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
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Claims 1-5 in the reply filed on 26 June 2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)). Claims 6-9 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 25 July 2024 and 01 June 2026 have been considered by the examiner.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
(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.
1. Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by JP 2016-122570 to Nakamura et al., an English translation of which is provided herewith and relied-upon herein, (“Nakamura”).
With regard to Claim 1, Nakamura teaches a method for producing a carbon-coated substrate comprising a step of heating a coating composition comprising a carboxylic acid anhydride and sulfuric acid in contact with the substrate (see ¶¶ [0036], [0051], [0062]-[0064], [0093], [0096]). Nakamura teaches examples wherein the concentration of sulfuric acid in the coating composition is within the claimed range (see ¶¶ [0092], [0096]).
With regard to Claim 2, Nakamura teaches an example wherein the concentration of carboxylic acid anhydride is within the claimed range (see ¶ [0092]).
With regard to Claim 3, Nakamura teaches heating at temperatures within the claimed range (see ¶¶ [0069]-[0070], [0093])
With regard to Claim 4, Nakamura teaches particulate substrates (see ¶ [0051]).
With regard to Claim 5, Nakamura teaches insulator substrates (see ¶ [0051]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael P Rodriguez whose telephone number is (571)270-3736. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 - 6:00 Eastern M-F.
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/Michael P. Rodriguez/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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