Appeal 2006-2739
Application 09/918,584
BACKGROUND
The claims are directed to an ink jet ink composition. The
composition contains water, a humectant, and a hyperbranched polymeric
dye. Claim 1 is illustrative of the subject matter on appeal:
1. An ink jet ink composition comprising water, a
humectant, and a water-soluble hyperbranched polymeric
dye comprising a hyperbranched polymer having a dye
chromophore and a hydrophilic group incorporated into
the polymer base chain.
The Examiner rejects claims 1, and 10-18 under 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 1
on the grounds that the claims fail to comply with the written description
requirement of the statute. Specifically, the Examiner finds no support in
the original Specification for “water-soluble” and “a hydrophilic group” as
those terms are used in claim 1, the only independent claim.
The Examiner also objects to claims 11-13 under 37 C.F.R. § 1.75(c)
as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject
matter of a previous claim.
DISCUSSION
With regard to the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 1, Appellants
contend that the general discussion of the polymers as well as specific
examples of water-soluble polymers and hydrophilic groups in the
Specification provide support for the claimed subject matter (Br. 6). The
Examiner contends that support is limited to the specific hydrophilic groups
and water-soluble polymers disclosed and that support does not extend
broadly to all hydrophilic groups and all water-soluble polymers as claimed
(Answer 4-5 and 10).
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