Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/430,583

DETERMINATION DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 01, 2024
Priority
Sep 26, 2023 — JP 2023-161814
Examiner
HEREDIA OCASIO, ARLENE J
Art Unit
2852
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Fujifilm Holdings Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
414 granted / 550 resolved
+7.3% vs TC avg
Minimal +3% lift
Without
With
+2.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 8m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
582
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
46.3%
+6.3% vs TC avg
§102
28.8%
-11.2% vs TC avg
§112
22.6%
-17.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 550 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . 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. Specification Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details. The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided. The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it merely consists of a single run-on sentence without regard for proper grammatical form. Correction is required. See MPEP § 608.01(b). 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) 1-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2005/0051743 to Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi teaches: (claim 1) A determination device comprising: a processor (13) that is used for determining first paper on which a coating process for suppressing gloss of a surface of paper is performed and second paper on which the coating process for suppressing the gloss of the surface of the paper is not performed; a light source (10) that irradiates the surface of the paper with light; a first light detector (11) that detects the light reflected on the surface of the paper; and a second light detector (12) that is provided at a position (g) different from the first light detector and detects diffusely reflected light of the light reflected on the surface of the paper, wherein the first light detector is located in a direction (b) shifted by a certain angle with respect to a specular reflection direction (a) of the light reflected on the surface of the paper [0070], and the processor is configured to: acquire a light amount ratio (A/B) that is a ratio of an amount of the light (A) detected by the first light detector to an amount of the light (B) detected by the second light detector; and determine whether the paper is the first paper or the second paper according to a relationship between the light amount ratio and a predetermined threshold value (Fig.8, [0098-0099]. (claim 2) The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the second light detector is located in a normal direction to the surface of the paper [0071]. (claim 3) The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the first light detector is located in a direction shifted by about 20 degrees with respect to the specular reflection direction of the light reflected on the surface of the paper (2o degrees is within disclosed range [0070]). (claims 4-6) An image forming apparatus comprising: the determination device according to any of claims 1-3 [0003]. (claim 7) A determination device comprising: a processor that is used for determining first paper on which a coating process for suppressing gloss of a surface of paper is performed and second paper on which the coating process for suppressing the gloss of the surface of the paper is not performed; a light source that irradiates the surface of the paper with light; a first light detector that detects the light reflected on the surface of the paper; and a second light detector that is provided at a position different from the first light detector and detects diffusely reflected light of the light reflected on the surface of the paper, wherein the first light detector is located in a direction shifted by a certain angle with respect to a specular reflection direction of the light reflected on the surface of the paper, and the processor is configured to: acquire a light amount difference (A-B) that is a difference between an amount of the light (A) detected by the first light detector and an amount of the light (B) detected by the second light detector; and determine whether the paper is the first paper or the second paper according to a relationship between the light amount difference and a predetermined threshold value (Fig.9, [0040-0042, 0101-0102]. (claim 8) The determination device according to claim 7, wherein the second light detector is located in a normal direction to the surface of the paper [0071]. (claim 9) The determination device according to claim 7, wherein the first light detector is located in a direction shifted by about 20 degrees with respect to the specular reflection direction of the light reflected on the surface of the paper (2o degrees is within disclosed range [0070]). (claims 10-12) An image forming apparatus comprising: the determination device according to claim 7 [0003]. (claim 13) A determination device comprising: a processor (13) that is used for determining first paper on which a coating process for suppressing gloss of a surface of paper is performed and second paper on which the coating process for suppressing the gloss of the surface of the paper is not performed; a light source (10) that irradiates the surface of the paper with light; a first light detector (11) that detects the light reflected on the surface of the paper; and a second light (12) detector that is provided at a position different from the first light detector and detects diffusely reflected light of the light reflected on the surface of the paper, wherein the first light detector is located in a direction shifted by a certain angle with respect to a specular reflection direction of the light reflected on the surface of the paper, and the processor includes means for acquiring a light amount ratio that is a ratio of an amount of the light detected by the first light detector to an amount of the light detected by the second light detector; and means for determining whether the paper is the first paper or the second paper according to a relationship between the light amount ratio and a predetermined threshold value [0064-0065, 0098, 0106]. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 9,374,491 is relevant to the teachings of a sensor device includes an irradiation unit that includes a light source and irradiates an object with light, an optical detection unit to identify paper-type in an image forming apparatus. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARLENE HEREDIA whose telephone number is (571)272-8393. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30-5:30. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephanie Bloss can be reached at (571) 272-3555. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Arlene Heredia Ocasio/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 01, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 21, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Oct 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12769235
HEATER WITH A PROTECTIVE LAYER CONTINUOUSLY COVERING A HEAT GENERATING MEMBER AND HAVING A PLURALIPFY OF RECESSES PROVIDED AT INTERVALS ON A SUBSTRATE. HEATING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
2y 8m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12769240
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
2y 4m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12766870
BOOKLET PRODUCTION APPARATUS
1y 11m to grant Granted Oct 20, 2026
Patent 12761590
HEATING DEVICE, FIXING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
1y 10m to grant Granted Oct 13, 2026
Patent 12750451
IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROLLING METHOD FOR THE SAME
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
75%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (+2.8%)
1y 8m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 550 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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