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 .
Note
Applicant’s response to the Notice of Non-Compliant filed on 02/08/2026 has been fully considered. Claims 1-5 are canceled, claims 6-9 are added and claims 6-9 are pending.
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.
Claims 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hyman (US 2003/0035917 A1) as evidenced by Lastusaari et al. (US 2020/0386899 A1).
Claim 6: Hyman teaches an image formed of a composition comprising a polymer [1050] and hackmanite as a fluorescent material [1070], wherein the hackmanite fluoresces bright orange with long wave UV light [1070]. The hackmanite meets the claimed visible indicator.
Claim 7: Hyman teaches the hackmanite fluoresces bright orange with long wave UV light [1070].
Claim 8: Hyman teaches the hackmanite fluoresces bright orange with long wave UV light [1070]. The long wave UV light meets the claimed UVA LED because evidence shows that the wavelength of UVA is generally considered to be 315-400 nm, the wavelength of UVB is generally considered to be 280-320 and the wavelength of UVC is generally considered to be 100-290 nm (see [0048] of Lastusaari). Lastusaari shows UVA has longer wave than UVB and UVC.
Claim 9: Hyman teaches the hackmanite fluoresces bright orange with long wave UV light [1070].
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BETELHEM SHEWAREGED whose telephone number is (571)272-1529. The examiner can normally be reached Monday -Friday 7am-4:30pm.
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, Mark Ruthkosky can be reached at 571-272-1291. 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.
BS
February 24, 2026
/BETELHEM SHEWAREGED/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1785