14400633 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Dec. 10, 2019)

Tomohisa, Hiroshi et al.

Patent Trials and Appeals BoardDec 10, 2019

14400633 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Dec. 10, 2019)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450 www.uspto.gov APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO. 14/400,633 11/12/2014 Hiroshi Tomohisa P25006US00 4426 38834 7590 12/10/2019 WESTERMAN, HATTORI, DANIELS & ADRIAN, LLP 8500 LEESBURG PIKE SUITE 7500 TYSONS, VA 22182 EXAMINER STANLEY, JANE L ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER 1767 NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE 12/10/2019 ELECTRONIC Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding. The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication. Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the following e-mail address(es): patentmail@whda.com PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07) UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ____________________ BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD ____________________ Ex parte HIROSHI TOMOHISA, TORU UMEMOTO, SHOICHI MATSUDA, and TADAYUKI KAMEYAMA ____________________ Appeal 2019-001186 Application 14/400,633 Technology Center 1700 ____________________ Before KAREN M. HASTINGS, JEFFREY B. ROBERTSON, and MERRELL C. CASHION, JR., Administrative Patent Judges. CASHION, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION ON APPEAL1 STATEMENT OF CASE Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 134(a), Appellant2 appeals from a Final Action rejecting claims 1, 3–7, and 9. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b). We reverse. 1 We refer to the Appeal Brief filed June 7, 2018 as “Appeal Br.” and to the Supplemental Appeal Brief filed June 20, 2018 as “Suppl. Br.” 2 We use the word “Appellant” to refer to “applicant” as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.42. Appellant identifies the real party in interest as NITTO DENKO CORPORATION. Appeal Br. 2. Appeal 2019-001186 Application 14/400,633 2 The invention is directed to a water-resistant organic thin film and a method for producing the water-resistant organic thin film. Spec. ¶ 1. Claim 1 illustrates the subject matter claimed and is reproduced below: 1. A water-resistant organic thin film obtained by crosslinking, with organic nitrogen compounds, an organic thin film comprising an organic dye having an anionic group, wherein the organic nitrogen compounds are first, second, and third acyclic organic nitrogen compounds each having two or more nitrogen atoms per molecule, wherein the nitrogen atoms of each of the first, second, and third organic nitrogen compounds are each in a cationic group, and the relation A≤ 0.4 nm< B