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 .
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 1-20 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the elongated resin support" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-20 are included in the rejection since they depend from claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Iwase (US2014/0170382) discloses that gas barrier films having an organic layer and inorganic layer on a resin support were known and also recognized the importance of foreign-matter control at the support surface. Iwase further taught cleaning prior to application of the organic layer (see 0016-0018). Iwase failed to teach the post-cleaning inspection arrangement having the recited scanning and photodetector geometry of claim 1.
Shigeta et al. (US 2011/0242537) teaches optical inspection of a continuously traveling film using a scanning inspection light and photodetection of scattered light. Shigeta et al. fails to teach the claimed relationship between the scanning surface and the formation surface together with the elongated photodetector positioned according to the claimed 10 degrees or less relationship as required by claim 1.
Fontaine et al. (US 2015/0346109) teaches particle detection on a flexible substrate using detection at a low or grazing angle, including detection geometry withing 10 degrees of a plane tangent to the substrate (see 0006). Fontaine et al. does not disclose the claimed combination of the low-angle elongated photodetector wit the claimed scanning surface orientation and the post-cleaning inspection of the formation surface before application of the organic underlayer.
The prior art fails to provide a reason to combine the teachings of Iwase, Shigeta et al., and Fontaine et al. to arrive at the recited limitations of claim 1.
Conclusion
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/CACHET I. PROCTOR/
Examiner
Art Unit 1712
/CACHET I PROCTOR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
