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 Interpretation
A recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. Therefore, a sheet separation device’s intended use is not considered.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1,… are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable by Takahashi et al. (US 2021/0294249)
Takahashi et al. teach a sheet processing apparatus comprising:
a main conveyance passage (4) to convey a two-ply sheet having two sheets overlapped and bonded together at a bonding portion in a conveyance direction;
a first branched conveyance passage (5) branched from the main conveyance passage in a first direction;
a second branched conveyance passage (6) branched from the main conveyance passage in a second direction different from the first direction; and,
a winder (20) disposed on at least one of the first branched conveyance passage or the second branched conveyance passage to rotate and wind one of the first sheet and the second sheet, and the winder including a gripper (32) attached to the winder to grip a leading end, in one of the first direction or the second direction, of one of the first sheet and the second sheet conveyed to corresponding one of the first branched conveyance passage and the second branched conveyance passage by the sheet separation device (paragraph 0071; Figure 11A).
With respect to claim 2, Takahashi et al. teach a guide (25), disposed on the second branched conveyance passage, to guide one of the first sheet and the second sheet to the gripper of the winder (paragraphs 0113 and 0115).
With respect to claim 3, Takahashi et al. teach that the guide is movable between a guiding position, to guide one of the first sheet and the second sheet, and a retracted position farther from the winder than the guiding position to enable the winder to wind one of the first sheet and the second sheet (paragraph 0115).
With respect to claims 4 and 5, Takahashi et al. teach that the gripper is movable between a gripping position at which the gripper grips the leading end of one of the first sheet and the second sheet; and a standby position at which the gripper is separated from the gripping position (Figures 5A-5D and 11A).
With respect to claim 6, Takahashi et al. teach wherein the winder has a wedge-shaped gripper (15) (paragraph 0113; Figures 5A-5D).
With respect to claim 7, Takahashi et al. teach wherein the main conveyance passage includes a pre-separation conveyance passage (PJ), upstream of the main conveyance passage in the conveyance direction, to which the two-ply sheet is conveyed prior to the sheet separating operation, the first branched conveyance passage and the second branched conveyance passage are disposed on opposite sides across the pre-separation conveyance passage, and the guide guides the two-ply sheet in the pre-separation conveyance passage when the guide is at the guiding position (Figure 1).
With respect to claim 8, Takahashi et al. teach wherein the winder includes a roller (20) around which one of the sheets is wound; and the guide has a curved face curved in a direction along an outer circumference of the roller (Figures 4A-5D).
With respect to claim 9, Takahashi et al. teach a conveyance roller pair (20, 34) to convey the first sheet of the two sheets separated from each other to the first branched conveyance passage; and convey the second sheet of the two sheets separated from each other to the second branched conveyance passage, wherein the winder has a first sheet conveyance speed in a winding operation faster than a second sheet conveyance speed of the conveyance roller pair.
With respect to claim 10, Takahashi et al. teach a detector (41-46) to detect an end of the sheet winding operation by the winder (paragraph 0070).
With respect to claim 11, Takahashi et al. teach a conveyance roller pair (20, 34) to convey the two sheets separated from each other to the first branched conveyance passage and the second branched conveyance passage; and circuitry configured to perform a sheet inserting operation to cause the conveyance roller pair to grip the bonded portion of the two- ply sheet and rotate in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction in response to a detection, detected by the detector (41-46), of the end of the sheet winding operation by the winder; and insert an inner sheet between the two sheets separated from each other.
With respect to claim 12, Takahashi et al. teach a sheet lamination device (PM) to perform a sheet laminating operation on the two-ply sheet with the inner sheet inserted between the two sheets by the sheet separation device.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SONYA M SENGUPTA whose telephone number is (571)272-6019. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:30am-5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Philip Tucker can be reached at 571-272-1095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SONYA M SENGUPTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1745
Prosecution Insights