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 6/26/26 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shibazaki et al. US 2022/0033205 (“Shibazaki”).
Regarding claim 1, Shibazaki disclosed a paper feeder comprising:
a tray (6) in which a sheet is placed;
a delivery roller (30) that delivers the sheet placed in the tray;
a paper feed roller (41) that feeds the delivered sheet to a conveyance path;
a guide (50) member that guides the delivered sheet from the tray toward the paper feed roller and is provided to be inclined upward toward the paper feed roller;
a lifting/lowering mechanism (25) capable of changing a height of the tray; and
a controller (60) that executes a paper feed processing to feed the delivered sheet from the tray to the conveyance path by causing the paper feed roller to rotate, wherein:
the guide member has a guide surface (51) that is inclined upward toward the paper feed roller,
the controller has:
a setting device (65) that accepts job settings including settings related to a plurality of types of sheets, the plurality of types of sheets including a first type of sheet and a second type of sheet, wherein a paper having the second type of sheet is thicker than a paper having the first type of sheet, and
a lifting/lowering controller (66) that controls the lifting/lowering mechanism, such that, in a case that the second type of sheet is set, before initiation of the paper feed processing, a second height of the tray, with respect to the guide member, becomes higher, by a first predetermined magnitude, than a first height of the tray, with respect to the guide member, in a case that the first type of sheet is set (see at least paragraphs 0078-0079), and
the lifting/lowering controller is configured, such that:
in both the case that the first type of sheet is set and the case that the second type of sheet is set, a topmost sheet, among sheets placed on a placement surface of the tray, is disposed with a gap from the guide surface, and an extension line along an intended sheet feeding direction of the topmost sheet when being delivered from the tray intersects the guide surface at an intersection position(see at least Figures 3 7, and 8), and
in the case that the second type of sheet is set, by lifting the tray, the intersection position between the extension line and the guide surface is changed, such that a leading edge of the second type of sheet, when being delivered from the tray, abuts a position on the guide surface that is higher than a position on the guide surface that abuts a leading edge of the first type of sheet in the case that the first type of sheet is set (see at least Figures 3, 7, and 8).
Regarding claim 5, Shibazaki disclosed a second detector (paragraph 0090) that detects the sheet placed in the tray, wherein in the case that the sheet placed in the tray is detected, and that an instruction to start a job set for the second type of sheet is accepted, via an operation acceptor, the lifting/lowering controller continuously lifts the tray from an initial position to a height position when the second type of sheet is set (see at least paragraph 0090).
Regarding claim 6, Shibazaki disclosed a second detector that detects the sheet placed in the tray, wherein: in the case that the sheet placed in the tray is detected, and that any operation input is accepted, via an operation acceptor, the lifting/lowering controller lifts the tray from an initial position to a height position when the first type of sheet is set, and in a case that an instruction to start a job set for the second type of sheet is accepted, via the operation acceptor, the lifting/lowering controller lifts the tray from the height position in the case that the first type of sheet is set to a height position when the second type of sheet is set (see at least paragraph 0090).
Regarding claim 7, Shibazaki disclosed the lifting/lowering controller controls the lifting/lowering mechanism, such that, in the case that the second type of sheet is set, an angle of the placement surface, with respect to the guide surface, becomes smaller (see Figure 8) than an angle of the placement surface, with respect to the guide surface, in the case that the first type of sheet is set (Figures 3 and 4).
Regarding claims 8 and 9, Shibazaki disclosed the features discussed above with regard to claim 1, and further disclosed the setting device accepts, as one of the settings related to the plurality of types of sheets, a setting related to a third type of sheet, wherein a paper having the third type of sheet is thinner than the paper having the first type of sheet, and the lifting/lowering controller further controls the lifting/lowering mechanism, such that, in a case that the third type of sheet is set, before another initiation of the paper feed processing, a third height of the tray, with respect to the guide member, becomes higher, by a second predetermined magnitude that is smaller than the first predetermined magnitude, than the first height in the case that the first type of sheet is set (paragraph 0093). The setting device accepts, as one of the settings related to the plurality of types of sheets, a setting related to what may also be called a fourth type of sheet, wherein a paper having the fourth type of sheet is thicker than the paper having the first type of sheet and is smaller, in size, than the paper having the first type of sheet, and the lifting/lowering controller controls the lifting/lowering mechanism, such that, in a case that the fourth type of sheet is set, before another initiation of the paper feed processing, a fourth height of the tray, with respect to the guide member, becomes higher, by a third predetermined magnitude, than the first height in the case that the first type of sheet is set (see paragraph 0093).
Regarding claim 10, Shibazaki disclosed an image forming apparatus (Figure 1) comprising: the paper feeder according to claim 1 as discussed above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is allowed.
Claims 2 and 3 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 with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because of the new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael McCullough can be reached at (571) 272-7805. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HOWARD J SANDERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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