FINAL OFFICE ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2018/0335821 to Kamiya et al. (hereinafter Kamiya) in view of U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2012/0284550 to Park.
Kamiya discloses:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a main board including a processor (para. [0145] and Fig. 2, control device 200);
a power unit to provide driving power to the main board when the power unit is in an operating status (para. [0146] and Fig. 2, low-voltage power supply unit 211);
a wired interface to connect with an external apparatus through a wired connection to provide driving power to the main board when the power unit is in a non-operating status (paras. [0051], [0078], [0163], [0190] and Fig. 2, power cord 117 to DC power supply distribution circuit 112 to low-voltage power supply unit 111);
a detection circuit to detect a status of the power unit (paras. [0152] and Fig. 2, failure detector 211c); and
a display (Fig. 2, operation panel 70),
wherein the processor is to be provided with power from the external apparatus through the wired interface in response to the detection circuit indicating the non-operating status of the power unit in response to a turn-on instruction, and control the display to display a status of the power unit (paras. [0126], [0163], [0190], [0197]), and wherein the processor is to perform booting in a service mode by using the power provided from the external apparatus while leaving driving units of the image forming apparatus in a non-operating status, the driving units being units that are warmed up during a normal booting process (paras. [0118]-[0121]).
Kamiya does not disclose expressly:
a memory coupled to the processor and storing service mode boot instructions; and
wherein the processor is to execute the service mode boot instructions to perform booting in a service mode.
Park teaches:
a memory coupled to the processor and storing service mode boot instructions (abstract and paras. [0012], [0157]); and
wherein the processor is to execute the service mode boot instructions to perform booting in a service mode (paras. [0013], [0157]).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Kamiya by storing and executing the service mode boot instructions, as taught by Park. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so in order to lessen power consumption and have greater convenience for the user, as discussed by Park (paras. [0005]-[0007]).
Modified Kamiya discloses:
2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is to:
based on the power unit operating by the turn-on instruction and providing the driving power, perform normal booting by using the driving power and warm up units of the image forming apparatus (paras. [0107], [0116], [0117]), and
based on the power unit not operating, boot in the service mode by using the power provided from the external apparatus through the wired interface, wherein the service mode is a mode wherein the status of the power unit is displayed by driving the main board while leaving the units of the image forming apparatus in a non-warmed-up status (paras. [0068], [0121]).
5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power unit comprises:
a first power unit to provide driving power to the main board (para. [0146] and Fig. 2, low-voltage power supply unit 211); and
a second power unit to provide power to a driving unit included in the image forming apparatus (para. [0043] and Fig. 2, low-voltage power supply unit 111),
wherein the processor is to, based on being in a status wherein power is provided to the driving unit from the second power unit, but power is not provided to the main board from the first power unit, perform booting by using the power provided from the external apparatus (paras. [0163], [0190]), and
wherein the processor is to, based on the booting being completed, control the display to display a status of the first power unit (paras. [0136], [0197]).
6. The image forming apparatus of claim 5,
wherein the processor is to, based on being in a status wherein the driving power is provided from the first power unit, but power is not provided to the driving unit from the second power unit, perform booting by using the power provided from the first power unit (para. [0107]), and
wherein the processor is to, based on the booting being completed, control the display to display a status of the second power unit (para. [0127]).
Claims 8, 9, 12, and 13 are a method identical to the steps performed by the image forming apparatus of claims 1, 2, 5, and 6, and are rejected under the same rationale.
Claim 15 is a non-transitory recording medium storing program codes for performing steps identical to the steps performed by the image forming apparatus of claim 1, and is rejected under the same rationale.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, and 14 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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Philip Guyton whose telephone number is (571)272-3807. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:30.
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/PHILIP GUYTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2113
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