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
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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Konishi (WO 2021/192452 A1, hereinafter referring to the attached ESPACENET translation).
Regarding claim 1, Konishi teaches an ink set comprising a printing treatment solution and an aqueous inkjet ink composition ([0010]), wherein the printing treatment solution contains an organic acid having a boiling point of 120°C or less at 1 atm ([0008]).
The ink composition contains the following:
A pigment ([0023]), wherein the pigment may be a white pigment ([0030])
An alkali-soluble resin ([0023]), which is specifically indicated as containing anionic groups such as carboxy groups ([0031]) and hydrophobic groups ([0032]), and wherein monomers containing these groups are specifically and separately listed (e.g., [0042] and [0044]). The alkali-soluble resin is indicated as having an acid value ranging from 140 – 300 mgKOH/g ([0033]), which overlaps the claimed range of “200 mgKOH/g or higher,” establishing a prima facie case of obviousness.
Regarding the claimed limitation requiring that the alkali-soluble resin is included in amounts ranging from 1.0 to 3.0% by mass in the ink composition, Konishi states that the alkali-soluble resin may be included in an amount of 5 parts or more per 100 parts by mass of pigment within the composition (equivalent to 5% of the mass of the pigment), from the standpoint of improving dispersibility ([0058]). Konishi further teaches that when white pigment is used, the pigment is included in amounts ranging from 4 to 30 wt% of the ink composition ([0057]). The amount of alkali-soluble resin within the formulations of Konishi which contain white pigment may therefore range from about 0.2 to about 1.5 wt% or more, which overlaps the claimed range of “1.0 to 3.0% by mass,” establishing a prima facie case of obviousness.
A resin emulsion ([0023]), which contains a water-dispersed resin ([0050]), wherein the resin has a glass transition temperature ranging from -50 to 0°C ([0052]-[0053]). This range overlaps the claimed range of “-25°C to 10°C,” establishing a prima facie case of obviousness
A surfactant ([0023]), which may be a silicone-based surfactant ([0053]).
Water ([0023])
Regarding claim 2, Konishi teaches that the percentage of solids in the resin emulsion may range from 1 to 25 wt% ([0059]) which overlaps the claimed range of “10.0 to 30.0% by mass,” establishing a prima facie case of obviousness.
Regarding claims 3-8, Konishi teaches that the composition is useful for inkjet printing and textile printing (e.g., [0006] and [0073], wherein Konishi teaches printing onto fabrics/textiles and the specific use of the inventive inkjet composition in an inkjet recording device). The composition of Konishi therefore reads on the claimed limitations requiring said composition be adapted for both inkjet and textile printing.
Conclusion
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/JOSHUA CALEB BLEDSOE/Examiner, Art Unit 1762
