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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-6, and 8-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cho US 2018/0179071.
Regarding claim 1, and 8, Cho teaches a process of making silicon carbide by reacting an element including a silicon containing compound with carbon dioxide (Paragraph [0010]) via an exothermic reaction (Paragraph [0062]).
Regarding claims 2-4, and 8-11, Cho teaches that the element and silicon containing compound may include silicon and a metal such as magnesium (Paragraph [0026]-[0027]).
Regarding claim 5, and 12 the generated silicon carbide may be washed with sodium hydroxide (Paragraph [0055]).
Regarding claims 6, and 13 the reaction is exothermic, which would inherently result in a temperature of higher than 30 deg. C (Paragraph [0062], Examples).
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) 7 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho US 2018/0179071.
Regarding claim 7, and 14, Cho does not expressly state that the reactants are heated with a microwave of halogen lamp. However, the use of microwaves and/or halogen lamps are well known in the art for facilitating the activation of chemical reactions. Thus, it would have been obvious to the person having ordinary skill in the art to use a microwave or halogen lamp to facilitate the activation of the chemical reaction of the reactants.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES A FIORITO whose telephone number is (571)272-9921. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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/JAMES A FIORITO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1731
