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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 2, the clause “, characterized in that, comprising the following steps:” is grammatically incoherent. The Office recommends that “,characterized in that,” be stricken. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 4, an “and” should be inserted before “the tungsten source”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 4, an “and” should be inserted before “a molar ratio”. Appropriate correction is required.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: “dopped” in [0001] appears to be a misspelling of “doped”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 claims a process for producing a spindle-shaped W@CuO material with adjustable included angle. This limitation is indefinite because it makes reference to an object that is variable that is insufficiently defined. One of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of what ranges of included angle would be considered infringement of the claim.
Claim 1 contains the limitation to a process obtaining a spindle-shaped W@CuO material with adjustable angle which is indefinite because it is unclear which angle of the spindle-shaped material adjustable refers. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of infringement of the claim based on which angle is adjusted.
Claims 2-19 depend on indefinite claim 1.
Claim 9 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 8, has an application in electrolyzing water to produce green hydrogen. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 8 or a further limitation to the method of claim 8 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Claim 10 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 8, has an application in preparing alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen evolution catalyst. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 8 or a further limitation to the method of claim 8 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Claim 14 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 11, has an application in electrolyzing water to produce green hydrogen. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 11 or a further limitation to the method of claim 11 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Claim 15 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 12, has an application in electrolyzing water to produce green hydrogen. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 12 or a further limitation to the method of claim 12 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Claim 16 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 13, has an application in electrolyzing water to produce green hydrogen. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 13 or a further limitation to the method of claim 13 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Claim 17 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 11, has an application in preparing alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen evolution catalyst. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 11 or a further limitation to the method of claim 11 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Claim 17 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 11, has an application in preparing alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen evolution catalyst. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 12 or a further limitation to the method of claim 12 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Claim 19 claims the spindle-shaped W@CuO material according to claim 13, has an application in preparing alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen evolution catalyst. This claim is indefinite because it is unclear whether the claim is a product-by-process claim for a spindle-shaped W@CuO material produced by the method according to claim 13 or a further limitation to the method of claim 13 to a property of the spindle-shaped W@CuO material that is produced by the method.
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Raba-Paez et al (Effect of tungsten doping on the structural, morphological and bactericidal properties of nanostructured CuO, PLoS ONE 15(9), (2020), 1-16).
Raba teaches a method for influencing the morphology of CuO nanomaterial by doping with W, the method comprising: Co-precipitation of copper nitrate and sodium tungstate dihydrate to obtain CuO/W using sodium hydroxide as a precipitating agent (see Abstract and Experimental). Raba further teaches CuO/W doping at 1%, 2%, and 4% precursor (see Experimental). Raba further teaches the morphological changes of CuO/W materials are lined to the doping ion inclusion where CuO/W at 1% comprises small particles, 2% comprises rice grain-like structures while CuO/W at 4% exhibits laminar structures (see Page 8 to 9 and Figure 5). Raba does not teach the method comprising steps (1)-(4) including the anionic surfactant, ultrasonication, microemulsion formation, and hydrothermal reaction as required in claim 1.
Raj et al (Facile synthesis of rice shaped CuO nanostructures for battery application, J. Mater. Sci: Mater Electron (2014) 25;1441-1445). Raj teaches a method for synthesis of rice shaped CuO nanostructures for battery application, the method comprising: mixing copper nitrate in double distilled water, mixing with urea, adding ammonia solution drop wise and precipitation under reflux (see Page 1442, Experimental procedure). Raj does not teach the method comprising steps (1)-(4) including the anionic surfactant, tungsten source, ultrasonication, microemulsion formation, and obtaining a W@CuO material as required in claim 1.
Tamam et al (Surfactant assisted synthesis of Mn-doped CuO: An efficient photocatalyst for environmental remediation, Ceramics Int. 48 (2022) 29589-29600). Tamam teaches a method for surfactant assisted hydrothermal synthesis of Mn-doped CuO, the method comprising dissolving manganese nitrate and copper nitrate in de-ionized water and mixing, adding a small volume of urea as a surfactant to control the shape and size of the material particles, and hydrothermal synthesis in an autoclave (see Abstract and Page 295590, 2.1. Fabrication of Mn-doped CuO). Tamam does not teach the method comprising steps (1)-(4) including the anionic surfactant, tungsten source, ultrasonication, microemulsion formation, and obtaining a spindle-shaped W@CuO material as required in claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL FORREST whose telephone number is (571)270-5833. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (10AM-6PM).
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/MICHAEL FORREST/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1738
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