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) 1-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hioki (WO 2021182338) in view of Loccufier et al (U.S. Pub. 2021/0139733)
Regarding claim 1, an ink jet treatment liquid composition for pigment textile printing (Paragraphs 0001-0002, 0014) comprising:
A particle containing organopolysiloxane (ammino modified silicone oils; Paragraphs 0012; Table 1; Example A-1; Paragraphs 0096, 0116)
A water-soluble organic solvent (Paragraph 0041)
Water, wherein: a content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 7% by mass or more with respect to a total amount of the treatment liquid composition (ammino modified silicone oils; Paragraphs 0012; Table 1; Example A-1; Paragraphs 0096, 0116)
Loccufier discloses it is known in the art to use a water-soluble organic solvent in pre-treatment liquid or ink jet ink wherein 1,2-hexanediol is a preferable water-soluble organic solvent (Abstract; Paragraph 0070). The filed specification discloses 1,2-hexanediol is a known water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less [Paragraph 0042 of Specification filed 3/1/2024], therefore the claim limitation is met.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Loccufier into the treatment liquid composition of Hioki, for the purpose of omproving the dissolution of a compound in the pre-treatment liquid (Paragraph 0070)
Regarding claim 2, wherein the organopolysiloxane is an oily compound (Paragraphs 0012, 0037, 0096, 0116)
Regarding claim 3, a content of a coloring material is 0.1% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid composition (Paragraph 0116; Example A-1)
Regarding claim 4, the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 90% by mass or more with respect to a total solid content in the treatment liquid composition (Paragraph 0116; Example A-1)
Regarding claim 5, wherein the organopolysiloxane is a nonionic silicone (Paragraphs 0012, 0037: dimethyl polysiloxane)
Regarding claim 6, the organopolysiloxane is one or more selected from dimethyl silicone, methyl phenyl silicone, and methyl hydrogen silicone (Paragraphs 0012, 0037: dimethyl polysiloxane)
Regarding claim 8, the water-soluble organic solvent (Paragraph 0041)
Loccufier discloses it is known in the art to use a water-soluble organic solvent in pre-treatment liquid or ink jet ink wherein 1,2-hexanediol is a preferable water-soluble organic solvent (Abstract; Paragraph 0070). The filed specification discloses 1,2-hexanediol is a known water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less [Paragraph 0042 of Specification filed 3/1/2024], therefore the claim limitation is met.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Loccufier into the treatment liquid composition of Hioki, for the purpose of omproving the dissolution of a compound in the pre-treatment liquid (Paragraph 0070)
Regarding claim 9, a water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 13 or more in an amount of 15% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid composition (propylene glycol [SP=14.2]; Example A-1; Paragraph 00116)
Regarding claim 10, an SP value lower limit of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less is 9 or more (ethanol [11.8]; Paragraph 0041)
Regarding claim 11, an SP value upper limit of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 13 or more is 17 or less (propylene glycol [SP=14.2]; Example A-1; Paragraph 00116)
Regarding claim 12, the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 17% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid composition (ammino modified silicone oils; Paragraphs 0012; Table 1; Example A-1; Paragraphs 0096, 0116)
Regarding claim 15, an ink jet textile printing recording method comprising: an ink attachment step of attaching an ink jet ink composition containing a pigment and water to a fabric by an ink jet method (Paragraphs 0002-0011); a treatment liquid attachment step of attaching the treatment liquid composition according to claim 1 (refer to claim 1 above)
Regarding claim 16, an attachment amount of the treatment liquid composition is 10 g/m² or more and 55 g/m² or less (Paragraph 0154)
Regarding claim 17, a drying step is not provided between eh ink attachment step and the treatment liquid attachment step (Paragraph 0154)
Regarding claim 7, Hioki discloses the claimed invention except for the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less is 0.1% by mass or more and 3.0% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid composition. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to using water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less is 0.1% by mass or more and 3.0% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid composition, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
At the time the invention was made it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teaching of using water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less is 0.1% by mass or more and 3.0% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid composition, for the purpose of improving the frictional fastness of the textile print object on which the image is formed
Regarding claim 13, Hioki discloses the claimed invention except for a mass ratio of a content of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less to the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 0.04 or more and 0.27 or less. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill int eh art at the time the invention was made to using a mass ratio of a content of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less to the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 0.04 or more and 0.27 or less, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
At the time the invention was made it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teaching of to using a mass ratio of a content of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 12.5 or less to the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 0.04 or more and 0.27 or less, for the purpose of improving the frictional fastness of the textile print object on which the image is formed
Regarding claim 14, Hioki discloses the claimed invention except for a mass ratio of a content of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 13 or more to the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 1 or more and 2 or less. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to using a mass ratio of a content of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 13 or more to the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 1 or more and 2 or less, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
At the time the invention was made it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teaching of to using a mass ratio of a content of the water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of 13 or more to the content of the particle containing the organopolysiloxane is 1 or more and 2 or less, for the purpose of improving the frictional fastness of the textile print object on which the image is formed
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.
/JASON S UHLENHAKE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 February 5, 2026