DETAILED ACTION
The following Office action concerns Patent Application Number 18/905,928. Claims 1, 2, 4-18 are pending in the application. Claims 15-18 have been withdrawn from consideration as being drawn to non-elected inventions.
The applicant’s amendment filed June 30, 2026 has been entered.
The previous grounds of rejection are withdrawn in light of the applicant’s amendment. New grounds of rejection are presented below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. § 112 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
(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.
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 1, 2, 4-10, 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) because the term “the polyarylene ether backbone” lacks antecedent basis. MPEP § 2173.05(e).
Claims 1, 2, 4-10, 12-14 are rejected under 35 USC § 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed invention at the time the application was filed. In particular, the limitation “grafted onto the polyarylene ether backbone,” which was added by amendment, is not supported by the specification. MPEP § 2163(II)(A)(3)(b).
Claims 1, 2, 4-14 are rejected under 35 USC § 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed invention at the time the application was filed. In particular, the limitation “wherein the composition excludes polyester,” which was added by amendment, is not supported by the specification. MPEP § 2163(II)(A)(3)(b).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 USC § 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed invention at the time the application was filed. In particular, the limitation “to form a conductive network structure,” which was added by amendment, is not supported by the specification. MPEP § 2163(II)(A)(3)(b).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 USC § 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed invention at the time the application was filed. In particular, the limitation “provides a chain extension or crosslinking reaction,” which was added by amendment, is not supported by the specification. MPEP § 2163(II)(A)(3)(b).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 USC § 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the art that the inventor had possession of the claimed invention at the time the application was filed. In particular, the limitation “which reacts with the modified polyarylene ether and the polyamide,” which was added by amendment, is not supported by the specification. MPEP § 2163(II)(A)(3)(b).
Response to Arguments
Regarding the IDS filed October 3, 2024, the applicant may submit an amended IDS form listing the English abstracts and leaving the translation box blank. No fee is required if the documents are already in the record.
Conclusion
The applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Examiner’s Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to William Young whose telephone number is (571) 270-5078. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Angela Brown-Pettigrew, can be reached at 571-272-2817. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000./WILLIAM D YOUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761 July 9, 2026
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