CTFR 18/339,875 CTFR 100256 DETAILED ACTION Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments, see the Response, filed 3/17/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1-11 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made below. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1, 6-7, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Hashimoto (US PGP 2021-0181647) . Hashimoto teaches a toner containing a binder resin including a first crystalline resin, and a second amorphous resin (Abstract). The toner may be a magnetic, single component developer ([0239]). The crystalline resin contains a first monomer represented by formula (1) ([0079-81]), which is equivalent to monomer unit (a-1) of the instant application. R Z1 of formula (1) and R 1 of formula (a-1) represent a hydrogen atom or a methyl group ([0080] line 1-2). Formula (1) contains an R group representing an alkyl group having 18 to 36 carbon atoms ([0080]), equivalent to monomer unit (a-1) wherein m is 17 to 35. This monomer is contained in the crystalline resin in an amount of at least 30.0%, and preferably at least 50.0% ([0083] line 1-5). The upper limit for the amount of monomer is 90.0% ([0083] line 6-7). The content of the crystalline resin in the toner is at least 30% and not more than 70% ([0123]). As the crystalline resin is at least 30% of the toner, the sum of the crystalline resin and the amorphous resin is greater than 30%. The amorphous resin is contained in the toner in an amount of preferably 20% to 50% ([0130]). The amorphous resin may include an acrylate or a methacrylate such as dodecyl (meth)acrylate or stearyl (meth)acrylate, which are representative of monomer unit (b-1) wherein n is 11 or 17, respectively ([0134-135]). The amount of a monomer with a larger number of carbon atoms, at least 8 in the alkyl group, effects the diameter of the domains in the toner ([0148]). As such, they are used in smaller amounts in the examples. Exemplary amorphous resins 15, 20, and 21 use these compounds in amounts of 5.0% to 10.0% of the resin (Table 4). The relationship between the SP values of the crystalline resin, SP1, and the amorphous resin, SP2, is 0.30 ≤ SP2 – SP1 ≤ 1.3 ([0127]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 6 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hashimoto (US PGP 2021/117870) in view of Honda (WO 2019/225207) . The entire discussion of Hashimoto above is included herein. Hashimoto is silent regarding the glass transition temperature of the amorphous resin. However, the softening point of the amorphous resin is disclosed to be at least 100°C and preferably 120°C to 160°C ([0183]). Therefore, the glass transition temperature would fall below this range. Honda teaches a toner comprising an amorphous resin and a crystalline resin as the binder resins (Abstract). The amorphous resin has a glass transition temperature, Tg, of 45°C to 80°C ([0056]). When the Tg is lower than 80°C the low-temperature is good, and when the Tg is higher than 45°C the heat-resistant storage stability is good ([0056]). 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 amorphous resin of Hashimoto to have a glass transition temperature of 45°C to 80°C in order to have both good low-temperature fixability and heat-resistant storage stability. While Hashimoto teaches that the toner may be magnetic, the amount of magnetic body to be used in the toner is not specified. Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to look to the prior art for an appropriate amount of magnetic body to add to the toner. Honda teaches that when using a magnetic powder, the amount is preferably 40 to 120 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the toner binder ([0116]), or approximately 28% to 54% of the toner. Conclusion 07-40 AIA Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL . See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jenna Kuipers whose telephone number is (571)272-0161. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:30 PT. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Johnson can be reached at 571-272-1177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /J.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1734 /PETER L VAJDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 06/11/2026 Application/Control Number: 18/339,875 Page 2 Art Unit: 1734 Application/Control Number: 18/339,875 Page 3 Art Unit: 1734 Application/Control Number: 18/339,875 Page 4 Art Unit: 1734 Application/Control Number: 18/339,875 Page 5 Art Unit: 1734 Application/Control Number: 18/339,875 Page 6 Art Unit: 1734
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