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 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.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anno et al. (US PGP 2020/0096888).
Anno teaches a developer comprising a toner and a carrier. The carrier is taught to comprise a core and on the core a silicone resin-containing layer and an acrylic resin-containing layer as well as strontium titanate particles having an average primary particle size of 20 to 100 nm (Abstract). The strontium titanate particles are further taught to have a circularity of 0.82 to 0.94 ([0086-102]). Furthermore, the circularity of the strontium titanate particles at which a cumulative percentage reaches 84% is taught to be 0.92 or more ([0086-102]). The strontium titanate particles are further taught to comprise a dopant such as barium, silicon, calcium or other metals, but preferably silicon ([0117-124]). The content of the dopant is taught to be 0.1 mol% or more and 20 mol % or less with relative to strontium ([0124]). This represents the same combination taught by the Applicant in the instant application to produce the molar ratio recited in pending claims 3-4 (see [0146-149] and Table 2 of the instant specification). As such, the strontium titanate particles of Anno will inherently possess the molar ratios recited in pending claims 3-4. Like the Applicant, Anno teaches treating the strontium titanate particles with a hydrophobic agent selected from the same alkoxysilane compounds, silazane compounds and silicone oils for improve fluidity ([0166-170] of Anno and [0041-44] of the instant specification). As such, the carrier particles of Anno which have the same coating compositions and same hydrophobized strontium titanate particles taught by the Applicant will inherently possess a fluidity within the ranges recited in pending claims 5-6.
Anno further teaches that the acrylic resin-containing layer comprises an alicyclic alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer and an amino group ([0051-55]). The alicyclic group is taught to be an aliphatic cyclic group such as a cyclohexyl group ([0053]). Furthermore, the volume-average particle size of the core carrier particle is taught to preferably be within the range of 20 and 40 micrometers ([0037]). The carrier and toner particles taught by Anno are further taught to be used in an image forming apparatus and image forming method each of which read on the limitations recited by the Applicant in pending claims 17-20 ([0256-281]). Additionally, Anno teaches a process cartridge that is attachable/detachable from an image forming apparatus that reads on the limitations recited by the Applicant in pending claims 15-16 ([0282-286]). Anno does not, however, teach a BET specific surface area for the carrier particles.
JP ‘065 teaches a resin-coated carrier wherein the carrier particles are taught to have a BET specific surface area within the 0.09 to 0.31 m2/g in order to prevent toner spent and mechanical stress during stirring and mixing with toner particles ([0036]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to any person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the instant application to have produced the carrier particles of Anno et al. with a BET specific surface are within the range taught by JP ‘065 in order to prevent toner spent and improve the mechanical durability of the carrier particles.
Conclusion
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/PETER L VAJDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 09/28/2026
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