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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
2. Claims 1-2, 4, 8-11, 13, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0315361 (Nakagawa et al.) (hereinafter “Nakagawa”). Annotated Fig. 6C of Nakagawa below.
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Regarding claim 1, Figs. 1-6C show a sheet feed device (Fig. 1) comprising:
an accommodating section (1) that is provided so as to be pulled out in a pull-out direction (Ym) intersecting a sheet feeding direction (X) of a housing (including 101R, 101T, 101L, and 101B) and that accommodates a recording medium (S);
a concave portion (6) that is provided with a concave shape (at reference numeral 6x) toward the sheet feeding direction (X) of the recording medium (S) on a front side in the pull-out direction (Ym); and
a protruding portion (“Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C) that is provided on the accommodating section side so that a member protrudes relative to the concave portion (6) when the concave portion (6) is viewed from the front side to a back side in the pull-out direction (Ym).
Regarding claim 2, Figs. 1-6C show that the protruding portion (“Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C) is provided in a non-sheet passing region of the recording medium (S) fed from the accommodating section (1).
Regarding claim 4, Figs. 1-6C show that an end portion of the protruding portion “Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C) on the front side along the pull-out direction (Ym) protrudes relative to an end edge of the concave portion (6).
Regarding claim 8, Figs.1-6C show that the protruding portion (“Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C) is provided integrally with a guide member (17 or 18) curved so as to guide the recording medium (S) fed from the accommodating section (1) upward along a vertical direction.
Regarding claim 9, Figs. 1-6C show that the protruding portion (“Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C) is provided in a curved portion of the guide member (17 or 18).
Regarding claim 10, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 1 is used as the sheet feed unit.
Regarding claim 11, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 2 is used as the sheet feed unit.
Regarding claim 13, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 4 is used as the sheet feed unit.
Regarding claim 17, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 8 is used as the sheet feed unit.
Regarding claim 18, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 9 is used as the sheet feed unit.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
3. Claims 3 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0159589 (Kuwata et al.) (hereinafter “Kuwata”). With regard to claim 3, Nakagawa teaches most of the limitations of this claim including the protruding portion (“Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C), but does not explicitly show that the protruding portion has an inclined surface as claimed.
Kuwata shows that it is well-known in the art to provide an accommodation section (600U) with a protruding portion (800U) that has an inclined surface that inclines from a back side toward a front side along a pull-out direction (left in Fig. 12), for the purpose of protecting a front cover (72U) of the accommodation section (600U). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the accommodation section (1) of Nakagawa with an inclined protruding portion, for the purpose of protecting the front cover of the accommodation section (1), as taught by Kuwata.
Regarding claim 12, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 3 is used as the sheet feed unit.
4. Claims 5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of Kuwata. With regard to claim 5, Nakagawa teaches most of the limitations of this claim including the protruding portion (“Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C), but does not explicitly show that the protruding portion inclined as claimed.
Kuwata shows that it is well-known in the art to provide an accommodation section (600U) with a protruding portion (800U) that inclines toward a sheet passing region from an upstream side toward a downstream side along a sheet feeding direction (right in Fig. 1), for the purpose of protecting a front cover (72U) of the accommodation section (600U). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the accommodation section (1) of Nakagawa with an inclined protruding portion, for the purpose of protecting the front cover of the accommodation section (1), as taught by Kuwata.
Regarding claim 14, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 5 is used as the sheet feed unit.
5. Claims 6 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kuwata. With regard to claim 6, Nakagawa teaches most of the limitations of this claim including the protruding portion (“Protruding portion” in annotated Fig. 6C), but does not explicitly show a triangular pyramid shaped protruding portion as claimed.
Kuwata shows that it is well-known in the art to provide an accommodation section (600U) with a protruding portion (800U) provided so as to protrude in a triangular pyramid shape along a pull-out direction, for the purpose of protecting a front cover (72U) of the accommodation section (600U). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the accommodation section (1) of Nakagawa with a triangular protruding portion, for the purpose of protecting the front cover of the accommodation section (1), as taught by Kuwata. Providing the Nakagawa apparatus with a triangular protruding portion, in a location as taught by Fig. 6C of Nakagawa, results in the triangular protrusion portion being on a back side of the concave portion along the pull-out direction, as claimed.
Regarding claim 15, Figs. 1-6C show an image forming apparatus comprising:
a sheet feed unit (30U) that feeds an accommodated recording medium (S); and
an image forming unit (20) that forms an image on the recording medium fed from the sheet feed unit (30U), wherein the sheet feed device according to claim 6 is used as the sheet feed unit.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 7 and 16 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
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS A MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-7221. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am - 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mike 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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/THOMAS A MORRISON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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