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 .
Priority
1. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Claims 1,2,4,8,11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koyama USP 10,138,083.
Koyama discloses, regarding claim 1, An image forming system (200) comprising:
an image forming unit including an image forming portion (101) configured to form an image on a sheet;
a processing unit including a processing portion (203) configured to perform predetermined processing on the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming portion, and a sending portion (204) configured to send the sheet processed by the processing portion;
a stacking portion (302) configured to stack the sheet sent by the sending portion;
a lifting/lowering portion (M) provided in the processing unit and configured to lower the stacking portion such that a height of an uppermost sheet among the sheets sent by the sending portion and stacked on the stacking portion falls within a predetermined range and to lift the stacking portion in a case where the sheets stacked on the stacking portion are removed;
a displacement portion (308; 12a-c,212) provided on the stacking portion and configured to be displaced according to a presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion;
an output portion provided in the processing unit and configured to output an electric signal according to the displacement of the displacement portion (portion of sensor 221 which transmit signals, as shown in fig.7A and disclosed in C7/L49-54);
a reception portion provided in the processing unit and configured to receive the electric signal output from the output portion (portion of sensor 221 which receives signals, as shown in fig.7A);
a wiring portion provided in the processing unit and configured to connect the output portion and the reception portion (see at least C6/L33-36); and
a determination portion (50) configured to determine the presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion according to the electric signal received by the reception portion (see at least C6/L26-33, C7/L48-C8/L10).
Regarding claim 2, wherein the output portion is configured to output the electric signal according to the displacement of the displacement portion in a state in which the stacking portion is at a predetermined position (when the flag 212 does or does not interrupt the signal as shown in fig.7A,8A).
Regarding claim 4,
wherein the output portion is configured to output the electric signal according to a position of the stacking portion or a position of the sheet stacked on the stacking portion in a case where the stacking portion is positioned below the predetermined position (see at least C7/L49-54), and
the determination portion is configured to determine a position of a stacking surface of the stacking portion on which the sheet is stacked or a position of an upper surface of an uppermost sheet among a plurality of sheets stacked on the stacking surface according to the electric signal output from the output portion (see at least C7/L48-C8/L10).
Regarding claim 8,
wherein the displacement portion is a first displacement portion (308),
the image forming system further comprises a second displacement portion (12a-c,212) provided in the processing unit and configured to be displaced according to displacement of the first displacement portion by coming into contact with the first displacement portion in a state in which the stacking portion is at a predetermined position and in any one of a case where there is no sheet on the stacking portion and a case where there is the sheet on the stacking portion (see at least fig.4A,4B,7A,8A, C9/L43-59), and
the output portion is configured to output the electric signal according to the displacement of the second displacement portion (see at least C6/L30-36).
Regarding claim 11, A sheet processing apparatus comprising:
a processing unit including a processing portion (203) configured to perform predetermined processing on the sheet and a sending portion (204) configured to send the sheet processed by the processing portion;
a stacking portion (302) configured to stack the sheet sent by the sending portion;
a lifting/lowering portion (M) provided in the processing unit and configured to lower the stacking portion such that a height of an uppermost sheet among the sheets sent by the sending portion and stacked on the stacking portion falls within a predetermined range and to lift the stacking portion in a case where the sheets stacked on the stacking portion are removed;
a displacement portion (308; 12a-c,212) provided on the stacking portion and configured to be displaced according to a presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion;
an output portion provided in the processing unit and configured to output an electric signal according to the displacement of the displacement portion (portion of sensor 221 which transmit signals, as shown in fig.7A and disclosed in C7/L49-54);
a determination portion (50) configured to determine the presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion according to the electric signal output from the output portion (see at least C6/L26-33, C7/L48-C8/L10); and
a wiring portion provided in the processing unit and configured to connect the output portion and the determination portion (see at least C6/L33-36).
Regarding claim 12, An image forming system (200) comprising:
an image forming unit including an image forming portion (101) configured to form an image on a sheet; and
the sheet processing apparatus (200B) according to claim 11,
wherein the sheet processing apparatus is configured to perform the predetermined processing on the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming portion.
Regarding claim 13, A sheet processing apparatus (200B) comprising:
a processing unit including a processing portion (203) configured to perform predetermined processing on a sheet received from an image forming unit including an image forming portion configured to form an image on the sheet, and a sending portion (204) configured to send the sheet processed by the processing portion;
a stacking portion (302) configured to stack the sheet sent by the sending portion;
a lifting/lowering portion (M) provided in the processing unit and configured to lower the stacking portion such that a height of an uppermost sheet among the sheets sent by the sending portion and stacked on the stacking portion falls within a predetermined range and to lift the stacking portion in a case where the sheets stacked on the stacking portion are removed;
a displacement portion (308; 12a-c,212) provided on the stacking portion and configured to be displaced according to a presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion;
an output portion provided in the processing unit and configured to output an electric signal according to the displacement of the displacement portion (portion of sensor 221 which transmit signals, as shown in fig.7A and disclosed in C7/L49-54);
a reception portion provided in the processing unit and configured to receive the electric signal output from the output portion (portion of sensor 221 which receives signals, as shown in fig.7A);
a transmission portion (C7/L49-54) provided in the processing unit and configured to transmit the electric signal received by the reception portion to the image forming unit including a determination portion (50) configured to determine the presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion (see at least C6/L26-36, C7/L48-C8/L10).
Regarding claim 14, An image forming system (200) comprising:
an image forming unit including an image forming portion (101) configured to form an image on a sheet; and
the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 13,
wherein the sheet processing apparatus is configured to perform the predetermined processing on the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming portion,
the reception portion is a first reception portion (portion of sensor 221 which receives signals, as shown in fig.7A),
the image forming unit includes a second reception portion configured to receive an electric signal output from the output portion transmitted from the transmission portion (see at least C6/L26-36, C7/L28-36,48-C8/L10), and
the determination portion (50) is configured to determine a presence or absence of a sheet on the stacking portion according to the electric signal received by the second reception portion.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koyama USP 10,138,083 in view of Kobayashi USP 9,802,780.
Koyama discloses substantially all the limitations of the claims (see ¶4 above), but does not expressly disclose the limitations of claim 3.
Kobayashi teaches the use of a sensor (120) oriented so as to detect the displacement portion (118) in a width direction of the sheet intersecting a sheet sending direction (fig.5), wherein the output portion is configured to output an electrical signal in accordance with the state of the displacement portion (118) (C7/L64-66, C8/L4-8), and the displacement portion (118) is configured to not be detected by the sensor in a case where there is no sheet on the stacking portion and the stacking portion is at the predetermined position or, in a case where there is the sheet on the stacking portion and the stacking portion is at the predetermined position (this is clear from the positions of the sensor 120 and displacement portion 118 as shown in fig.5 and C7/L64-66, C8/L4-8).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to provide a sensor oriented so as to detect the displacement portion in a width direction of the sheet intersecting a sheet sending direction, wherein the output portion is configured to output an electrical signal in accordance with the state of the displacement portion, and the displacement portion is configured to not be detected by the sensor in a case where there is no sheet on the stacking portion and the stacking portion is at the predetermined position or, in a case where there is the sheet on the stacking portion and the stacking portion is at the predetermined position, as taught by Kobayashi, in the device of Koyama, where one having ordinary skill in the art would replace the sensor of Kobayashi with a light emitting portion provided in the processing unit; and a light receiving portion configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting portion and provided in the processing unit, wherein the output portion is configured to output the electric signal according to a light receiving state of the light receiving portion, the light emitting portion is disposed on one side of a stacking surface, on which the sheet is stacked, of the stacking portion in a width direction of the sheet intersecting a sheet sending direction of the sending portion, the light receiving portion is disposed on the other side of the stacking surface in the width direction, and the displacement portion is configured to block the light emitted from the light emitting portion such that the light emitted from the light emitting portion is not received by the light receiving portion in a case where there is no sheet on the stacking portion and the stacking portion is at the predetermined position or, in a case where there is the sheet on the stacking portion and the stacking portion is at the predetermined position, since such light emitting and receiving portions are well known in the art (see MPEP 2144.01). The combination of Kobayashi with Koyama can be done with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of providing a simplified structure for sheet presence/absence detection.
7. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koyama USP 10,138,083 in view of Iwadate et al. USP 9,815,646.
Koyama discloses substantially all the limitations of the claims (see ¶4 above), but does not expressly disclose the limitations of claim 10.
Iwadate teaches further comprising a conveyance portion (113) disposed above the stacking portion (111) and configured to move to a conveyance position (PR1) where the conveyance portion comes into contact with the sheet on the stacking portion and conveys the sheet upstream in a sheet sending direction of the sending portion, and a retraction position (PR2) where the conveyance portion retracts upward from the conveyance position, wherein the conveyance portion is positioned at the conveyance position in a case where the determination portion determines the presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion according to the electric signal output from the output portion (see at least fig.5B, C7/L10-30).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to provide a conveyance portion disposed above the stacking portion and configured to move to a conveyance position where the conveyance portion comes into contact with the sheet on the stacking portion and conveys the sheet upstream in a sheet sending direction of the sending portion, and a retraction position where the conveyance portion retracts upward from the conveyance position, wherein the conveyance portion is positioned at the conveyance position in a case where the determination portion determines the presence or absence of the sheet on the stacking portion according to the electric signal output from the output portion, as taught by Iwadate, in the device of Koyama, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of aligning sheets in the stacking portion thus providing a neat stack for a user.
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 5-7,9 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
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yahata (USP 8,167,294) discloses a stacking portion (202) and a displacement portion (203) which detects presence and absence of a sheet stacked on the stacking portion (C5/L15-31).
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LESLIE A. NICHOLSON III whose telephone number is (571)272-5487. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4.
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/LESLIE A NICHOLSON III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653 3/9/2026