Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/279,966

PIGMENT DISPERSION FOR INKJET INK, INKJET INK, AND PRINTED PRODUCT

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Sep 01, 2023
Examiner
USELDING, JOHN E
Art Unit
1763
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
DIC CORPORATION
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
53%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
71%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 53% of resolved cases
53%
Career Allow Rate
671 granted / 1262 resolved
-11.8% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+17.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
69 currently pending
Career history
1331
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
44.5%
+4.5% vs TC avg
§102
16.6%
-23.4% vs TC avg
§112
24.4%
-15.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1262 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §112
CTNF 18/279,966 CTNF 85135 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 07-30-02 AIA 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 4 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. It is indefinite whether the claim is a pigment dispersion with an intended ues of being printed on a plastic base material, or if the claim is for a plastic base material with the pigment dispersion printed on it. For the purpose of applying prior art, the claim is being interpreted as a pigment dispersion with an intended use of being printed on a plastic base material. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-03-aia AIA Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kato (2004/0020407) . Regarding claim 1: Kato teaches a pigment dispersion for inkjet comprising: a dispersant; a pigment; and water [Examples]; wherein the dispersant contains a non-crosslinked resin having a structural unit derived from an acid group-containing monomer [0230; Examples], being neutralized with diethanolamine [0231; Examples]. Diethanolamine is a tertiary alkanolamine with two hydroxy groups and a boiling point of 271°C. Kato teaches that the diethanolamine provides a neutralization of 1.5 times the neutralization equivalent [0120-0121; 0231; Examples]. Regarding claim 2: Kato teaches that the dispersant resin has an acid value of 70 to 150 mgKOH/g [0050] with examples within the claimed range [0051; 0230; Examples]. Regarding claim 3: The dispersant resin of Kato also qualifies as, and is being considered as the claimed binder. Regarding claim 4: The composition of Kato is capable of being used in the claimed capacity. Regarding claim 5: Kato teaches an inkjet ink comprising the pigment dispersion [Examples]. Regarding claim 6: Kato teaches a printed product printed with the inkjet ink [0177, 0253, 0254; Examples]. Contact Information Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN USELDING whose telephone number is (571)270-5463. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8am to 6:30pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Del Sole can be reached on 571-272-1130. 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://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JOHN E USELDING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1763 Application/Control Number: 18/279,966 Page 2 Art Unit: 1763 Application/Control Number: 18/279,966 Page 3 Art Unit: 1763
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 01, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12600669
SELF-HEALING POLYMER-MODIFIED CEMENTS FOR AMBIENT TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12600856
RESIN COMPOSITION, FORMED ARTICLE, AND, FORMED ARTICLE WITH HARD COAT LAYER
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12600809
ETHYLENE-VINYL ALCOHOL COPOLYMER COMPOSITION, AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREFOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12590214
INK-JET INK
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12583997
RESIN MOLDED BODY AND RESIN MOLDED BODY PRODUCTION METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
53%
Grant Probability
71%
With Interview (+17.8%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1262 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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