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 .
Priority
Foreign priority papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or 35 U.S.C. § 365(a)-(c) are acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement(s) submitted by applicant on 10/01/2024, 06/11/2025, and 01/22/2026 has/have been considered. The submission(s) is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR § 1.97.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because of the language and/or format. Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
Correction is required. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
1. Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 20160208117 to Loccufier et al. (hereinafter “Loccufier”).
With respect to claim 1, Loccufier discloses an ink jet ink for electron beam curing (see abstract) comprising: a polymerizable monomer (see abstract; [0103]-[0117]); a hydrogen abstraction-type polymerization initiator including a polymerizable group ([0088]); and a surfactant including a polymerizable group([0172]-[0178]).
With respect to claim 2, Loccufier discloses wherein the hydrogen abstraction-type polymerization initiator including a polymerizable group includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a thioxanthone compound including a polymerizable group and a benzophenone compound including a polymerizable group (abstract, [0049]-[0052], [0087]-[0091]).
With respect to claim 3, Loccufier discloses further comprising an amine compound including a polymerizable group (abstract [0074-[0100]).
With respect to claim 4, Loccufier discloses wherein the surfactant including a polymerizable group includes a silicone-based surfactant including a (meth)acryloyl group ([0172]-[0178]).
With respect to claim 5, Loccufier discloses wherein a total content of compounds each including a polymerizable group with respect to a total amount of the ink jet ink for electron beam curing is 80% by mass or more ([0043]).
With respect to claim 6, Loccufier discloses wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a polyfunctional polymerizable monomer at a ratio of 60% by mass or more to the total amount of the polymerizable monomer (see abstract; [0103]-[0117]).
With respect to claim 7, Loccufier discloses an ink set comprising two or more ink jet inks for electron beam curing, each of the ink jet inks being the ink jet ink for electron beam curing according to claim 1 ([0044]-[0045]).
With respect to claim 8, Loccufier discloses applying the ink jet ink for electron beam curing according to claim 1 to an impermeable substrate; and irradiating the ink jet ink for electron beam curing applied to the impermeable substrate with an electron beam ([0181]-[0201).
With respect to claim 9, Loccufier discloses wherein the applying the ink jet ink includes irradiating the ink jet ink for electron beam curing applied to the impermeable substrate with ultraviolet rays including a radiation with a wavelength of 300 nm to 395 nm ([0181]-[0201).
With respect to claim 10, Loccufier discloses applying a first ink to an impermeable substrate and irradiating the applied first ink with ultraviolet rays including a radiation with a wavelength of 300 nm to 395 nm, the first ink being the ink jet ink for electron beam curing according to claim 1([0181]-[0201); applying a second ink to the first ink irradiated with the ultraviolet rays, the second ink being the ink jet ink for electron beam curing according to claim 1([0181]-[0201); and after applying the second ink to the first ink, irradiating the first ink and the second ink on the impermeable substrate with an electron beam (electron beam, [0030], [0181]-[0201]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bradley W Thies whose telephone number is (571)270-5667. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:30 am -6:00 pm.
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, 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.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/BRADLEY W THIES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853