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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US5742370) hereinafter Kim.
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches:
A process comprising:
applying a liquid or molten polymer on a substrate to form a thin polymer film (col 3, ln 51-ln 60);
laser heating and then solidifying the thin polymer film to effect directional crystallization so that the thin polymer film has highly directional properties as a result of a generated directional morphology (col 3, ln 61-67; col 4, ln 12-27).
Kim does not teach optionally at least partially embedding nanostructures into the thin polymer film. However, this limitation is optional and therefore not required.
Regarding claim 3, Kim teaches the method of claim 1.
Kim further teaches wherein the solidified polymer film is a multifunctional polymer film (col 4, ln 50-56).
Regarding claim 4, Kim teaches the method of claim 1.
Kim further teaches wherein the thin polymer film is solid before the laser heating step (col 3, ln 22-39).
Regarding claim 5, Kim teaches the method of claim 1.
Kim further teaches subjecting the thin polymer film to a magnetic field during the laser heating step (col 3, ln 61-67).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Gandhi (US2008/0128397).
Regarding claim 2, Kim teaches the method of claim 1.
Kim does not teach wherein the process is performed with a roll-to-roll machine.
Kim teaches that the film is suitable for LCDs (col 1, ln 16-31).
In the same field of endeavor regarding polymer films, Zhong teaches forming an LCD using a roll-to-roll machine for the motivation of reducing capital equipment and part costs, while significantly increasing throughput ([0021]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the process as taught by Kim to use a roll-to-roll process in order to reduce capital equipment and part costs, while significantly increasing throughput.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 6, Kim teaches the method of claim 6.
Kim does not teach wherein the laser heating step comprises projecting at least one laser beam at a center of the magnetic field on the thin polymer film.
The remaining prior art of record does not teach or suggest wherein the laser heating step comprises projecting at least one laser beam at a center of the magnetic field on the thin polymer film in combination with the remainder of the claimed subject matter.
Since the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest each and every limitation of the claim, the claim is indicated for allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
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/ALEXANDER A WANG/ Examiner, Art Unit 1741
/VIRAK NGUON/ Examiner, Art Unit 1741
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