Ex Parte Clapp et al

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Sep 12, 2016

13467107 (P.T.A.B. Sep. 12, 2016)

UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE
13/467,107 05/09/2012
27752 7590 09/14/2016
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY
Global IP Services
Central Building, C9
One Procter and Gamble Plaza
CINCINNATI, OH 45202
FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
Mannie Lee Clapp
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www .uspto.gov
ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
10248C 7021
EXAMINER
CARTER, KENDRA D
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
1627
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
09/14/2016 ELECTRONIC
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
following e-mail address( es):
centraldocket.im @pg.com
pair_pg@firsttofile.com
mayer.jk@pg.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte MANNIE LEE CLAPP, KARL SHIQING WEI, and
CHRISTOPHER GARRETT ANDERSON1
Appeal2014-002795
Application 13/467,107
Technology Center 1600
Before DONALD E. ADAMS, ULRIKE W. JENKS, and JOHN G. NEW,
Administrative Patent Judges.
JENKS, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
This is an appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134 involving claims directed to
stabilizing a colorant in a multi-phase aqueous personal care composition.
The Examiner rejects the claims as anticipated and obvious. We have
jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b ).
We affirm-in-part.
1 According to Appellants, "[t]he real party in interest is The Procter &
Gamble Company of Cincinnati, Ohio." (Br. 1.)
Appeal2014-002795
Application 13/467,107
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Claims 1-20 are on appeal, and can be found in the Claims Appendix
of the Appeal Brief. Claim 1 is representative of the claims on appeal, and
reads as follows:
1. A method of stabilizing colorant in a multi-phase aqueous
personal care composition, comprising: formulating with a non-
migrating colorant having a cLogP value of at least about 2 in
the multi-phase personal cleansing composition comprising:
a) a structured aqueous cleansing phase comprising a surfactant
and water; and
b) at least one additional, non-lamellar aqueous phase;
wherein at least one of said structured aqueous cleansing phase
and said additional aqueous phase comprises at least one of the
non-migrating colorant; and wherein said structured aqueous
cleansing phase and said additional phase are packaged in
physical contact with one another.
(Br. 7). Claim 16, the only other independent claim, contains the
additional limitation of "identifying a colorant as a non-migrating colorant,
wherein said colorant has a cLogP value of about 2 or greater" (Br. 9).
Appellants request review of the following grounds of rejection:
I. Claims 1-15 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a) as being anticipated by
Wei. 2
II. Claims 1-15 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (e) as being anticipated by
Wei.
III. Claims 16-20 under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as unpatentable over
Wei.
2 Wei et al., WO 2005/065638 Al, published July 21, 2005.
2
Appeal2014-002795
Application 13/467,107
I. & II. Anticipation by Wei
The Examiner has rejected claims 1-15 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a) and
§ 102( e) as being anticipated by Wei. Because the claims are not separately
argued, we focus our discussion on representative claim 1.
The issue is: Does the evidence of record support the Examiner's
conclusion that Wei discloses the method of stabilizing colorant in a multi-
phase aqueous personal care composition using a colorant having a cLogP
value of at least about 2?
Findings of Fact
We adopt the Examiner's findings of fact and reasoning regarding the
scope and content of the prior art (Ans. 2--4, 8-9). For emphasis only we
highlight the following:
FF 1. Wei discloses "multi-phase personal cleansing compositions
containing a lathering cleansing phase and a separate non-lathering
structured aqueous phase wherein the two phases are packaged in
physical contact with remaining stable over time" (Wei Abstract, see
5: 5-8; Ans. 3).
FF2. Wei discloses that colorants include D&C Red 30 Talc Lake (Wei
13: 34).
FF3. Wei's examples 7-9 disclose a method of preparing a personal care
composition comprising a lathering cleansing phase and a non-
lathering structured aqueous phase as listed in Table 3, reproduced
below:
3
Appeal2014-002795
Application 13/467,107
! Example 7 E;~mple 8 ExampJe··9·-
~ ........................... ---~-.............. ---
lJ!lM!i!.!~!lL ............................ _______________________________ J ______ _!~~!.!~ .. _____ :!!:!'? .......... ------~~-~-~? ___ _
! I. Lathedn2 Cleansin2 Phase Comn@sition ! ,___ _______ ........ ...._ __ _.__ __ -+------1------1----------1
! Miracare SLB~365 (from Rhodia)
! (Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Sodium
Lauramphoacetate. Cocamide MEA)
Cticamide MBA
Guar Hydmxyprupyltrimonium Chloride
( N-Ham::e 3196 from Aquakm)
47.4
3.0
! PEG 90M (Polyox \:VSR 301 from Dow
i Chemical)
;----~-~~---~---~.--~--;-----· i Sodium Chlnride
r--. ······---------····--~---
47.4 47,4
3.0 3.0
0.7
0.2
3.5
0.05 i Disodium EDTA --······-_......;........;.. ___________ +-_......;.._-+-----+----............-i
i Glydant 0.67
~--"'--------------------0-----............. -----+-----.............i
I
, Citric A.cid ______________ ..._..... ___ ___,__ _ o_.4_----+---~·
. Perfume 2.0
............... ~~~---------------....... ----.----------~·
-~Y!~f'.!: _____________ ~-----~---t--2&~.-L ..... _o~._s_. ________ ____,,
·· H} (6J}) I (6.0} __ tr. .... ~------········· ............................................. ___,,__ _____ ........-.jl
--~-~-!:::~~~~~~~l~~~~~~-~-~-~:-~~: .. :~~--:~~-~.::~~-~~~:~: ................................ L ___________ --+----~I
Xanthan Gum 1.0
! (Keltrol
! from CP Kelco)
SuccinogJycan
(R.heozan
from Rhodia)
H
!I ,.
!
' i
Strm::ture XL I - 6. 0 1 ·
(from National Starch) : ,__,_ _____ _...... ________ -:,.------+--~----+------t
Glvdant 0.37 0.37 ! ,_..._...._ ______________ .......,.. ____ +-------+--~~-----
I Red 30 Talc Lake OJ) l o O l i
,_i <._T_rl.i_'