DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. Claims 1-20 are pending in this application.
Priority
3. Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on application JP 2023-135691 filed on 08/23/2023 under 35 U.S.C 119(a)-(d).
Drawings
4. The drawing has been filed on 02/26/2024 are acceptable for examination purpose.
Information Disclosure Statement
5. The information disclosure statement filed on 02/26/2024 is in compliance with the provision of the 37 CFR 1.97 and therefore has been considered.
35 USC § 112, 6th paragraph
As to the claims, claim limitations a loading unit on which media are loadable in an up-down direction…., an air supply unit that supplies air to a plurality of the media loaded on the loading unit…., a sending unit that sequentially sends the media that are floated and separated by the air supply unit…., a photographing unit that photographs a state in which the media are floated…., an irradiation unit that irradiates side portions of the media with light…., an adjusting unit that adjusts an angle of the light irradiating the media from the irradiation unit….have been interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because it uses/they use a generic placeholder(s) “a loading unit, an air supply unit, a sending unit, a photographing unit, an irradiation unit, an adjusting unit” (a loading unit on which media are loadable in an up-down direction…., an air supply unit that supplies air to a plurality of the media loaded on the loading unit…., a sending unit that sequentially sends the media that are floated and separated by the air supply unit…., a photographing unit that photographs a state in which the media are floated…., an irradiation unit that irradiates side portions of the media with light…., an adjusting unit that adjusts an angle of the light irradiating the media from the irradiation unit….) coupled with functional language, capable of, to, etc. without reciting sufficient structure to achieve the function. Furthermore, the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Since the claim limitation(s) invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, at least the claims containing the limitations described above has/have been interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification that achieves the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
A review of the specification shows that the following appears to be the respective corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph limitation: (figs. 1A-B, 5, 10 & paras., 0031-0034, 0055-0062 of the filed specification at least discloses that the controller 50 inherently or obviously realized to control and execute the functions as/of the loading unit 12, the air supply unit 14, the sending unit 16, the photographing unit 18, the irradiation unit 22, the adjusting unit 24).
If applicant wishes to provide further explanation or dispute the examiner’s interpretation of the corresponding structure, applicant must identify the corresponding structure with reference to the specification by page and line number, and to the drawing, if any, by reference characters in response to this Office action.
If applicant does not intend to have the claim limitation(s) treated under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112 , sixth paragraph, applicant may amend the claim(s) so that it/they will clearly not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, or present a sufficient showing that the claim recites/recite sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function to preclude application of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
For more information, see MPEP § 2173 et seq. and Supplementary Examination Guidelines for Determining Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112 and for Treatment of Related Issues in Patent Applications, 76 FR 7162, 7167 (Feb. 9, 2011).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. 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.
7. Claims 1, 3-4, 10-12, 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takamiya et al. [hereafter Takamiya], JP Pub 2020-152537(cited in IDS).
As to claim 1[independent], Takamiya teaches a medium accommodating device comprising:
a loading unit on which media are loadable in an up-down direction [fig, 2, element 200 & fig. 3; abstract, pages 2-3 Takamiya teaches that sheet feed device 200 correspond to a loading unit holds or stores large amount of sheets, and there is an a feeding unit 20 corresponding to a sending unit for separating and feeding the sheets loaded on the sheet feed device 200 is arranged];
an air supply unit that supplies air to a plurality of the media loaded on the loading unit to float and separate the plurality of media [abstract, pages 2-3, 4-5 Takamiya teaches that the air supply that is Fan 17 which floats a sheet on the upper part of a sheet bundle P by spraying the air to the sheet bundle P loaded on a sheet feeding device 200];
a sending unit that sequentially sends the media that are floated and separated by the air supply unit [fig, 2, element 200 & fig. 3; abstract, pages 2-3 Takamiya teaches that sheet feed device 200 correspond to a loading unit holds or stores large amount of sheets, and there is an a feeding unit 20 corresponding to a sending unit for separating and feeding the sheets loaded on the sheet feed device 200 is arranged];
a photographing unit that photographs a state in which the media are floated and separated by the air supply unit [figs. 8; abstract, pages 5-6 Takamiya teaches that image pickup device 30 imaging or photographing the floating sheet and the upper part of the sheet bundle whose upper surface (top sheet) is located at the optimum floating position (the position where the upper sheet of the sheet bundle is appropriately floated by the floating air or the like) is provided. The image pickup device 30 further includes an image pickup device 31 such as a CCD, and a light source 32 such as an LED that illuminates the shooting range of the image pickup device 31];
an irradiation unit that irradiates side portions of the media with light [figs. 8; abstract, pages 5-6 Takamiya teaches that image pickup device 30 imaging or photographing the floating sheet and the upper part of the sheet bundle whose upper surface (top sheet) is located at the optimum floating position (the position where the upper sheet of the sheet bundle is appropriately floated by the floating air or the like) is provided. The image pickup device 30 further includes an image pickup device 31 such as a CCD, and a light source 32 such as an LED that illuminates the shooting range of the image pickup device 31]; and
an adjusting unit that adjusts an angle of the light irradiating the media from the irradiation unit [figs. 9-10; pages 7-9, 11-13 Takamiya teaches that light source 32 angle the light irradiating mechanism is change or adjusted based on the sheet or floating sheet].
As to claim 3 [dependent from claim 1], Takamiya teaches wherein the adjusting unit includes a reflective portion that reflects the light emitted from the irradiation unit [fig. 13, page 21 Takamiya teaches that the sensor 31 reflects the emitted light].
As to claim 4 [dependent from claim 1], Takamiya teaches wherein the adjusting unit adjusts an installation angle of the irradiation unit with respect to the loading unit [page 16 Takamiya teaches that adjusting unit changing the light irradiation range in the vertical direction so that the irradiation intensity is strongest at a directivity angle of 0 ° (light irradiation direction of the lighting means) at the center of the light irradiation range, and the larger the directivity angle, the weaker the irradiation intensity].
As to claim 10 [dependent from claim 1], Takamiya teaches wherein the irradiation unit emits light having directivity [page 1; Takamiya teaches that the light irradiation direction of the lighting source 32 is set to be the center in the vertical direction of the floating range of the sheet].
As to claim 11 [dependent from claim 1], Takamiya teaches at least one processor [fig. 7, element 66; page 5 Takamiya teaches that processor 66],
wherein the processor is configured to [fig. 7, element 66; page 5 Takamiya teaches that processor 66]:
change an amount of air supplied by the air supply unit based on an image photographed by the photographing unit [fig. 7, element 66 & fig. 12; pages 5, 9-10 Takamiya teaches that processor 66 executes air adjustment process to adjust an amount of air supplied by the air supply unit based on an image photographed].
As to claim 12 [dependent from claim 1], Takamiya teaches the medium accommodating device according to claim 1; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit [pages 2-3 Takamiya teaches that the printer 100 that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device 200].
As to claim 14 [dependent from claim 3], Takamiya teaches the medium accommodating device according to claim 3; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit [pages 2-3 Takamiya teaches that the printer 100 that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device 200].
As to claim 15 [dependent from claim 4], Takamiya teaches the medium accommodating device according to claim 4; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit [pages 2-3 Takamiya teaches that the printer 100 that forms an image on a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device 200].
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 2, 5-8, 13, 16-20 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.
9. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The dependent claims 2, 13 are allowable over the prior arts of record (or cited or listed above) since the cited references taken individually or in combination fails to particularly anticipate or disclose or suggest the claim limitations recited “wherein the photographing unit photographs the side portions of the media in a width direction intersecting a sending direction of the media from an outside in the width direction, and the irradiation unit irradiates the side portions of the media in the width direction with the light by adjusting the angle of the light by the adjusting unit., the medium accommodating device according to claim 2; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit”, in combination with all other limitations as claimed.
The dependent claims 5, 16 are allowable over the prior arts of record (or cited or listed above) since the cited references taken individually or in combination fails to particularly anticipate or disclose or suggest the claim limitations recited “wherein the adjusting unit rotates the irradiation unit around a rotating shaft to rotate the irradiation unit in the up-down direction., the medium accommodating device according to claim 5; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit”, in combination with all other limitations as claimed.
The dependent claims 6-8, 17-19 are allowable over the prior arts of record (or cited or listed above) since the cited references taken individually or in combination fails to particularly anticipate or disclose or suggest the claim limitations recited “wherein a plurality of reflective portions are provided, and the adjusting unit adjusts the angle of the light irradiating the media by selection of the plurality of reflective portions., wherein the adjusting unit adjusts an installation angle of the reflective portion on which the light from the irradiation unit is first reflected, with respect to the loading unit., wherein the adjusting unit rotates the reflective portion around a rotating shaft to rotate the reflective portion in the up-down direction., the medium accommodating device according to claim 6; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit., the medium accommodating device according to claim 7; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit., the medium accommodating device according to claim 8; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit”, in combination with all other limitations as claimed.
The dependent claims 9, 20 are allowable over the prior arts of record (or cited or listed above) since the cited references taken individually or in combination fails to particularly anticipate or disclose or suggest the claim limitations recited “wherein the adjusting unit adjusts the angle of the light to include a first angle at which the side portions of the media are irradiated with the light from an upper side in the up-down direction of the media floated and separated by the air supply unit, and a second angle at which the side portions of the media are irradiated with the light from a lower side in the up-down direction of the media floated and separated by the air supply unit., the medium accommodating device according to claim 9; and an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium sent from the medium accommodating device by the sending unit”, in combination with all other limitations as claimed.
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARIS SABAH whose telephone number is (571)270-3917. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. The examiner’s personal fax number is (571) 270-4917.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Benny Tieu, can be reached on (571)272-7490. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HARIS SABAH/Examiner, Art Unit 2682
Prosecution Insights