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 .
Amendment received 6/23/26 was entered into the record.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE 102008044111 (“DE ‘111”).
Regarding claim 1, DE ‘111 disclosed a sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
a stacking unit configured to be stacked with a paper stack including a plurality of sheets (1);
a feeding unit (6.2) configured to come into contact with a surface of the uppermost sheet of the paper stack and feed the uppermost sheet in a feeding direction; and
a sheet separating mechanism configured to separate the uppermost sheet of the paper stack from the remaining sheets, wherein the sheet separating mechanism comprises
a suction unit (6.1) configured to suck and pull the uppermost sheet of the paper stack upward in upstream in the feeding direction, and
an injection mechanism (7, 8) configured to separate the uppermost sheet from the remaining sheets by a first injection unit configured to inject air so as to change a first injection direction oriented to a predetermined region including an end face in upstream in the feeding direction of the paper stack including the uppermost sheet of the paper stack (see Figures 4 and 5), the first injection direction capable of being continuously and periodically changed along a circumferential direction (see the arrow in Figure 5) around a fixed horizontally extending axis (central to bearing 84) intersecting the height direction of the paper stack and intersecting the feed direction (see Figure 5).
Regarding claim 2, DE ‘111 disclosed the first injection unit comprises a nozzle portion (82.1) that is formed in a cylindrical shape and the nozzle is extending along a fixed horizontally extending axis (central to bearing 84) intersecting the height direction of the paper stack and intersecting the feed direction (Figures 4 and 5), and having a closed tip (at face of those figures and/or at its top end) and has an injection hole (82.2), for injecting air toward the predetermined region, formed in a side face of the nozzle portion (Figures 4 and 5); and a rotary portion (including 84) configured to rotate the nozzle portion in a predetermined direction about the horizontally extending axis (Figure 5), an injection direction for injecting air being periodically changed along a circumferential direction around the horizontally extending axis (see Figure 5),wherein air injected from the injection hole is supplied to an internal space of the nozzle portion (see 15 in Figure 5).
Regarding claim 3, DE ‘111 disclosed the nozzle portion injects air from the injection hole within an injection region of an angle less than or equal to 180 degrees on the end face side of the paper stack in a circumferential direction about the axis (see Figure 5).
Regarding claim 5, DE ‘111 disclosed the rotary portion generates driving force for rotation about the axis by externally supplied air (seen in at least Figure 5 and described in the disclosure).
Regarding claim 6, DE ‘111 disclosed the sheet separating mechanism has a second injection unit (3) configured to fix a second injection direction oriented to the predetermined region and inject air.
Regarding claim 7, DE ‘111 disclosed a sheet separating apparatus configured to inject air toward a predetermined region of an end face of a paper stack including a plurality of sheets (1) to separate the sheets from each other, the sheet separating apparatus comprising:
a nozzle portion (82.1) that is formed in a cylindrical shape and the nozzle is extending along a fixed horizontally extending axis (central to bearing 84) intersecting the height direction of the paper stack and intersecting the feed direction (Figures 4 and 5), and having a closed tip (at face of those figures and/or at its top end) and has an injection hole (82.2), for injecting air toward the predetermined region, formed in a side face of the nozzle portion (Figures 4 and 5); and a rotary portion (including 84) configured to be able to rotate the nozzle portion in a predetermined direction about the horizontally extending axis (Figure 5), an injection direction for injecting air capable of being continuously and periodically changed along a circumferential direction around the horizontally extending axis (see Figure 5),wherein air injected from the injection hole is supplied to an internal space of the nozzle portion (see 15 in Figure 5).
Regarding claim 8, DE ‘111 disclosed the nozzle portion injects the air from the injection hole within an injection region of an angle less than or equal to 180 degrees on the end face side of the paper stack in the circumferential direction (see Figure 5).
Regarding claim 10, DE ‘111 disclosed the rotary portion generates driving force for rotation about the axis by externally supplied air (seen in at least Figure 5 and described in the disclosure).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/23/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argued that DE ‘111 does not teach continuously and periodically changing the injection direction along a circumferential direction as claimed.
The Examiner notes that per MPEP 2114, the manner of operating the device does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art. The device of DE ‘111 was shown to anticipate all the structural limitations. The functionally claimed language is not limited to a specific structure, instead all devices that are capable of performing the recited function would be covered. Therefore, since DE ‘111 discloses a device that can perform the claimed function, the rejection is considered proper.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOWARD J SANDERS whose telephone number is (571)270-3096. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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/HOWARD J SANDERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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