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 .
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.
(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.
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 1-7 and 16-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goto et al. 20040170920 and Ishiji et al. 20190369495.
Goto et al. 20040170920 teaches in examples 1-4, the manufacture of a lithographic printing plate including an aluminum substrate which is mechanically roughened, etched with an alkaline solution, de-smuted, etched again with alkali, de-smutted a second time, electrochemically roughened, alkali etched, de-smutted again, anodized (oxide surface) and then washed. An undercoat was then applied , an infrared photosensitive layer was then applied which included a cyanine dye (IR-1, page 36), a photoinitiator OS-8 (tris(chlorophenyl)sulfonium salt page 36, photoacid generator), dipentaerthyritol hexaacrylate (6 functional monomer), a binder, ethyl violet chloride, a fluorine surfactant, a carboxylic acid compound and solvents. This was then overcoated with a protective layer including polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and a UV absorber from table 1 [0199-0228].
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These were exposed using an infrared laser emitting at 0-8 W in 0.15 W steps for evaluation, developed using an automated developing machine and the result evaluated. The sensitivity of the unexposed sample to fluorescent light was evaluated [0231-0243]. Useful IR absorbers are disclosed and can be used in amount to yield an optical density of 0.5 to 1.2 at [0044-0063]. Useful photoinitiators including iodonium and sulfonium photoacid generators and those having borate counter ions are disclosed,. These can be used in amounts of 0.1-50 wt% [0064-0073]. Useful polymerizable compounds are disclosed including acrylated isocyanurates and urethane acrylates [0032-0043, particularly 0041]. The addition of dye or pigments which color the photosensitive layer so it can be evaluated after print making [0121]. The addition of inorganic fillers to improve the inking is disclosed [0123]. Useful UV absorbers for use in the protective layer include The UV absorber used in the invention preferably has a maximum absorption in a UV region, and more preferably at a wavelength in a range of 300 to 420 nm. Preferably, it does not substantially inhibit the transmission of light used for exposure. In this respect, a compound that does not absorb at a wavelength of 840 to 1200 nm is preferred. Preferred UV absorbers in the invention are dyes having a maximum absorption at a wavelength in a range of 350 to 400 nm. Examples thereof include UV absorbing dyes described in JP-A Nos. 62-210458, 63-104046, 63-103235, 63-208846, 1-061745, 63-306436 and 63-314535. Specific examples of the compound that has a maximum absorption at a wavelength in a range of 300 to 400 nm and can be used in the invention include a benzotriazole compound substituted with an aryl group, a 4-thiazolidone compound, a benzophenone compound, a cinnamate compound, a butadiene compound, a benzoxazole compound and a UV absorbing polymer [0140-0141]. he conventional planographic printing plate precursor comprising the UV-curing photosensitive layer undergoes undesired decomposition of an initiator with UV rays emitted from a fluorescent lamp etc. during storage, to cause a problem of staining in a non-image region. As a result, it has been unsuitable to store and handle the planographic printing plate precursor under white light. To solve this problem, for example JP-B No. 7-60268 and JP-A No. 8-137096 teach techniques in which coloring agents having a major absorption spectrum in the vicinity of safety light emission spectrum or compounds having an absorption spectrum peak in a range of 400 to 700 nm are contained in the protective layer. JP-A No. 8-248639 for example discloses an image-forming material provided with a protective layer whose reflection absorbance is set in a specific wavelength range. On the other hand, a planographic printing plate precursor for forming an image by being exposed to infrared laser light can provide a product excellent in handlability under white light (hereinafter referred to as safelight property) by selecting a UV-stable compound as a component in the photosensitive layer. However, some coloring agents commonly added, for the purpose of improving visibility of an image, to such image-forming materials to be exposed by an infrared laser have sub-absorption in the UV range. In such cases, the coloring agents absorb UV rays and thereby generate excited electrons. Thus, even in the image-forming materials to be exposed by infrared light, a polymerization initiator may initiate undesired polymerization due to excited electrons generated from the coloring agents when handled under white light. This may result a problem of staining in a non-image region, and therefore the stability of such image-forming materials under white light is very important in terms of practicality. Therefore, there is demand for a planographic printing plate precursor which is excellent in safelight properties, can be handled under white light, and is excellent in printing press life even in a halftone dot region. The object of the present invention is to provide a planographic printing plate precursor which enables writing with high sensitivity by an infrared laser, which is excellent in safelight, which can be handled under white light, and which is excellent in printing press life even in a halftone dot region [0008-0010]
Ishiji et al. 20190369495 teaches the formation of lithographic printing plates of examples 201-215 including an aluminum substrate which is mechanically roughened, etched with an alkaline solution, de-smuted, etched again with alkali, de-smutted a second time, electrochemically roughened, alkali etched, de-smutted again, anodized (oxide surface) and then washed,. Coating an underlayer, a photosensitive layer including a binder, a cyanine infrared absorber (D-2) , a polymerization initiator from table 2 (I-1-j-1), a polymerizable compound (tyrifunctional isocyanurate based acrylate), a color developing agent a fluorosurfactant and a microgel
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This is overcoated with a protective layer including an inorganic dispersion, polyvinyl alcohol.(2 types), a surfactant and water. This was then evaluated on the basis of color development upon exposure [0176,0194, 0598-0630] As means for forming the print-out image, a method in which a photo-acid generator and an acid color-developing dye (leuco dye) are added to an image-recording layer, and the acid color-developing dye is caused to develop color by an action of an acid generated from the photo-acid generator by image exposure, thereby forming a colored image is known [0013]. Useful color developing agents which develop color based upon the presence of an acid are disclosed [0290-0304]. Useful acid generators including sulfonium and iodonium salts are disclosed [0305-0312]. Useful polymer particles are disclosed [0320-0332]. Useful infrared absorbers are disclosed. These can be added in amounts of 0.05-30 wt% [0221-0231]. Useful polymerizable compounds are disclosed [0232-0240]. Useful photoionitiators including sulfonium and iodonium salts are disclosed [02410259].
Goto et al. 20040170920 does not teach the printing plates which include a color forming (leuco) dye in the photosensitive layer.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify examples 1-4 of Goto et al. 20040170920 by replacing the ethyl violet chloride dye with a leuco dye, such as those disclosed by Ishiji et al. 20190369495, which allows the formation of a print-out image which can be evaluated directly after exposure as taught at [0013] of Ishiji et al. 20190369495.
Ishiji et al. 20190369495 does not teach the printing plates which includes a UV absorber in the protective layer.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify examples 201-215 of Ishiji et al. 20190369495 by forming the cover layer with UV absorbers such as those disclosed by Goto et al. 20040170920 which allows exposure with infrared lasers while protecting against inadvertent exposure during storage and handling as taught at [0003,0008-0010,0231-0243] in Goto et al. 20040170920
Claims 1-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090996, in view of Goto et al. 20040170920.
Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090996 (machine translation attached) In table 3 (page 136) teaches composition 2-2, which includes IR dye I-1, monomer M-2, polymer P-3, photoinitiator IA-1, electron donating photoinitiator D-2, color forming CA-1. Table 4 (page 137) teachers example 3-2 which includes IR dye I-8, monomer M-5, polymer resin particle 1, photoinitiator IA-2, electron donating photoinitiator D-2, color forming CA-1.
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The treatment of the substrate to form holes/recesses with large and small sizes in the anodized layer is disclosed [0296-0321] The lithographic printing plate used these supports, which were coated with an underlayer, coated with an image recording layer and an overcoat layer [0322-0324,0326]. The overcoat included polyvinyl alcohol, (PVA), PEG4000 surfactant and water [0330]. The evaluation was performed including color development and the exposed printing plate was placed directly on a printing machine without developing and it was then developed on-machine/on-press [0331-0333]. Useful color formers are disclosed [0226-0237].
Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090996 does not teach the printing plates which includes a UV absorber in the protective layer.
With respect to claims 1-7 and 16-32, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify examples in tables 3 and 4, of Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090996 by forming the cover layer with UV absorbers such as those disclosed by Goto et al. 20040170920 which allows exposure with infrared lasers while protecting against inadvertent exposure during storage and handling as taught at [0003,0008-0010,0231-0243] in Goto et al. 20040170920
With respect to claims 1-11 and 16-32, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify examples 2-2 and 3-2 of Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090996 by forming the cover layer with UV absorbers such as those disclosed by Goto et al. 20040170920 which allows exposure with infrared lasers while protecting against inadvertent exposure during storage and handling as taught at [0003,0008-0010,0231-0243] in Goto et al. 20040170920
With respect to claims 1-32, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify example 3-2 of Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090996 by forming the cover layer with UV absorbers such as those disclosed by Goto et al. 20040170920 which allows exposure with infrared lasers while protecting against inadvertent exposure during storage and handling as taught at [0003,0008-0010,0231-0243] in Goto et al. 20040170920
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090995 is similar to Nogoshi et al. WO 2020090996.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Martin J Angebranndt whose telephone number is (571)272-1378. The examiner can normally be reached 7-3:30 pm EST.
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MARTIN J. ANGEBRANNDT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1737
/MARTIN J ANGEBRANNDT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 September 11, 2026
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