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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4 December 2025 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738).
Regarding claim 1, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus (fig.1) comprising: an apparatus main body provided with an opening (fig.5a&b, #1 provided with opening closed by #111); and a cartridge configured to be capable of being inserted into or removed from the apparatus main body through the opening (fig.5c&8a, #2), the cartridge having a guided portion (fig.8a&b, #140L1 and #140R1) and a link member (fig.8a&b, #103) with a contacted portion (fig.8a&b, #103a), wherein the apparatus main body has (i) a guide portion (fig.8a-10b, #130L1 & #130R1) configured to guide the guided portion (fig.9a&b, #130L1 & #130R1 guide #140L1 and #140R1); and (ii) a contact portion disposed upstream of the guide portion in a cartridge insertion direction (fig.8a-9b, #120L & #120R & portion #P140L/R where fig.8a&b, #140L&R make contact, upstream of #130L1 and #130R1) and configured to be in contact with the contacted portion of the link member (fig.8a-9a #103a contacts #120R & #120L; p.12, para.7), and wherein, when the cartridge is inserted into the apparatus main body, the cartridge is positionable in: a first state (fig.8a&b) where the guided portion is not in contact with the guide portion (fig.8a&b, #140l&R not in contact with #130L1&R1) and the contacted portion of the link member is in contact with the contact portion (fig.8a&b, #103a in contact with #120L& #120R), and the cartridge is able to change the attitude by rotationally moving while being regulated by the link member (in fig.8A&B, #2 is capable of being rotated using either #1401/#140R1 on the inclined surface as a pivot point or by using the #103a contact with #120L/R as the pivot point); and a second state, which is reached from the first state by further inserting the cartridge from the first state (fig.9a&b-11a&b), where the guided portion is in contact with the guide portion (fig.9a&b-11a&b, #140L1&R1 in contact with #130L1&R1) and the contacted portion of the link member remains in contact with the contact portion while the cartridge changes attitude by rotating about the guided portion under regulation of the link member (fig.9a-11b, at least, #146L1/R1 moves further down #130L/R while #103a remains in contact with #120L/R).
Regarding claim 2, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the cartridge is capable of being in a third state where the cartridge is at an attachment-completed position (fig.12a&b), when the cartridge is inserted, a state of the cartridge changes in order of the first state (fig.8a&b), the second state (fig.9a-11b), and the third state (see fig.8a-12b), and when the cartridge is removed, the state of the cartridge changes in order of the third state, the second state, and the first state (fig.8a-12b, removal would be reversed as in fig.12b->8a).
Regarding claim 3, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein when the cartridge is inserted into the apparatus main body, the cartridge transfers from the first state via the second state to the third state by moving while the guided portion is guided by the guide portion (see fig.9a-12b, #140L1&R1 guided by #130L1&R1).
Regarding claim 4, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the cartridge has a photosensitive drum (fig.2,4a&b, #20) and a shutter member (fig.4a&b, #101) that is rotatably mounted on the link member (fig.4a7b, #101 on #103) and is movable between a position where the photosensitive drum is covered (fig.4a) and a position where the photosensitive drum is exposed (fig.4b), in accordance with an operation of the link member (see fig.4a&b, change of position of #103).
Regarding claim 5, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the link member has a contacted portion (fig.8a-12b, #103a) to be brought into contact with the contact portion (fig.8a-11b, #103a contact #120L&R); and the cartridge is configured to change the attitude by rotationally moving in accordance with a rotation of the link member while maintaining contact between the contacted portion and the contact portion in the second state (see fig.9a&b, direction arrow #S; p.17, para.4).
Regarding claim 6, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the link member has a rotation center (fig.4b, #40g), the rotation center being closer an upstream side of the cartridge, relative to an insertion direction of the cartridge, than the photosensitive drum (fig.4b, see position of #40g relative to #20; fig.8a-12b, rotation center of #103 upstream from position of #20, which coincides with #140L&R); and the link member is urged by an urging member in a direction in which the shutter member covers the photosensitive drum (bottom of p.8-9).
Regarding claim 7, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the guide portion has a slope angled with respect to a horizontal plane (fig.8a-12b, #130L1&R1 has a slope at an angle) such that the guide portion has an upper region (fig.8a-12b, upper open part of 130L1&R1) and a lower region (fig.12a&b, #130L3&R3), the contact portion located at the upper region of the guide portion (fig.8a-12b, #120L&R that guides #103a is adjacent to and contiguous with upper opening of #130L1&R1), and the guided portion is located at the lower region in the attachment-completed position (see fig.12a&b).
Regarding claim 8, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the contact portion extends substantially horizontally (8a-9b, portion of #120L&R & portion where #P140L&R make contact, upon which #103a contacts and slides is substantially horizontal), and in the first state, the guided portion and the link member of the cartridge are configured to be brought into contact with the contact portion by a gravitational force (fig.8a-9b, #103a and #140L1&R1 make contact by gravity with #120L & #120R & portion where fig.8a&b, #P140L&R make contact).
Regarding claim 9, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the contact portion has a stop portion that is brought into contact with the link member (fig.12a&b, #130La&R1 brought into contact with #103a), and when the stop portion is brought into contact with the link member, rotation of the link member is regulated (see fig.12a&b; movement of #103 is regulated by contact with #130L1&R1).
Regarding claim 10, Matori et al. (JP Pub.2006-220738) teach an image forming apparatus wherein the cartridge has a photosensitive drum (fig.2,4a&b, #20); a cover member covering a surface of the photosensitive drum (fig.4a&b, #101; fig.4a covered) is configured to be detachably attached to the cartridge (fig.4b: detached); and when the cartridge is to be inserted into the apparatus main body, the cover member is removed (fig.8a-12b, #101/#103 removed from cover position by insertion).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4 December 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. On p.6, the Applicant argues that Matori does not teach a configuration in which the guided portion is not in contact with the guide portion in an initial state. As can be seen in the rejection above, the guide portion is only long angled slope #130L&R and in the initial state depicted in fig.8a&b, #140L&R only contact #P140L&R while #103a contacts #120L&R.
Additionally, the Applicant argues that Matori’s cartridge does not have an attitude change that is forcibly regulated by the link member. This is not required by the current claim language so whether it does or not is moot. The claim language merely requires “the contacted portion of the link member is in contact with the contact portion, and the cartridge is able to change the attitude by rotationally moving while being regulated by the link member”.
On p. 7, the Applicant argues that “Matori describes the interlocking member as operating the shutter, not regulating cartridge orientation”. To this, the Office contends that when one has physical, solid structure that interacts with and rotates relative to one another, whether the intention is to regulate the other object or not, the end effect is that when a force is applied to the system and one object is constrained and the other is not, the resulting effect will be that the mere interconnectedness will result in a regulating effect by necessity.
As such, the Office does not find these arguments to be persuasive.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAURA K ROTH whose telephone number is (571)272-2154. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 7:30AM-3:30 PM.
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/LKR/
12/21/2025
/STEPHANIE E BLOSS/ Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852