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 1-7 in the reply filed on 05/27/2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim 7 is 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.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the deposition" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Patat et al. (US 3121064).
As to claim 1, Patat teaches an activator comprising hydrogen halide (alkyl -free halogenide) for chemically modifying a titanium containing catalyst system (see col. 1, lines 33-43 and 62-68; col. 2, lines 48-75, example 2). By ligand transfer (TiCl3 ---TiCl4).
As to claim 5, the group 4 central metal is titanium (see Example 2).
As to claim 6, the hydrogen halide can be hydrogen bromide or hydrogel iodide (see col. 1, lines 65-67).
Claim(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kametani et al. “A study of Continuation of Titanium Smelting.”
As to claim 1, Kametani et al. teaches an activator hydrogen iodide for changing a ligand of a precursor compound (TiCl4) bonded to group 4 central metal (see page 179, section 2.4).
As to claims 2-4, the halogen (Cl) of the precursor is different than the halogen (I) of the halogenide (see page 179, section 2.4).
As to claim 5, the group 4 metal is titanium.
As to claim 6, the alkyl-free halogenide is hydrogen iodide (see page 179, section 2.4)
As to claim 7, Kametani discloses the activator of claim 1. Claim 7 recites the activator of claim 1 and a deposition step using a selected process (ALD, PEALD, CVD, PECVD, MOCVD, or LPCVD). Claim 7 is directed to the activator itself and does not recite any structural or compositional differences connected to the recited deposition environment, the recitation of the intended use does not distinguish the claimed activator from the prior art.
Conclusion
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/CACHET I. PROCTOR/
Examiner
Art Unit 1712
/CACHET I PROCTOR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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