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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakashima et al. (# WO 2022/201664 A1) in view of Makuta (# US 2014/0232790) and Sasa et al. (# US 2004/0259971).
Nakashima et al. discloses:
1. An ink jet ink (see Abstract) comprising:
a polymerizable monomer ([0020]-[0031]); and
wherein a weighted average value of a glass transition temperature of a homopolymer of the polymerizable monomer is 0° C. to 50° C (20 °C or more, preferably 50 °C or more; [0024]; [0026]).
2. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, further comprising: an acylphosphine oxide-type photopolymerization initiator ([0032]).
4. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein the polymerizable monomer includes an N-vinyl compound ([0023]; [0029]).
5. The ink jet ink according to claim 4, wherein a mass ratio of an amount of the N-vinyl compound to a total amount of the polymerizable monomer is 0.30 or more ([0029]; see Table 1).
6. The ink jet ink according to claim 1,
wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a monomer M1 having a glass transition temperature of 90° C. or higher in a case of being homopolymerized (20 °C or more, preferably 70 °C or more; [0024]; [0026]) and
a monomer M2 having a glass transition temperature of 30° C. or lower in a case of being homopolymerized ([10 °C or less preferably -50 °C or less; [0024]; [0027]), and
a content of the monomer M1 with respect to a total amount of the ink jet ink is 20% by mass to 50% by mass (42 to 50%; [0026]), and a content of the monomer M2 with respect to the total amount of the ink jet ink is 35% by mass to 65% by mass (50% to 55%; [0027]).
7. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a monomer A which has a (meth)acryloyl group ([0020]-[0021]) and a mass ratio of an amount of the monomer A to a total amount of the polymerizable monomer is 0.50 or more (see Table 1).
9. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a monofunctional monomer, and a mass ratio of an amount of the monofunctional monomer to a total amount of the polymerizable monomer is 0.90 or more (see Table: 1).
10. The ink jet ink according to claim 9, wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a compound having two or more (meth)acryloyl groups, and a mass ratio of an amount of the compound having two or more (meth)acryloyl groups to the total amount of the polymerizable monomer is more than 0 and 0.10 or less (see Table 1).
11. The ink jet ink according to claim 7, wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a monomer B which is a compound having two or more (meth)acryloyl groups ([0020]) and different from the monomer A, and a mass ratio of an amount of the monomer B with respect to the total amount of the polymerizable monomer is more than 0 and 0.10 or less (see Table 1).
14. An image recording method comprising: applying the ink jet ink according to claim 1 onto a base material for image recording, containing a polymer including vinyl chloride as a constitutional unit, by an ink jet recording method to record an image ([0052]).
15. A manufacturing method of a laminate, comprising:
obtaining an image recorded material including the base material for image recording and the image by the image recording method according to claim 14; and
laminating the image recorded material and a base material for lamination, containing a polymer including 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]).
Nakashima et al. explicitly did not discloses:
1. An α-aminoketone-type photopolymerization initiator having a molecular weight of 600 or more.
2. A content mass ratio of the α-aminoketone-type photopolymerization initiator having a molecular weight of 600 or more to the acylphosphine oxide-type photopolymerization initiator is 0.010 to 1.5.
3. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, further comprising: a sensitizing dye, wherein a content mass ratio of the α-aminoketone-type photopolymerization initiator having a molecular weight of 600 or more to the sensitizing dye is 0.010 to 2.0.
7. The polymerizable monomer includes a monomer A which has a (meth)acryloyl group, has a molecular weight of 215 or less, and has a solubility parameter of 16.5 MPa.sup.1/2 to 21.5 MPa.sup.1/2.
8. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a compound having a molecular weight of 215 or less, and a mass ratio of an amount of the compound having a molecular weight of 215 or less to a total amount of the polymerizable monomer is 0.80 or more.
12. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, further comprising: a resin T including at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorinated hydrocarbon group, a polysiloxane group, and a hydrocarbon group having 12 or more carbon atoms.
13. The ink jet ink according to claim 12, wherein the resin T has a structural unit derived from hydroxyethyl methacrylate.
Makuta teaches that to have the bleed free high quality printed image,
1. An α-aminoketone-type photopolymerization initiator having a molecular weight of 600 or more (molecular weight 1032; [0274]),
12. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, further comprising: a resin T including at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorinated hydrocarbon group, a polysiloxane group (siloxane group having 30 or less carbon atom; [0170]-[0174]), and a hydrocarbon group having 12 or more carbon atoms ([0170]-[0175]).
13. The ink jet ink according to claim 12, wherein the resin T has a structural unit derived from hydroxyethyl methacrylate (phenoxyethyl (meth)acrylate; [0171]).
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 Makuta in order to have the bleed free, high quality curable printed image.
Sasa teaches to have high curable ink composition,
7. The polymerizable monomer includes a monomer A has a molecular weight of 215 or less (less than 1000; [0040]), and has a solubility parameter of 16.5 MPa1/2 to 21.5 MPa1/2 (10 to 20 MPa1/2; [0040]).
8. The ink jet ink according to claim 1, wherein the polymerizable monomer includes a compound having a molecular weight of 215 or less (less than 1000; [0040]), and a mass ratio of an amount of the compound having a molecular weight of 215 or less to a total amount of the polymerizable monomer is 0.80 or more ([0040]-[0047]).
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) Cappelle et al. (# US 2017/0088724) discloses a radiation curable composition comprising at least one ethylenically unsaturated compound (A), and at least one inert copolymer (B) that is obtained by an addition reaction of: (b) from 3 to 50% by weight of at least one monofunctional glycidyl ether (b1) and/or at least one monofunctional glycidyl ester (b2) of aliphatic saturated monocarboxylic acids during the free radical polymerization of: (b′) from 50 to 97% by weight of at least two ethylenically unsaturated copolymerizable monomers of which at least one contains at least one —COOH group (b′1), wherein the quantity of —COOH groups in component (b′1) is at least equimolar to the quantity of epoxy groups in component (b), and wherein the amount of solvents in the radiation curable composition of the invention is below 10% by weight. The present invention further relates to their making and their use in coating compositions, adhesives, inks and varnishes (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) 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).
(7) 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).
(8) 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]).
(9) 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).
(10) 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).
(11) 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).
(12) 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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