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
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “ from >20 to 150 m2/g” should read “from 20 to 150 m2/g”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: “ from >18 to <150 m2/g” should read “ from 18 to 150 m2/g”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: “ from >8% by weight to <30 % by weight” should read “from 8% to 30% by weight”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities: “ from >100°C to <300°C” should read “from 100°C to 300°C”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 14, 19 and 20 are objected for the claims are directed to multiple subject matters in one claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 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.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wittmann et al (US 2018/0340074, ‘074 hereafter).
Regarding claims 1-11 and 13-20, ‘074 discloses a vulcanizable rubber composition, a vulcanized rubber, a rubber article and a method of making the same, comprising a rubber component being a sulfur-crosslinkable synthetic rubber SSBR as in present claims 1, 2 and 16 (Table 7, Examples A to D), a filler component being organic filler of hydrothermally treated lignin in a temperature of 80 to 240°C (Table 3), which has a 14C content in a range from 0.20 to 0.45 Bq/g of carbon ([0031]-[0034], [0047]-[0070], [0250]-[0251], Table 1, Table 6, Table 7, Example A to D), a preferred STSA surface in a range of 18 to 70 m2/g ([0062], Table 6, Examples 1 and 6), which render the BET surface area of the filler being in a preferred range from 22 to 77 m2/g, ([0063], BET is 10% different from STSA, or Table 6, Example 6), and D99 less than 25 microns (Table 6), satisfying present claims 1, 3, 6 and 17; a vulcanization system being sulfur in a content of 1.5 phr satisfying present claims 1 and 10 ([0141], Table 7, Examples A-D); and at least one organosilane being TESPT satisfying general formula (II) as in the present claims 7-8 and 18 in an amount satisfying present claim 9 ([0125], [0126], [0261], Table 7, Example B to D, Si69 3.2/40=8 wt%). ‘074 also discloses that the organic filler has carbon and oxygen content falling with in the present claimed ranges as in present claim 4 (Table 2), and the content of the filler in the rubber composition can be 40 phr satisfying present claim 5. ‘074 also discloses that the rubber composition further includes a crosslinking accelerator being DPG and/or CBS satisfying present claim 11 (Table 7, [0261]).
Regarding claim 12, ‘074 also discloses that the rubber composition can be formed from two separated components satisfying present claim 12 ([0262]-[0264]).
Relevant Prior Art
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Lahtinen et al (US2019/0284375) and (US 2018/0334568). Lahtinen discloses a tire or pneumatic tire comprising a rubber composition containing a rubber component, a hydrothermally treated lignin and other components generally include in a vulcanizable rubber composition ([0012]-[0037] of ‘375 and [0011]-[0036] of ‘568).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RUIYUN ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-7934. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00-5:00 PM.
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/RUIYUN ZHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1782
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