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 Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: a supply unit in claim 1 identified as element 14 in the disclosure, an imaging unit in claim 1 identified as element 18 in the disclosure, a processor in claim 1 identified as element 41 in the disclosure, an irradiation unit in claim 2 identified as element 22, a moving member in claims 3 and 5 identified as element 58 in the disclosure, a shielding member in claim 4 identified as element 220 in the disclosure, and a detection unit in claim 5 identified as element 62.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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, 2, 6-8, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shimoyama et al. US 2015/0029525 (“Shimoyama”).
Regarding claim 1, Shimoyama disclosed a medium supply system comprising:
a supply unit (Figure 4) that supplies air to a plurality of stacked recording media while changing a supply direction from an edge side of the recording media to float and separate the recording media;
an imaging unit (93) that captures images of the plurality of recording media to which the air is supplied by the supply unit from the edge side; and
at least one processor (Figure 7),
wherein the processor determines separation of the recording media using an image suitable for determining the separation of the recording media among the images captured by the imaging unit (see at least paragraphs 0124, 0129, and 0162).
Regarding claim 2, Shimoyama disclosed an irradiation unit (97) that irradiates the recording media in a portion whose image is to be captured by the imaging unit with light, wherein the processor causes the irradiation unit to irradiate the recording media with the light in a case where the recording media which are floating are in a state suitable for determining the separation of the recording media (see at least paragraphs 0111 and 0116).
Regarding claim 6, Shimoyama disclosed the processor determines the separation of the recording media after the supply direction of the air is changed a plurality of times (see at least Figure 4).
Regarding claims 7, 8, and 12, Shimoyama disclosed an image forming system comprising: the medium supply system according to claim 1 as mentioned above; and an image forming unit that forms an image on each of the recording media supplied from the medium supply system (Figure 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 and 9-11 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Numata US 12,084,306 teaches a similar air separation unit in a similar supply system.
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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