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) 1-3 and 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cree (2016/0045380) in view of Mizutani (2004/0149613).
With respect to claim 1, Cree discloses an individually-wrapped absorbent article comprising a wrapping sheet 14, as shown in figure 1, and an absorbent article 12 individually wrapped in the wrapping sheet, as shown in figure 2. The surface of the individually-wrapped absorbent article is provided with antislip, as shown in figure 2 and disclosed in paragraph [0026]. The antislip surface is fully capable of being in contact with another individually-wrapped absorbent article when multiple articles are stacked.
Cree discloses all aspects of the claimed invention with the exception of the wrapping sheet including paper. Cree discloses in paragraph [0029] that the wrapping sheet can comprise a laminate, but remains silent as to the inclusion of paper. Mizutani discloses a wrapping sheet for an individually-wrapped absorbent article, as shown in figure 2, and teaches that a suitable material for the wrapping sheet comprises a laminate including paper, as disclosed in paragraph [0147]. Mizutani teaches that that including paper in the wrapping sheet laminate allows the wrapping sheet to be flushable, as disclosed in paragraph [0148]. It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the wrapping sheet of Cree to include paper, as taught by Mizutani, to make the wrapping sheet flushable.
With respect to claim 2, Cree shows in figure 1 that the antislip is an antislip agent in the form of a pattern that is applied to an entire area of an exposed surface of the wrapping sheet 14, as shown in figure 1.
With respect to claim 3, Cree shows in figure 1 that the antislip is an antislip agent in the form of a pattern that is applied to an entire area of an exposed surface of the wrapping sheet 14, as shown in figure 1, and therefore the antislip is applied to at least part of a region in which a number of portion of the wrapping sheet overlap.
With respect to claims 8-9, Cree discloses in paragraph [0029] that wrapping sheet is passed through patterned calendering rolls, and therefore the antislip is a relief pattern including embossing.
With respect to claim 10, modified Cree discloses all aspects of the claimed invention with the exception of the relief pattern including ink applied by printing. Mizutani teaches providing ink to the wrapping sheet to shield the color of menstrual blood in the pad, as disclosed in paragraph [0151]. It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the wrapping sheet of Cree with ink, as taught by Mizutani, to shield the color of menstrual blood in the absorbent article.
With respect to claim 11, Cree discloses in paragraph [0026] that the relief pattern includes perforations of the wrapping sheet.
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cree (2016/0045380) in view of Mizutani (2004/0149613), and further in view of Ashiba Megumi (JP 2022-112640 A).
With respect to claims 4-6, Cree discloses the wrapping sheet including a first region and a second region and folding the wrapping sheet so that the second region overlaps the first region, as shown in figure 1. Modified Cree discloses all aspects of the claimed invention with the exception of a fastening tape having a length that is 35% or more of the length of the folded wrapping sheet, a width that is 15% or greater of the width of the wrapping sheet, and a surface having an antislip structure. Ashiba Megumi discloses a wrapping sheet for an individually-wrapped absorbent article, as shown in figures 1 and 2, and teaches providing the wrapping sheet with a fastening tape 250 having a length H1, a width W1, and a surface comprising an antislip structure 261, as shown in figure 15. The length H1 is greater than 35% of the length of the folded wrapping sheet and the width W1 is greater than 15% of the width of the wrapping sheet, as disclosed in paragraphs [0041] and [0076]. Ashiba Megumi teaches that providing the wrapping sheet with this fastening tape achieves the advantage of more reliably fastening the package in a wrapped state when a used absorbent article is disposed of in the wrapping sheet, as disclosed in paragraph [0075]. It would therefore have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the wrapping sheet of Cree with a fastening tape having a length that is 35% or more of the length of the folded wrapping sheet, a width that is 15% or greater of the width of the wrapping sheet, and a surface having an antislip structure, as taught by Ashiba Megumi, to achieve the advantage of more reliably fastening the package in a wrapped state when a used absorbent article is disposed of in the wrapping sheet.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art of record, Cree, does not disclose an adhesive constituting a pseudo-adhesive structure that seeps through the wrapping sheet to be present on the exposed surface of the wrapping sheet to constitute an antislip. The prior art of record therefore does not disclose nor fairly suggest the claimed invention.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. U.S. Patents and Publications 9,287,035; 8,939,955; 5,413,568; and 2006/0025739 disclose individually-wrapped absorbent articles.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LYNNE ANDERSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4932. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10-6.
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/CATHARINE L ANDERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3781
