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 .
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.
Claims 1-4, 15, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koyama (U.S. Pub. 2018/0299812).
Regarding claim 1, Koyama discloses (Figs. 1-6) an electrostatic collecting apparatus 90 (see par. [0047]) comprising:
a collecting rotating member 18a [0047] (i.e. collects paper dust: see pars. [0020]-[0021], [0033], and [0047]-[0048]);
an adsorption force generating unit 93 [0048] configured to generate an electrostatic adsorption force between the collecting rotating member 18a and a substance to be collected (i.e. paper dust: [0046]-[0048]);
a removing member 91 [0047] that contacts a circumferential surface of the collecting rotating member 18a (as shown in Fig. 6; [0047]) and removes the substance to be collected [0047]-[0048] borne on the collecting rotating member 18a; and
a collecting portion 90 [0047] that collects the removed substance to be collected [0047],
wherein the collecting rotating member 18a includes, along its circumferential surface, a first region (where the surface is positively charged – from the brush 92 to the unit 91: see Fig. 6 and par. [0048]) and a second region (where the surface is negatively charged – from the unit 91 to the brush 92: see Fig. 6 and par. [0048]) that differ from each other in electrostatic adsorption force (i.e. the positive charge attracts negatively charged paper dust: see pars. [0033] and [0048], whereas the negative charge [0047] would then repel such paper dust), and
wherein an adsorption force reducing unit 91 [0047] is provided so that the electrostatic adsorption force in the second region is reduced relative to the electrostatic adsorption force in the first region (i.e. the negative charge [0047] would repel the paper dust, which is a reduction in the attracting/adsorption force that is given by the brush 92: [0048])).
Regarding claim 2, Koyama discloses (Figs. 1-6) the first region is a region that does not receive a reducing action of the electrostatic adsorption force by the adsorption force reducing unit 91 (i.e. locations around the roller 18a not near or at the unit 91: see Fig. 6), and the second region is a region that receives the reducing action of the electrostatic adsorption force by the adsorption force reducing unit 91 (i.e. the portion of the roller 18a which is near or at the unit 91: see Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 3, Koyama discloses (Figs. 1-6) wherein the adsorption force reducing unit 91 is a first electric charge reducing unit [0047] capable of reducing a first electric charge having a polarity opposite to a charging polarity of the collecting rotating member 18a of the substance to be collected (i.e. triboelectrically charges the paper dust collecting roller 18a to a negative polarity: [0047]; which is opposite of the charging polarity: [0048]).
Regarding claim 4, Koyama discloses (Figs. 1-6) wherein the removing member 91 comprises a material having an electric conductivity [0047], and is capable of removing the first electric charge from the substance to be collected by contact with the substance to be collected [0047], and
wherein the first electric charge reducing unit 91 is the removing member 91.
Regarding claim 15, Koyama discloses (Figs. 1-6) the electrostatic collecting apparatus 90 is used in an image forming apparatus 100 forming an image on recording paper “P” [0020]-[0023],
wherein the object to be cleaned is recording paper “P” before formation of the image thereon that is conveyed at the image forming apparatus (as shown in Fig. 1; [0020]-[0023]), and
wherein the substance to be collected includes a paper powder generated from the recording paper “P” (see pars. [0020]-[0021] and [0047]-[0048]).
Regarding claim 19, Koyama discloses (Figs. 1-6) an image forming apparatus 100 [0019] for forming an image on recording paper “P” [0020]-[0023], comprising the electrostatic collecting apparatus 90 (as shown in Figs. 1 and 6).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koyama (U.S. Pub. 2018/0299812) in view of Seki (U.S. Patent 5,625,442).
Regarding claim 5, Koyama is applied as above, but does not disclose the removing member is grounded.
Seki discloses (Fig. 1) the removing member 14 is grounded (col. 2, line 65–col. 3, line 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Koyama’s device so that the removing member is grounded, as taught by Seki.
Such a modification would prevent the accumulation of negative electric charge on the roller (Seki: col. 2, line 65–col. 3, line 3).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01-26-2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant's arguments fail to comply with 37 CFR 1.111(b) because they amount to a general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without specifically pointing out how the language of the claims patentably distinguishes them from the references. Koyama discloses the collecting rotating member 18a includes, along its circumferential surface, a first region (where the surface is positively charged – from the brush 92 to the unit 91: see Fig. 6 and par. [0048]) and a second region (where the surface is negatively charged – from the unit 91 to the brush 92: see Fig. 6 and par. [0048]) that differ from each other in electrostatic adsorption force (i.e. the positive charge attracts negatively charged paper dust: see pars. [0033] and [0048], whereas the negative charge [0047] would then repel such paper dust), and wherein an adsorption force reducing unit 91 [0047] is provided so that the electrostatic adsorption force in the second region is reduced relative to the electrostatic adsorption force in the first region (i.e. the negative charge [0047] would repel the paper dust, which is a reduction in the attracting/adsorption force that is given by the brush 92: [0048])).
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 Benjamin Schmitt, whose telephone number is (571) 270-7930. The examiner can normally be reached M-F | 8:30-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter Lindsay can be reached at (571) 272-1674. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BENJAMIN R SCHMITT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852