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 .
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, 5, 6, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Baretta et al. US 6,179,499 (“Baretta”).
Regarding claim 1, Beretta disclosed a paper feeding device comprising:
a paper feeding cassette (32) disposed to be freely inserted into or extracted from a device main body;
a multi-tray (70) arranged on an upper side of the paper feeding cassette and disposed to be freely inserted into or extracted from the device main body;
a hook (96) disposed to be freely moved in a vertical direction in the paper feeding cassette;
a biasing member (col. 5, line 18) disposed in the paper feeding cassette and biasing the hook to a lower side (of bar 98, for example); and
an engagement part (92) disposed in the multi-tray and engaged with the hook when the hook is operated and is also moved in an upward direction against a biasing force of the biasing member in a state in which the paper feeding cassette and the multi-tray are pushed into and housed on an inside of the device main body, wherein, when the paper feeding cassette is pulled out in a state in which the hook is engaged with the engagement part, the multi-tray may be pulled out together with the paper feeding cassette (see at least Figures 2-4 and 6 and col. 5).
Regarding claim 5, Beretta disclosed the hook is positioned on an inside of the device main body from the engagement part in a state in which the paper feeding cassette and the multi-tray are pushed into and housed on an inside of the device main body (see at least Figures 2 and 6).
Regarding claim 6, Beretta disclosed a paper pulling-out device (28) extracting paper from the paper feeding cassette or the multi-tray and conveying the paper.
Regarding claim 8, Beretta disclosed an image forming apparatus comprising: the paper feeding device according to claim 1 as mentioned above; and an image forming device (20) forming an image on paper that is pulled out and supplied from the paper feeding cassette or the multi-tray of the paper feeding device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 and 7 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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