DETAILED ACTION
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, 9-11, 13, 14, 18, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe et al. JP 2018-111582 A (hereinafter “Watanabe”) in view of Futaki et al. JP 05-130330 A (hereinafter “Futaki”).
Regarding claim 1, Watanabe, with reference to FIG. 7-9, discloses a conveyance device comprising:
a conveyor (31) to convey a medium (P);
a position sensor (one of 35-37) to detect a position of the medium conveyed by the conveyor; and
a background (70) facing the position sensor,
wherein the conveyor is to move the medium in the width direction of the medium.
Watanabe further teaches wherein the background is insertable and removable, but does not explicitly teach wherein the background is insertable and removable in a width direction of the medium crossing a conveyance direction of the medium.
Futaki teaches a background (white color reference plate 10, 11) that is insertable and removable in a width direction to facilitate replacement of a defective background.
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Watanabe’s background to be insertable and removable in a width direction of the medium as taught Futaki in order to provide a known alternative arrangement of facilitating mounting and removal of the background for maintenance purposes.
Regarding claim 9, an image forming apparatus (FIG. 1) comprising: the conveyance device according to claim 1; and an image former forming device (4) configured to form an image on the medium conveyed by the conveyance device.
Regarding claim 10, refer to rejection of claim 1 as a guide, Watanabe further teaches a secondary transferer (20).
Regarding claims 11 and 19, a liquid discharge apparatus (shown for with electrographic printer but disclosure mentions the conveyance device for an “inkjet image formation device”) further comprising the conveyance device according to claim 1; and
a liquid discharger (inkjet printer).
Regarding claim 13, wherein: the conveyor comprises a pair of registration roller (31 or 7).
Regarding claim 14, wherein: the position sensor is a contact image sensor.
Regarding claim 18, wherein: the image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic printer.
predictable result of providing an alternative means of forming an image on a sheet.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20 and 21 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.
Claim 8 is allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 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.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 LUIS A GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-3094. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5:30pm.
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/LUIS A GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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