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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-3 & 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakashima et al. (# WO 2022/201664 A1).
Nakashima et al. discloses:
1. An active energy ray-curable ink jet ink (see Abstract), comprising:
a coloring pigment (see Abstract; [0008]-[0016]);
a polymerizable compound ([0020]-[0031]);
a polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 80° C. or higher (20 °C or more, preferably 70 °C or more; [0024]; [0026]); and
a polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 0° C. or lower ([10 °C or less preferably -50 °C or less; [0024]; [0027]),
wherein, in a case where a concentration of the polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 80° C. or higher is indicated by M1 (42 to 50%; [0026]) and a concentration of the polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 0° C. or lower is indicated by M2 (50% to 55%; [0027]), 0.20 ≤ M1/M2 is satisfied (i.e. 42/50 = 0.84; 42/55 = 0.76).
2. The active energy ray-curable ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where a concentration of the coloring pigment is indicated by Mp, the concentration of the polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 80° C. or higher is indicated by M1, and the concentration of the polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 0° C. or lower is indicated by M2, 1.00 ≤ Mp/(M1+M2) ≤ 4.00 is satisfied (2 to 7%; [0008]).
3. The active energy ray-curable ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the concentration of the polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 80° C. or higher is indicated by M1 and the concentration of the polymer-type pigment dispersing agent having a glass transition temperature of 0° C. or lower is indicated by M2, 0.50 ≤ M1/M2 ≤ 2.20 is satisfied (i.e. 42/50 = 0.84; 42/55 = 0.76).
7. The active energy ray-curable ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein the coloring pigment comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a diketopyrrolopyrrole pigment, C. I. Pigment Violet 19, C. I. Pigment Yellow 120, C. I. Pigment Yellow 150, C. I. Pigment Yellow 151, and C. I. Pigment Yellow 155 ([0008]-[0015]).
8. An image recording method, comprising: applying the ink jet ink according to claim 1 onto a base material for image recording, comprising a polymer comprising vinyl chloride as a constitutional unit, by an ink jet recording method to record an image ([0052]).
9. A manufacturing method of a laminate, comprising:
obtaining an image recorded material comprising the base material for image recording and the image by the image recording method according to claim 8; and laminating the image recorded material and a base material for lamination, comprising a polymer comprising vinyl chloride as a constitutional unit, in an arrangement in which the image in the image recorded material and the base material for lamination face each other, to obtain a laminate ([0052]-[0053]).
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) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakashima et al. (# WO 2022/201664 A1).in view of Sasa et al. (# US 2004/0259971).
Nakashima et al. discloses:
4. The active energy ray-curable ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein the polymerizable compound comprises: a monomer 1 which is at least one selected from the group consisting of an N-vinyl compound ([0023]) and a (meth)acryloyl morpholine (see table: 1; [0020]-[0029]); and a monomer 2 which has a (meth)acryloyl group and at least one of an aliphatic ring structure or an aliphatic heterocyclic ring structure ([0023]); and a total content of the monomer 1 and the monomer 2 is 50% by mass or more with respect to a total amount of the active energy ray-curable ink jet ink ([0024]; [0026]-[0028]).
5. The active energy ray-curable ink jet ink according to claim 4, wherein the monomer 1 comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of N-vinyl caprolactam ([0025]), acryloyl morpholine, vinyl methyloxazolidinone, and N-vinylpyrrolidone ([0029]), and the monomer 2 comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate ([0023]), 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl acrylate ([0026]), and 4-t-butylcyclohexyl acrylate.
6. The active energy ray-curable ink jet ink according to claim 4,
wherein the polymerizable compound further comprises a monomer 3 which is a polymerizable monomer having two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups, and
a content of the monomer 3 is more than 0% by mass and 20% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the active energy ray-curable ink jet ink (see Examples; see Table 1).
Nakashima et al. explicitly did not discloses:
4. The monomer 2, which has a molecular weight of 205 or less, and has a solubility parameter of 16.5 MPa1/2 to 21.5 MPa1/2,
Sasa teaches to have high curable ink composition,
4. The monomer 2, which has a molecular weight of 205 or less (1000 or less; [0040]), and has a solubility parameter of 16.5 MPa1/2 to 21.5 MPa1/2 (10 to 20 MPa1/2; [0040]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the curable ink of Nakashima et al. by the aforementioned teaching of Sasa in order to have the high curable ink composition, which gives high quality printed image.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Ushirogouchi et al.(# US 2006/0025497) discloses an inkjet ink composition comprising a pigment component to which a resin having a basic terminal is adsorbed, a photo-acid generating agent containing an onium salt, and at least one kind of solvent which can be polymerized under the presence of an acid. The content of multivalent salt included in the onium salt is not more than 20% by weight based on a total weight of onium salt, and the content of the pigment component is confined within the range of 3 to 41% by weight based on the ink composition (see Abstract).
(2) Saito et al. (# US 2009/0239996) discloses the aforementioned monomers, a solubility parameter (SP value) of preferably from 16 to 20 (MPa).sup.1/2 and a weight average molecular weight of preferably from 2,000 to 50,000, and more preferably from 2,000 to 30,000 may be obtained, thereby giving the water-insoluble colorant particle in the invention ([0136]).
(3) Tanaka et al. (# US 2022/0267628) discloses a radiation-curable ink jet composition includes inorganic particles, a coloring material, and a polymerizable compound. The polymerizable compound contains a monofunctional monomer. A content of the monofunctional monomer is 80% by mass or greater with respect to a total amount of the polymerizable compound. A content of the inorganic particles is 10% by mass or less with respect to a total amount of the ink composition. (see Abstract).
(4) Kizaki et al. (# US 2021/0009826) discloses at least two monomers include two monomers with Hansen solubility parameters δd, δp, and δh that satisfy the following conditions: 16.0 MPa.sup.0.5≤δd<18.0 MPa.sup.0.5 (see Abstract).
(5) Sasa (# US 2006/0142409) discloses an actinic ray curable ink-jet ink comprising a cationically polymerizable compound including a cationically polymerizable epoxy compound and a cationically polymerizable oxetane ring-containing compound, wherein the actinic ray curable ink-jet ink contains the cationically polymerizable epoxy compound in an amount of from 35 to 95% by weight based on the total amount of cationically polymerizable compound, the cationically polymerizable epoxy compound having a solubility parameter (sp value) of from 10 to 20, and the cationically polymerizable oxetane ring-containing compound having a solubility parameter (sp value) of from 5 to 8.0, and wherein the actinic ray curable ink-jet ink has a viscosity at 25.degree. C. of 5 to 50 mPas (see Abstract).
(6) Oyanagi et al.(# US 2006/0187285) discloses an ink composition set comprising an ink composition A comprising at least a colorant and an interior curable photopolymerization initiator, and an ink composition B comprising at least a polymerizable compound, a surface curable photopolymerization initiator and a polymerization accelerator, and an ink-jet recording method using the ink composition set (see Abstract).
(7) Oyanagi et al. (# US 2009/0280265) discloses the ink composition B used in the ink-jet recording method of the invention contains a photopolymerization initiator to have high surface curing property, it is preferred, for example, that an .alpha.-aminoketone compound is used as a major component the photopolymerization initiator contained in the ink composition B, and the amount of the .alpha.-aminoketone compound is 60% by weight or more based on the total amount of the photopolymerization initiator contained in the ink composition B ([0053]).
(8) Suzuki (# US 2016/0090494) discloses a polymerizable composition includes: a polymer compound; a polymerization initiator; and a polymerizable compound. The polymer compound contains at least one of a repeating unit represented by the following Formula (1) or a repeating unit represented by the following Formula (2). An ink composition for ink-jet recording includes the polymerizable composition. A method of ink jet recording and a printed article use the ink composition (see Abstract).
(9) Jain et al. (# US 2018/0194885) discloses Curable compositions include: a) at least one (meth)acrylate monomer or oligomer and b) at least one mono-functional (meth)acrylate monomer comprising a polycyclic moiety having at least three rings that are fused or condensed. The compositions may comprise an initiator system to render the compositions as curable. The compositions may comprise both the a) and b) components in an amount from about 30% to about 70% by weight. The compositions described herein are advantageous with respect to properties such as viscosity, toughness, tensile strength and tensile elongation. Due to their advantageous properties, the compositions are viable for a wide range of applications including coatings, adhesives, sealants, inks and stereolithography. The compositions are liquid at ambient temperature and impart a high glass transition temperature, Tg, without sacrificing other properties, such as elongation. The compositions are useful in 3D printing (see Abstract).
(10) Saito et al. (# US 2022/0203741) discloses an ink jet recording method includes ejecting a radiation-curable ink jet composition to a recording medium from an ink jet head, and curing the ink jet composition ejected to the recording medium by irradiating with radiation from a LED irradiator having a peak wavelength of 250 to 310 nm to form a cured coating film. The ink jet composition contains a polymerizable compound and an α-hydroxyketone-based initiator (see Abstract).
(11) Kato et al. (# US 2011/0057983) discloses an aqueous ink composition including: a) a water-based medium; b) a compound having an ethylenically unsaturated bond; and c) resin particles including a water-insoluble vinyl polymer and a water-insoluble photoinitiator (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
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