Appeal No. 2002-0178
Application 09/385,909
monomers include 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid.1
See column 5, lines 18-21.
Examples of monomers copolymerizable with the above-
mentioned monomers to be used in the invention of Tsutsumi
include acrylates, such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate,
methyl ethyl acrylate, etc. See column 5, lines 30-56. The
polymerization usually is effected at 30 to 100°C. See column 7,
lines 39-40.
A dye is also utilized, and it is encompassed within the
salt-forming group-having polymer particles in the following
manner. First, the salt-forming group-having polymer and the
hydrophobic dye are dissolved in the water insoluble organic
solvent. Next, a neutralizing agent and water are added to the
above-mentioned solution of the salt-forming group-having polymer
and the hydrophobic dye in the water insoluble organic solvent to
thereby ionize the salt-forming group in the polymer. In this
step, surfactants may be further added if necessary. As the
bases, use can be made of ammonia, sodium hydroxide, or potassium
hydroxide.2 See column 9, lines 25-32.
The surfactant to be added can be anionic surfactants and
cationic surfactants. See column 9, lines 39-64.
The particle size of the resultant polymer particles having
the hydrophobic dye encompassed therein preferably ranges from
0.01 to 0.5 1m still preferably from 0.02 to 0.3 1m. See column
10, lines 25-32.
Tsutsumi discloses that it is possible in the process of
producing the aqueous ink, to further add “various publicly known
1 The salt of this compound meets the compound in appellants’ claim 8 and 9,
discussed, infra.
2 These bases form the salt-forming group-having polymer, resulting in the
compound recited in appellants’ claim 8.
12
Page: Previous 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007