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 .
This action is responsive to applicants’ amendment and response received June 2, 2026. Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
All rejections set forth in the previous action are withdrawn in view of applicants’ amendment and response.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Hattori et al, US 2017/0210925.
Hattori et al teach a non-aqueous ink jet composition comprising 74% diethylene glycol diethyl ether, 10% triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and 10% gamma butyrolactone, wherein this composition has excellent storage stability (¶160, example 6). As this is precisely the composition claimed, the reference is anticipatory.
With respect to the method claims, as the only method step is “maintaining” an ink jet device, this step is accomplished by using the ink itself. It is not inventive to take a well-known ink jet composition and call it a maintenance fluid.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Kubota et al, US 2017/0218216.
Kubota et al teach a non-aqueous ink jet composition comprising 73% diethylene glycol diethyl ether, 10% triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and 10% gamma butyrolactone (¶119, example O4). As this is precisely the composition claimed, the reference is anticipatory.
With respect to the method claims, as the only method step is “maintaining” an ink jet device, this step is accomplished by using the ink itself. It is not inventive to take a well-known ink jet composition and call it a maintenance fluid.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Kida et al, US 2019/0300732.
Kida et al teach a non-aqueous ink jet composition comprising 72.4% diethylene glycol diethyl ether, 10% tetraethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and 15% gamma butyrolactone (¶167, examples 1-10). As this is precisely the composition claimed, the reference is anticipatory.
With respect to the method claims, as the only method step is “maintaining” an ink jet device, this step is accomplished by using the ink itself. It is not inventive to take a well-known ink jet composition and call it a maintenance fluid.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Takiguchi et al, US 2021/0095142.
Kubota et al teach a non-aqueous ink jet composition comprising 67.6% diethylene glycol diethyl ether, 10% triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and 2% gamma butyrolactone (¶140, example B2). As this is precisely the composition claimed, the reference is anticipatory.
With respect to the method claims, as the only method step is “maintaining” an ink jet device, this step is accomplished by using the ink itself. It is not inventive to take a well-known ink jet composition and call it a maintenance fluid.
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.
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Angela Brown-Pettigrew can be reached at 5712722817. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHARLES I BOYER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761
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