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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 23 August 2024 has been considered by the examiner.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Okuda et al. (US 2015/0197654 – hereinafter Okuda.)
Regarding claim 1,
Okuda discloses an ink jet recording method comprising ejecting:
a first ink [ejected by head 32 in fig. 1; please note that the reference includes a single figure (labeled ‘FIGURE’) and the Examiner will refer to it as ‘fig. 1’ for clarity/simplicity] that is an aqueous ink comprising at least one particulate component selected from the group consisting of a pigment [color material/pigment] and a resin particle [Abstract; paragraphs 0031 and 0102; please note that only one option is needed for the limitation to be met as written];
a second ink [ejected by head 34 in fig. 1] that is an aqueous ink comprising a pigment [Abstract and paragraph 0031];
a first reaction liquid [ejected by head 31 in fig. 1] that is an aqueous reaction liquid comprising a reactant that reacts with at least one selected from the group consisting of the first ink and the second ink [Abstract and paragraph 0057]; and
a second reaction liquid [ejected by head 33 in fig. 1] that is an aqueous reaction liquid comprising a reactant that reacts with at least one selected from the group consisting of the first ink and the second ink [Abstract and paragraph 0059],
from a recording head [30 in fig. 1] to a recording medium [F in fig. 1] to overlap each other in at least an area of the recording medium to form an image [as seen in fig.1],
wherein the method includes:
a first reaction liquid applying step of applying the first reaction liquid to the recording medium [paragraphs 0031 and 0035-0037];
a first ink applying step of applying the first ink to the recording medium after the first reaction liquid applying step [paragraphs 0031 and 0038-0040];
a second ink applying step of applying the second ink to the recording medium after the first reaction liquid applying step [paragraph 0031 and 0044]; and
a second reaction liquid applying step of applying the second reaction liquid to the recording medium after the first reaction liquid applying step [paragraphs 0031 and 0041-0043],
the recording medium exhibits a water absorption of 10 mL/m2 or less for a period of 30 ms1/2 from the beginning of contact with water when measured by a Bristow method [paragraph 0125], and
the second reaction liquid has a higher surface tension than the first reaction liquid [paragraphs 0058 and 0060; the surface tension of the first reaction liquid and the second reactions liquid is preferably between 1 mN/m and 50 mN/m and “[t]he composition of the second reaction liquid may be the same as or different from that of the first reaction liquid” (paragraph 0060; emphasis added); it is implicit that within the included range, the surface tension of the second reaction liquid may be higher than that of the first reaction liquid.]
Regarding claim 2,
Okuda further discloses wherein the method comprises, in this order, the first reaction applying step, the first ink applying step, the second reaction liquid applying step and the second ink applying step [paragraphs 0025-0026 and 0031.]
Regarding claim 3,
Okuda further discloses wherein a particulate component content (% by mass) of the first ink is 8.0% by mass or more based on a total amount of the first ink [‘White pigment” in Examples 1-4 in Table 1.]
Regarding claim 4,
Okuda further discloses wherein the pigment as the particulate component in the first ink comprises titanium dioxide [paragraph 0093 and 0133.]
Regarding claim 5,
Okuda further discloses wherein the pigment in the second ink comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of carbon black and an organic pigment [paragraph 0092.]
Regarding claim 6,
Okuda further discloses wherein a water-soluble organic solvent content (% by mass) of the second reaction liquid is 25.0% by mass or less based on a total mass of the second reaction liquid [paragraph 0080.]
Regarding claim 7,
Okuda further discloses wherein the reactants in the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid each comprises a polyvalent metal salt [paragraphs 0012-0013.]
Regarding claim 8,
Okuda further discloses wherein the polyvalent metal salt in each of the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid comprises magnesium sulfate [paragraphs 0062 and 0135.]
Regarding claim 9,
Okuda further discloses wherein the reactants in the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid each further comprises a cationic resin [paragraphs 0014-0015 and 0051.]
Regarding claim 10,
Okuda discloses an ink jet recording apparatus [1 in fig. 1] comprising a recording head [30 in fig. 1] configured to eject:
a first ink that is an aqueous ink comprising at least one particulate component selected from the group consisting of a pigment and a resin particle [Abstract; paragraphs 0031 and 0102; please note that only one option is needed for the limitation to be met as written];
a second ink that is an aqueous ink comprising a pigment [Abstract; paragraph 0031];
a first reaction liquid that is an aqueous reaction liquid comprising a reactant that reacts with at least one selected from the group consisting of the first ink and the second ink [Abstract and paragraph 0057]; and
a second reaction liquid that is an aqueous reaction liquid comprising a reactant that reacts with at least one selected from the group consisting of the first ink and the second ink [Abstract and paragraph 0059],
to a recording medium [F in fig. 1] to overlap each other in at least an area of the recording medium to form an image [as seen in fig.1],
wherein the apparatus performs:
a first reaction liquid applying step of applying the first reaction liquid to the recording medium [paragraphs 0031 and 0035-0037];
a first ink applying step of applying the first ink to the recording medium after the first reaction liquid applying step [paragraphs 0031 and 0038-0040];
a second ink applying step of applying the second ink to the recording medium after the first reaction liquid applying step [paragraph 0031 and 0044]; and
a second reaction liquid applying step to the recording medium after the first reaction liquid applying step [paragraphs 0031 and 0041-0043],
the recording medium exhibits a water absorption of 10 mL/m2 or less for a period of 30 ms1/2 from the beginning of contact with water when measured by a Bristow method [paragraph 0125], and
the second reaction liquid has a higher surface tension than the first reaction liquid [paragraphs 0058 and 0060; the surface tension of the first reaction liquid and the second reactions liquid is preferably between 1 mN/m and 50 mN/m and “[t]he composition of the second reaction liquid may be the same as or different from that of the first reaction liquid” (paragraph 0060; emphasis added); it is implicit that within the included range, the surface tension of the second reaction liquid may be higher than that of the first reaction liquid.]
Communication with the USPTO
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JANNELLE M LEBRON whose telephone number is (571) 272-2729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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, Douglas X Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JANNELLE M LEBRON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853