DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 of U.S. Application No. 18/762,405 filed on 07/02/2024 are presented for examination.
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 claims 1-20 in the reply filed on 03/18/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 21 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group /Invention II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/18/2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the graphene layer” should read “a graphene layer, or claim 9 should depend on claim 4 where it has antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-2, 4, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pan, Kai et al. (CN 109586608; Hereinafter, “Kai”).
Regarding claim 1: Kai discloses a triboelectric nanogenerator (abstract, line 1) comprising: a single substrate layer (the elastomer layer in fig. 1); a single electrode layer (electrode in fig. 1, made of graphene); and a single tribolayer (nanofiber layer in fig. 1 made of Polyimide); wherein the single electrode layer (graphene) and the single tribolayer (PI) are bonded by hydrogen bonds (since PI has electronegative oxygen and Nitrogen atoms, graphene by moisture will form a hydrogen bond with the PI).
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Regarding claim 2/1: Kai discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the single substrate layer is the base layer (the Elastomer layer in fig. 1) , the single electrode layer is the middle layer, and the single tribolayer (the nanofiber layer) is the surface layer (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4/1: Kai discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the single electrode layer is a graphene layer (see excerpt from Kai below).
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Regarding claim 7/1: Kai discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the single tribolayer comprises a film (see excerpt from Kai below).
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kai in view of Turng et al. (US 2018/0013358; Hereinafter, “Turng”).
Regarding claim 5: Kai discloses the limitations of claim 1 but does not disclose that the single tribolayer is a nanocellulose layer.
Turng (see para [0010]) teaches forming the single tribolayer is a nanocellulose layer.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the triboelectric nanogenerator of Kai with the single tribolayer is a nanocellulose layer as disclosed by Turng to produce a stable output generator from an environment friendly materials.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kai.
Regarding claims 8, 9, and 10: Kai discloses the limitations of claim 1 but does not specifically disclose that the single tribolayer has a thickness from 1.5 to 20 pm; the graphene layer has a thickness from 3 to 8 pm; and the device output voltage is greater than 500 V.
However, the Examiner notes that thethickness of the tribolayer, the graphene layer, and the output voltage are a result effective variables. The dimensions of the tribolayer, and the graphene determines the output voltage. A person having ordinary skill in the art using a simulation program can enter the desired outputs, and find out the dimensions of the tribolayer, and the graphene layer.
That being said, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have set the thickenss of the tribolayer, and the graphene layer as claimed to reach the desired output voltage.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3/1, 6/5/1 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 11-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 11: the limitations of claim 11, “…a first component having a positive tribolayer; and a second component having a negative tribolayer, wherein each of the first component and the second component comprise: a substrate layer; an electrode layer; and a tribolayer; wherein the electrode layer and the tribolayer of the first component are bonded by hydrogen bonds” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior arts in record. Claims 12-20 are allowable for depending on claim 11.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED ELNAKIB whose telephone number is (571)270-0638. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AHMED ELNAKIB/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2834
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