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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim recites “wherein at least one of R11 to R18 in the formula (1) each represent…” (emphasis added). The phrase “at least one of” is contradictory with the word “each” in this case. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
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 - 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sekido et al (US PGP 2012/0230727) in view of Su et al (US PGP 2022/0306807), further in view of Yun et al (US PGP 2022/0380543).
Sekido teaches an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an undercoat layer which contains a specific polymer (Abstract). The photosensitive layer has a support, an undercoat layer formed on the support, and a photosensitive layer formed on the undercoat layer ([0015]). The polymer contained in the undercoat layer is represented by a formula (1) ([0040]), which contains a group labeled A1 bonded to groups labeled Z1 and Z2 ([0015]). A1 may be represented by a formula (A-2) (page 2) which reads on the perylene diimide structure of instant formula (1). Sekido describes preparation of a polymer by reacting a perylenetetracarboxylic anhydride derivative to react with a diamine derivative ([0062]). Sekido does not appear to teach groups for Z which would read on the linking group X of instant formula (1).
Su teaches a polyimide film composition which is the product of a reactant (a) and a reactant (b) (Abstract). Reactant (a) is a bis(arylanhydride) and reactant (b) is a bis(arylamine). The polyimide forms a film which has suppressed water absorption, improved thermal tolerance, improved chemical resistance, and a uniform film thickness ([0012]). Su gives examples of diamine monomers, which contain linking groups reading on linker X of instant formula (1) ([0019]). Specifically, Su’s examples read on X represented by instant formula (2), wherein Z2 is represented by instant formula (2-1).
Yun teaches a polyimide film having excellent flexibility and physical properties (Abstract). The polyimide is prepared from a Chemical Formula 1 representing a bis(arylanhydride) and a Chemical Formula 2 representing a bis(arylamine) ([0012]). The substituents of the bis(arylamine) represented by Yun’s Formula 2 may be haloalkyl (e.g. trifluoromethyl), halo, cyano, nitro, or (alkyl)thio groups ([0014]). The linking group of Formula 2 represented by T1 may be a single bond, O, or an arylene group, or combinations thereof ([0015]). A subset of Formula 2 may be represented by Formula 3, which may have T1 represented by -O-(-L1-O-)-where L1 may be arylene ([0075] – [0082]). The bis(arylamine) according to Yun would therefore give rise to a structural unit reading on X of instant formula (1). Specifically, Yun’s Formula (2) and Formula (3) would read on instant X represented by instant formula (2), where Z2 is represented by formulae (2-1), (2-2), (2-3), (2-4), or (2-5); instant formula (3), where Z2 is represented by formulae (3-1), (3-2), (3-3), (3-4), or (3-5); instant formula (4); and instant formula (5).
In preparing the photosensitive member taught by Sekido, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to improve the moisture resistivity, thermal tolerance, and chemical resistance of the polyimide component by incorporating the bis(arylamine) monomers taught by Su, as well as to further improve the flexibility and mechanical physical properties of the polyimide component by incorporating the bis(arylamine) monomers taught by Yun. 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 Sekido, incorporating the bis(arylamine) monomers of Su and Yun in the polyimide comprised in the undercoat layer, resulting in a photosensitive member described by Claim 1.
Sekido teaches a preferred content of the polyimide in the undercoat layer of 50% by mass or more ([0041]), reading on Claim 2.
Sekido teaches that R201 – R208 of formula (A-2) may each independently be an aryl, alkyl, or nitro group ([0018]), reading on the list of substituents recited in Claim 3.
The example bis(arylamine) monomers taught by Su may contain trifluoromethyl groups ([0019]), and example bis(arylamine) monomers of Formulae 3-1 to 3-3 taught by Yun contain trifluoromethyl groups ([0084]), satisfying Claim 4.
Sekido teaches a preferred weight-average molecular weight for the polyimide of 5,000 – 15,000, reading on Claim 5.
The perylene diimide derivatives taught by Sekido allow for structures the same as those of instant formula P-6 (Specification, page 17) and P-21 (Specification, page 18). The bis(arylamine) derivatives taught by Su allow for structures the same as instant X-2-6 (Specification, page 20). Instant polymer PIP-161 contains units P-6 and X-2-6, and instant polymer PIP-251 contains units P-21 and X-2-6 (Specification, page 27). Instant Example 122 contains PIP-161, and possesses a value for the volume resistivity of the undercoat layer of 81.6 x 1010 Ω·cm (Specification, page 56). Instant example 212 contains PIP-251, and also possesses a value for the volume resistivity of the undercoat layer of 81.6 x 1010 Ω·cm (Specification, page 59). The polyimide of Sekido, Su, and Yun, possessing the same structural units as the instant examples just mentioned, would necessarily impart roughly similar values for the volume resistivity of the undercoat layer. Therefore, the undercoat layer of the photoreceptor of Sekido as modified by Su and Yun would necessarily possess a value for the resistivity of the undercoat layer which satisfies the inequality stated in Claim 6.
Sekido teaches a process cartridge comprising the photosensitive member described above, and at least one of a charging device, a developing device, and a cleaning device, which is detachably mounted to an electrophotographic apparatus ([0026]), satisfying Claim 7.
Sekido teaches an electrophotographic apparatus comprising the photosensitive member described above, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, and a transfer device ([0027]), satisfying Claim 8.
Conclusion
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/GRANT STEVEN SEILER/Examiner, Art Unit 1734
/PETER L VAJDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 07/27/2026
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