Appeal No. 2000-0822
Application 09/037,555
CFR § 1.142(b). Claims 1, 2, 5 and 53 are illustrative of the claims on appeal:
1. Carrier consisting essentially of a core and thereover a coating, wherein substantially
all of the pores of the core are filled with polymer.
2. Carrier comprised of a porous core, wherein a number of the pores thereof contain a
(1) polymer or mixture of polymers and said core is coated with a (2) polymer or mixture of
polymers, wherein said polymer (1) and/or said polymer (2) contain conductive components.
5. Carrier comprising a porous core, wherein a number of the pores thereof contain a
crosslinked polymer and said core is coated with a crosslinked polymer.
53. Carrier comprised of a porous core and wherein a number of the pores thereof
contain a (1) polymer, or a mixture of polymers and which carrier contains a (2) coating
thereover of a polymer, or a mixture of polymers, and wherein said carrier is prepared by an in
situ process comprising mixing carrier core with a mixture of monomer and initiator, optional
chain transfer agent, and optional crosslinking agent; polymerizing the monomer by heating
thereby resulting in a polymer, or crosslinked polymer in the carrier pores and on the carrier
surface; mixing the carrier core containing polymer and monomer mixture inside the pores and
on the carrier surface with water; completing the polymerization and optionally crosslinking by
heating thereby resulting in a polymer, or crosslinked polymer in the carrier pores and on the
carrier surface; removing the water from the mixture; and optionally drying.
The appealed claims, as represented by claims 1, 2, 5 and 35, are drawn to a carrier
having a porous core , wherein the core is coated with and the pores contain a polymer or mixture
of polymers, which can have conductive components, and which can be prepared in situ.
Appealed claims 49, 50 and 51, dependent on appealed claims 1, 5 and 2 respectively, all specify
that the pores of the carrier core contain no solvent. According to appellants, the claimed carrier
having a porous core is lighter, resulting in less impaction, and has improved mechanical
properties when used in toner and developer compositions (specification, e.g., page 6).
The references relied on by the examiner are:
Mammino et al. (Mammino) 4,233,387 Nov. 11, 1980
Creatura et al. (Creatura) 4,937,166 Jun. 26, 1990
Shintani et al. (Shintani) 5,204,204 Apr. 20, 1993
Kawata et al. (Kawata) 5,670,287 Sep. 23, 1997
Yoshino et al. (Yoshino) 5,849,448 Dec. 15, 1998
(filed Mar. 17, 1997)
The examiner has advanced the following grounds of rejection on appeal:
claims 49 through 51 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112, first paragraph, as failing to comply
with the written description requirement;
claim 53 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as anticipated by Mammino;
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