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 .
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 11-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhai et al. (Diamond & Related Materials, 120 (2021), 108664, pp. 1-12, as supplied by applicants).
Regarding claims 11 and 14-17
Zhai discloses aluminum/nanodiamond composite powders (i.e., nanodiamond particles incorporated into particles of aluminum metal powders) reinforced by 2.5 % nanodiamond and fabricated by ball milling (i.e., a process which would uniformly disperse the nanodiamond particles in the aluminum-based matrix) to followed by hot pressing (i.e., sintered) form a laminated structure (abstract).
Zhai discloses nanodiamond has an average particle size of 7 nm (3.1 Characterization of ND before and after annealing).
Regarding claim 12
This only further limits the claim when an alloy is used.
Regarding claim 13
Zhai discloses that the nanodiamond is formed from detonation (Introduction).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES E MCDONOUGH whose telephone number is (571)272-6398. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-10.
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JAMES E. MCDONOUGH
Examiner
Art Unit 1734
/JAMES E MCDONOUGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1734
