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) 1-3, 5 & 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohashi (# US 2013/0083118).
Ohashi discloses:
1. A recording method (see Abstract) comprising:
a first layer forming step (step S11, figure: 5) of ejecting a pigment ink containing a pigment ([0049]; [0074]-[0086]) and water ([0050]) from an ink jet head onto a transfer medium having a release layer to form a first layer (figure: 1-7);
a second layer forming step of ejecting a processing solution (adhesive composition; S12, figure: 5; [0090]) from the ink jet head onto the first layer to form a second layer (figure: 5); and
a thermal transfer step of heating a surface of the transfer medium that has the first layer and the second layer, with the surface facing an absorbent receiving medium, to thermally transfer the first layer and the second layer onto the receiving medium ([0042]-[0044]; figure: 5-7),
wherein the pigment ink contains a resin in an amount of 15.0 mass % or less (1 to 10%; [0073]),
the processing solution contains a resin ([0091]; [0098]) and water ([0097]-[0098]), and
the first layer has a dryness of 0% or more and 80% or less when the processing solution is ejected (40 to 95%; [0132]).
2. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the resin contained in the processing solution is at least one selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyurethane ([0091]), and polyvinyl chloride ([0091]).
3. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the resin contained in the processing solution has a glass transition temperature of −20° C. or more and 50° C. or less (-10 degree C to 70 degree C [0094]; [0092]).
5. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the processing solution contains the resin in an amount of 5.0 mass % or more and 20.0 mass % or less (10%; see Table: 1).
9. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving medium is fabric or leather (cloth; [0045]-[0046]).
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) 4, 6-8 & 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohashi (# US 2013/0083118).
Ohashi discloses:
10. A recording method (see Abstract) comprising:
a first layer forming step of ejecting a pigment ink that contains a pigment ([0074]-[0086]), a resin ([0071]-[0073]), an organic solvent ([0063]-[0070]), and water ([0050]-[0053]) from an ink jet head onto a transfer medium having a release layer to form a first layer (figure: 1-7);
a second layer forming step of ejecting a processing solution from the ink jet head over the first layer to form a second layer (adhesive composition; S12, figure: 5; [0090]); and
a thermal transfer step of heating a surface of the transfer medium that has the first layer and the second layer, with the surface facing an absorbent receiving medium formed of fabric (cloth) or leather ([0045]-[0046]), to thermally transfer the first layer and the second layer onto the receiving medium ([0042]-[0044]; figure: 5-7),
wherein the pigment ink contains the resin in an amount of 2.0 mass % or more and 15.0 mass % or less (3% or more; [0026]; 1 to 10%; [0073]),
the processing solution contains a resin having a glass transition temperature of −20° C. or more and 50° C. or less (-10 degree C to 70 degree C; [0094]) and water ([0098]),
the resin contained in the processing solution is at least one selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyurethane ([0091]), and polyvinyl chloride ([0091]), the processing solution contains the resin in an amount of 5.0 mass % or more and 20.0 mass % or less (10%; see Table: 1), and
the first layer has a dryness of 0% or more and 80% or less when the processing solution is ejected (40 to 95%; [0132]).
Ohashi explicitly didn’t discloses:
4. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the resin contained in the processing solution has a melting point of 80° C. or more and 140° C. or less.
6. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the processing solution is free from organic solvents having a boiling point of 280° C. or more.
7. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the pigment ink contains a resin having a glass transition temperature of −40° C. or more and 0° C. or less.
8. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the pigment ink contains an organic solvent having a boiling point of 280° C. or more.
10. The pigment ink contains
a resin having a glass transition temperature of −40° C. or more and 0° C. or less; an organic solvent having a boiling point of 280° C. or more,
the resin contained in the processing solution has a melting point of 80° C. or more and 140° C. or less and the processing solution is free from organic solvents having a boiling point of 280° C. or more..
However, Ohashi discloses exactly same resin (polyurethane resin; [0071]; [0091]) and organic solvents as applicant discloses in their own specification. The melting point, boiling point, and glass transition temperature is property of the material, which constant to the material. Therefore, the resin and organic solvent discloses by the Ohashi obviously have the resin contained in the processing solution has a melting point of 80° C. or more and 140° C. or less (for evidence see Preston (01/14/2023; Presto Flooring Company) discloses the polyurethanes have melting temperatures in the range of 150-250°F (65-121°C) (see page: 1)); the processing solution is free from organic solvents having a boiling point of 280° C. or more; the pigment ink contains a resin having a glass transition temperature of −40° C. or more and 0° C. or less and the pigment ink contains an organic solvent having a boiling point of 280° C. or more.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Tahara et al. (# US 2010/0302307) discloses a method of ink-jet recording, comprises: pretreating by applying a pretreatment liquid (22) onto a recording medium in advance of ink-jet recording; and recording by ejecting a pigment ink (25) onto the recording medium by an ink-jet method, where the pretreatment liquid comprises at least one of succinic acid or acetic acid, alkali metal halide and water (see Abstract).
(2) Chiao et al. (# US 2011/0289647) a pressure sensitive label (100) comprises: a pressure sensitive adhesive (106) with a first surface and a second surface; and at least one ink association layer, contacting the first surface of the pressure sensitive adhesive, where the pressure sensitive adhesive has a wet adhesion of greater than 10 N/in (see Abstract).
(3) Mouri et al. (# US 2005/0270351) discloses an ink jet recording method and an ink jet recording apparatus permitting image formation with a high degree of color reproducibility while alleviating the influences of the ink-absorbency of the recording medium and the base color is to be provided. A transfer drum is applied a reaction liquid, and inks of different colors are applied by recording heads to the area applied the reaction liquid to form a coagulated ink image on the transfer drum. Ahead of the step to transfer this coagulated ink image to the recording medium, white ink is applied to at least the area of the transfer drum to which ink dots are to be applied or at least the area to which ink dots are to be applied out of the area of the recording medium to which the coagulated ink image is to be transferred (see Abstract).
(4) Nigam (# US 2001/0051217) discloses processes and compositions for producing a metallic-looking image on a substrate having a reflective or luminescent surface. The process utilizes an opaque coating composition containing an opaque coating agent comprising a mixture of a polyacid and a polybase. When applied to a light-emitting, reflective or luminescent substrate, the opaque coating composition at least partially masks the light-emitting reflective or luminescent surface of the substrate, but becomes increasingly translucent or transparent when contacted with a recording liquid such as an ink, revealing the light-emitting, reflective or luminescent surface (see Abstract).
(5) Wilen (# US 6691610) discloses a method for printing metallic inks wherein a fountain solution and a first imprint ink are concurrently deposited onto a printing plate. A foundation metallic ink is then deposited onto the first imprint ink followed by depositing a second imprint ink is then onto the metallic ink. One or more layers of process ink colors can then be deposited onto the second imprint ink. The fountain solution is adjusted to have a pH of from about 3.7 to about 3.9 and the metallic ink is provided to have a tack of from about 14 to about 16 (see Abstract).
(6) Preston (01/14/2023; Presto Flooring Company) discloses the polyurethanes have melting temperatures in the range of 150-250°F (65-121°C) (see page: 1).
(7) Umebayashi (# US 2020/0254799) discloses an ink set includes an ink-jet color ink that contains a colorant, an organic solvent, a polymerizable compound, and a photopolymerization initiator and a clear ink which contains an organic solvent and a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer and in which Mt2/Mt1 is 0.40 or more where Mt1 represents a total mass content of a nonvolatile component, and Mt2 represents a mass content of the vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer.
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo Magallanes can be reached at 571-272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MANISH S. SHAH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Manish S Shah/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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