Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/457,688

Ink Jet Composition, Ink Set, And Dyeing Method

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Aug 29, 2023
Examiner
SHAH, MANISH S
Art Unit
2853
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Seiko Epson Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 8m
To Grant
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allow Rate
1162 granted / 1355 resolved
+17.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+7.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
1383
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
55.6%
+15.6% vs TC avg
§102
17.9%
-22.1% vs TC avg
§112
4.6%
-35.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1355 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kagata et al. (# US 2018/0265723) in view of Fischer et al. (# US 5710197). Kagata et al. discloses: 1. An ink jet composition (see Abstract) comprising: a dispersant ([0038]-[0048]); and water ([0075]-[0076]), wherein the dispersant contains a compound containing a formalin condensate of aromatic sulfonic acid ([0039]-[0040]), 3. The ink jet composition according to claim 1, wherein a content of the water is 60% by mass or greater and 98% by mass or less with respect to a total amount of the ink jet composition (30 to 90%; [0076]). 4. The ink jet composition according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one of Disperse Red 60 ([0033]) or Disperse Red 364. 5. The ink jet composition according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet composition is an ink jet ink composition ([0120]). 6. The ink jet composition according to claim 1, further comprising: an organic solvent ([0063]-[0067]). Kagata et al. explicitly did not discloses: A compound represented by Formula (1); PNG media_image1.png 194 353 media_image1.png Greyscale R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a cyano group. 2. The ink jet composition according to claim 1, wherein a content of the compound represented by Formula (1) is 2% by mass or greater and 30% by mass or less with respect to a total amount of the ink jet composition. Fischer teaches to have the lightfastness printed image, The ink composition comprises a compound represented by Formula (column: 2, line: 28-65) PNG media_image2.png 611 402 media_image2.png Greyscale 2. The ink jet composition according to claim 1, wherein a content of the compound represented by Formula (1) is 2% by mass or greater and 30% by mass or less with respect to a total amount of the ink jet composition (0.5 to 10%; column: 1, line: 45-55). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the ink composition of Kagata et al. by the aforementioned teaching of Fischer et al. in order to have the lightfastness printed image. Claim(s) 10 & 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kagata et al. (# US 2018/0265723) in view of Fischer et al. (# US 5710197) as applied to claims 1-6 above, and further in view of Koga et al. (# US 2005/0244592). Kagata et al. and Fscher et al. discloses all limitation of a printing method except: 10. A dyeing method comprising: an adhesion step of making the ink jet composition according to claim 1 adhere to a recording surface of an intermediate transfer medium using an ink jet recording device; and a thermal transfer step of performing thermal transfer by making the recording surface and a medium to be dyed oppose each other. 11. The dyeing method according to claim 10, wherein the medium to be dyed includes at least one among polyester, acryl, nylon, and a medium having a surface provided with a polyester layer. Koga et al. teaches to have high quality uniform color 10. A dyeing method comprising: an adhesion step of making the ink jet composition according to claim 1 adhere to a recording surface of an intermediate transfer medium using an ink jet recording device; and a thermal transfer step of performing thermal transfer by making the recording surface and a medium to be dyed oppose each other ([0028]-[0029]; [0101]; [0106]; [0199]). 11. The dyeing method according to claim 10, wherein the medium to be dyed includes at least one among polyester, acryl, nylon, and a medium having a surface provided with a polyester layer ([0050]-[0053]; see Abstract). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the printing method of Kagata et al. as modified by the aforementioned teaching of Koga et al.in order to have the high quality smooth printed image. Claim(s) 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kagata et al. (# US 2018/0265723) in view of Fischer et al. (# US 5710197). Kagata et al. discloses: 7. An ink set (first ink & second ink; see Table 1) comprising: an ink jet composition containing a dispersant ([0038]-[0048]), and water ([0075]-[0076]), in which the dispersant contains a compound containing a formalin condensate of aromatic sulfonic acid ([0039]-[0040]). 8. The ink set according to claim 7, further comprising: a cyan ink composition containing a cyan dye ([0032]-[0033]); a magenta ink composition containing a magenta dye ([0032]-[0033]); a yellow ink composition containing a yellow dye ([0032]-[0033]); and a black ink composition containing a black dye ([0032]-[0033]). Kagata et al. explicitly did not discloses: 7. A compound represented by Formula (1); PNG media_image1.png 194 353 media_image1.png Greyscale R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a cyano group. at least one of a fluorescent yellow ink composition containing a fluorescent yellow dye or a fluorescent red ink composition containing a fluorescent red dye 9. The ink set according to claim 7, further comprising: a fluorescent blue ink composition containing a fluorescent blue dye. Fischer teaches to have the lightfastness printed image, The ink composition comprises a compound represented by Formula (column: 2, line: 28-65). PNG media_image2.png 611 402 media_image2.png Greyscale at least one of a fluorescent yellow ink composition containing a fluorescent yellow dye or a fluorescent red ink composition containing a fluorescent red dye (fluorescent dye, which means any kind color dye; column: 1, line: 20-60). 9. The ink set according to claim 7, further comprising: a fluorescent blue ink composition containing a fluorescent blue dye. (fluorescent dye, which means any kind color dye column: 1, line: 20-60). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the ink composition of Kagata et al. by the aforementioned teaching of Fischer et al. in order to have the lightfastness printed image. 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANISH S SHAH whose telephone number is (571)272-2152. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-4:00pm. 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. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephen Meier can be reached at 571-272-2149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. MANISH S. SHAH Primary Examiner Art Unit 2853 /Manish S Shah/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 29, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 28, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Sep 23, 2025
Response Filed
Nov 15, 2025
Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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AQUEOUS INK, INK CARTRIDGE AND INK JET RECORDING METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12590215
INK FOR INK-JET TEXTILE PRINTING, METHOD FOR PRODUCING PRINTED MATTER USING SAID INK, AND ARTICLE WITH ADHERED IMAGE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12584030
Ink Jet Ink Composition And Recording Method
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12584032
REACTION LIQUID AND INK JET RECORDING METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12583222
SOLVENT COMPATIBLE NOZZLE PLATE
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

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+7.5%)
2y 8m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1355 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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