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. KR10-2021-0035988, filed on 3/19/2021.
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 1-5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kobayashi (US PGP 2020-0257215).
Kobayashi teaches a toner particle with an external additive attached to the surface of the toner particle (Abstract). The external additives are contained in the toner particles in an amount of preferably 0.5 to 2.0 parts relative to 100 parts of the toner particles ([0031]). The base particle of the external additive is strontium titanate coated in a conductive metal oxide such as tin oxides - antimony-tin oxide (ATO), indium tin oxide (ITO), and fluorine-doped tin oxide ([0037]). The content of tin oxide in relation to the base particle is 0.55 to 1.90 ([0038]), and most exemplary particles have a value of SnO2/base of 0.88 (Table 2). Therefore, the amount of tin oxide would fall within the range of 40 to 89.95%. The particle further comprises a protective layer ([0041]) and a surface treatment layer ([0047]). The protective layer may be formed of aluminum hydroxide ([0042]). The content of the protective layer is 5 parts by mass relative to 100 parts of the base particle ([0045]). The surface treatment layer is formed of a hydrophobizing agent, such as a silane coupling agent ([0048]). The silane coupling agent is preferably a monoalkyltrialkoxysilane, and preferably is isobutyltriethoxysilane ([0052]). The content of the surface treatment layer is preferably 10 to 40 parts by mass relative to 100 parts of the base particles ([0054]).
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi in view of Miyakawa (US PGP 2005-0058924).
The entire discussion of Kobayashi above is included herein. Kobayashi teaches that no particular limitations are placed on the toner mother particles ([0063]), but is silent regarding the method of preparing the toner particles being an emulsion polymerization. Miyakawa teaches a toner produced by emulsion polymerization ([0059]), wherein a polymer latex is formed with a resin monomer, and then mixed with a pigment dispersion, a wax dispersion, and a coagulant ([0060]). The resulting particles are washed and dried ([0155]) and the external additive is added to it ([0166]). The emulsion polymerization method allows for controlling of the sphericity of the toner ([0065]). 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 toner of Kobayashi to be produced by an emulsion polymerization method in order to be able to easily control the shape of the particle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is allowed.
Conclusion
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/J.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/PETER L VAJDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 03/19/2026
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