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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 8/31/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-10 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. The newly cited reference Hazeki (Japanese Patent Application JP2017040705A) is used for the rejections of the claims.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubota (Japanese Patent Application JP2000284635A) in view of Hazeki (Japanese Patent Application JP2017040705A).
Regarding Claim 1, Kubota discloses A belt unit comprising: a belt member configured to rotate;(Figure 9: Belt 160) a stretching member that is rotatable about an axis and over which the belt member is stretched; (Figure 9: Tension roller central portion 123)and a rotatable member that is rotatable about the axis and relative to the stretching member and over which the belt member is stretched,(Figure 10: End portions 122) the rotatable member including a receiving part configured to receive the belt member in an axial direction when the belt member is shifted in the axial direction.(Page 11, lines 646-650: "Since the image carrier belt 160 is stretched between the plurality of rollers 110 to 150 including the tension roller 120 and is driven to circulate, the image carrier belt 160 is appropriately rotated by the tension roller 120. It will be circulated while applying various tensions. Further, beads 161 are provided on both sides of the back surface of the image carrier belt 160, and both ends 122 of the tension roller 160 are formed in a tapered shape, so that the meandering of the belt 160 is restricted.", further Page 12, lines 684-687: "The backup roller 130 has a meandering restriction portion 131 that restricts the meandering of the image carrier belt 160, and the image carrier belt 160 also has a restricted part 161 whose meandering is restricted by the meandering restriction part 131. Therefore, the meandering of the image carrier belt 160 is restricted, and a high quality image is formed.").
However, Kubota does not disclose wherein the receiving part has a non-tapered flange shape.
Hazeki discloses a similar belt unit wherein the receiving part has a non-tapered flange shape (Figure 9: Fixing member 100).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubota to include the fixing member as taught by Hazeki. The motivation for the modification would have been to allow for a belt unit that can control the occurrence of new meandering caused by the movement of the belt member (Page 2, paragraphs 0007-0008).
Regarding Claim 2, Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the belt unit according to claim 1, as seen above. Kubota further discloses wherein the rotatable member includes a shaped part located nearer to the stretching member than the receiving part and that is tapered toward the receiving part.(Figure 10: Ends 122 taper in).
Regarding Claim 3, Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the belt unit according to claim 2, as seen above. Kubota further discloses wherein the shaped part has a tapered shape.(Figure 10: Ends 122 taper in).
Regarding Claim 4, Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the belt unit according to claim 1, as seen above. Kubota further discloses wherein when the belt member is received by the receiving part in the axial direction, a speed of rotation of the rotatable member is reduced by being pressed against an extra member in the axial direction (Page 11, lines 646-650: "Since the image carrier belt 160 is stretched between the plurality of rollers 110 to 150 including the tension roller 120 and is driven to circulate, the image carrier belt 160 is appropriately rotated by the tension roller 120. It will be circulated while applying various tensions. Further, beads 161 are provided on both sides of the back surface of the image carrier belt 160, and both ends 122 of the tension roller 160 are formed in a tapered shape, so that the meandering of the belt 160 is restricted.", further Page 12, lines 684-687: "The backup roller 130 has a meandering restriction portion 131 that restricts the meandering of the image carrier belt 160, and the image carrier belt 160 also has a restricted part 161 whose meandering is restricted by the meandering restriction part 131. Therefore, the meandering of the image carrier belt 160 is restricted, and a high quality image is formed.")and a speed difference is produced in which a speed of rotation of the belt member is lower in a second portion of the belt member than in a first portion of the belt member, the second portion being stretched over the rotatable member, the first portion being stretched over the stretching member.(Page 11, lines 652-656: "Since both end portions 122 of the tension roller 120 having the tapered portion are independently rotatable with respect to the central portion 123 other than the both end portions 122, the image carrier belt 160 tries to meander and its bead Even when 161 is pressed against the taper portion 122 of the tension roller 120, the bead 161 portion smoothly follows the belt body 163 (see FIG. 9) wound around the tension roller central portion 123. It will be.").
Regarding Claim 5, Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the belt unit according to claim 4, as seen above. Kubota further discloses wherein the extra member is a fixed member located across the receiving part from the stretching member.(Figure 9: inner surface 162 of bead 161 is located across the end portion 122 from the central portion 123).
Regarding Claim 6, Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the belt unit according to claim 5, as seen above. Kubota further discloses wherein the fixed member is made of nonmetal.(Page 8, lines 424-429: "As shown in the figure, the central portion 123 is configured to rotate integrally with the shaft 121, but the both end portions 122 are configured as separate members from the shaft 121 and the central portion 123, and It is configured to be freely rotatable. Both ends 122 are formed of a material having a small friction coefficient with respect to the bead 161 (for example, polyacetal resin (POM)). The bead 161 is made of rubber (for example, silicone rubber), and the central portion 123 of the tension roller 120 is made of an aluminum pipe.").
Regarding Claim 7, Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the belt unit according to claim 5, as seen above.
However, Kubota in view of Hazeki does not disclose wherein the fixed member is made of metal.
Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the claimed invention except for wherein the fixed member is made of metal.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have made the bead (161) of Kubota be made of metal, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. See also Ballas Liquidating Co. v. Allied industries of Kansas, Inc. (DC Kans) 205 USPQ 331. As disclosed on Page 8, lines 424-429, the ends (122) are formed from a material having a small friction coefficient with respect to the bead (161), so while rubber provides a higher friction coefficient, a metal could also easily provide a higher coefficient of friction than that of the ends (122) to provide the relationship as intended.
Regarding Claim 8, Kubota discloses An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming section configured to form an image;(Page 1, lines 9-13: "The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile or a copying machine, which forms an image by using an electrophotographic technique. In particular, the present invention relates to a stretched structure of the image carrier belt (such as a photoconductor belt and an intermediate transfer belt), and more particularly to a meandering prevention technique for the image carrier belt.") a belt member configured to rotate and with an aid of which the image formed by the image forming section is to be transferred to a recording material; (Figure 9: Belt 160)a stretching member that is rotatable about an axis and over which the belt member is stretched; (Figure 9: Tension roller central portion 123)and a rotatable member that is rotatable about the axis and relative to the stretching member and over which the belt member is stretched,(Figure 10: End portions 122) the rotatable member including a receiving part configured to receive the belt member in an axial direction when the belt member is shifted in the axial direction.(Page 11, lines 646-650: "Since the image carrier belt 160 is stretched between the plurality of rollers 110 to 150 including the tension roller 120 and is driven to circulate, the image carrier belt 160 is appropriately rotated by the tension roller 120. It will be circulated while applying various tensions. Further, beads 161 are provided on both sides of the back surface of the image carrier belt 160, and both ends 122 of the tension roller 160 are formed in a tapered shape, so that the meandering of the belt 160 is restricted.", further Page 12, lines 684-687: "The backup roller 130 has a meandering restriction portion 131 that restricts the meandering of the image carrier belt 160, and the image carrier belt 160 also has a restricted part 161 whose meandering is restricted by the meandering restriction part 131. Therefore, the meandering of the image carrier belt 160 is restricted, and a high quality image is formed.").
However, Kubota does not disclose wherein the receiving part has a non-tapered flange shape.
Hazeki discloses a similar belt unit wherein the receiving part has a non-tapered flange shape (Figure 9: Fixing member 100).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubota to include the fixing member as taught by Hazeki. The motivation for the modification would have been to allow for a belt unit that can control the occurrence of new meandering caused by the movement of the belt member (Page 2, paragraphs 0007-0008).
Regarding Claim 9, Kubota in view of Hazeki discloses the belt unit according to claim 2, as seen above. Kubota further discloses further comprising: a contact part, wherein the receiving part is provided between the shaped part and the contact part; and a washer, wherein the contact part faces the washer,(Figures 10 and 13: Shows End 122 having disc like elements similar to that of a washer, wherein the belt can contact the top of end 122, being received in the middle and is shaped in a tapered down fashion towards the end, wherein Figure 17b shows bead 3a acting as friction member)wherein the belt unit is configured such that, when the receiving part receives the belt member in the axial direction when the belt member is shifted in the axial direction, the contact part is pressed against the washer and a frictional force is generated between the contact part and the washer that are pressed against each other, which decelerates the rotatable member to a rotational speed lower than a rotational speed of the stretching member.(Paragraph 0011: "More specifically, when the bead 3a is in pressure contact with the taper portion 1a of the tension roller 1, the speed of the belt main body 3b wound around the central portion 1b having a large radius of gyration (which is orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 17B). (The speed in the direction), the speed of the bead 3a wrapped around the taper portion 1a having a small radius of rotation becomes slower, so that the bead 3a part has a large resistance to the belt main body 3b which is about to move at a high speed. As a result, a large stress is generated between the bead 3a and the belt body 3b, and the belt 3 is easily damaged at this portion.")
Regarding Claim 10, Kubota discloses A belt apparatus comprising: a belt configured to rotate;(Figure 9: Belt 160) a roller that is rotatable about an axis and over which the belt is stretched;(Figure 9: Tension roller central portion 123) and a pulley that is rotatable about the axis, that is rotatable relative to the roller, and over which the belt is stretched, (Figure 10: End portions 122)the pulley including a receiving part configured to receive the belt in an axial direction when the belt is shifted in the axial direction, (Page 11, lines 646-650: "Since the image carrier belt 160 is stretched between the plurality of rollers 110 to 150 including the tension roller 120 and is driven to circulate, the image carrier belt 160 is appropriately rotated by the tension roller 120. It will be circulated while applying various tensions. Further, beads 161 are provided on both sides of the back surface of the image carrier belt 160, and both ends 122 of the tension roller 160 are formed in a tapered shape, so that the meandering of the belt 160 is restricted.", further Page 12, lines 684-687: "The backup roller 130 has a meandering restriction portion 131 that restricts the meandering of the image carrier belt 160, and the image carrier belt 160 also has a restricted part 161 whose meandering is restricted by the meandering restriction part 131. Therefore, the meandering of the image carrier belt 160 is restricted, and a high quality image is formed.").
However, Kubota does not disclose wherein the receiving part has a non-tapered flange shape.
Hazeki discloses a similar belt unit wherein the receiving part has a non-tapered flange shape (Figure 9: Fixing member 100).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kubota to include the fixing member as taught by Hazeki. The motivation for the modification would have been to allow for a belt unit that can control the occurrence of new meandering caused by the movement of the belt member (Page 2, paragraphs 0007-0008).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
United States Patent Application US 2013/0322943 A1 (Iwakoshi, Tomoyuki): This patent has been deemed pertinent due to its similarities between claims 1-8. Iwakoshi teaches a similar belt conveyance apparatus comprising a rotating member and a stretching member, wherein a belt end wins around an outer side of an entry position in order to stretch the belt, as seen in Figure 2.
United States Patent Application US 2015/0286165 A1 (Suzuki, Kenji): This patent application has been deemed pertinent due to its similarities between claims 1-8. Suzuki teaches a similar image forming apparatus comprising a first stretch roller, a secondary transfer belt, and a second stretch roller formed into an inverse crown shape, as seen in Figure 4.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABBY ALLURA JORGENSEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7124. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5:30.
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/ABBY A JORGENSEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3651
