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. JP2023-112858, filed on 7/10/2023.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yojiro (JP 2011-028049) in view of Kubota (US PGP 2020-0254468) and considered with Kuroda (US PGP 2002-0048712).
Yojiro teaches a method for producing toner comprising melt-kneading a mixture containing at least a binder resin and a colorant (material to be dispersed) (Abstract). The material to be dispersed may also include a release agent ([0024]). Water is also added to the mixture ([0025]). The exemplary toners contain 5 wt% water, or approximately 5 parts to 100 parts of the binder resin mixture, in the mixture to be melt-kneaded ([0086], Table 3-2). After melt-kneading the toner is pulverized ([0028]). The exemplary toners comprise two melt-kneading steps, wherein the first melt-kneading step includes part of the binder resin and part of the pigment to yield a first kneaded product, and a second melt-kneading step comprising the first kneaded product and the rest of the binder resin ([0086-87]). The second mixture also comprises 5 wt% water ([0087] line 1-2).
Yojiro is silent regarding the water in the mixture comprising ultrafine bubbles. Kubota teaches a liquid containing ultrafine bubbles with a diameter of less than 1.0 µm, or 1,000 nm (Abstract). The liquid may be pure water ([0065], [0085]). The number density of the ultrafine bubbles is 1.0 billion per milliliter, and 99% of the ultrafine bubbles have a diameter of 10 nm to 400 nm ([0098]). The ultrafine bubbles exist in the water stably ([0088-97], [0099]).
Kuroda teaches a method for manufacturing toner that includes melt-kneading a binder resin with a pigment and water (Abstract). As the mixture is heated, the water reaches its boiling point, and the forces exerted from the boiling of the water causes pulverization of the pigment ([0042]). As the temperature for the melt-kneading in the examples of Yojiro is below the boiling point of water ([0086]), this method would not benefit from the forces incurred from the boiling of the water.
Modifying the water of Yojiro to be the water containing ultrafine bubbles of Kubota could result in a similar pigment pulverization effect as described by Kuroda. The action of kneading the mixture of binder resin and material to be dispersed would cause the ultrafine bubbles in the water to pop. The resulting force of the popping bubbles would help to pulverize and disperse the pigment similar to boiling, but without needing the mixture to be at a temperature hot enough for the water to boil. 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 method of Yojiro to have included the water containing ultrafine bubbles of Kubota in order to more evenly disperse the pigment in the resulting toner.
Conclusion
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 09/30/2026
Prosecution Insights