DETAILED ACTION
This is the initial Office action for application SN 18/992,222 having an effective date of 08 January 2025 and a provisional priority date of 13 July 2022. A preliminary amendment was filed on 08 January 2025. Claims 9-16 are pending. 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 § 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 9-16 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.
Independent claim 9 is drawn to “A process in which silicone is reacted…”; there is no transitional claim language (e.g., “comprising”, “consisting essentially of”, “consisting of”) in process claim 9 which renders the claim indefinite. Transitional phrases define the scope of the claim with respect to what unrecited additional components or steps, if any, are excluded from the scope of the claim. See MPEP 2111.03.
Claim 10 recites “wherein the term silicone encompasses…” (emphasis added). Claim 10 should state “wherein silicone encompasses…”. It is not clear what comprises “compositions comprising organosiloxanes” and how the compositions differ from “polymeric organosiloxanes” cited previously in the claim.
Claim 11 recites “the term silicone means silicone rubber” is unclear. The claim should state “silicone is silicone” or “silicone is selected from silicone rubber” or something similar.
In claim 12, there is no proper antecedent basis for “the silicones” in independent claim 9. Claim 9 recites “silicone” and not “silicones”.
In claim 14, there is no proper antecedent basis for “the temperature” in independent claim 9. Claim 9 does not recite “temperature”.
In claim 15, there is no proper antecedent basis for “the pressure” in independent claim 9. Claim 9 does not recite “pressure”.
Allowable Subject Matter
The closest prior art reference of record is CN 111 498 854 A (Xinjiang Silicon Based New Mat Innovation Center Co LTD) which discloses a supercritical water oxidation method for the preparation of quartz sand. The method comprises uniformly mixing silicon powder and water, placing the formed mixture in a reaction kettle, carrying out heating until the water is in a supercritical state. However, the claimed process differs by reacting silicone, which encompasses oligomeric or polymeric organosiloxanes, which differs from silicon powder disclosed in the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Daley et al (US 2022/0380682) disclose processes for converting polymers such as silicone rubber [0178] into hydrocarbon products. The polymers may contain less than about 1% total halogens [0180].
McDermott (US 2007/0240740) discloses a method for removing contaminant material from a contaminated article such as silicon wafer comprising using a supercritical fluid.
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/ELLEN M MCAVOY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1771
EMcAvoy
August 30, 2026
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