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) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Claes (# US 2012/0108746).
Claes discloses:
1. A process for printing on a flexible and/or stretchable substrate (see Abstract; [0046]-[0047]), comprising:
loading the substrate onto a printing machine ([0046]);
printing an image on a surface of the substrate using at least one cationic UV-curable ink composition ;step b) applying a layer of the first radiation curable composition on a substrate [0046])
exposing said surface to UV radiation to thereby initiating curing of said image ([0046]; step c); curing the layer); and
subsequent to said exposing, depositing a softening composition on said image (step d); [0046] An inkjet printing method includes the steps of: a) providing a first radiation curable composition curable by free radical polymerization or cationic polymerization; b) applying a layer of the first radiation curable composition on a substrate; c) curing the layer; and d) jetting on the cured layer a second composition curable by a different polymerization than the first composition; [[0046]).
Claes explicitly did not discloses:
1. wherein said depositing is effected within a time interval of 1-600 seconds after said exposing.
5. The process of claim 1, wherein said depositing is effected 60-120 seconds after said exposing.
6. The process of claim 1, wherein said depositing is effected 5-60 seconds after said exposing.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention was made to incorporate depositing is effected within a time interval of 1-600 seconds after said exposing; depositing is effected 60-120 seconds after said exposing; depositing is effected 5-60 seconds after said exposing, since it has been held that it is not inventive to discovering and optimum value or workable ranges by routine experimentation. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA1955).
2. The process of claim 1, wherein said cationic UV-curable ink composition is formulated to be suitable for inkjet printing systems ([0052]-[0059]).
3. The process of claim 1, wherein said softening composition is formulated to be suitable for inkjet printing systems ([0052]-[0059]).
4. The process of claim 1, wherein said printing and said depositing are each effected in-line on said printing machine ([0014]; [0059]; [0168]).
7. The process of claim 1, wherein said cationic UV-curable ink composition comprises:
a pigment dispersion ([0058]-[0186]);
at least one epoxy resin (epoxy acrylate; [0101]; [0110]-[0113]);
at least one reactive diluent (solvent; [0116]), and
at least one photoinitiator ([0140]-[0145]).
8. The process of claim 1, wherein said softening composition comprise (second radiation curable composition; [0066]-[0074]) a softening agent selected from the group consisting of a polysiloxane dispersion/emulsion ([0214]), an amino-functional polysiloxane dispersion/emulsion, a cationic quaternary ammonium fatty acid condensation product dispersion/emulsion (fatty acid ester group; [0018]), and any combination thereof.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Devoeght et al. (# US 2010/0047454) discloses an inkjet printing method including, in order, the steps of: a) providing at least two or more color inkjet inks of the same color and color density but having a different composition to an inkjet printer; b) mixing the two or more color inkjet inks in a controlled amount; and c) printing the mixture of the two or more color inkjet inks with the inkjet printer onto an ink-receiver. An inkjet printer and an inkjet ink set include two or more color inkjet inks of the same color and color density but having a different composition (see Abstract).
(2) Loccufier et al. (# US 2010/0304149) discloses a liquid radiation curable composition for inkjet printing includes a photoinitiating system consisting of one or more diffusion hindered photoinitiators selected from the group consisting of non-polymeric di- or multifunctional initiators, oligomeric or polymeric initiators, and polymerizable initiators, and one or more polymerizable co-initiators, wherein at least one of the polymerizable co-initiators is a polymerizable aromatic tertiary amine. Inkjet inks, an inkjet printing process, and packaging materials may include the liquid radiation curable composition (see Abstract).
(3) Tiessen et al. (# US 2020/0369065) discloses a method for printing on a substrate comprises two steps. The first step consists essentially of: applying onto a substrate one or more layers of an energy curable ink and applying one or more layers of a water-based coating over the top of the one or more layers of energy curable ink. The second step comprises the steps of, in any order: a) drying the one or more layers of water-based coating, and b) actinically or electron beam curing simultaneously all the energy curable ink layers (see Abstract).
(4) Claes et al. (# US 2006/0092254) discloses a printing process is disclosed for ink-jet printing a radiation curable image on a substrate (14). First a radiation curable liquid layer (12) is provided on at least a portion of the substrate (14). Radiation curable ink-jet ink droplets (10) are jetted into the radiation curable liquid layer (12) and the radiation curable liquid layer (12) containing the radiation curable ink-jet ink droplets (13) is then cured. The resolution of the radiation curable image is controlled by uniformly adjusting the thickness of the liquid layer (12) for the dotsize of the radiation curable ink-jet ink jetted onto the cured layer (see Abstract).
(5) Duzy et al. (# US 2014/0302289) discloses methods of printing articles using a photo-curable adhesion promoter and varnish composition jetted onto a media substrate, and a printed article are described (see Abstract).
(6) Trubnikov et al. (# US 2016/0102219) discloses an inkjet printing method includes providing an inkjet composition, which includes a radiation curable monomer or oligomer, a photo-initiator, and an inhibitor present in an amount sufficient to prevent full curing of the radiation curable monomer or oligomer during an initial exposure to a curing energy. First drops of the inkjet composition are deposited onto a substrate. The curing energy is selected such that it is sufficient to substantially consume the inhibitor. The first drops are exposed to the curing energy, whereby the first drops retain substantially a same surface tension as a liquid drop of the inkjet composition. Second drops of the inkjet composition are deposited adjacent to the first drops. The first and second drops are exposed to the curing energy, whereby the first drops are at least partially cured and the second drops retain substantially the same surface tension as a liquid drop of the inkjet composition (see Abstract).
(7) Cohen et al. (# US 2008/0225099) discloses photo-curable ink-jet ink compositions, systems, and methods. One exemplary ink-jet ink composition includes a liquid vehicle, a milled pigment which has been milled in a milling solvent having minimal to no gas solvency for the milled pigment, and a photo initiator. In this embodiment, the composition can be ink-jettable at frequencies of at least 29 KHz without requiring degassing during printing (see Abstract).
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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MANISH S. SHAH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Manish S Shah/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853