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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/31/2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 6, line 2, “the epoxy resin curing agent” should read “the dicyandiamide”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-4, 6-8, and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ono et al. (JP 2002/090993 A).
Regarding Claims 1-4, 7, and 10, Ono discloses a photosensitive resin composition comprising an epoxy based resin and at least one organic acid salt of dicyandiamide (paras 0010, 0012). The at least one organic acid salt of dicyandiamide each have a formula:
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88
283
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where X is hydrogen and Y includes (paras 0010 and 0017-0020):
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52
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or
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97
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or
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84
231
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The organic acid salt of dicyandiamide having Y that is
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52
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corresponds to the claimed “epoxy resin curing agent comprising amine groups comprising dicyandiamide”, and the other organic acid salts of dicyandiamide correspond to the claimed “dicyandiamide salt comprising an anion selected from sulfonate or phosphonate”.
While Ono does not disclose the onset temperature, since Ono discloses the resin composition as claimed, including epoxy resin, epoxy resin curing agent, and dicyandiamide salt as claimed, it would necessarily have onset temperature as claimed.
Regarding Claim 6, Ono discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. The at least one organic acid salts of dicyandiamide and epoxy resin are added to the composition separately (i.e. first and second part) (para 0034).
Regarding Claims 8, Ono discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. While Ono does not disclose the peak temperature, since Ono discloses the resin composition as claimed, including epoxy resin, epoxy resin curing agent, and dicyandiamide salt as claimed, it would necessarily have peak temperature as claimed.
Regarding Claim 11, Ono discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. Ono further discloses the use of the epoxy resin improves adhesion (para 0027) (i.e. the composition can function as an adhesive).
Regarding Claim 12, Ono discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. While Ono does not disclose the overlap shear of the composition, since Ono discloses the resin composition as claimed, including epoxy resin, epoxy resin curing agent, and dicyandiamide salt as claimed, it would necessarily have overlap shear as claimed.
Claims 1-4, 6-8, and 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Agag et al. (US 2020/0230854 A1).
Regarding Claims 1-2, 4, 6-7, and 10-11, Agag discloses an adhesive composition comprising aqueous emulsion of epoxy resin (para 0034) (i.e. first part), and an epoxy curative (i.e. second part) such as a mixture of dicyandiamide and phosphonium salts thereof (para 0036).
While Agag does not disclose the onset temperature, since Agag discloses the resin composition as claimed, including epoxy resin, dicyandiamide, and phosphonium salt of dicyandiamide as claimed, it would necessarily have onset temperature as claimed.
Regarding Claim 3, Agag discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. Agag further discloses the mixture of epoxy curatives may further include an amine salt of p-toluenesulfonic acid (para 0036).
Since the composition includes an aqueous solution, the phosphonium salt of dicyandiamide and the amine salt of p-toluenesulfonic acid would dissolve into their respective ions, including sulfonate anion as claimed.
Regarding Claims 8, Agag discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. While Agag does not disclose the peak temperature, since Agag discloses the resin composition as claimed, including epoxy resin, dicyandiamide, and phosphonium salt of dicyandiamide as claimed, it would necessarily have peak temperature as claimed.
Regarding Claim 12, Agag discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. While Agag does not disclose the overlap shear of the composition, since Agag discloses the resin composition as claimed, including epoxy resin, dicyandiamide, and phosphonium salt of dicyandiamide as claimed, it would necessarily have overlap shear as claimed.
Regarding Claims 13-14, Agag discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to claim 1 above. Agag further discloses the adhesive is used to bond a rigid substrate to a plastic/elastomer (para 0061).
Response to Arguments
In light of Applicant’s amendments filed 08/31/2026, the Claim Objection and 25 USC 112(b) rejection of record are withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed 07/13/2026, which are entered in the RCE filed 08/31/2026, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the Rejection over Ono:
Applicant argues that while synthesis example 4 of Ono discloses a dicyandiamide salt as claimed, the corresponding example 4 does not use the salt with an epoxy resin as claimed, and therefore the references cannot be said to meet the onset temperature as claimed.
However, considering the sequence of Examples disclosed in Ono (see Translation mailed 01/14/2026), Synthesis Example 3 describes production of dicyandiamide trimellitic acid salt (para 0033) and Synthesis Example 4 describes production of dicyandiamide toluenesulfonate but accidentally recites “trimellitic acid” in the last line (para 0034). Example 3 uses the salt of Synthesis Example 3 and refers to it as dicyandiamide trimellitic acid salt (para 0041) and Example 4 uses the salt of Synthesis Example 4 and carries on the error of reciting “dicyanoamide trimellitic acid salt” instead of dicyanoamide toluenesulfonate (para 0042). However, from the process described in Synthesis Example 4 and from the pattern displayed in all the Examples of Ono, it is clear that Example 4 uses the salt produced by Synthesis Example 4, which is dicyanoamide toluenesulfonate.
Further all Examples including Example 4 use the resin of Resin Production Example 1 (para 0042), which is an epoxy resin (para 0038), as well as triglycidyl isocyanurate (para 0042).
Examiner notes that none of the Examples of Ono specifically use two kinds of dicyandiamide salt. However, “applicant must look to the whole reference for what it teaches. Applicant cannot merely rely on the examples and argue that the reference did not teach others.” In re Courtright, 377 F.2d 647, 153 USPQ 735,739 (CCPA 1967). The disclosure of Ono clearly states that “at least one kind”, of organic acids salts of dicyandiamide may be used (paras 0010, 0017) including a “combination of at least two (two or more) types” (para 0022). Therefore Ono clearly teaches two of the disclosed dicyandiamide salts may be used, one corresponding to the claimed “epoxy resin curing agent comprising amine groups comprising dicyandiamide” and one corresponding to the claimed “dicyandiamide salt comprising an anion selected from sulfonate or phosphonate”.
Regarding the rejection over Agag:
Applicant argues that Agag only discloses “quaternary ammonium salts or phosphonium salts” and does not disclose the dicyandiamide salt as claimed.
However, Agag discloses “preferred epoxy curatives comprise dicyandiamide… or quaternary ammonium salts or phosphonium salts thereof” (para 0036), which would read on the claimed salt.
Arguendo, if the “quaternary ammonium salts or phosphonium salts thereof” of Agag does not apply to the dicyandiamide, Agag paragraph 0036 still discloses “mixtures of any of the aforesaid materials”, and a mixture of dicyandiamide and quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salt would form the same solution as the claimed salt, therefore producing the composition as claimed.
Conclusion
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/BETHANY M MILLER/Examiner, Art Unit 1787
/CALLIE E SHOSHO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1787
