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
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) 1-3 and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Wei’an et al (CN 110746943).
Wei’an discloses a thickener for a non-fluorosilicon supercritical carbon dioxide fluid having a cyclodextrin polymer such as a β-cyclodextrin dimer (claims 1-10, paragraphs [0082]-[0111], and fig. 1-10). As the thickener can be considered to have a high viscosity, the thickener in document 1 can be said to be an adhesive composition and can be considered to satisfy the stipulation of claim 1.
Regarding claims 9-10, the concepts of bonding optical members and bendable members have been fully considered, but are not given patentable weight in so far as they do not affect the chemical structure of the adhesive being claimed.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Takayuki et al (JP 2012-189746).
Takayuki discloses a temperature-responsive gel containing a polymer crosslinked body obtained by copolymerizing a temperature-responsive compound and a polymer crosslinking precursor having a rotaxane structure obtained by mixing a polymer having two or more cyclic moieties such as cyclodextrin and a linear molecule having a polymerizable functional group at the terminal thereof, and a dimming panel containing the temperature-responsive gel (claims 1-10). The embodiments indicate that cloudy matter thought to be a polymer crosslinking precursor (C1) obtained by mixing a linear molecule with a polymer (A) that has α-cyclodextrin as cyclic molecules and a polypropylene glycol as linking molecules and in which 3-5 cyclic molecules are linked via the linking molecules increased solution viscosity, and disclose creating a gel-like film of a polymer crosslinked body (E1) from the polymer crosslinking precursor (as the film is gel-like, the film is highly likely to exhibit adhesiveness (manufacturing example 1, paragraphs [0137]-[0146]).
This being the case, the cloudy matter thought to be the polymer crosslinking precursor (C1) and the gel-like film (E1) of the polymer crosslinked body of Takayuki can be said to be adhesive compositions and can be considered to satisfy the stipulation of claim 1.
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) 4-8 and 12-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei’an et al (CN 110746943) as described above.
Wei’an does not disclose the acrylic or physical properties of the adhesive. However, it is the examiner’s position that the specific materials and properties recited are well known in the art and would have been obvious to employ/provide in the adhesive of Wei-an in order to provide the predictable result of imparting desirable physical and chemical properties to the adhesive.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES D SELLS whose telephone number is (571)272-1237. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8:30-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Phillip Tucker can be reached at 571-272-1095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
JAMES D. SELLS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1745
/JAMES D SELLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1745