DETAILED ACTION
Note: This new Non-Final Rejection will be replacing/superseding the previous Non-Final Rejection mailed on 8/26/2026.
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto et al. (# US 2016/0215152) in view of Sato et al. (# US 2018/0037762).
Yamamoto et al. discloses:
1. An aqueous inkjet ink composition (see Abstract), comprising:
a pigment (see Abstract; [0035]-[0037]),
an alkali-soluble resin ([0038]-[0046]),
a surfactant ([0054]-[0056]),
a water-soluble solvent ([0062]-[0065]), and
water ([0066]-[0067]),
wherein the alkali-soluble resin has an acid value of 100 mgKOH/g or more and 250 mgKOH/g or less (80 to 250 mgKOH/g; [0051]),
the surfactant contains an acetylene surfactant (acetylene glycol surfactant; see Abstract; [0077]) and a nonionic surfactant, the nonionic surfactant contains one or more selected from the group consisting of a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether ([0070]-[0073]) and an alkoxy alcohol,
a percentage of a resin component of the resin emulsion is 0.5% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less in the aqueous inkjet ink composition ([0053]),
a static surface tension measured at 23 °C is 27 mN/m or more and 33 mN/m or less (25 mN/m or more; [0061]), and
a dynamic surface tension measured at 23 °C by maximum bubble pressure method is 33 mN/m or more and 39 mN/m or less at a lifetime of 10 msec (40 mN/m or less; [0061]).
Yamamoto et al. explicitly did not discloses:
An aqueous inkjet ink composition, comprising: a resin emulsion.
Sato et al. teaches that to have the abrasion resistance high quality printed image, an aqueous inkjet ink composition comprising a resin emulsion ([0053]-[0056]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the ink composition of Yamamoto et al. by the aforementioned teaching of Sato et al. in order to have abrasion resistance high quality printed image.
2. The aqueous inkjet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the polyoxyethylene alkyl ether has an alkyl group having 11 or more and 15 or less carbon atoms (12 to 22; [0075]).
3. The aqueous inkjet ink composition according to claim 1, which does not comprise a fluorine surfactant (Acetylene glycol Type Surfactant; [0057]-[0058]).
4. A printed matter obtained by performing printing using the aqueous inkjet ink composition according to claim 1 on a base material ([0088]).
5. The printed matter according to claim 4, wherein the base material is a non-absorbent print medium (glossy paper; [0088]).
6. The aqueous inkjet ink composition according to claim 2, which does not comprise a fluorine surfactant (Acetylene glycol Type Surfactant; [0057]-[0058]).
7. A printed matter obtained by performing printing using the aqueous inkjet ink composition according to claim 2 on a base material ([0088]).
8. The printed matter according to claim 7, wherein the base material is a non- absorbent print medium (glossy paper; [0088]).
9. A printed matter obtained by performing printing using the aqueous inkjet ink composition according to claim 3 on a base material ([0088]).
10. The printed matter according to claim 9, wherein the base material is a non- absorbent print medium (glossy paper; [0088]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Yamazaki et al. (# US 2015/0175825) discloses an ink composition comprises water, coloring material and acetylene glycol-based surfactant chosen from acetylene glycol of formula (I) and ethylene oxide adduct of acetylene glycol of formula (II). The total content of the acetylene glycol-based surfactant is 0.1-3 %mass with respect to the total mass of the ink composition (see Abstract).
(2) Fukunishi et al. (# US 5631071) discloses an interior base material suitable for a pigment ink printing process on which an organic-solvent-soluble synthetic resin (A) and a water insoluble-water absorbing resin having water absorption ability against pure water of 50 to 1,000 ml/g (B) are applied, the interior base material having a printed image with a pigment ink. The invention further relates to a method of printing an interior base material comprising the steps of, applying 0.01 to 50 weight percent with respect to the base material of each of an organic-solvent-soluble synthetic resin (A) and a water insoluble-water absorbing resin having water absorption ability to pure water of 50 to 1,000 ml/g (B), applying a pigment ink having viscosity of 5 to 10,000 cps by ink-jet printing or gravure printing, and drying (see Abstract).
(3) Aoyama et al. (# US 2011/0234680) discloses recording method comprises: a first process comprising ejecting a first ink composition from a recording head onto a recording medium and emitting light to the first ink composition that has adhered to the recording medium with the result that the first ink composition is cured at a cure rate of 70-95%; and a second process comprising ejecting a second ink composition from a recording head to the first ink composition that has been cured on the recording medium and emitting light from a light source to the second ink composition that has adhered to the cured first ink composition with the result that the second ink composition is cured, where the first and second ink compositions contain colorant, photopolymerizable compound and photopolymerization initiator (see Abstract).
(4) Sato et al. (# US 2022/0258495) discloses an image recording method includes a step of preparing a first ink containing water and at least one selected from the group consisting of a chromatic colorant and a black colorant, a step of preparing a second ink containing a white colorant and water, an applying step of applying each of the first ink and the second ink onto a resin base material by an ink jet method, and a drying step of including irradiating the first ink and the second ink applied onto the resin base material with microwaves (see Abstract).
(5) Kitagawa et al. (# US 2015/0375528) discloses a textile fiber product is subjected to a fiber-modifying treatment by applying a fiber-modifying agent containing at least an aqueous polyvalent cationic salt solution and a urethane resin having a blocked isocyanate group at the end thereof, after which a masking ink containing at least a white or light-colored pigment, a water-soluble polymer dispersing agent, a self-emulsifying urethane resin and/or an acrylic resin having an acid value of 40 to 100 mg KOH/g, and an aqueous liquid as a solvent or disperse medium, is printed by an inkjet process (see Abstract).
(6) Toda et al. (# US 2016/0068697) discloses An ink for inkjet includes water; two or more hydrosoluble organic solvents; a pigment; and a resin particle more than the pigment by weight. A hydrosoluble organic solvent A having the smallest SP value and a hydrosoluble organic solvent B having the largest SP among the two or more hydrosoluble organic solvents (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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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.
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MANISH S. SHAH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Manish S Shah/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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