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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I claims 1-14 in the reply filed on 08/03/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected claims, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 08/03/2026.
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) 1-9 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2016/0086737) in view of Cui et al. (US 2010/0330421).
Regarding claims 1, 3, 5 Kim discloses nanocomposite is in a core-shell structure comprising a core and a shell covering the core, and wherein the core comprises a metal, a metal oxide, or both, and the shell comprises an inorganic material, a conductive polymer, or both, or the core comprises an inorganic material, a conductive polymer, or both, and the shell comprises a metal, a metal oxide, or both (claim 2). The nanocomposite layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 10 microns (para 0010) and nanocomposite may have a particle diameter of 2 nm to 200 nm (para 0017). The conductive polymer may include at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of polyaniline (PANI), polythiophene (PT), polypyrrole (PPy), polyindole (PIN), polyacetylene (PAc), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) (para 0050), where polyphenylene sulfide is redox-responsive polymer. Thus, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form a nanocomposite comprising a core comprising a conductive polymer such as polyphenylene sulfide (correspond to stimulus responsive polymer) and a shell comprising a metal oxide.
However, Kim fails to disclose that the shell metal oxide comprises silica coating.
Whereas, Cui discloses nanostructures containing electrochemically active materials, battery electrodes containing these nanostructures for use in electrochemical batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, and methods of forming the nanostructures and battery electrodes. The nanostructures include conductive cores, inner shells containing active materials, and outer shells partially coating the inner shells (abstract). In certain embodiments, the inner shell includes, germanium, tin, aluminum, titanium, carbon, as well as oxide and nitrides of the above-mentioned materials (e.g., silicon oxide) (para 0042).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to include silicon oxide of Cui as the metal oxide in the shell of Kim to form silica coating motivated by the desire to have high electrochemical capacity.
Regarding claim 2, As Kim discloses conductive polymer comprising polyphenylene sulfide (redox-responsive polymer) as presently claimed, therefore the stimulus responsive polymer would intrinsically swell in response to a stimulus.
Regarding claims 4, 6 and 7, these claims depend on claim 3 and recite additional optional features. Kim teaches stimulus responsive polymer comprising redox-responsive polymer limitation of claim 3 as stated above, the additional limitations of claims 4, 6-7 are not required for the teaching of claim 3 and, therefore, their absence from Kim does not negate the disclosure of claim 3.
Regarding claim 8-9, Kim in view of Cui discloses the shell may include a first shell formed on a surface of the core and including the metal (second coating of claim 8) and a second shell formed on an outer surface of the first shell and including the metal oxide (i.e. silica coating).
Regarding claims 13-14, Kim discloses composition comprising nanoparticles and carrier comprising liquid (claims 13-19).
Claim(s) 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2016/0086737) in view of Cui et al. (US 2010/0330421) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Kurtin et al. (US 2015/0053914).
Regarding claims 10-12, Kim in view of Cui fails to disclose that the nanoparticle further comprising cargo molecule comprising fertilizer attached to the surface of the silica coating.
Whereas, Kurtin discloses the method also involves, subsequently, forming a silica-based insulator layer on the nanocrystals from a reaction involving the silicon-containing silica precursor species. The method also involves adding additional amounts of the silicon-containing silica precursor species after initial forming of the silica-based insulator layer while continuing to form the silica-based insulator layer to finally encapsulate each of the nanocrystals (abstract). In an embodiment, one or more of the semiconductor structures further includes a coupling agent covalently bonded to an outer surface of the insulator layer. For example, in one such embodiment, the insulator layer includes or is a layer of silica (SiO.sub.x), and the coupling agent is a silane coupling agent, e.g., having the formula X.sub.nSiY.sub.4-n, where X is a functional group capable of bonding with the matrix material and is one such as, but not limited to, hydroxyl, alkoxy, isocyanate, carboxyl, epoxy, amine, urea, vinyl, amide, aminoplast and silane, Y is a functional group such as, but not limited to, hydroxyl, phenoxy, alkoxy, hydroxyl ether, silane or aminoplast, and n is 1, 2 or 3 (para 0103).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to attach coupling agent comprising urea (fertilizer) as taught by Kurtin on to the shell of Kim motivated by the desire to have improved bonding.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RONAK C PATEL whose telephone number is (571)270-1142. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30AM-6:30PM (FLEX).
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/RONAK C PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1788
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