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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2022-096641, filed on 6/15/2022.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4-7, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nishi (US PGP 2019-0310561).
Nishi teaches an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an undercoat layer and a photosensitive layer (Abstract). The undercoat layer contains an electron-transport material ([0026]) and a crosslinking agent ([0052]). The crosslinking agent is one of an isocyanate compound having an isocyanate group or a blocked isocyanate group, or an amine compound having an N-methylol group, or an alkyl-etherified N-methylol group ([0054]).
The electron transport material is represented by compounds (A1) to (A11) ([0026]). Formula (A2) is one of the preferable compounds ([0036]), and is comparable to formula (1) of the instant application.
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R21 to R30 may represent a hydrogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, a halogen atom, an alkoxycarbonyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group ([0027]). The compound has at least one polymerizable functional group ([0029]). At least one of R29 and R30 has a hydroxy group ([0041]). In exemplary compounds A2-5, A2-6, and A2-7 the end groups of the molecule are different from each other, and include an alkyl group having a polymerizable functional group having 1 carbon atom.
Nishi teaches an electrophotographic apparatus and process cartridge (Figure 1). The electrophotographic apparatus comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive member 1, a charging unit 3, an exposure unit 4, a developing device 5, and a transfer unit 6 ([0095-97]). The process cartridge comprises the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 and at least one of a charging unit 3, a developing unit 5, and a cleaning unit 7 and is removably mounted onto the electrophotographic apparatus ([0100]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 2, 3, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishi (US PGP 2019-0310561) in view of Kaku (US PGP 20140004453).
The entire discussion of Nishi above is included herein. Kaku teaches an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a support, an undercoat layer, and a photosensitive layer ([0004]). The undercoat layer contains an electron transport material and crosslinking agent ([0042]). Electron transport material (A8) has the same formula to (A2) of Nishi ([0045]). The R groups representing the same possible groups: a hydrogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, a halogen atom, an alkoxycarbonyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group ([0046]). Exemplary compound A822 has similar end groups to A2-5 and A2-6 of Nishi as well as chlorine atoms for the R802 and R807 groups (Table 8-2). The amount of the electron transport material having polymerizable functional groups is 30% to 70% by mass ([0103]). The use of the electron transport material in the undercoat layer can reduce the generation of a positive ghost ([0030]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the electron transport material of Nishi to have included the halogen substituted R groups and a larger amount of the material in the undercoat layer.
Conclusion
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/J.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/PETER L VAJDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 02/20/2026