DETAILED ACTION
Examiner’s Notes
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 and Species A (claims 1-11) in the reply on 07/07/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 12-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112:
(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 1-11 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “liquid silicone, coated on surfaces of the protective components facing the solar cell string, and capable of bonding the protective components to the solar cell string after the liquid silicone is cured”, which is indefinite because the claim is directed to a laminated perovskite solar cell (a finished product). It is unclear whether the claimed product includes liquid silicone, cured silicone, or both. Since liquid silicone would not ordinarily remain in the finished laminated solar cell after curing, the metes and bounds of the claim are not reasonably certain. All claims which depend on clam 1 are rejected by virtue of dependency. Appropriate correction is required. (Examiner’s Note: In case of amendment to the claim(s), further search and consideration are required).
Claim 1 recites “the protective components” in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this office action, the recitation will be treated as if it recites “the two protective components”. All claims which depend on clam 1 are rejected by virtue of dependency. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2 recites “an amount of the liquid silicone corresponding to each of the at least one square region satisfies a relationship: y=0.025X2+0.163X, wherein X is a side length of one square region and has a unit of centimeters, and a unit of the amount y of the liquid silicone is grams”, which is indefinite because the limitation requiring “the amount of liquid silicone” defines the claimed finished product in terms of an intermediate uncured material. It is unclear whether the recited amount refers to silicone before curing, after curing, or to a structural characteristic of the finished product. Consequently, the scope of the claim cannot be determined with reasonable certainty. Appropriate correction is required. (Examiner’s Note: In case of amendment to the claim(s), further search and consideration are required).
Claim 3 recites “a thickness of the liquid silicone ranges from 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm”, which is indefinite because the limitation requiring “a thickness of the liquid silicone” defines the claimed finished product in terms of an intermediate uncured material. It is unclear whether the recited thickness refers to silicone before curing, after curing, or to a structural characteristic of the finished product. Consequently, the scope of the claim cannot be determined with reasonable certainty. Appropriate correction is required. (Examiner’s Note: In case of amendment to the claim(s), further search and consideration are required).
Claim 4 recites “the protective components” in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this office action, the recitation will be treated as if it recites “the two protective components”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 7 recites “the protective components” in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this office action, the recitation will be treated as if it recites “the two protective components”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 8 recites multiple “the protective components” in line 3 and in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this office action, the recitation will be treated as if it recites “the two protective components”. Appropriate correction is required.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAE-SIK KANG whose telephone number is 571-272-3190. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:00am – 5:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew T. Martin can be reached on 571-270-7871. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TAE-SIK KANG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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