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 Amendment
By the amendments filed 2026-08-19, Claims 1, 7, and 9 are amended to narrow the scope of structural units contained in the polyarylate resin and the structural units contained in the polycarbonate resin comprised in the surface layer of a photosensitive member. Claims 3 and 6 are amended for formatting and usage only. Claims 2, 4, 8, and 10 are canceled. Paragraph [0032] of the Specification has been deleted. No new subject matter has been added.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks filed 2026-08-19, with respect to the rejections of claim 1 under 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 Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.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 of rejection is made over Nagao in view of Narita (see updated rejection below).
Applicant's arguments with respect to criticality/unexpected results have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues, in essence, that the present invention achieves unexpected results. Namely, the combination of polyarylate resin A1 and polycarbonate resin P1 in the surface layer of the photoreceptor is critical to scratch resistance of the photoreceptor. However, as mentioned in the updated rejection below, Nagao’s invention is directed toward a photoreceptor having excellent abrasion resistance, which is substantially the same as scratch resistance.
In addition, Applicant’s disclosed examples do not appear to support the alleged criticality of the combination of polyarylate resin A1 and polycarbonate resin P1 to the scratch resistance of the photoreceptor. A large number of examples disclosed in the Specification have neither polyarylate resin A1 nor polycarbonate resin P1 (see Table 4, examples 30, 31, 33, 40, 41, 43, 50 – 55, 57, 59 – 65, and 71 – 73), but achieve a number of scratches after endurance of either 4 or 5 (see Table 5 of Specification), even better than examples 1 – 13 cited by Applicant, and substantially the same as example 74 cited by Applicant. Therefore, polyarylate resin A1 and polycarbonate resin P1 cannot be said to be critical to the scratch resistance of the photoreceptor, and the argument of unexpected results is not persuasive. For these reasons, the updated rejections below are not withdrawn.
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, 3, 7, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagao et al (US PGP 2009/0232551) in view of Narita et al (US PGP 2018/0210356).
Nagao teaches an electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer (Abstract). The photosensitive layer is disposed on an electroconductive support, or on an undercoat layer which is in turn disposed on the support ([0143]). The photosensitive layer may be a monolayer-type or laminate-type photosensitive layer. A protective layer is optionally included, but is not required ([0172]); where the protective layer is not included, the photosensitive layer constitutes the surface layer of the photoreceptor.
In the instance of a laminate-type photosensitive layer, the charge transport layer would be the surface layer. The charge transport layer preferably contains a specific polyester resin as a binder resin ([0157]), and may also contain another binder resin alongside the specific polyester resin ([0158]).
The polyester resin of the invention of Nagao contains a structural unit represented by formula (1) ([0061]), which has a formula of [-O-Ar1-X1-Ar2-O-(CO)-Ar3-X2-Ar4-(CO)-]. The groups Ar1 and Ar2 are preferably arylene groups having 7 carbons ([0064]), specifically the same phenylene group having a methyl substituent ([0068]). The linking group X1 between Ar1 and Ar2 may be a single bond, or may be CH(CH3) ([0070], [0071]). The groups Ar3 and Ar4 are preferably unsubstituted phenylene groups ([0069]). The linking group X2 between Ar3 and Ar4 is preferably O ([0072]). The repeating structure of Formula (1) consists of partial structures represent by a bivalent hydroxyl residue (Formula (4)) and a dicarboxylic acid residue (Formula (5)) ([0073]).
The bivalent phenol residue may be 1,1-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methylphenyl)ethane ([0081]). The dicarboxylic acid residue is preferably diphenylether-4,4’-dicarboxylic acid ([0095]). Such a combination would give a polyarylate repeating unit labeled Polyester resin Y ([0622] and page 57, Chemical Formula 41), which has a structure identical to that of instant structural unit (1-1), reading on polyarylate A1.
In addition to the specific polyester resin taught by Nagao, the binder resin of the photoreceptor may include a polycarbonate resin ([0114]). However, Nagao does not appear to teach a polycarbonate having a structure reading on instant structural unit (2-1) or (2-2).
Narita teaches a photoreceptor including a photosensitive layer disposed on a conductive substrate (Abstract). Narita describes a laminate-type photoreceptor, wherein a charge transport layer is disposed on a charge generating layer, such that the charge transport layer is the outermost (surface) layer of the photoreceptor ([0033]). The charge transport layer may contain a charge transport material and a binder resin ([0127]). Narita teaches that the binder resin of the charge transport layer is preferably a biphenyl copolymer-type polycarbonate resin, comprising structural units according to general formulae (PCA) and (PCB), in view of the wear resistance of the charge transport layer ([0138], [0146]).
Narita describes dihydroxybiphenyl compounds, satisfying general formula (PCA), which may be used in the polycarbonate resin ([0139], [0146], [0147]). As a specific example, 4,4′-dihydroxy-2,2′-dimethylbiphenyl is pointed out ([0141]), which would give rise to a structural unit identical to instant structural unit (2-1). The structure of general formula (PCB) is described as well, wherein the aryl substituents may both be H ([0147]), and the divalent linking group may be cyclohexylene ([0159]). A monomer giving rise to such a structural unit, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane, is pointed out as an example of a dihydroxybisphenol monomer ([0144]). Such a structural unit is identical to instant structural unit (2-2).
In preparing the photosensitive member of Nagao, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to improve the wear resistance of the charge transport layer by incorporating the polycarbonate resin taught by Nagao into the binder resin of the charge transport layer. 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 photosensitive member of Nagao, wherein the outermost charge transport layer comprises the polycarbonate resin of Narita alongside the polyarylate resin of Nagao, resulting in a charge transport layer comprising a polyarylate resin having structural units reading on formula (1-1) and a polycarbonate resin having structural units reading on formulae (2-1) and (2-2) of Claim 1.
Narita teaches that the mole fractions of the two structural units which make up the polycarbonate resin, general formulae (PCA) and (PCB), may each lie in the range 5 – 95% ([0165], [0166]), encompassing the range stated in Claim 3.
Nagao describes a photoreceptor cartridge, analogous to a process cartridge, which supports the photoreceptor and may include at least one of a charging apparatus, an exposure apparatus, a developing apparatus, a transfer apparatus, a cleaning apparatus, and a fixing apparatus, and which is detachably attached to the main body of an image forming device, satisfying Claim 7.
Where the above-described photoreceptor cartridge is attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus, the apparatus would thus comprise the components listed, satisfying Claim 9.
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagao et al (US PGP 2009/0232551) in view of Narita et al (US PGP 2018/0210356), further in view of Yamashita et al (JP 2021-105715) (machine translation of which is referred to henceforth).
The above discussions of Nagao and Ito are incorporated herein. Neither of Nagao or Narita appears to teach incorporation of silica particles into the surface layer of the photosensitive member.
Yamashita teaches an electrophotographic photoreceptor having a surface layer which comprises a binder resin ([0008]). The photosensitive layer may contain additives, and silica particles are pointed out as improving the durability of the photosensitive layer ([0092]).
In preparing the photosensitive member of Nagao, wherein the outermost charge transport layer comprises the polycarbonate resin of Narita alongside the polyarylate resin of Nagao, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to improve the durability of the photosensitive layer by incorporating silica particles as taught by Yamashita. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to prepare the photosensitive member of Nagao, wherein the outermost charge transport layer comprises the polycarbonate resin of Narita alongside the polyarylate resin of Nagao, and wherein the outermost charge transport layer comprises silica particles as taught by Yamashita, satisfying Claim 5.
Yamashita teaches that the silica particles added to the photosensitive layer preferably have a volume-average particle size of 7 – 1,000 nm, encompassing the range stated in Claim 6.
Conclusion
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 Grant S Seiler whose telephone number is (571)272-3015. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30 - 5:30 Pacific.
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/GRANT STEVEN SEILER/ Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/JONATHAN JOHNSON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1734
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