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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claims 12-14, the base claim is for a rubber composition, the golf ball parameters do not further limit the composition. Claims 13-14, no antecedent basis for the core.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shindo et al. (2020/0001143) in view of Miyazaki et al. (2019/0048175). Claim 1, Shindo discloses a rubber composition for golf balls, comprising (a) a base rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent which is an alpha, beta unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof or both, (c) an organic peroxide (crosslinking initiator), and (d) water (abstract). Shindo further discloses at least 0.1 parts of a hindered phenol-type antioxidant based on 100 parts rubber [0054]. Shindo does not disclose the antioxidant having a thioether structure. Miyazaki teaches a rubber composition comprising antioxidants such as Antage HP-500 and Irganox 1520L [0065], which are identical to applicant’s antioxidant with a thioether structure, see instant spec [0070]. One of ordinary skill in the art would include the antioxidant comprising a thioether structure for the desired durability. Claims 2-5, Miyazaki teaches a rubber composition comprising antioxidants such as Antage HP-500 and Irganox 1520L [0065], which are identical to applicant’s antioxidant with a thioether structure, see instant spec [0070]. The properties will also be identical. Claim 6, Shindo discloses an antioxidant which is a benzoimidazole of general formula (II) (see claim) or a metal salt thereof or both. R is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms and m is an integer from 1 to 4, with each R being the same or different when m is 2 or more [0046-0047]. Claim 7, Shindo discloses the antioxidant is selected from the group consisting of 2-mercaptobenzoimidazole, 2-mercaptomethylbenzoimidazole, and metal salts thereof [0047]. One of ordinary skill in the art would include the antioxidant comprising a thioether structure for the desired durability.
Claim(s) 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shindo et al. (2020/0001143) in view of Miyazaki et al. (2019/0048175), and further in view of Shindo et al. (2021/0379450). Claim 8, Shindo in view of Miyazaki does not disclose (g) a sulfur or alkylphenoldisulfide. Shindo ‘450 teaches a rubber composition comprising a sulfur or an organosulfur which is alkylphenoldisulfide polymers represented by the general formula (III) (see claim). R is an alkyl group and n is the degree of polymerization in a range of 2 to 20 [0065, 0067]. One of ordinary skill in the art would have included an additional organosulfur for enhanced processing. Claim 9, Shindo ‘450 teaches R in the general formula (III) is an lower alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl,iso-propyl, n-butyl, tert-butyl, n-amyl (pentyl), iso-amyl (pentyl), tert-amyl (pentyl), sec- isoamyl, neopentyl, n-hexyl, iso-hexyl, tert-hexyl groups [0065]. Claim 10, Shindo ‘450 teaches amylphenoldisulfide polymers. Claim 11, Shindo ‘143 discloses an organosulfur differing from component (g) [0051]. One of ordinary skill in the art would have included an additional organosulfur for enhanced processing.
Conclusion
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/RAEANN GORDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
February 17, 2026