DETAILED ACTION
The present application, fil0ed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This is an initial office action in response to communication(s) filed on May 20, 2024.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on May 20, 2024 and November 5 2024 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show:
“a circuit board 3”, “an attachment plate 4”, “a structure 5” in para. 41 of Specification while referring to Fig. 1A and 1B (i.e. the part labels 3, 4, 5 not are found in fig. 1A, 1B);
“structure 5” is mentioned (in para. 84 of specification), and referring to Fig. 3 and 4, but the part label “5” is not found in the drawing,
Applicant is reminded that any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Applicant is also recommended to verify the remaining of the Specification and Drawings to similar issue. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) 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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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
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.
Claim(s) 1-10 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shinotsuka et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0103542 A1, hereinafter as “Shinotsuka”).
With regard to claim 1, the claim is drawn to a circuit board-equipped apparatus (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 3, image forming apparatus 100) comprising:
a circuit board (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in para. 40, image control board 219; para. 43, board 224, board 223 and etc.);
an attachment plate to which the circuit board is attached (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 3, item 250, and correspondingly in para. 36, discloses that “[0036] A back side plate 250 is provided to the back surface of the image forming apparatus 100. The back side plate 250 has such a proper strength as to be mounted with boards and drive parts (motors) which will be described later. The back side plate 250 is in contact with the bottom sheet metal 226 provided in a bottom part of the image forming apparatus 100 and a top board 228 provided in a top part of the image forming apparatus 100. The back side plate 250 functions as a frame ground by conducting a ground potential in electrical contact with a sheet metal (not shown) and an electroconductive member inside the image forming apparatus 100…”)
a structure that is disposed above the circuit board and that requires work (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 3, item 228); and
a blocking member that is provided in at least a part of a range from the structure to the circuit board and that blocks at least a part of a route along which an article falling from above due to the work moves toward a gap between the circuit board and the attachment plate (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 3, item 220, and in para. 40, discloses that “[0040] The image control board 219 being a printed circuit board is electrically connected to the operation unit 126. The image control board 219 includes a controller configured to control image forming processing. The image control board 219 is arranged in a top right side when viewed from the back surface side of the image forming apparatus 100. The image control board 219 is housed inside an image control board box 220 being a box-shaped sheet metal having an opening on the back surface side of the image forming apparatus 100, and fixed to the image control board box (support member) 220 by a screw. An opening portion of the image control board box 220 is covered by another sheet metal. The image control board box 220 is configured to shield noise radiated from the image control board 219. The image control board box 220 is fixed to the back side plate 250 by a screw, and functions as a frame ground by conducting a ground potential. In order to reduce a wiring length of a wiring connected to the operation unit 126, a connector (not shown) is provided near the top left of the image control board 219 when viewed from the back surface side of the image forming apparatus 100. A connector (not shown) for connection to an external device, a connector (not shown) for a network, and other such connector (not shown) for an external interface are provided on a left-hand side of the image control board 219 when viewed from the back surface side of the image forming apparatus 100…”; also, in fig. 3, item 227).
With regard to claim 2, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is disposed in a positional relationship in which a surface of the circuit board intersecting a depth direction from the circuit board toward the attachment plate exists inside a maximum width in a horizontal direction of a portion of the structure intersecting the depth direction, and the blocking member is provided to have a width equal to or larger than a width corresponding to a maximum width in a horizontal direction of the surface of the circuit board intersecting the depth direction (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2-3 and etc., the image control board 220 is larger than the image control board 219, or “the blocking member is provided to have a width equal to or larger than a width corresponding to a maximum width in a horizontal direction of the surface of the circuit board intersecting the depth direction”; also in fig. 2 for additional illustration, the blocking member having width at least covering the part of the gap being exposed).
With regard to claim 3, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is disposed in a positional relationship in which a part of a surface of the circuit board intersecting a depth direction from the circuit board toward the attachment plate exists inside a maximum width in a horizontal direction of a portion of the structure intersecting the depth direction, and the blocking member is provided to have a width equal to or larger than a width corresponding to the part of the surface of the circuit board (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2-3 and etc., the image control board 220 is larger than the image control board 219, or “the blocking member is provided to have a width equal to or larger than a width corresponding to a maximum width in a horizontal direction of the surface of the circuit board intersecting the depth direction”, see fig. 2 for additional illustration).
With regard to claim 4, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is disposed in a positional relationship in which a surface of the circuit board intersecting a depth direction from the circuit board toward the attachment plate overlaps with a maximum width in a horizontal direction of a portion of the structure intersecting the depth direction, and exists with a width larger than the maximum width, and the blocking member is provided to have a width equal to or larger than the maximum width of the structure (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2-3 and etc., the image control board 220 is larger than the image control board 219, or “the blocking member is provided to have a width equal to or larger than a width corresponding to a maximum width in a horizontal direction of the surface of the circuit board intersecting the depth direction”; also in fig. 2 for additional illustration, the blocking member having width at least covering the part of the gap being exposed).
With regard to claim 5, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blocking member is provided in a lower half range that does not include an intermediate position between the structure and the circuit board (see the illustration of Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 3 and etc., illustrate that “wherein the blocking member is provided in a lower half range that does not include an intermediate position between the structure and the circuit board”).
With regard to claim 6, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blocking member is provided to have a dimension longer than a depth dimension of the gap in a depth direction horizontally toward the attachment plate from the circuit board (see the illustration of Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 3 and etc., illustrates that “…wherein the blocking member is provided to have a dimension longer than a depth dimension of the gap in a depth direction horizontally toward the attachment plate from the circuit board”.
With regard to claim 7, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blocking member is provided in a state where the gap is not visible due to the blocking member as viewed from an upper side toward a lower side in a vertical direction (see the illustration of Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 3, which illustrate that “where the gap is not visible due to the blocking member as viewed from an upper side toward a lower side in a vertical direction”) .
With regard to claim 8, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blocking member has an upper surface portion consisting of a downward inclined surface that is inclined downward as the downward inclined surface passes through the attachment plate and away from the circuit board (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2, the high voltage box 227, “…has an upper surface portion consisting of a downward inclined surface that is inclined downward as the downward inclined surface passes through the attachment plate and away from the circuit board” [the back side plate 250]).
With regard to claim 9, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blocking member has an upper surface portion having an upward inclined surface portion that is inclined upward at an end portion away from the attachment plate (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in para. 43, discloses that “…The transfer charging high voltage board 224 and the image forming high voltage board 223 are housed in a high-voltage box 227 being a mold member. The high-voltage box 227 is fixed to the bottom sheet metal 226 by a screw”, and in fig. 2, the high voltage box 227 and the back side plate 250 illustrations).
With regard to claim 10, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blocking member has an end portion through which a wiring cable approaches or comes into contact and passes, and the end portion has a bent shape (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2 and in para. 43, disclose that “…The transfer charging high voltage board 224 and the image forming high voltage board 223 are housed in a high-voltage box 227 being a mold member. The high-voltage box 227 is fixed to the bottom sheet metal 226 by a screw.”).
With regard to claim 15, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure is disposed such that a first imaginary plane that imaginarily extends downward in a vertical direction from a portion that requires the work is disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap, or is disposed to exist rearward of the gap (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2, see the illustration of the top board 228, “disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap”).
With regard to claim 16, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the structure is disposed such that a first imaginary plane that imaginarily extends downward in a vertical direction from a portion that requires the work is disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap, or is disposed to exist rearward of the gap (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2, see the illustration of the top board 228, “disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap”).
With regard to claim 17, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the structure is disposed such that a first imaginary plane that imaginarily extends downward in a vertical direction from a portion that requires the work is disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap, or is disposed to exist rearward of the gap (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2, see the illustration of the top board 228, “disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap”).
With regard to claim 18, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the structure is disposed such that a first imaginary plane that imaginarily extends downward in a vertical direction from a portion that requires the work is disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap, or is disposed to exist rearward of the gap (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2, see the illustration of the top board 228, “disposed in a state of overlapping with at least a part of the gap”).
With regard to claim 19, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure is disposed rearward of the circuit board (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2, 3 and etc., illustrates that top board 228 is disposed “rearward of the circuit board” [or items 219, 223, 224 and etc.]).
With regard to claim 20, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the structure is disposed rearward of a second imaginary plane that imaginarily extends upward in a vertical direction from an upper end of the circuit board (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 2, 3 and etc., illustrates that top board 228 is “disposed rearward of a second imaginary plane that imaginarily extends upward in a vertical direction from an upper end of the circuit board” [or items 219, 223, 224 and etc.]).
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.
Claim(s) 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinotsuka as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hayashi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0273852 A1, hereinafter “Hayashi”).
With regard to claim 13, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a circuit board that requires cooling is provided as the circuit board, the circuit board-equipped apparatus further comprises a blower fan disposed in a state of overlapping with an upper side of a part of an upper end of the circuit board that requires the cooling, and the blocking member is provided to exist at least in a portion excluding the part of the upper end of the circuit board that requires the cooling.
The teachings of Shinotsuka do not explicitly disclose the aspect relating to “wherein a circuit board that requires cooling is provided as the circuit board, the circuit board-equipped apparatus further comprises a blower fan disposed in a state of overlapping with an upper side of a part of an upper end of the circuit board that requires the cooling, and…”.
However, Hayashi disclose analogous invention relates to a cooling device and cooling device of an electronic apparatus using a mixed working fluid (i.e. Hayashi, i.e. para. 2 and etc.). More specifically, in Hayashi, i.e. in fig. 6A, 6B, disclose the blower fan 7, as illustrated in the drawings that it’s disposed in a state of overlapping with an upper side of a part of an upper end of the circuit board”; and correspondingly in para. 38 and etc., disclose that “[0038] FIG. 6A illustrates the structure of a CPU module 40 to which a cooling device 10 of the present application explained in FIG. 1 is applied. On the printed circuit board 41 of the CPU module 40, package CPUs 42 or memory DIMMs 43 or other heat generating parts are mounted. The cooling devices 10 are arranged on the printed circuit board 41 for cooling these heat generating parts. The heat receivers 1 are attached on the two package CPUs 42. Two each heat exchangers 3 and blower fans 7 are provided at the opposite sides to the mounting positions of the package CPUs 42 on the printed circuit board 41. Further, the heat receivers 1 and the heat exchangers 3 are connected by the feed channels 2 and the return channels 4. Inside, 0.1 to 5 mass % low alcohol concentration ethanol water circulates sealed in a reduced pressure state. A plurality of the CPU modules 40 provided with such a structure are stored in the rack 44 such as illustrated in FIG. 6B whereby an electronic apparatus 50, for example, a server system 50, is formed…”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Shinotsuka to include the limitation(s) discussed and also taught by Hayashi, with the aspect(s) discussed above, as the cited prior arts are at least considered to be analogous arts if not also in the same field of endeavor relating to digital circuitry art. Further, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Shinotsuka by the teachings of Hayashi, and to incorporate the limitation(s) discussed and also taught by Hayashi, thereby to reduce the heat and provide cooling to the processing unit.
With regard to claim 14, the claim is drawn to the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: a facing plate disposed in a state of facing the circuit board that requires the cooling, wherein a ventilation hole is provided in at least a part of a region of the facing plate facing the circuit board that requires the cooling (see Shinotsuka, i.e. in fig. 5, the illustration of ventilation portion near the upper left corner, and in para. 46, disclose that “[0046] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 to which an exterior cover 300 is attached. The exterior cover 300 is configured to cover the back surface of the image forming apparatus 100. The exterior cover 300 is fixed to the main body 200 of the image forming apparatus 100 at five points by exterior cover screws 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, and 301e. The exterior cover screws 301d and 301e are provided at two points in an upper right part and an upper left part, respectively, of the image forming apparatus 100. The exterior cover 300 is fixed to the top board 228 by the exterior cover screws 301d and 301e from the top to the bottom in the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus 100. The exterior cover screws 301a, 301b, and 301c are provided at three points in a lower left part, a lower central part, and a lower right part, respectively, of the image forming apparatus 100. The exterior cover 300 is fixed to the bottom sheet metal 226 by the exterior cover screws 301a, 301b, and 301c in the direction D2 from the back surface to the front surface of the image forming apparatus 100”).
Allowable Subject Matter
With regard to Claims 11-12, claims 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 and overcoming the corresponding rejections and/or objection (if any) set forth in the Office Action above.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regard to claim 11, the closest prior arts of record, Shinotsuka and Hayashi, do not disclose or suggest, among the other limitations, the additional required limitation of “…the circuit board-equipped apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a front-side circuit board disposed on a front side that is first exposed to an outside, and a back-side circuit board disposed backward of the front-side circuit board and less visible from the outside are provided as the circuit board, a front-side attachment plate to which the front-side circuit board is attached, and a back-side attachment plate to which the back-side circuit board is attached are provided as the attachment plate, and an intermediate blocking member that blocks at least a part of a first route on a back side along which the article falling from above moves toward a gap between the front-side attachment plate and the back-side circuit board is additionally provided as the blocking member in at least a part of a range from the structure to the front-side circuit board and the back-side circuit board”. These additional features in combination with all the other features required in the claimed invention, are neither taught nor suggested by Shinotsuka and Hayashi.
With regard to claim 12, the claim is depending directly or indirectly from the independent Claim 11, each encompasses the required limitations recited in the independent claim discussed above.
Therefore, claims 11-12 are objected to.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wells II (U.S. Pat/Pub No. 2016/0044193 A1) disclose an invention relates to a scanner option assembly including a flatbed scanner and an automatic document feeder removably attachable to a bottom of the IFD.
The Art Unit (or Workgroup) location of your application in the USPTO has changed. To aid in correlating any papers for this application, all further correspondence regarding this application should be directed to Art Unit 2681.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jacky X. Zheng whose telephone number is (571) 270-1122. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, alt. Friday Off.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Akwasi Sarpong can be reached on (571) 272-3438. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JACKY X ZHENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2681
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