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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-10 and 16-20) in the reply filed on 6/16/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 11-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 9/23/2024, 10/08/2024, 11/24/2024, 6/4/2025, 1/7/2026 and 3/11/2026 have been considered by the examiner. Initialed copies accompany this action.
Drawings
The Drawings filed 5/24/2024 are approved by the examiner.
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 7 and 20 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.
Claims 7 and 20 recite the limitation “wherein filling with the metal in the metal filling step is a treatment performed on a region from a bottom of the pore to a middle of an opening portion out of an entire region from the bottom of the pore to the opening portion.” A claim is indefinite when it contains words or phrases whose meaning is unclear. In re Packard, 751 F.3d 1307, 1314, 110 USPQ 2d 1785, 1789 (Fed. Cir. 2014). How the treatment is performed is unclear.
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, 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 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 1-6, 8-10, 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Hotta et al. (US2017/0125330) in view of Kuznetsov et al (Int. J. Corros. Scale Inhib., 2016, 5, no. 4, 282–318)
Regarding claim 1, Hotta discloses a method for producing a metal nanowire, the method comprising: an anodization step of forming an anodized film having pores on a surface of a valve metal substrate (para 0242-249); a metal filling step of filling the pores with a metal (para 0265); a mold removing step of removing the anodized film and the valve metal substrate to obtain an acicular metal (para 0266-0270). Hotta does not disclose a protective layer forming step of forming a protective layer containing a corrosion inhibitor on the acicular metal. Kutznetsov discloses a step of forming a protective layer containing a corrosion inhibitor on metal surfaces to prevent the corrosion of the metal (Abstract and page 289). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filling ate of the invention to add to the method for producing a metal nanowire of Hotta a step of forming a protective layer containing a corrosion inhibitor on metal surfaces taught by Kuznetsov, to prevent the metal nanowire from corrosion.
Regarding claim 2, Hotta discloses the method for producing a metal nanowire according to claim 1, further comprising, between the mold removing step and the protective layer forming step: a step of reducing or removing a surface oxide layer of the acicular metal (para 0177-181).
Regarding claims 3 and 16, Hotta discloses the method for producing a metal nanowire according to claim 1, wherein the valve metal substrate includes aluminum (para 0242-249).
Regarding claims 4 and 17, Hotta discloses the method for producing a metal nanowire according to claim 1, wherein the metal filling step includes a plating step (para 0113-114).
Regarding claims 5 and 18, Hotta discloses the method for producing a metal nanowire according to claim 1, wherein the mold removing step includes a two-stage removal step of removing the valve metal substrate and then removing the anodized film (para 0147-149, 0177-181).
Regarding claims 6 and 19, Hotta discloses the method for producing a metal nanowire according to claim 1, wherein the mold removing step includes a dissolution step (para 0149).
Regarding claims 8-10, Kuznetsov discloses the method for producing a metal nanowire according to claim 1, wherein the corrosion inhibitor includes a heterocyclic compound containing at least one of a nitrogen atom or a sulfur atom (1,2,3-benzotriazole, page 289), wherein the corrosion inhibitor includes at least one of a polar group-containing acid or a polar group-containing base, and wherein the corrosion inhibitor includes a carboxy group (abstract, myristic acid, stearic acid, page 291).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAIDUNG D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5455. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 10a-3p.
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, Angela Brown-Pettigrew can be reached at 571-272-2817. 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.
/HAIDUNG D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761
9/2/2026
Prosecution Insights