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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 1/28/25 and 6/23/25 have been considered.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1 and 2 introduce the limitation “wherein in line analysis in STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the hydrotalcite particles, fluorine exits inside the hydrotalcite particles”. First, the term “exits” is misspelled and should be “exists”. Second, the limitation suggests the fluorine is embedded inside the hydrotalcite particles. However, the specification, in paragraph 0047, states that the fluorine is contained in the hydrotalcite particles. Claims 1 and 2 are ambiguity because it is unclear if the fluorine is contained in or inside of the hydrotalcite particles.
Claims 3-14 depend from the independent claim 1 inheriting the indefiniteness therewith and are also subject to the same rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 3, and 6-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikada et al. (US2020/0150555) in view of Santoh et al. (US 2017/0199476).
Regarding claim 1, Ikada discloses a cartridge 7 (par. 0068, fig. 2) comprising: a rotatable developing roller 17; a developing frame 18 for rotatably supporting the developing roller (par. 0068, fig. 2); toner including toner particles (par. 0396) and an external additive (i.e. hydrotalcite compound, par. 0407); a toner accommodating portion 18a (par. 0071, fig. 2) for accommodating the toner; a supplying roller 20 (par. 0071, fig. 2) for supplying the toner to a surface of the developing roller in contact with the surface of the developing roller; a regulating blade 21 (par. 0085, fig. 2) for regulating a layer thickness of the toner carried on the surface of the developing roller in contact with the surface of the developing roller; and an electrical contact 60, 61 (par. 0099, fig. 2) electrically connected to the supplying roller and the regulating blade and capable of receiving electric power from an outside, wherein the toner includes hydrotalcite particles as the external additive (par. 0407).
Ikada disclose the use of an X-ray device to analyze the toner (see par. 0283-0284) but does not specifically disclose the use of a STEM-EDS X-ray device.
Santoh discloses the use of an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) to measure the hydrotalcite particles that contain fluorine (see par. 0017 and 0019).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the EDS X-ray device, as disclosed by Santoh, since such the use of the EDS X-ray device for analyze toner content is well known in the art.
Regarding claim 3, Ikada discloses wherein a sticking ratio of the hydrotalcite particles to the toner particles is 10 % or more (par. 0411).
Regarding claim 6, Ikada discloses wherein a number-average particle size of primary particles of the hydrotalcite particles is 60 nm to 1000 nm (par. 0180).
Regarding claim 7, Ikada discloses wherein an electrical element 60 is provided between the electrical contact and the supplying roller 20 (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8, Ikada discloses wherein an electrical element 61 is provided between the electrical contact and the regulating blade 21 (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 9, Ikada discloses wherein the developing roller is not electrically connected to the supplying roller and the regulating blade, but is electrically connected to a second electrical contact 61 different from a first electrical contact 60 which is the electrical contact electrically connected to the supplying roller and the regulating blade (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10, Ikada discloses wherein an electrical element 62 is provided between the electrical contact 62 and the developing roller 17 (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 11, Ikada discloses a photosensitive drum 1 which is an image bearing member and a charging roller 2 for electrically charging a surface of the photosensitive drum (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 12, Ikada discloses wherein after the toner used for development on the surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred onto an outside, toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum is collected by the developing roller (par. 0057).
Regarding claim 13, Ikada discloses wherein in a case where the photosensitive drum is rotated, during movement of a region of the photosensitive drum, forming a developing portion where the photosensitive drum and the developing roller contact each other, to a charging portion where the photosensitive drum and the charging roller contact each other, the region of the photosensitive drum does not contact a contact member 6 (see fig. 2).
Regarding claim 14, Ikada discloses wherein the contact member is a cleaning member 6 for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive drum (par. 0057).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-14 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph and 35 U.S.C 103(a), set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
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/HOANG X NGO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852