DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This Office action is in response to the election received November 18, 2025.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group III, claims 13-19 in the reply filed on November 18, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on November 18, 2025.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 13-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ATOBE et al (6,113,218) in view of OBER et al (2009/0258315) and ARIMITSU et al (2017/0293225).
The claimed invention recites the following:
PNG
media_image1.png
648
630
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
80
632
media_image2.png
Greyscale
ATOBE et al report a method for manufacturing an inkjet head. Applicants are directed to column 21 and 22 wherein the photo-resist pattern is formed on a substrate which has been thermally-oxidization-treated in an oxygen-steam atmosphere at 1100o C for 4 hours which essentially places functional groups/membranes such as SiO2 on the surface of the substrate, see col. 21, lines 55-60 and col. 22, lines 7-12, see below:
PNG
media_image3.png
248
400
media_image3.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image4.png
222
398
media_image4.png
Greyscale
The photo-resist composition pattern corresponds to the outlines of the shapes of the nozzle holes.
OBER et al disclose known photoresist composition for forming fabricating micro- and nano-size patterns which can also be used to manufacturing inkjet print heads, see (PAENG et al (2013/0169715), para. [0044] to [0045]). The components of the photoresist composition include a photoacid/photo base, (para. [0154])., an epoxy compound (para. [0141]) and salicylic acid, (para. [0142]), see below:
PNG
media_image5.png
850
406
media_image5.png
Greyscale
ARIMITSU et al report a photosensitive composition comprising a photo base, a base proliferator and an epoxy resin, see para. [0012] and [0017] below:
PNG
media_image6.png
158
372
media_image6.png
Greyscale
Para. [0017] is on page 3
PNG
media_image7.png
148
376
media_image7.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image8.png
562
394
media_image8.png
Greyscale
These components meet the claimed photo base generator, epoxy compound and aromatic compound of general formula (1) recited in claim 13.
Claim 14 is met by salicylic acid in OBER et al.
Claims 15 and 16 are met by the disclosed content of the salicylic acid and low molecular weight component above meet the claims 15 and 16 when the crosslinker is in a content of 1 to 25 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the solids in the composition.
Claims 17-19 are met by the disclosure above in ARIMITSU et al wherein the use of a base proliferating compound such as a urethane is added to a photosensitive composition.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of inkjet head manufacture to use the known photosensitive composition of OBER et al or ARIMITSU et al to form an photoresist pattern for forming an inkjet printhead as disclosed in ATOBE et al wherein the substrate is treated with an oxygen-steam at 1100o C for 4 hours to form a substrate which is excellent in adhesion to the photosensitive composition of OBER et al with the reasonable expectation of same or similar results for high pattern formation and simultaneously be environmentally friendly.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KAWAMURA et al (2008/0014530) and (7,393,567) disclose treatment of substrates to forming hydroxyl, carboxyl and amino groups by corona discharge treatment. see page 11, para. [0165] in ‘530 and col. 5, lines 55-64 in ‘567.
KATAGIRI et al (2018/0155568) discloses that treatment of a substrate by atmospheric-pressure treatment, plasma treatment, corona discharge treatment and ultraviolet irradiation treatment introduces hydrophilic groups such as OH to the surface of the treated substrate.
KUNZ et al (2005/0147919) disclose production of strongly adherent coatings by wherein plasma treatment, corona discharge treatment or a flame treatment on substrates have especially strong adhesion to photocurable composition, see para. [0009], page 1.
NAKANO et al (2013/0202810) disclose corona discharge treatment, thermal oxidation, plasma treatment as ways to incorporate positive or negative charge to a material, see para. [0003].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN S CHU whose telephone number is (571)272-1329. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, IFP-Flex.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Huff, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-1385. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal. Should you have questions about access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
/John S. Chu/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737
J. Chu
February 6, 2026