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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-26 are pending. Note that, Applicant’s response filed July 14, 2026, has been entered.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group III, claims 19-26, in the reply filed on July 14, 2026, is acknowledged.
Claims 1-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 14, 2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 19-26 are objected to because of the following informalities:
With respect to instant claim 19, line 5, it is suggested that Applicant delete “[I]” and insert “(I)”.
With respect to instant claim 19, line 6, it is suggested that Applicant delete “[II]” and insert “(II)”.
With respect to instant claim 19, line 7, it is suggested that Applicant delete “[III]” and insert “(III)”.
With respect to instant claim 23, it is suggested that Applicant delete the parentheses following Formula (Z), (Y), and (Y1). Note that, instant claims 20-22 and 24-26 have also been objected to due to their dependency on claim 19.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
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 19-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO2020/166703. Note that, Ogino et al (US 2022/0010242) is a 371 application of WO2020/023803 and has been used as an English language translation of WO2020/023803.
With respect to independent, instant claim 1, ‘703 teaches a cleaning agent composition for use in removal of a polysiloxane adhesive remaining on a substrate, the composition containing a tetrahydrocarbylammonium fluoride and an organic solvent, wherein the organic solvent contains an aromatic compound represented by formula (1) and a lactam compound represented by formula (2). See Abstract. Note that, formula (1) and formula (2) are the same as recited by the instant claims. See paras. 23-34. Specific examples of the aromatic compound represented by formula (1) include, but are not limited to, 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,5-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (mesitylene), 4-ethyltoluene, 4-n-propyltoluene, 4-isopropyltoluene, 4-n-butyltoluene, 4-s-butyltoluene, 4-isobutyltoluene, and 4-t-butyltoluene. See para. 32. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lactam compound represented by formula (2) includes a 1-alkyl-2-pyrrolidone (N-alkyl-γ-butyrolactam). In a more preferred embodiment, the lactam compound includes N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) or N-ethylpyrrolidone (NEP). In a still more preferred embodiment, the lactam compound includes N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). See para. 37. Specific examples of the tetraalkylammonium fluoride include, but are not limited to, tetramethylammonium fluoride, tetraethylammonium fluoride, tetrapropylammonium fluoride, and tetrabutylammonium fluoride. Of these, tetrabutylammonium fluoride is preferred. See para. 26. Specifically, Ogino et al teach a solvent mixture of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (dehydrate) (product of Kanto Chemical Co., Inc.) (47.5 g) and mesitylene (product of Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) (47.5 g) was added to tetrabutylammonium fluoride trihydrate (product of Kanto Chemical Co., Inc.) (5 g), and the thus-obtained mixture was agitated, to thereby prepare a cleaning agent composition. See para. 150. Ogino et al disclose the claimed invention with sufficient specificity to constitute anticipation.
Accordingly, the teachings of Ogino et al anticipate the material limitations of independent, instant claim 1 and the respective dependent claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Remaining references cited but not relied upon are considered to be cumulative to or less pertinent than those relied upon or discussed above.
Applicant is reminded that any evidence to be presented in accordance with 37 CFR 1.131 or 1.132 should be submitted before final rejection in order to be considered timely.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY R DEL COTTO whose telephone number is (571)272-1312. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30am-6:00pm, EST.
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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.
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/GREGORY R DELCOTTO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761
/G.R.D/September 8, 2026
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