000, 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, as an oligomer, bisphenol A-ethylene oxide adduct diol diacrylate (10 parts by mass) as a monomer, Irgacure 184 (3 parts by mass) as a photopolymerization initiator, and copper phthalocyanine and titanium oxide as pigments so that the amount thereof was 0.2% by mass based on the sum amount of the coating resin layer and the amount thereof was 3% by mass based on the sum amount of the coating resin layer, respectively.
Further regarding claim 1, Bonderer discloses, for example, in Bonderer – Selected Text, embodiments of laminar polymer-based configurations formed by processes combining thermal and photoinitiated curing, for example, with heating temperatures ranging from 60° C to 120° C. Bonderer, paragraphs [0021] (“Once the object has been completed, it is preferably subjected to a further curing in an additional step (6) in order to cure residual monomers which remain in the case of curing in layers. For this, the body is heated e.g. to approx. 60° C. in dependence on the chosen initiator or preferably irradiated with light e.g. for 1 to 12 minutes.”) and [0050] (“For the post-curing (step 6) the component can be post-cured before, during or preferably after cleaning by irradiation with a radiation source, e.g. a mercury vapour lamp or LED lamp. This process can be supported by heating the component up to a maximum of 120° C.”).
Bonderer – Selected Text
Abstract. The invention relates to a material for use as construction material for energy-pulse-induced transfer printing, which contains (a) at least one polymerizable binder, (b) at least one volume expansion component, (c) at least one initiator for the polymerization and (d) preferably at least one energy transformation component. The invention furthermore relates to a process for producing three-dimensional objects using the material.
[0009] This object is achieved by an additive process for producing three-dimensional objects, which preferably comprises the following steps:
[0010] (1) laminar application of a support/construction material to a carrier in a defined layer thickness, preferably in a layer thickness of 3-300 μm, particularly preferably 10-100 μm,
[0011] (2) transfer of a portion of the support/construction material from the carrier substrate (donor) onto a receiver substrate (acceptor) by the local, site-selective input of an energy pulse, preferably a laser pulse,
[0012] (3) solidification of the support/construction material on the receiver substrate, preferably by drying, radiation curing or altering the aggregation state (e.g. by temperature change),
[0013] (4) repetition of steps (1)-(3) until the desired object has been constructed,
[0014] (5) optionally removal of the support material and optional cleaning of the object,
[0015] (6) optional post-tempering of the object by further curing, preferably by drying, radiation, heat or a combination thereof,
[0016] (7) optional mechanical processing of the object, e.g. by vibratory finishing or manual processing such as grinding or polishing.
[0021] Once the object has been completed, it is preferably subjected to a further curing in an additional step (6) in order to cure residual monomers which remain in the case of curing in layers. For this, the body is heated e.g. to approx. 60° C. in dependence on the chosen initiator or preferably irradiated with light e.g. for 1 to 12 minutes.
[0036] In step (2) a part of the energy introduced is absorbed by the support/construction material and converted into heat. The absorption preferably takes place in the support/construction material itself without an additional absorption layer on the carrier substrate, with the result that the disadvantages associated with such absorption layers are avoided.
[0050] For the post-curing (step 6) the component can be post-cured before, during or preferably after cleaning by irradiation with a radiation source, e.g. a mercury vapour lamp or LED lamp. This process can be supported by heating the component up to a maximum of 120° C.
[0051] The process according to the invention is preferably a LIFT process. By a LIFT process is meant here a process in which, as explained at the beginning, a small quantity of material is extracted from a printing material by an energy pulse and transferred onto a receiver substrate. The energy pulse is preferably generated by a laser. The laser beam is focused onto a small area of the support or construction material and the support or construction material is hereby heated locally so strongly that the volume expansion component expands abruptly, e.g. due to evaporation of a portion of the printing material. The energy transformation component absorbs the laser energy and transfers this to the volume expansion component. The abruptly evaporating volume expansion component entrains the support or construction material and transfers it onto the receiver substrate. It is also possible for the volume expansion component to absorb a part of the energy directly.
[0060] The volume expansion component (b) has the main purpose of bringing about a transfer of the support or construction material from the carrier substrate onto the receiver substrate. In order that the absorbed energy leads to a controlled droplet formation, the volume expansion component is to be converted into the gas phase in the shortest time due to the heat pulse.
Consequently, in light of Bonderer’s embodiments’ disclosures of temperature ranges for complementary thermal and photoinitiated treatments, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Tachibana’s optical fiber embodiments to disclose: a glass fiber including a core and a cladding; and a first resin layer in contact with the glass fiber and covering the glass fiber, wherein the first resin layer includes a cured product of a resin composition containing a photopolymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and when the first resin layer is heated from 30° C. to 150° C., a rate of reduction in mass of the first resin layer is 6.0% by mass or less; Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; because the resulting configurations would facilitate tailoring interlayer interactions while facilitating reducing the presence of volatile post-treatment constituents. Niimi – Selected Text (disclosing in paragraph [0213] that the content of crosslinking agent ‘… is preferably at a proportion of 0.5 to 20 parts by mass, more preferably 1 part by mass or more or 15 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 2 parts by mass or more or 10 parts by mass or less, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the base polymer (A2).’).
Niimi – Selected Text
Abstract. A method for recycling optical device constituent members, wherein a transparent adhesive material is softened by heating and is crosslinked by light irradiation, an optical device constituent laminate having a constitution in which two optical device constituent members are bonded via a transparent adhesive material in a pre-crosslinked state is used as a recycle starting material, and the method including: heating at least the transparent adhesive material of the optical device constituent laminate; standing the optical device constituent laminate; hanging a linear member along an end edge of the transparent adhesive material located at an upper end edge of the optical device constituent laminate; dividing the transparent adhesive material by applying a load by the linear member; and producing the two optical device constituent members to which a divided one-side transparent adhesive material adheres.
[0016] The present invention proposes a method for recycling optical device constituent members, wherein an optical device constituent laminate having a constitution in which two optical device constituent members are bonded via a transparent adhesive material which is being softened by heating and crosslinked by light irradiation and being in a pre-crosslinked state is used as a recycle starting material, and comprising following steps: heating at least the transparent adhesive material of the optical device constituent laminate; hanging a linear member along the end edge of the transparent adhesive material of the optical device constituent laminate; dividing the transparent adhesive material by applying a load by the linear member; and producing the two optical device constituent members to which a divided one-side transparent adhesive material adheres.
[0017] The present invention additionally proposes a reworkability evaluation method of optical device constituent laminate, wherein an optical device constituent laminate having a constitution in which two optical device constituent members are bonded via a transparent adhesive material which is being softened by heating and crosslinked by light irradiation and being in a pre-crosslinked state is used as an evaluation target, and comprising following steps: heating at least the transparent adhesive material of the optical device constituent laminate; hanging a linear member along the end edge of the transparent adhesive material of the optical device constituent laminate; dividing the transparent adhesive material into two members by applying a load by the linear member; and thereby measuring a weight of the load applied by the liner member and an elapsed time until being divided.
[0141] The macromonomer is a high-molecular monomer having the polymerizable functional group of the terminal and the high-molecular weight skeleton component.
[0148] It is preferable that a high-molecular weight skeleton component of the macromonomer is constituted by an acrylic series polymer or a vinyl series polymer.
[0149] As the high-molecular weight skeleton component of the macromonomer, for instance, a copolymer of polystyrene, styrene, and acrylonitrile, poly(t-butylstyrene), poly(α-methylstyrene), polyvinyl toluene, polymethyl methacrylate, and the like, can be cited.
[0158] As such polyfunctional (meth)acrylate, for instance, in addition to ultraviolet-curable polyfunctional monomers such as 1,4-butanediol di(meth)acrylate, glycerin di(meth)acrylate, glyceringlycidyl ether di(meth)acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,9-nonanediol di(meth)acrylate, tricyclodecanedimethanol di(meth)acrylate, bisphenol A polyethoxy di(meth)acrylate, bisphenol A polypropoxy di(meth)acrylate, bisphenol F polyethoxy di(meth)acrylate, ethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane trioxyethyl (meth)acrylate, ε-caprolactone-modified tris(2-hydroxyethyl)isocyanurate tri(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritol tri(meth)acrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol tri(meth)acrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol tri(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate, polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, tris(acryloxyethyl)isocyanurate, pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol penta(meth)acrylate, tripentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate, tripentaerythritol penta(meth)acrylate, hydroxy pivalic acid neopentyl glycol di(meth)acrylate, di(meth)acrylate of ε-caprolactone adduct of hydroxy pivalic acid neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropanepolyethoxy tri(meth)acrylate, and ditrimethylolpropane tetra(meth)acrylate; polyifunctional acrylic oligomers such as polyester (meth)acrylate, epoxy (meth)acrylate, urethane (meth)acrylate and polyether (meth)acrylate; can be cited.
[0196] The monomer B is preferably a (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer of 4 or less carbon numbers, a (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer having a cyclic skeleton in the side chain, a vinyl monomer of 4 or less carbon numbers, or a vinyl monomer having a cyclic skeleton in the side chain.
[0209] By crosslinking the crosslinking agent (Y) in the present adhesive sheet, the present adhesive sheet can exert high cohesive force under high temperature environment, and can obtain excellent antifoaming reliability.
[0210] As such crosslinking agent (Y), for instance, a crosslinking agent comprising an epoxy crosslinking agent, an isocyanate crosslinking agent, an oxetane compound, a silane compound, an acrylic compound, or the like, can be appropriately selected. Among them, from the viewpoint of reactivity and the strength of the obtained cured product, a polyfunctional (meth)acrylate having two or more (meth)acryloyl groups is preferable. In particular, a polyfunctional (meth)acrylate having three or more (meth)acryloyl groups is more preferable.
[0211] As such polyfunctional (meth)acrylate, for instance, in addition to ultraviolet-curable polyfunctional monomers such as 1,4-butanediol di(meth)acrylate, glycerin di(meth)acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di(meth)acrylate, 1,9-nonanediol di(meth)acrylate, tricyclodecanedimethanol di(meth)acrylate, bisphenol A polyethoxy di(meth)acrylate, bisphenol A polypropoxy di(meth)acrylate, bisphenol F polyethoxy di(meth)acrylate, ethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropane trioxyethyl (meth) acrylate, ε-caprolactone-modified tris(2-hydroxyethyl)isocyanurate tri(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritol tri(meth)acrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol tri(meth)acrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol tri(meth)acrylate, pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate, polyethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, tris(acryloxyethyl)isocyanurate, pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate, dipentaerythritol penta(meth)acrylate, tripentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate, tripentaerythritol penta(meth)acrylate, hydroxy pivalic acid neopentyl glycol di(meth)acrylate, di(meth)acrylate of ε-caprolactone adduct of hydroxy pivalic acid neopentyl glycol, trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, trimethylolpropanepolyethoxy tri(meth)acrylate, and ditrimethylolpropane tetra(meth)acrylate; polyifunctional acrylic oligomers such as polyester (meth)acrylate, epoxy (meth)acrylate, urethane (meth)acrylate and polyether (meth)acrylate; can be cited.
[0212] Among the above, from the viewpoints of improving tightness of contact with respect to the adherend, heat resistance, and the effect of suppressing hygrothermal whitening, a polyfunctional monomer or an oligomer containing a polar functional group is preferable. Among them, it is more preferable to use a polyfunctional (meth)acrylic acid ester having an isocyanuric ring skeleton.
[0213] The content of the crosslinking agent (Y) is not limited in particular. As a guide, the content is preferably at a proportion of 0.5 to 20 parts by mass, more preferably 1 part by mass or more or 15 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 2 parts by mass or more or 10 parts by mass or less, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the base polymer (A2).
[0217] Meanwhile, a photopolymerization initiator which responds to light with a long wavelength of more than 380 nm is preferable in terms of being photo-curable even when the optical device constituent members laminate is unlikely to transmit UV light, and allowing the responded light to reach the deep part of the present adhesive sheet sufficiently.
[0218] The photopolymerization initiator is roughly classified into two types by the radical generation mechanism: a cleavage type photopolymerization initiator that can generate a radical by cleavage and decomposition of a single bond of the photopolymerization initiator per se; and a hydrogen abstraction type photopolymerization initiator in which a photoexcited initiator and a hydrogen donor in the system can form an excited complex to allow hydrogen of the hydrogen donor to be transferred.
[0219] Of these, the cleavage type photopolymerization initiator is decomposed and converted into another compound in radical generation by light irradiation, and, if once excited, it does not have a function as a reaction initiator. For this reason, the cleavage type photopolymerization initiator is preferable since it does not remain as an active species in the adhesive sheet after the completion of the crosslinking reaction and it is not concerned that unexpected light deterioration of the adhesive sheet is brought about.
[0220] Meanwhile, the hydrogen abstraction type photopolymerization initiator is useful since it does not generate a decomposed product as the cleavage type photopolymerization initiator at the time of the radical generation reaction by irradiation with an active energy ray such as UV light, and thus it is hardly converted into a volatile component after the completion of the reaction, and damage of the adherend can be decreased.
[0221] As the cleavage type photopolymerization initiator, for instance, benzoin butyl ether, benzyl dimethyl ketal, 2-hydroxyacetophenone, bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phenyl phosphine oxide, diphenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl phosphine oxide, or any derivative thereof, can be cited.
[0222] As the hydrogen abstraction type photopolymerization initiator, for instance, benzophenone, Michler ketone, 2-ethyl anthraquinone, thioxanthone, or any derivative thereof, can be cited.
[0223] However, the photopolymerization initiator is not limited to the substances mentioned above. Any one kind of the cleavage type photopolymerization initiator and the hydrogen abstraction type photopolymerization initiator may be used, or two or more kinds of them may be used by mixing, or both of them may be used in combination for the adhesive composition B.
[0224] The content of the photopolymerization initiator (Z) is not limited in particular. As a guide, the content is preferably at a proportion of 0.1 to 10 parts by mass, more preferably 0.5 part by mass or more or 5 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 1 part by mass or more or 3 parts by mass or less, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the base polymer (A2). By having the content of the photopolymerization initiator (Z) in the range described above, appropriate reaction sensitivity with respect to the active energy ray can be obtained.
Regarding dependent claims 2-9 and 11-12, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Tachibana in view of Bonderer, and further in view of Niimi’s embodiments, as applied in the rejection of claim 1, to disclose:
2. The optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the first resin layer has a Young's modulus of 1 MPa to 600 MPa at 23° C. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
3. The optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein a content of a urethane (meth)acrylate compound in the resin composition is 20% by mass or less based on a total amount of the resin composition. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
4. The optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the photopolymerizable compound includes an alkylene oxide-modified di(meth)acrylate having a bisphenol skeleton. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
5. The optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the photopolymerization initiator includes an α-hydroxyacetophenone compound. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
6. The optical fiber according to claim 5, wherein a content of the α-hydroxyacetophenone compound in the resin composition is 0.5% by mass or more based on a total amount of the resin composition. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
7. The optical fiber according to claim 1, further comprising a colored layer covering the first resin layer. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
8. The optical fiber according to claim 7, wherein the colored layer has a thickness of 2 μm to 14 μm. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
9. The optical fiber according to claim 7, wherein the colored layer contains titanium oxide particles. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
11. The optical fiber according to claim 10, wherein the glass fiber has an outer diameter of 170 μm to 190 μm. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
12. An optical fiber ribbon comprising: a plurality of the optical fibers according to claim 1 arranged in parallel; and a connecting resin layer for coating and connecting the plurality of the optical fibers. Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text.
because the resulting configurations would facilitate tailoring interlayer interactions while facilitating reducing the presence of volatile post-treatment constituents. Niimi – Selected Text.
Claim 10
Claim 10, as dependent upon claim 1, is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tachibana et al. (2017/0307814; “Tachibana”) in view of Bonderer et al. (2020/0172747; “Bonderer”) and further in view of Niimi et al. (2017/0152404; “Niimi”), as applied in the rejection of claim 1, and further in view of Hayashi, Tetsuya (2016/0266307; “Hayashi”).
Regarding claim 10, Hayashi discloses in figure 1A, and related figures and text, for example, Hayashi – Selected Text, glass fiber embodiments that a plurality of the cores.
Hayashi – Figure 1A
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Hayashi – Selected Text
Abstract. The present embodiment relates to a multi-core optical fiber and others having an excellent transmission capacity per unit cross-sectional area and spectral efficiency and being easy to manufacture. The multi-core optical fiber has a plurality of cores, a cladding, and a coating and has an appropriately-set neighboring core pitch, cable cutoff wavelength, confinement index of light into each core, cladding outer diameter, and neighboring intercore power coupling coefficient, and a relationship among a minimum of Formula Λ/(r.sub.clad−OCT.sub.min), a maximum of the Formula, and a core count is present under a predetermined relationship.
[0036] FIG. 1A is a drawing showing the cross-sectional structure of the multi-core optical fiber 1. In FIG. 1A, the multi-core optical fiber 1 has a plurality of cores 10 each extending along the fiber axis (the central axis of the multi-core optical fiber 1), a common cladding 20 (which will be referred to hereinafter simply as cladding) covering each of the plurality of cores 10, and a coating 30 provided around the outer periphery of the common cladding 20. FIG. 1A shows the example wherein the core count is seven. In the fiber cross section of FIG. 1A, six cores 10 are arranged around one core 10 located at the center (position of an intersection with the fiber axis AX). Namely, in the fiber cross section of FIG. 1A, the seven cores 10 are arranged in an equilateral-triangular lattice pattern. Each of the plurality of cores 10 has the refractive index higher than that of the common cladding 20. The cores 10 and cladding 20 are comprised of silica glass and, the cores 10 or the cladding 20 is doped with an impurity for adjustment of refractive index. The coating is comprised of a material other than silica glass, e.g., resin or the like.
Consequently, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Tachibana in view of Bonderer, and further in view of Niimi’s embodiments, as applied in the rejection of claim 1, to disclose that the glass fiber has a plurality of cores; Hayashi, figure 1A, and related figures and text, for example, Hayashi – Selected Text; Tachibana, figures 1-3, and related text, for example, Tachibana – Selected Text; Bonderer – Selected Text; Niimi – Selected Text; because the resulting configuration would facilitate enhancing transmission capacities. Hayashi, abstract.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER RADKOWSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-1613. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 9-5. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hollweg, can be reached on (571) 270-1739. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/PETER RADKOWSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874