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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “different pair of rollers disposed on an upstream side of the pairs of rollers” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
At present, the claim 3 contains “a pair of rollers” from claim 1, “a plurality of pairs of rollers” from claim 2, “the pair of rollers [of claim 1], … is disposed on a downstream side of the pairs of rollers”, and claim 3 adds “a different pair of rollers disposed on an upstream side of the pairs of rollers”. As such, the drawings must depict a plurality of pairs of rollers, along with a pair upstream, and a pair downstream of the plurality – at least four pairs. However, fig 5 only depicts three pairs of rollers, which fails to show every feature of the invention specified in the claims.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
In addition to Replacement Sheets containing the corrected drawing figure(s), applicant is required to submit a marked-up copy of each Replacement Sheet including annotations indicating the changes made to the previous version. The marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheets” and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change(s) to the drawings. See 37 CFR 1.121(d)(1). Failure to timely submit the proposed drawing and marked-up copy will result in the abandonment of the application.
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)(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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 6, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Iwanaga et al., U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2023/0103101.
Regarding independent claim 1, a pressure-bonding device (200) that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed, the pressure-bonding device comprising:
a pair of rollers (230 comprising the pair of 231, 232) that applies a pressure to pressure-bondable surfaces, on which the pressure-bondable toner surfaces of the printing medium face each other, by sandwiching the printing medium in a nip portion; and
a heating control mechanism that heats the nip portion (¶ 233, the mechanism that controls the built in heat source, doing substantially the same thing of heating the nip portion in substantially the same way of controlling to apply heat to the nip).
Regarding claim 6, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a pressurization control mechanism that controls a pressure which is applied by the pair of rollers to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium (¶ 223, the mechanism that applies pressure greater than the pressure applied by the fixing unit, doing substantially the same thing of controlling the applied pressure in substantially the same way through physical contact),
wherein the heating control mechanism is capable of controlling an amount of heating to the nip portion (¶ 233, the heating control mechanism can at least turn off the halogen heater when finished, and turn it on when needed).
Regarding claim 9, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a rotation control mechanism that controls a speed of rotation of the pair of rollers (¶ 233, the motor that rotates the rollers, doing substantially the same thing of controlling the speed of rotation of the pair of rollers in substantially the same way by supplying a motive force).
Claims 1, 6, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Takagi, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0413419.
Regarding independent claim 1, a pressure-bonding device (30) that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed, the pressure-bonding device comprising:
a pair of rollers (32, comprising the pair of rollers 32a and 32b) that applies a pressure to pressure-bondable surfaces, on which the pressure-bondable toner surfaces of the printing medium face each other, by sandwiching the printing medium in a nip portion; and
a heating control mechanism that heats the nip portion (¶ 50).
Regarding claim 6, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a pressurization control mechanism (¶ 52, the mechanism that controls the pressure that is applied to the pair, which does substantially the same thing of controlling the applied pressure in substantially the same way of through physical contact) that controls a pressure which is applied by the pair of rollers to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium,
wherein the heating control mechanism is capable of controlling an amount of heating to the nip portion (¶ 53, controlling the amount of heating based on the measured temperature).
Regarding claim 9, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a rotation control mechanism that controls a speed of rotation of the pair of rollers (¶ 54, the motor that rotates the rollers, doing substantially the same thing of controlling the speed of rotation of the pair of rollers in substantially the same way by supplying a motive force).
Claims 1, 2, 6, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Deprez et al., U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2017/0168431.
Initially, the preamble of claim 1 merely recites an intended use. MPEP 2111.02. None of the intended use limitations impart any structure to the positively recited elements of the “pair of rollers” or the “heating control mechanism”. Regardless of whether or not a prior art apparatus actually “pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed”, ordinary fusers that fix through heat and pressure are all capable of doing so. Such capability of ordinary electrophotographic fixers is evinced by Takagi, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0413419, ¶ 89. See MPEP 2124.
Should Applicants wish to claim an apparatus “that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed”, the claim will need structural limitations that actually do so.
Regarding independent claim 1, a pressure-bonding device that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed, the pressure-bonding device comprising:
a pair of rollers (fig 2, the pair 772) that applies a pressure to pressure-bondable surfaces (it applies the same pressure to an ordinary sheet to be fixed, a pressure-bondable surface, and a piece of cheese that made its way into the apparatus, through sandwiching), on which the pressure-bondable toner surfaces of the printing medium face each other, by sandwiching the printing medium in a nip portion; and
a heating control mechanism that heats the nip portion (¶ 48, the mechanism that heats the rollers, doing substantially the same thing of heating the nip portion in substantially the same way of controlling to apply heat to the nip).
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of pairs of rollers (fig 2, the additional roller pairs 773 and 774) that sequentially apply pressures to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium,
wherein the heating control mechanism heats the nip portion of each of the plurality of pairs of rollers (¶ 48).
Regarding claim 6, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a pressurization control mechanism that controls a pressure which is applied by the pair of rollers to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium (¶ 10, the mechanism that controls the pressure that is applied to the pairs of rollers that “ensures attachment of the toner to the substrate by heat and pressure due to the nipping operation of the substrate by the pair of heated roller”, which does substantially the same thing of controlling the applied pressure in substantially the same way of through physical contact) ,
wherein the heating control mechanism is capable of controlling an amount of heating to the nip portion (¶ 48, the rollers are “suitably heated”).
Regarding claim 9, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a rotation control mechanism that controls a speed of rotation of the pair of rollers (¶ 48, the inherent motor that rotates the rollers, doing substantially the same thing of controlling the speed of rotation of the pair of rollers in substantially the same way by supplying a motive force).
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Masatsugu et al., WO 2008/149963.
Initially, the preamble of claim 1 merely recites an intended use. MPEP 2111.02. None of the intended use limitations impart any structure to the positively recited elements of the “pair of rollers” or the “heating control mechanism”. Regardless of whether or not a prior art apparatus actually “pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed”, ordinary fusers that fix through heat and pressure are all capable of doing so. Such capability of ordinary electrophotographic fixers is evinced by Takagi, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0413419, ¶ 89. See MPEP 2124.
Should Applicants wish to claim an apparatus “that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed”, the claim will need structural limitations that actually do so.
Regarding independent claim 1, a pressure-bonding device that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed, the pressure-bonding device comprising:
a pair of rollers (10, comprising the pair 11 and 12) that applies a pressure to pressure-bondable surfaces, on which the pressure-bondable toner surfaces of the printing medium face each other, by sandwiching the printing medium in a nip portion; and
a heating control mechanism that heats the nip portion (the mechanism that controls the heaters 13 and 14, that heat the nip portion, doing substantially the same thing of heating the nip portion in substantially the same way of controlling to apply heat to the nip).
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of pairs of rollers (the plurality 10 and 20, comprising the pairs 11 and 12, and 21 and 22, respectively, noting that the claim does not preclude the pair of rollers from being one pair of the plurality of pairs of rollers) that sequentially apply pressures to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium (fig 2),
wherein the heating control mechanism heats the nip portion of each of the plurality of pairs of rollers (the nip of the downstream pair is heated as a result of the heating of the upstream pair: “Further, the fixing roller 21 and the pressure roller 22 of the pressure device 20 are heated.”).
Regarding claim 4, which depends from claim 2,
wherein the heating control mechanism makes an amount of heating of the nip portion of the pair of rollers, which is disposed on a downstream side of the pairs of rollers in a conveyance direction of the printing medium, smaller than an amount of heating of the nip portion of a different pair of rollers disposed on an upstream side of the pairs of rollers (the downstream nip has a smaller heating amount because of the cooling along the way as the sheet travels from one nip to the next).
Regarding claim 6, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a pressurization control mechanism that controls a pressure which is applied by the pair of rollers to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium (the mechanism that applies the pressure that is applied to the pairs of rollers, which does substantially the same thing of controlling the applied pressure in substantially the same way of through physical contact),
wherein the heating control mechanism is capable of controlling an amount of heating to the nip portion (the heating control mechanism can at least be turned on and off, thereby controlling; additionally and alternatively, there is control based on temperature using the thermistors 15, 16, 51, and 52).
Regarding claim 9, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a rotation control mechanism that controls a speed of rotation of the pair of rollers (the inherent motor that rotates the rollers, doing substantially the same thing of controlling the speed of rotation of the pair of rollers in substantially the same way by supplying a motive force).
Claims 1-6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Uehara et al., U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2004/0057741.
Initially, the preamble of claim 1 merely recites an intended use. MPEP 2111.02. None of the intended use limitations impart any structure to the positively recited elements of the “pair of rollers” or the “heating control mechanism”. Regardless of whether or not a prior art apparatus actually “pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed”, ordinary fusers that fix through heat and pressure are all capable of doing so. Such capability of ordinary electrophotographic fixers is evinced by Takagi, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0413419, ¶ 89. See MPEP 2124.
Should Applicants wish to claim an apparatus “that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed”, the claim will need structural limitations that actually do so.
Regarding independent claim 1, a pressure-bonding device that pressure-bonds pressure-bondable toner surfaces to each other which are surfaces of a printing medium on which pressure-bondable toners are formed, the pressure-bonding device comprising:
a pair of rollers (30, comprising the pair of rollers 32 and 34) that applies a pressure to pressure-bondable surfaces, on which the pressure-bondable toner surfaces of the printing medium face each other, by sandwiching the printing medium in a nip portion (fig 1); and
a heating control mechanism that heats the nip portion (the mechanism that controls the heater 46, that heat the nip portion, doing substantially the same thing of heating the nip portion in substantially the same way of controlling to apply heat to the nip).
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of pairs of rollers (the plurality 22 and 30, comprising the pairs 2 and 6, and 32 and 34, respectively, noting that the claim does not preclude the pair of rollers from being one pair of the plurality of pairs of rollers) that sequentially apply pressures to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium (fig 1),
wherein the heating control mechanism heats the nip portion of each of the plurality of pairs of rollers (the mechanism is extended to control heating of 4 and 20 as well).
Regarding claim 3, which depends from claim 2,
wherein the pair of rollers (pair 32 and 34 from claim 1), which is disposed on a downstream side of the pairs of rollers in a conveyance direction of the printing medium (fig 1), applies a pressure, which is greater than a pressure of (¶ 124) a different pair of rollers (pair 2 and 6 from claim 2, which is different from the pair 32 and 34, and also disposed on an upstream side of the pairs of rollers) disposed on an upstream side of the pairs of rollers (fig 1), to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium.
Regarding claim 5, which depends from claim 3,
wherein the heating control mechanism makes an amount of heating of the nip portion of the pair of rollers, which is disposed on a downstream side of the pairs of rollers in a conveyance direction of the printing medium, smaller than an amount of heating of the nip portion of a different pair of rollers disposed on an upstream side of the pairs of rollers (the downstream pair is held around 70C, ¶ 211, whereas the upstream pair is held around 200C, ¶ 201).
Regarding claim 4, which depends from claim 2,
wherein the heating control mechanism makes an amount of heating of the nip portion of the pair of rollers, which is disposed on a downstream side of the pairs of rollers in a conveyance direction of the printing medium, smaller than an amount of heating of the nip portion of a different pair of rollers disposed on an upstream side of the pairs of rollers (the downstream pair is held around 70C, ¶ 211, whereas the upstream pair is held around 200C, ¶ 201).
Regarding claim 6, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a pressurization control mechanism that controls a pressure which is applied by the pair of rollers to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium (the mechanism that applies the pressure that is applied to the pairs of rollers, which does substantially the same thing of controlling the applied pressure in substantially the same way of through physical contact),
wherein the heating control mechanism is capable of controlling an amount of heating to the nip portion (at least turning it on and off; additionally and alternatively, so as to maintain a desired temperature).
Regarding claim 9, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a rotation control mechanism that controls a speed of rotation of the pair of rollers (the inherent motor that rotates the rollers, doing substantially the same thing of controlling the speed of rotation of the pair of rollers in substantially the same way by supplying a motive force).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being clearly unpatentable over Iwanaga et al., U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2023/0103101.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being clearly unpatentable over Takagi, U.S.P.G. Pub. No. 2022/0413419.
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of pairs of rollers that sequentially apply pressures to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium,
wherein the heating control mechanism heats the nip portion of each of the plurality of pairs of rollers.
The above limitations are a mere duplication of parts which provide no new and unexpected results. MPEP 2144.04 (VI)(B). Here, each pair of rollers provide heat and pressure as expected, and continue to fix toner as expected.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 8 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art either alone or in combination teaches the following limitations in combination with the other limitations:
Regarding claim 7, which depends from claim 6,
wherein the pressurization control mechanism decreases the pressure, which is applied by the pair of rollers to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium, in response to an increase in an amount of heating of the nip portion performed by the heating control mechanism.
Regarding claim 8, which depends from claim 6,
wherein the pressurization control mechanism increases the pressure, which is applied by the pair of rollers to the pressure-bondable surfaces of the printing medium, in response to a decrease in an amount of heating of the nip portion performed by the heating control mechanism.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEVAN A AYDIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3209. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9AM-6PM PT.
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/SEVAN A AYDIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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