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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-5 in the reply filed 09/16/2025 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US20170358461A1.
Regarding claims 1-5, US20170358461A1 discloses specific examples of the fluorine-containing thiol compound having an aromatic ring and 6 to 20 carbon atoms include trifluoromethylbenzenethiol (e.g., 4-trifluoromethylbenzenethiol and 3-trifluoromethylbenzenethiol). See [0096].
4-trifluoromethylbenzenethiol has the following structure:
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The 4-trifluoromethylbenzenethiol containing a benzene ring (aromatic ring), a thiol group (adsorbing group) bonded to the benzene ring, and a trifluoromethyl group (fluorinated alkyl group) bonded to the benzene ring.
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.
Conclusion
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/SHUANGYI ABU ALI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1731