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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks filed 2026-02-25, with respect to the rejection of claims 1 – 11 and 13 under 35 U.S.C. §103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a rejection on new grounds is made in view of Nakazawa et al (US PGP 2010/0124715), Harada et al (US PGP 2015/0376412), and Uchino et al (US PGP 2016/0282742).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 – 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakazawa et al (US PGP 2010/0124715) in view of Harada et al (US PGP 2015/0376412), further in view of Uchino et al (US PGP 2016/0282742).
Nakazawa teaches a toner (Abstract) which may be used alongside a carrier in a two-component developer ([0166]). Nakazawa teaches that the volume-average particle diameter of the toner particles is preferably 5 – 9 µm ([0108]), encompassing the range stated in Claim 1. Nakazawa teaches that an external additive may be added to the toner particles ([0090]), which may be titanium oxide ([0091]). The external additive is preferably added in an amount of 0.01 – 20 parts by mass relative to 100 parts of toner particles ([0092]), reading on the range stated in Claim 1. Nakazawa teaches that the toner may include a colorant ([0081]), but does not give a detailed description of pigments having particular absorption maxima. Additionally, while Nakazawa does describe a carrier having a resin coating ([0169], [0171]), no preference is stated for the exposure ratio of the core particle of the carrier.
Harada teaches a black pigment composition for use as an alternative to carbon black in electrophotographic toners ([0002]). Use of the pigment composition taught by Harada improves the performance of a toner by suppressing charge leakage and resisting color fading ([0009]). Harada teaches that a pigment composition which achieves these improvements contains at least a first pigment having a λmax of 460 – 530 nm and a second pigment having a λmax of 600 – 700 nm ([0012]) when measured as a dispersion in MEK ([0018]), reading on the ranges stated for instant P1 and P2, respectively.
Uchino teaches a two-component developer containing toner particles and carrier particles ([0012]). The carrier particles comprise core particles with a coating on their surface ([0017]). Uchino teaches that the coating does not completely cover the surface of the carrier core particles, and that the exposed area of the core material which is not covered by the coating resin, as measured by XPS, is 10 – 18% of the surface ([0031], [0033] – [0034]). Controlling the exposed area ratio of the coated core particles of the carrier suppresses image defects and preserves the quality of printed images ([0031]).
While Uchino’s “exposed area” is calculated by a different formula than the “iron element content” of the instant application, the two values calculated for a given carrier are expected to be similar. Therefore, the carrier particles of Uchino would have “iron element content” values in a range overlapping that stated in Claim 1.
In preparing the two-component developer of Nakazawa, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to suppress charge leakage of the toner and resist color fading by incorporating the pigment composition taught by Harada. In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to suppress image defects and enhance the quality of printed images by controlling the exposed area ratio of the carrier in the range taught by Uchino. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to prepare the two-component developer of Nakazawa, wherein the toner includes the pigment composition of Harada and the carrier has an area exposure ratio controlled in the range taught by Uchino, resulting in a developer described by Claim 1.
As mentioned above, Harada teaches a first pigment having a λmax of 460 – 530 nm ([0012]), reading on the range stated in Claim 2.
Harada points out as examples of pigments having a λmax of 460 – 530 nm C.I. Pigment Brown 23, 25, and 41, and C.I. Pigment Red 38 ([0033] – [0034]), covering the list stated in Claim 3.
Harada points out as examples of pigments have a λmax of 600 – 700 nm C.I. Pigment Blue 15, 15:1, 15:2, 15:3, 15:4, 15:5, 15:6, and 16 ([0035]), covering the list stated in Claim 4.
Harada also teaches that a third and/or fourth pigment may be included in the composition ([0036]). The optionally included third pigment has a λmax of 530 – 600 nm, the same as the range stated in Claim 5.
Harada points out as examples of pigments having a λmax of 530 – 600 nm C.I. Pigment Violet 19, 23 and 32; C.I. Pigment Red 31, 48:4, 57:1, 122, 146, 147, 150, 184, 238, 242, 254, and 269; and C.I. Pigment Orange 34, 36, 38, 43, 62, 68, 70, 72, and 74 ([0037]), covering the list stated in Claim 6.
Harada teaches that the optionally included fourth pigment has a λmax of 400 – 460 nm ([0038]), the same as the range stated in Claim 7.
Harada points out as examples of pigments having a λmax of 400 – 460 nm C.I. Pigment Yellow 74, 120, 139, 151, 155, 180, 181, 185, and 213; and C.I. Pigment Green 7 and 36 ([0039] – [0040]), covering the list stated in Claim 8.
Nakazawa teaches a binder resin of the toner containing a crystalline polyester (Abstract, [0022]), reading on Claim 9.
Uchino teaches that the coating resin on the surface of the carrier particle cores is derived from an alicyclic (meth)acrylate ([0068]), satisfying Claim 10.
Uchino teaches that another monomer may be copolymerized with the alicyclic (meth)acrylate ([0070]), and then states a preference for chain (meth)acrylates, which are the simple short-chain alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid ([0070]). Uchino teaches that the preferred mass ratio of alicyclic (meth)acrylate to chain (meth)acrylate content may be as large as 90:10, overlapping the range stated in Claim 11.
Uchino teaches that the core particle of the carrier preferably has a value for SF-1 of 100 – 130, overlapping the range stated in Claim 13.
Conclusion
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/GRANT STEVEN SEILER/ Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/PETER L VAJDA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 04/27/2026
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