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 § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 9-11, 14-17 & 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Urano et al. (# US 2020/0276849).
Urano et al. discloses:
9. A fabric printing method (see Abstract; [0175]-[0198]; [0288]) comprising:
coloring ink applying in which a coloring ink containing a coloring agent ([0090]) is applied to a fabric ([0223]-[0292]);
clear ink (pretreatment agent A, B or C; [0289]-[0318]) applying in which a clear ink containing a resin (cationic resin; see Abstract; [0313]) is applied to the fabric; and
performing one of the coloring ink applying or the clear ink applying, performing the other applying after the one applying ([0128]-[0222]), and
performing the one applying again after the other applying so as to overlap the coloring ink and the clear ink ([0261]-[0262]; see Examples).
10. The fabric printing method according to claim 9, wherein the application of the coloring ink and the application of the clear ink are performed wet-on-wet ([0282]-[0283]).
11. The fabric printing method according to claim 9, wherein the application of the coloring ink and the application of the clear ink are performed by an inkjet method ([0282]-[0287]).
14. The fabric printing method according to claim 9, wherein a content of the resin in any of the clear inks is within a range of 1 to 20% by mass ([0313]).
15. The fabric printing method according to claim 9, further comprising applying a pretreatment liquid containing an aggregation agent (polyvalent metal salt; [0078]; [0089]-[0092]).
16. The fabric printing method according to claim 15, wherein the aggregation agent is a water-soluble cationic resin (polyvalent metal salt; [0078]; [0089]-[0092]).
17. The fabric printing method according to claim 9, wherein any of the clear inks contains a water-soluble cationic resin ([0076]-[0088]).
19. The fabric printing method according to claim 9, wherein any of the clear ink and any of the coloring ink has a viscosity in a range of 3 to 12 mPa.Math.s at 25° C ([0173]).
20. The fabric printing method according to claim 9, wherein any of the coloring inks contains the resin ([0155]-[0160]).
Conclusion
5. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Soane et al. (# US 2003/0013369) discloses The microcapsules are attached to cotton fabric using well-known methylol chemistry to link the carbohydrate shell of the microcapsule to the cotton. DMDHEU is added to the solution to 8% by weight, followed by addition of MgCl.sub.2 to 2% by weight of solution. 10-oz. cotton cloth is padded with this solution to 70% wet pickup and cured at 165.degree. C. for 2 minutes to covalently link the fragrance-laden nanoparticles to the fabric ([0147]).
(2) Weisman et al. (# US 2020/0095733) discloses Reservoir systems are also known as a core-shell type technology, or one in which the fragrance is surrounded by a perfume release controlling membrane, which may serve as a protective shell. The material inside the microcapsule is referred to as the core, internal phase, or fill, whereas the wall is sometimes called a shell, coating, or membrane. Microparticles or pressure sensitive capsules or microcapsules are examples of this technology. Microcapsules of the current invention are formed by a variety of procedures that include, but are not limited to, coating, extrusion, spray-drying, interfacial, in-situ and matrix polymerization. The possible shell materials vary widely in their stability toward water. Among the most stable are polyoxymethyleneurea (PMU)-based materials, which may hold certain PRMs for even long periods of time in aqueous solution (or product). Such systems include but are not limited to urea-formaldehyde and/or melamine-formaldehyde. Stable shell materials include polyacrylate-based materials obtained as reaction product of an oil soluble or dispersible amine with a multifunctional acrylate or methacrylate monomer or oligomer, an oil soluble acid and an initiator, in presence of an anionic emulsifier comprising a water soluble or water dispersible acrylic acid alkyl acid copolymer, an alkali or alkali salt. Gelatin-based microcapsules may be prepared so that they dissolve quickly or slowly in water, depending for example on the degree of cross-linking. Many other capsule wall materials are available and vary in the degree of perfume diffusion stability observed. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the rate of release of perfume from a capsule, for example, once deposited on a surface is typically in reverse order of in-product perfume diffusion stability. As such, urea-formaldehyde and melamine-formaldehyde microcapsules for example, typically require a release mechanism other than, or in addition to, diffusion for release, such as mechanical force (e.g., friction, pressure, shear stress) that serves to break the capsule and increase the rate of perfume (fragrance) release. Other triggers include melting, dissolution, hydrolysis or other chemical reaction, electromagnetic radiation, and the like. The use of pre-loaded microcapsules requires the proper ratio of in-product stability and in-use and/or on-surface (on-situs) release, as well as proper selection of PRMs. Microcapsules that are based on urea-formaldehyde and/or melamine-formaldehyde are relatively stable, especially in near neutral aqueous-based solutions. These materials may require a friction trigger which may not be applicable to all product applications. Other microcapsule materials (e.g., gelatin) may be unstable in aqueous-based products and may even provide reduced benefit (versus free perfume control) when in-product aged. Scratch and sniff technologies are yet another example of PAD ([0225]).
(3) Popplewell et al. (# US 2021/0086525) discloses a method for printing and drying a flavor or fragrance. The method includes the steps of providing a source of flavor or fragrance, printing the flavor or fragrance directly onto the surface of a movable product conveyor, and conveying the printed flavor or fragrance on the movable product conveyor through or adjacent to a drying component to produce a dried flavor or fragrance product. As described herein, the flavor of fragrance feed can include a solvent and/or carrier and be in the various forms including single raw materials or blends of oils optionally in admixture with a carrier and/or solvent; an encapsulated flavor or fragrance, i.e., a core-shell microcapsule; a food product, e.g., a pureed fruit or vegetable; a reaction flavor, or a combination thereof. In addition, the flavor or fragrance can be printed as a predefined shape in a line or array on the surface of the movable product conveyor and dried under desiccated air at a temperature in the range of 30° C. to 160° C., preferably 30° C. to 110° C., more preferably 40° C. to 100° C., and most preferably 40° C. to 90° C ([0076]).
(4) Hirata et al. (# US 2012/0147085) discloses an ink jet recording method which comprises: forming a first image by applying by an ink jet method a glitter ink in which a glitter pigment is dispersed to a first region of a recording medium in which the glitter first image is to be formed, and forming a second image by applying by an ink jet method a color ink containing a coloring material to a second region of the recording medium in which the colored second image is to be formed, the amount per unit area of the glitter ink ejected in an overlapping region in which the first region overlaps the second region being smaller than the amount per unit area of the glitter ink ejected in the first region excluding the overlapping region (see claim 1).
(5) Hirata et al. (# US 2012/0223992) discloses an ink jet printing apparatus which prints an image on a printing medium using glitter ink with dispersed glitter pigment and clear ink which does not substantially include a color material, wherein the ink jet printing apparatus has a first mode of ejecting substantially only the glitter ink to the printing medium to form the image, and a second mode having a process of ejecting the glitter ink to the printing medium to form a first image by an ink jet method and a process of ejecting clear ink onto the first image by the ink jet method to form a second image, to form the image formed of the first image and the second image, and wherein a mode is selected from the first mode and the second mode to print the image on the printing medium (see Claim 1).
(6) Shiono (# US 2012/0293578) discloses an ink set comprises: a first ink containing first resin particles and not substantially containing a colorant; and a second ink containing titanium oxide particles and containing the first resin particles at less than 6 wt.%, where the second ink is ejected substantially at the same time as ejection of the first ink (see Abstract).
(7) Mitsuzawa et al. (# US 2013/0135382) disclose an ink set comprises a white ink jet pigment ink; and a non-white ink jet pigment ink containing a diene copolymer (see Abstract).
(8) Lefebvre et al. (# US 2009/0155560) discloses A scented paper laminate having a desired scent comprising: a first paper substrate; a second paper substrate; and a scented water-based adhesive composition providing bonding between the first and the second paper substrates together, the scented paper laminate having a moisture level below 10 wt% (see Claim 1).
(9) Budijono et al. (# US 2015/0284660) discloses a perfume composition that includes a first perfume microcapsule encapsulating a first perfume oil that has a Log T greater than −2.5 and a cLogP greater than 2.5 and/or a volatility value of at least 30 μg/l air; and a second perfume microcapsule encapsulating a second perfume oil ingredient that has a LogT less than −2.5 and a cLogP greater than 2.5 and/or a volatility value of at least 30 μg/l air. The invention also relates to the use of such mixtures of microcapsules as a perfuming ingredient or perfuming composition for home or personal care products, as well as to the resulting home and body care compositions. Also, a method for increasing shelf life of a home- or personal-care product that contains a perfuming composition which comprises providing the perfume composition as one of the mixtures of microcapsules disclosed herein.
(10) Urano et al. (# US 2020/0276850) discloses a method for producing printed matter that includes applying one of a first pretreatment liquid and a second pretreatment liquid, the other of the first pretreatment liquid and the second pretreatment liquid, and then an aqueous ink, in this order, to a recording region of a substrate using an inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the first pretreatment liquid and the second pretreatment liquid are jetted so as to land on the substrate in a fixed order, the first pretreatment liquid contains a coagulant, and the second pretreatment liquid does not contain a coagulant, but contains a penetrant.
(11) Ellis (# US 2007/0067928) discloses a method of inkjet printing on fabric, comprising the steps of pretreatment, printing with a white underprint of substantially the same shape as the colored image and printing an image on the fabric. The preferred digitally printed inks are pigmented inks (see Abstract).
(12) Sato et al. (# US 2011/0102497) discloses a treatment solution for inkjet textile printing that causes few remaining marks even when applied to a fabric. The present invention relates to a treatment solution for inkjet textile printing, the treatment solution comprising at least: 1) a water-soluble polyvalent metal salt; 2) at least one resin component selected from the group consisting of a nonionic resin emulsion, an anionic resin emulsion, and a carboxymethyl cellulose; 3) at least one surfactant component selected from the group consisting of a nonionic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant; and 4) an aqueous medium, the treatment solution being applied to a fabric before printing of an ink composition for inkjet textile printing (see Abstract).
(13) Matsuzaki (# US 2020/0270473) discloses an ink treatment solution set including: an ink composition that is water-based ink jet ink containing a coloring material; and a treatment solution that contains a coagulant, is ejected from an ink jet head, and is used for recording, in which any one of the ink composition and the treatment solution has a dynamic surface tension of greater than 32.0 mN/m and less than 36.0 mN/m at 10 ms and has a difference of equal to or greater than 6.0 mN/m and equal to or less than 10.0 mN/m between the dynamic surface tension at 10 ms and a dynamic surface tension at 1000 ms, an other one of the ink composition and the treatment solution has a dynamic surface tension of greater than 34.5 mN/m and less than 36.5 mN/m at 10 ms and has a difference of equal to or greater than 8.0 mN/m and equal to or less than 10.0 mN/m between the dynamic surface tension at 10 ms and a dynamic surface tension at 1000 ms, and the ink treatment solution set is used for recording on a poorly absorbable recording medium (see Abstract).
(14) Saito et al. (# US 2013/0278690) discloses preprocessing liquid for textile printing including: a polyvalent metal compound, resin emulsion, a heat discoloration type coloring material, and water (see Abstract).
(15) Miyasa et al. (# US 2021/0129568) discloses an ink jet recording method according to the present disclosure is a method for recording on a textile including ejecting a white ink composition for ink jet textile printing containing a white pigment and water with an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the white ink composition is ejected as 9 ng or less of droplets from a nozzle, and the droplets are ejected and recorded on the textile such that a droplet ejected later has a higher flight speed than a droplet ejected earlier and the droplets coalesce before landing on the textile (see Abstract).
(16) Sugiyama et al. (# US 2015/0239261) discloses a pretreatment liquid for ink jet textile printing according to an aspect of the invention used by being applied to a fabric before applying an ink composition for ink jet textile printing to the fabric includes a multivalent metal salt; and an aqueous medium, in which the concentration of the multivalent metal salt is within in a range of 0.025 mol/kg or more and 0.08 mol/kg or less. A textile printing method according to another aspect the invention includes applying a pretreatment liquid to at least a partial region of a fabric; and applying an ink composition for ink jet textile printing to at least a portion of the region to which the pretreatment liquid is applied (see Abstract).
(17) Yatake (# US 2011/0200751).discloses a fabric printing method (see Abstract; [0072]-[0078]) comprising:
coloring ink applying in which a coloring ink containing a coloring agent ([0090]) is applied to a fabric ([0072]-[0092]);
clear ink (pretreatment agent A,B or C; [0040]-[0070]) applying in which a clear ink containing a resin (cationic polymer; see Abstract; [0051]-[0052]; [0061]-[0067]) is applied to the fabric; and
performing one of the coloring ink applying or the clear ink applying, performing the other applying after the one applying ([0079]-[0090]), and
performing the one applying again after the other applying so as to overlap the coloring ink and the clear ink ([0072]-[0078]; see Examples)
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.
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MANISH S. SHAH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Manish S Shah/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853