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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2022-138480, filed on 08/31/2022.
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 4-6 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 4 and 5 recite plurality of formulae represented by symbols such as, LX, LY, LH, X1, Y1, etc, further limited by integers i, j, k, n. The interpretation of the symbols is only possible from the specification. This introduces indefiniteness because the variables i, j, k, n are only meaningful via the specification, without showing their role in the claims. These variables should appear in the claims in a way that they have a meaning in the claims. Without the meaning of the variables in the claims the metes and bounds of the claims are not clear.
Claim 6 is also indefinite as being dependent on indefinite claim 4.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art (Wachter et al. US 20200141018 A1) discloses copper electroplating electrolyte comprising a leveling agent comprising bezyleated polyethyleneimine.
Friedrich et al. (US 20050209117 A1) discloses a complexing agent comprising polyethyleneimine as a main chain with metal carboxylate attached to it.
Park et al. (US 20120193238 A1) discloses using arylated polyethyleneimine leveler
Takahashi et al. (US 20220220065 A1) discloses a metal plating solution comprising an additive having a polyethyleneimine backbone.
Roeger-Goepfert et al. (US 20130264213 A1, US 20130020203 A1 and US 20120292193 A1) discloses a metal plating solution comprising an additive having a polyethyleneimine backbone.
However, the independent claim 4 requires a plating solution comprising a PEI compound comprising carboxy or sulfonic group represented by LX and an arylated amine section represented by LY.
The prior art of record does not disclose nor suggest the instantly claimed invention as a whole.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Wojciech Haske whose telephone number is (571)272-5666. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Lin can be reached at 571-272-8902. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WOJCIECH HASKE/ Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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