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 Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 15 appears to contain two different ways of stating the same chelant, GLDA. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Before citing the references below, the examiner notes that the claims are broad to the point where a thorough search cannot be made. Solvents, surfactants, and chelants are ubiquitous in the detergent arts and there are likely hundreds of references that will anticipate at least claim 1. To avoid an onerous action, a few representative references are presented below, but they represent a very small sampling of prior art that could have been used.
Claims 1-3, 5-14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Gambogi et al, US 7,470,653.
Gambogi et al teach a light duty detergent comprising alkyl benzene sulfonate, cocoamidopropyl betaine, alkyl ether sulfate, chelant, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, perfume, dye, and the balance water (col. 6, example 1). As this reference meets all material limitations of the claims at hand, the reference is anticipatory.
With respect to claims 5-14, as claim 1 requires only a single surfactant which is satisfied by the cocoamidopropyl betaine of the example, all other surfactants are optional.
With respect to claim 20, as the composition is miscible in water, this claim is satisfied.
Claims 1-14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Jervier, US 2023/0051664.
Jervier teaches a light duty detergent comprising lauramidopropyl betaine, citric acid chelant, dipropylene glycol butyl ether, perfume, and the balance water (¶178, example B). As this reference meets all material limitations of the claims at hand, the reference is anticipatory.
With respect to claims 5-14, as claim 1 requires only a single surfactant which is satisfied by the lauramidopropyl betaine of the example, all other surfactants are optional.
With respect to claim 20, as the composition is miscible in water, this claim is satisfied.
Claims 1-3, 5-14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Rieth et al, US 2015/0252302.
Rieth et al teach a hard surface cleaner comprising alkyl benzene sulfonate, ethylene glycol butyl ether, EDTA, and the balance water (¶382, example 32A). As this reference meets all material limitations of the claims at hand, the reference is anticipatory.
With respect to claims 5-14, as claim 1 requires only a single surfactant which is satisfied by the alkyl benzene sulfonate, all other surfactants are optional.
With respect to claim 20, as the composition is miscible in water, this claim is satisfied.
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.
Claims 1-18 and 20-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watson et al, US 2021/0230519.
Watson et al teach a unit-dose glass cleaner in a polyvinyl alcohol pouch comprising dipropylene glycol butyl ether, sodium laureth sulfate, additional surfactants, and the balance water (¶70, example 2). Another example contains a colorant and fragrance (¶72, example 3). Suitable surfactants of the invention include betaines and amine oxides (¶23) and suitable additives include chelants such as EDTA and GLDA (¶40). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add a chelant to the glass cleaner of example 2 with confidence of forming an effective glass cleaner as chelants are ubiquitous in the art and are taught as a suitable component of the reference.
With respect to claims 5-14, as claim 1 requires only a single surfactant which is satisfied by the laureth sulfate of the example, all other surfactants are optional.
With respect to claim 20, as the composition is miscible in water, this claim is satisfied.
With respect to the method claims, the composition may be used on car windows (¶4), and persons of skill in the art and consumers alike understand that unit-dose detergents must be diluted in water before use.
Claims 1-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watson et al, US 2021/0230519 in view of Rieth et al, US 2015/0252302.
Watson et al are relied upon as set forth above. Preferred anionic surfactants of the invention include alkylbenzenesulfonates (¶19), and so it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add an alkylbenzenesulfonate and chelant to the glass cleaner of example 2 with confidence of forming an effective glass cleaner as alkylbenzenesulfonates and chelants are taught as suitable components of the reference. The reference, however, does not teach an isopropylamine alkylbenzenesulfonate.
Rieth et al are relied upon as set forth above. Recall Rieth et al teach hard surface cleaners where alkylbenzene sulfonates are preferred. These compositions may also be used as glass cleaners (claim 9) and suitable alkylbenzene sulfonates include isopropylamine alkyl benzene sulfonates (¶122). It is clear from Rieth et al that isopropylamine alkyl benzene sulfonates are suitable for use in hard surface/glass cleaners, and so it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to use isopropylamine alkyl benzene sulfonate in the glass cleaner of Watson et al with confidence of forming an effective glass cleaner as Watson et al teach alkyl benzene sulfonates as suitable surfactants in their invention, and Rieth et al teach isopropylamine alkyl benzene sulfonates as effective alkyl benzene sulfonates surfactants for use in hard surface cleaners.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES I BOYER whose telephone number is (571)272-1311. The examiner can normally be reached M-S 10-430.
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/CHARLES I BOYER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761