DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendments
In response to the amendment received on 05/06/2026:
• Claims 2-9 and 11-15 are currently pending. Claims 1 and 10 are canceled. The duplicate claim warning between claims 10 and 13 is withdrawn in light of the amendments to the claims. The rejections of claims 7, 9, and 11 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) are withdrawn in light of the amendments to the claims.
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 Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informality:
• Claim 3 should be amended to read: “The recording method according to claim 12…”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 2-9 and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Asakawa et al. (US-20210024767-A1) (hereinafter referred to as “Asakawa”) in view of Koyanagi et al. (JP-2010030305-A), with reference to the previously included machine translation (hereinafter referred to as “Koyanagi”), with evidence from Watanabe (US-20240034025-A1) (hereinafter referred to as “Watanabe”) as to the rejection of claims 2-9 and 11-15.
Regarding claims 2, 8, and 12, Asakawa teaches a recording method using an ink jet composition (see Asakawa at para. 0005 and 0133, teaching an inkjet printing method using inkjet inks), the method comprising:
• a white ink adhesion step of ejecting the ink jet ink composition from an ink jet head to cause the ink jet ink composition to adhere to a recording medium (see Asakawa at para. 0005 and 0133),
• the recording medium being a low-absorbent recording medium or a non-absorbent recording medium (the non-absorbent recording medium, regarding claim 8) (see Asakawa at para. 0121),
• the ink jet composition being an aqueous ink including: water; a white pigment; an organic solvent; resin particles (see example W2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13, teaching an example white ink containing water, a white pigment dispersion, an organic solvent (i.e., propylene glycol, 2-pyrrolidone, and 1,2-hexanediol), and Takelac W-6061 (i.e., resin particles); thus, Asakawa reasonably suggests via their example embodiments their white ink to include the claimed components);
• wherein the organic solvent contains a diol-based organic solvent, the diol-based organic solvent contains a diol-based organic solvent with a normal boiling point of 220°C or lower, a content of the diol-based organic solvent with a normal boiling point of 220°C or lower is 60% to 90% by mass or more with respect to a total mass of the diol-based organic solvent (see example W2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13, teaching an example white ink containing 15 wt% of propylene glycol (boiling point: 188°C) and 4 wt% of 1,2-hexanediol (boiling point: 223°C) as diol-based solvents; accordingly, the ratio of the diol-based organic solvent having a boiling point of 220°C or lower relative to the total diol-based organic solvent is 78.9% (15/(15+4)•100 = 78.9%) in example W2; this value of 78.9% falls within the claimed range; thus, Asakawa reasonably teaches via their example embodiments their white ink to include such solvents in a ratio of 78.9%); and
• the resin particles contain a resin with a glass transition point of 25°C to 75°C (see example W2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13, teaching an example white ink containing TAKELAC W-6061; TAKELAC W-6061 is an anionic resin having a glass transition temperature of 25°C, as evidenced by Watanabe at para. 0053).
While Asakawa teaches the method according to claim 12 outlined above, Asakawa fails to explicitly teach their white ink to contain an alkanolamine and an inorganic alkali, wherein the content of the alkanolamine is 1% by mass or less and the content of the inorganic alkali is 0.3% by mass or less (regarding claim 2).
However, Koyanagi teaches an ink composition comprising a coloring material, an anionic resin emulsion, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water (see Koyanagi at pg. 3, last paragraph – pg. 4, para. 1). Koyanagi further teaches the addition of a tertiary amine and an alkali metal hydroxide to the ink brings about stabilization of dispersion of the coloring material and the resin emulsion in the ink composition (see Koyanagi at pg. 11, para. 7). Moreover, Koyanagi teaches the addition of a tertiary amine improves wettability (see Koyanagi at pg. 11, para. 7). Additionally, Koyanagi teaches triethanolamine as a suitable tertiary amine, and that the content of the tertiary amine may range from 0.1 to 10 wt% in the ink (see Koyanagi at pg. 12, para. 3). Furthermore, Koyanagi teaches sodium hydroxide as a suitable alkali metal hydroxide, and that the content of the alkali metal hydroxide may range from 0.01 to 5 wt% in the ink (see Koyanagi at pg. 12, para. 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add a tertiary amine, e.g., triethanolamine, in an amount ranging from 0.1 to 10 wt%, as well as an alkali metal hydroxide, e.g., sodium hydroxide, in an amount ranging from 0.01 to 5 wt%, to the white ink of Asakawa. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so in order to improve stabilization of the dispersion of the coloring material and the resin emulsion in the ink composition, as well as to improve wettability (see Koyanagi at pg. 11, para. 7).
Following the above modification, the white ink of Asakawa contains 0.1 to 10 wt% of triethanolamine, which is an alkanolamine, and 0.01 to 5 wt% of sodium hydroxide, which is an inorganic alkali. These ranges overlap the claim 2 ranges, establishing a prima facie case of obviousness, see MPEP § 2144.05.
Regarding claim 3, see example W2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13, teaching an example ink containing 23 wt% of total organic solvent (15 wt% of propylene glycol + 4 wt% of 2-pyrrolidone + 4 wt% of 1,2-hexanediol = 23 wt% total); thus, Asakawa reasonably teaches via their example embodiments a total organic solvent concentration that falls within the claimed range; also see Asakawa at para. 0078.
Regarding claim 4, see Asakawa at para. 0168, teaching TAKELAC W-6061 to be a urethane resin.
Regarding claim 5, see example W2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13; example W2 only contains propylene glycol and 1,2-hexanediol as diol-based organic solvents, neither of which have boiling points above 230°C; accordingly, Asakawa reasonably teaches via their example embodiments the presence of 0 wt% of diol-based organic solvents with boiling points higher than 230°C.
Regarding claim 6, see example W2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13; example W2 only contains 2-pyrrolidone as a solvent other than the diol-based solvents, in an amount of 4 wt%; thus, Asakawa reasonably teaches via their example embodiments the presence of 4 wt% of solvent other than the diol-based organic solvent in their ink; this value of 4 wt% falls within the claimed range.
Regarding claim 7, see Asakawa at para. 0064; styrene-acrylic acid necessarily has an acidic group via the acrylic acid.
Regarding claim 9, see Asakawa at para. 0087, teaching the surfactant may include a silicone surfactant.
Regarding claim 11, see example C2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13, teaching an example non-white ink containing propylene glycol, and a total organic solvent content of 23 wt% (15 wt% of propylene glycol + 4 wt% of 2-pyrrolidone + 4 wt% of 1,2-hexanediol = 23 wt% total); thus, Asakawa reasonably teaches via their example embodiments a total organic solvent concentration that falls within the claimed range for their non-white ink; also see Asakawa at para. 0078.
Regarding claims 13-14, see Asakawa at para. 0025; also see example C2 of Asakawa at Table 2 at pg. 13, teaching an example non-white ink containing water, a cyan pigment, an organic solvent (propylene glycol, 2-pyrrolidone, and 1,2-hexanediol), and TAKELAC W-6061 (i.e., resin particles); thus, Asakawa reasonably teaches via their example embodiments a non-white ink comprising the claimed components.
Regarding claim 15, see Asakawa at para. 0042, teaching after printing of the inks, the recording medium as being heated to a temperature of preferably 60 °C or more and 90 °C or less, which is equivalent to the claimed range.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/06/2026 have been fully considered. The Examiner agrees with Applicants that the amended claims overcome the previous prior art grounds of rejection (see Applicant’s Remarks at pg. 6-7). However, a new grounds of rejection is presented, setting forth the claims as unpatentable, see rejections above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jeffrey E Barzach whose telephone number is (571)272-8735. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday; 8 am - 5 pm.
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/JEFFREY EUGENE BARZACH/Examiner, Art Unit 1731
/AMBER R ORLANDO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1731
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