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 – 9, in the reply filed on June 8, 2026, is acknowledged. Claims 10 – 13 are withdrawn from consideration as being directed toward a non-elected invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(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.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
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 of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1 – 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. It is unclear how to make the claimed weft material recited in claim 1. The term “weft” is known in the textile art as being a set of yarns in a woven fabric, running from selvage to selvage, at right angles to the warp direction yarns. It is unclear how a nonwoven is formed into a yarn structure or if it is part of a woven fabric. Is the tape made from a weft yarn, a woven fabric, or a nonwoven fabric? Further, if the tape includes weft direction yarns does the tape only comprise yarns perpendicular to the length of the tape? How is the tape held together in a continuous structure? Further, if the weft being claimed is just a yarn structure, then it would be a cylinder shape and would not have two faces as sheet or fabric would. Additionally, yarns grammage is not measured in g/m2, but instead in terms of linear density since the structure does not have a width. A measurement of g/m2 implies that the structure includes a width and a length. Therefore, it is unclear the exact structure reinforcing the adhesive film, what is the exact structure of the fabric being made. The disclosure does not provide any specific details as to how the nonwoven is made into a weft or if the weft is supplied as a yarn or a fabric layer in the final product. Is the film supported by multiple parallel yarns? Are the yarns combined together into a fabric? What is the structure of the carrier material right before it is coated or embedded by the adhesive? Thus, it is unclear how to make the claimed weft from the nonwoven and how to incorporate said weft into the final product. Claims 2 – 9 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 1.
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 1 – 9 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.
The phrase “a weft formed from a non-woven fabric” in claim 1 is indefinite. The term “weft” is known in the textile art as being a set of yarns in a woven fabric, running from selvage to selvage, at right angles to the warp direction yarns. It is unclear how a nonwoven is formed into a yarn structure or if it is part of a woven fabric. Further, if the weft being claimed is just a yarn structure, then it would be a cylinder shape and would not have two faces as sheet or fabric would. Additionally, yarns grammage is not measured in g/m2, but instead in terms of linear density since the structure does not have a width. It is noted that claim 8 suggests that the nonwoven comprises oriented fibers. Is the carrier for the double-sided adhesive a nonwoven made with weft oriented fibers, i.e., fibers oriented perpendicular to the length of the tape? Are yarns stacked together in a weft direction across the fabric. Since the disclosure fails to provide specific details with regards to how the nonwoven and weft material are formed it is unclear what the specific structure of the claimed weft material comprises weft material. Claims 2 – 9 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 1.
The test to measure “an adhesive strength at 90º for 1 minute on glass” in claim 1 is indefinite since the applicant fails to teach the testing procedure used measure the property. What test is being used to measure the adhesive strength. Claims 2 – 9 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 1.
The term “an increase conformability compared with double-sided adhesives” in claim 1 is indefinite. It is unclear how the applicant is measuring or defining conformability. Also, it is unclear what exactly the product is being compared to. Is it compared to any double-sided adhesive material? Does the present adhesive film not qualify as a double-sided adhesive? How is double-sided adhesive defined? Claims 2 – 9 are rejected due to their dependency on claim 1.
The phase “wherein it comprises” in claim 9 is indefinite. What is “it”? Is it the adhesive film that comprises a protective film? Further, is the “its” in the phrase “its two faces” refereeing to the two faces of the silicone coated protective film or the two faces of the adhesive film? Additionally, the claim uses the term “its” another time in the phrase “its silicone coated faces”. Does it always refer to the same thing? Applicant needs to remove the term it and specifically refer to a layer of the composite.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Due to the uncertainty about the weft structure an art rejection has not been made. The following references recited below are drawn to various double-sided adhesive structures or adhesive compositions related to the claimed invention: Bemmels (US 2,750,316), Dunshee et al. (US 4,346,700), Schmitt et al. (5,412,035), YUN et al. (2006/0182950), Wada et al. (2011/0097958), CA 2 797 954, and Zanzottera et al. (US 2015/0152297).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jenna Johnson whose telephone number is (571)272-1472. The examiner can normally be reached Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10am - 4pm.
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jlj
September 12, 2026
/JENNA L JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1789
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