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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 102, and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 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.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 8 July 2026 and 22 July 2026 have been entered.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6 August 2026 has been considered by the examiner.
Status of the Claims
Any rejections and/or objections made in the previous Office Action, and not repeated below, are hereby withdrawn.
Claims 1, 3-6, and 8 are currently pending.
Claims 1 and 3-5 have been withdrawn.
Claims 2 and 7 have been cancelled.
Claims 6 and 8 are currently rejected.
Claims 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or second paragraph.
Claims 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uehara et al., US 2009/0197754 A1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b) or second paragraph
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 6 and 8 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.
The term “solarization suppression property” in claim 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “solarization suppression property” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. What level of solarization suppression is required to read on the instant claim? 1% suppression, 10% suppression, 50% suppression, or even 90% suppression? There is no guidance what would or would not read on a “solarization suppression property”.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uehara et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication, US 2009/0197754 A1.
Uehara et al. disclose a glass comprising in mass%: 5-22% of B2O3, 15-50% of La2O3, 0.01-15% of TiO2, 5-40% of Nb2O5, 0.1-25% of Ta2O5, 0-10% of SiO2, 0-10% of GeO2, 0-10% of Al2O3, 0-16% of Gd2O3, 0-15% of ZrO2, 0-22% of WO3, 0-1% of Sb2O3 0-20% of Y2O3, 0-15% of Yb2O3, 0-20% of ZnO, 0-15% of CaO, 0-15% of SrO, 0-15% of BaO, 0-<3% of Li2O, 0-8% of Na2O, and 0-11% of K2O. See Abstract and the entire specification, specifically, paragraphs [0015] and [0016]. Uehara et al. disclose the glass is an optical glass. See paragraph [0012]. The compositional ranges of Uehara et al. are sufficiently specific to anticipate the glass as recited in claims 6 and 8. See MPEP 2131.03.
As to claim 6, Uehara et al. disclose Examples 1-5, 8, 11, 13-36, 41-61, and 63-78 (see Tables 1-10 and the below table which shows the examples in terms of mole percentages), which reads on the glass comprising in terms of mol%: at least 20% of La2O3, 5-40% of Nb2O5, 0-14% of TiO2, 0-40% of taa2o5, at least 50 mol% of La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3, 0-25% of SiO2, and at most 50% B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2, as recited in instant claim 6. Since the composition of the reference is the same as those claimed herein it follows that the glasses of Uehara et al. would inherently possess the absolute value of Db* as recited in claim 6. See MPEP 2112.
It is well settled that when a claimed composition appears to be substantially the same as a composition disclosed in the prior art, the burden is properly upon the applicant to prove by way of tangible evidence that the prior art composition does not necessarily possess characteristics attributed to the CLAIMED composition. In re Spada, 911 F.2d 705, 15 USPQ2d 1655 (Fed. Circ. 1990); In re Fitzgerald, 619 F.2d 67, 205 USPQ 594 (CCPA 1980); In re Swinehart, 439 F.2d 2109, 169 USPQ 226 (CCPA 1971).
Products of identical composition may not have mutually exclusive properties. In re Spada 15 USPQ2d 1655,1658 (Fed. Circ. 1990).
As to claim 8, Uehara et al. disclose the glass is an optical glass (see paragraph [0012]), which reads on the glass being an optical glass material.
Mol%
Ex. 1
Ex. 2
Ex. 3
Ex. 4
Ex. 5
Ex. 6
Ex. 7
Ex. 8
Ex. 9
Ex. 10
La2O3
22.42
21.61
21.93
21.49
20.57
18.96
19.84
21.17
17.84
15.02
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.56
5.15
TiO2
5.12
4.93
5.01
4.91
4.69
4.33
4.53
4.83
4.72
4.73
ZrO2
10.23
9.85
10.00
9.80
9.38
8.65
9.04
9.65
9.43
9.46
Nb2O5
17.94
20.94
17.54
17.19
16.74
18.38
15.87
16.94
16.55
16.60
Ta2O5
4.48
4.32
6.61
4.29
4.11
3.79
3.97
4.23
4.14
4.15
WO3
0.00
0.00
0.00
4.17
0.00
0.00
3.85
0.00
0.00
0.00
B2O3
20.52
19.78
20.07
19.68
26.81
29.59
25.85
19.36
26.96
27.04
SiO2
5.14
4.93
5.00
4.90
4.72
4.34
4.54
4.86
4.75
4.76
GeO2
14.08
13.57
13.77
13.50
12.92
11.90
12.46
13.30
12.99
13.03
Sb2O3
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
5.60
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
60.19
61.65
61.08
61.85
55.50
54.11
57.09
56.82
55.24
55.11
B2O3 Sum*
39.74
38.28
38.85
38.08
44.44
45.83
42.85
37.52
44.70
44.83
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Mol%
Ex. 11
Ex. 12
Ex. 13
Ex. 14
Ex.15
Ex. 16
Ex. 17
Ex. 18
Ex.19
Ex. 20
La2O3
21.20
19.68
20.15
24.00
23.62
20.89
21.08
21.79
22.42
21.35
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TiO2
4.83
4.50
4.60
5.47
5.38
4.77
4.80
4.98
5.11
4.87
ZrO2
9.67
8.97
9.19
3.94
3.87
9.53
9.61
9.94
10.22
9.73
Nb2O5
16.97
19.07
16.12
19.20
20.49
16.72
16.86
17.43
17.94
17.08
Ta2O5
4.24
3.94
4.03
4.80
4.72
2.90
2.07
4.35
4.48
0.79
WO3
0.00
0.00
3.91
0.00
0.00
4.05
4.09
0.00
0.00
4.14
B2O3
24.87
26.92
24.68
21.95
21.61
23.18
23.37
28.38
32.11
23.67
SiO2
4.84
4.50
4.62
5.49
5.40
4.79
4.82
5.00
5.13
4.88
GeO2
13.32
12.37
12.65
15.08
14.83
13.12
13.24
8.06
2.52
13.41
Sb2O3
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.07
0.07
0.07
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
56.91
56.16
57.99
57.40
58.08
58.86
58.51
58.49
60.18
57.97
B2O3 Sum*
43.03
43.78
41.94
42.52
41.84
41.08
41.43
41.44
39.75
41.96
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Mol%
Ex. 21
Ex. 22
Ex. 23
Ex. 24
Ex. 25
Ex. 26
Ex. 27
Ex. 28
Ex. 29
Ex. 30
La2O3
22.94
22.26
22.18
22.25
21.72
21.64
21.70
21.60
21.66
21.61
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TiO2
5.22
5.09
5.05
5.08
4.96
4.93
4.96
4.94
4.93
4.93
ZrO2
3.77
3.65
10.12
10.15
9.91
9.87
9.90
9.85
9.87
9.85
Nb2O5
18.35
19.31
17.75
17.80
17.38
17.32
17.36
17.28
17.11
16.85
Ta2O5
4.59
4.45
4.43
4.45
3.02
1.69
4.34
4.32
5.21
5.64
WO3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.68
3.36
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
B2O3
25.43
26.10
29.75
30.71
28.28
28.18
25.44
22.55
30.04
29.98
SiO2
5.24
5.10
4.34
5.09
4.96
4.95
8.21
11.39
4.95
4.94
GeO2
14.40
13.97
6.30
4.41
8.04
8.01
8.03
7.99
6.16
6.14
Sb2O3
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
54.86
54.75
59.54
59.72
58.65
58.79
58.25
57.99
58.79
58.88
B2O3 Sum*
45.07
45.18
40.39
40.21
41.28
41.14
41.69
41.94
41.15
41.06
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Mol%
Ex. 31
Ex. 32
Ex. 33
Ex. 34
Ex. 35
Ex. 36
Ex. 37
Ex. 38
Ex. 39
Ex. 40
La2O3
21.56
21.51
22.39
22.44
20.29
20.41
18.90
17.34
19.34
18.01
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TiO2
4.91
4.91
5.10
5.12
5.04
5.08
5.16
5.26
5.11
5.08
ZrO2
9.83
9.81
10.21
10.23
10.09
10.14
10.32
10.51
10.22
10.17
Nb2O5
16.59
16.34
18.14
18.41
17.70
17.24
16.97
16.69
16.80
16.72
Ta2O5
6.07
6.49
3.57
3.12
5.78
5.81
7.30
8.83
5.85
5.83
WO3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.74
3.46
B2O3
29.91
29.84
29.02
29.08
29.68
29.85
29.66
29.45
29.36
29.22
SiO2
4.93
4.93
5.14
5.14
5.07
5.09
5.18
5.28
5.13
5.11
GeO2
6.13
6.11
6.36
6.38
6.28
6.32
6.44
6.55
6.37
6.34
Sb2O3
0.06
0.06
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
58.96
59.06
59.41
59.33
58.90
58.68
58.65
58.64
59.06
59.27
B2O3 Sum*
40.98
40.88
40.52
40.60
41.03
41.25
41.28
41.29
40.87
40.66
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Mol%
Ex. 41
Ex. 42
Ex. 43
Ex. 44
Ex. 45
Ex. 46
Ex. 47
Ex. 48
Ex. 49
Ex. 50
La2O3
21.91
22.24
22.25
22.39
22.82
21.42
21.33
21.09
20.87
20.64
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TiO2
4.99
4.77
6.87
4.66
4.36
2.87
5.40
5.52
5.67
5.81
ZrO2
9.98
9.52
9.42
9.30
8.70
10.61
10.78
11.04
11.32
11.63
Nb2O5
15.25
16.71
16.52
18.25
18.89
18.63
16.68
16.37
16.07
15.76
Ta2O5
4.38
4.17
4.13
4.08
3.82
4.65
4.73
4.84
4.97
5.10
WO3
3.97
2.27
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
B2O3
28.21
29.54
30.17
30.79
31.57
29.81
28.88
28.64
28.31
27.93
SiO2
5.02
4.77
4.72
4.68
4.37
5.33
5.42
5.55
5.69
5.83
GeO2
6.23
5.94
5.86
5.79
5.43
6.61
6.72
6.88
7.06
7.25
Sb2O3
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
60.48
59.69
59.18
58.67
58.58
58.18
58.93
58.86
58.88
58.94
B2O3 Sum*
39.45
40.25
40.76
41.27
41.36
41.75
41.01
41.08
41.05
41.00
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Mol%
Ex. 51
Ex. 52
Ex. 53
Ex. 54
Ex. 55
Ex. 56
Ex. 57
Ex. 58
Ex. 59
Ex. 60
La2O3
21.47
21.84
20.88
20.59
21.08
21.40
21.40
21.01
20.75
21.18
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TiO2
5.61
5.73
4.52
3.44
5.91
6.02
6.02
5.50
5.43
5.54
ZrO2
11.23
11.42
11.37
11.74
11.82
12.03
12.03
10.99
10.86
11.08
Nb2O5
16.66
16.95
16.88
17.41
16.06
16.34
16.34
16.30
16.10
16.44
Ta2O5
4.92
5.01
4.99
5.15
5.18
5.27
5.27
4.82
4.76
4.86
WO3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
B2O3
30.95
33.24
28.49
28.40
30.31
32.82
32.82
25.92
17.87
31.39
SiO2
5.64
5.75
5.71
5.89
5.94
6.05
6.05
8.55
17.40
2.53
GeO2
3.47
0.00
7.09
7.32
3.64
0.00
0.00
6.86
6.77
6.91
Sb2O3
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
59.89
60.95
58.65
58.32
60.04
61.07
61.07
58.61
57.89
59.10
B2O3 Sum*
40.05
38.99
41.28
41.62
39.89
38.87
38.87
41.32
42.04
40.83
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Mol%
Ex. 61
Ex. 62
Ex. 63
Ex. 64
Ex. 65
Ex. 66
Ex. 67
Ex. 68
Ex. 69
Ex. 70
La2O3
20.34
19.95
20.71
20.33
21.00
21.97
21.23
21.47
21.21
21.58
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TiO2
5.32
5.22
5.42
5.32
5.49
5.75
5.55
5.61
8.98
5.66
ZrO2
10.64
10.44
10.83
10.64
10.98
6.87
11.10
11.23
6.64
6.75
Nb2O5
14.22
13.94
16.07
15.78
16.29
17.05
16.48
16.67
16.46
18.49
Ta2O5
8.64
6.37
2.73
0.69
0.82
0.86
2.08
3.36
0.83
0.84
WO3
0.00
4.02
3.86
7.58
7.61
7.97
5.32
2.99
7.69
7.82
B2O3
28.78
28.23
28.12
27.61
32.21
33.69
32.58
32.95
32.54
33.11
SiO2
5.35
5.25
5.45
5.35
5.53
5.79
5.60
5.66
5.59
5.69
GeO2
6.64
6.51
6.76
6.64
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Sb2O3
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
59.16
59.94
59.61
60.34
62.19
60.45
61.77
61.33
61.81
61.14
B2O3 Sum*
40.77
39.99
40.33
39.60
37.75
39.48
38.17
38.60
38.13
38.80
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Mol%
Ex. 71
Ex. 72
Ex. 73
Ex. 74
Ex. 75
Ex. 76
Ex. 77
Ex. 78
La2O3
20.30
20.52
20.75
21.45
21.69
21.86
21.60
22.11
Gd2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TiO2
8.61
8.70
8.80
9.08
9.19
9.26
10.33
12.01
ZrO2
10.63
10.74
10.86
6.71
6.79
6.84
3.72
0.00
Nb2O5
15.76
15.93
16.10
16.65
16.84
16.97
16.77
17.16
Ta2O5
0.79
2.01
3.24
2.10
3.40
4.28
0.85
0.87
WO3
7.36
5.15
2.89
5.38
3.02
1.41
7.84
8.02
B2O3
31.15
31.49
31.84
32.91
33.29
33.55
33.14
33.94
SiO2
5.35
5.40
5.46
5.66
5.72
5.76
5.69
5.83
GeO2
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Sb2O3
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.07
0.07
Al2O3
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
La2O3 Sum*
63.44
63.04
62.64
61.37
60.93
60.62
61.10
60.16
B2O3 Sum*
36.50
36.90
37.30
38.57
39.01
39.32
38.83
39.77
La2O3 Sum* = La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3+Yb2O3+Ga2O3+TiO2+ZrO2+Nb2O5+Ta2O5+WO3
B2O3 Sum* = B2O3+SiO2+P2O5+GeO2
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8 July 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant's argument that the glass of Uehara et al. is an optical glass and discloses the optical properties such as refractive index and Abbe number while silent to the change in chromaticity after ultraviolet irradiation, the fact that the inventor has recognized another advantage which would flow naturally from following the suggestion of the prior art cannot be the basis for patentability when the differences would otherwise be obvious. See Ex parte Obiaya, 227 USPQ 58, 60 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1985).
Furthermore, in response to applicant's argument that Uehara et al. fail to teach or suggest that the glasses undergoes a heat treatment or when the glass material undergoes irradiation, a recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. There is no evidence that the glasses of Uehara would not result in the same structure as instantly claimed.
Finally, when the reference discloses all the limitations of a claim except a property or function, and the examiner cannot determine whether or not the reference inherently possesses properties which anticipate or render obvious the claimed invention but has basis for shifting the burden of proof to applicant as in In re Fitzgerald, 619 F.2d 67, 205 USPQ 594 (CCPA 1980). See MPEP § 2112- 2112.02.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Elizabeth A. Bolden whose telephone number is (571)272-1363. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am to 6:30 pm M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amber R. Orlando can be reached at 571-270-3149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Elizabeth A. Bolden/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1731
EAB
19 September 2026
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