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 .
Amendment received 5/31/26 was entered into the record.
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, 6, 9, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by GB 2543555 (“GB ‘555”).
Regarding claim 1, GB ‘555 disclosed a paper sheet feeding device that presses paper sheets placed in an intake section towards a feed roller by a bill press and takes in the paper sheets into a machine body, wherein the bill press comprises:
a main pressing section (4012 and its supporting post) that is provided to be movable up and down in the intake section and can press a substantial center of the paper sheets,
first and second auxiliary pressing sections (4013a, 4013b) that are respectively provided on opposite sides with said main pressing section interposed therebetween in a front-rear direction extending along a longitudinal direction of the paper sheets and can press regions of the paper sheets other than the substantial center,
one rotating shaft (4023) provided to extend along a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and said first and second auxiliary pressing sections are in conjunction with said main pressing section to be swinqable about said one rotating shaft (Figure 7d), are provided, and
said one rotating shaft is arranged on an upper side of said main pressing section in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-back direction and the left-right direction (Figure 7d).
Regarding claim 6, GB ‘555 disclosed an intake port (see at least Figure 1) that takes in the paper sheets placed in the intake section into the machine body, and a third auxiliary pressing section (seen centrally in Figure 7d) arranged on the opposite side of the intake port side in the intake section in a left-right direction with said main pressing section (including the post supporting 4012) being a reference.
Regarding claim 9, GB ‘555 disclosed said first and second auxiliary pressing sections are configured to be movable up and down in the intake section in conjunction with said main pressing section (see at least Figure 7d).
Regarding claim 10, GB ‘555 disclosed a paper sheet feeding device that presses paper sheets placed in an intake section towards a feed roller by a bill press and feeds the paper sheets into a machine body, wherein the bill press comprises: a main pressing section (4011, 4012) that is movable up and down in the intake section and configured to press a central portion of the paper sheets placed in the intake section, said main pressing section having opposing ends, a bottom surface, and an opposing upper surface, the bottom surface (of 4012) of said main pressing section configured to contact the central portion of the paper sheets placed in the intake section;
a shaft (4023) positioned adjacent to the opposing upper surface of said main pressing section between the opposing ends of said main pressing section; a first auxiliary pressing section (4013a) having an end rotatably mounted on said shaft so that a bottom surface of said first auxiliary pressing section is positioned adjacent to the opposing upper surface of said main pressing section; and a second auxiliary pressing section (4013b) having an end rotatably mounted on said shaft so that a bottom surface of said second auxiliary pressing section is positioned adjacent to the opposing upper surface of said main pressing section,
whereby the end of the first auxiliary pressing section and the end of the second auxiliary pressing section are maintained adjacent to the opposing upper surface of said main pressing section and prevented from extending below the opposing upper surface of said main pressing section preventing possible interference with the paper sheets (see Figure 7d).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/31/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant did not present arguments to overcome anticipation by the embodiment of GB ‘555 shown in Figure 7d.
Conclusion
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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/HOWARD J SANDERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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