DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Amendment
1- The amendment filed on 04/03/2026 has been entered and fully considered. Claims 1-9 remain pending in the application, where the independent claim has been amended.
Response to Arguments
2- Applicants’ amendments and their corresponding arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of the pending claims under 35 USC §102 have been fully considered but are found not persuasive.
Applicants’ amendments and their corresponding arguments with respect to the rejections of the pending claims under 35 USC §102 have been fully considered but are found not persuasive to overcome the prior art used in the previous office action, despite the fact that the amendments have changed the scope of the invention and overcome the rejection as written in the previous office action mailed 1/7/2026.
3- Therefore, the amendments necessitated, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection using additional teachings from the same references used in the previous office action. The new limitations are addressed in the rejections here under in more details.
4- Here is a brief response to the Arguments presented by the Applicants to explain further the rationale behind the new rejections and the Examiner’s interpretations.
Applicants argue in their response (pp. 4-7)
Kiyota fails to read on the claimed in invention of claim 1, previously in claim 9, because Kiyota, per the disclosure ¶53, uses a glass epoxy resin, and the instant invention does not need an adhesive.
Kiyota fails to suggest “the image forming lens … subjected to a force along the sub-scanning direction, i.e. a lateral force”;
In Claims 5, 6, the elastically deformable portion is a structure integrally formed on the holding member(s) and is not suggested by Kiyota in the claims;
The Examiner respectfully disagrees with Applicants and submits, respectively:
Nothing in the claimed invention precludes/forbids the pair of pressing members (specially 42a/b, supported by parts 50 and 10) to be adhesive or comprising epoxy, in addition to the mechanical force they apply onto the image forming lens 41.
The pressing force from Fig. 1 of Kiyota is construed to be along the lateral y direction, the direction along which the lens is sandwiched between the pair of members 42a/b, whereas the scanning is along the longitudinal x direction.
The parts 59a/b are integral parts of parts 50, which was considered as part of the pressing components (See rejection of claim 1), which are in direct contact with the imaging lens (Figs. 1, 4, 6; when 59a/b deform to engage in 20, the holding members, via their components 56 abut on the lens). Moreover, the elastically deformable portion is not clearly claimed to be integral to the holding member.
For at least these reasons, the rejections of claims 1-9 are here maintained.
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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 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 (MPEP 706.02(m)).
5- 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.
6- Claims 1-9 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kiyota et al. (PGPUB No. 2017/0295287, cited by Applicants)
As to amended claim 1, Kiyota teaches an optical unit (Abstract, Figs. 1-15, ¶ 40-41 for ex; light guide module housing optical unit 40) for guiding light to a light receiving element (line sensor elements 48) provided along a main scanning direction (Figs. 1, 4-5, 14 and ¶ 38-41, 53-56 for ex.), the optical unit comprising: an image forming lens (rod lenses 41) that transmits light and forms an image on the light receiving element (Figs. 1, 4-5, 14); and a pair of holding members (pair of plate members 42a-b in association with the side members 50/10) that hold the image forming lens (¶ 53), wherein the image forming lens (41) has an elongated shape along the main scanning direction, and is sandwiched in a state of being pressed in a sub-scanning direction by the pair of holding members arranged along the main scanning direction (Figs. 1, 5, 14 and ¶ 38-41, 47-50, 96-98; The pressing force in Fig. 1 of Kiyota is construed to be along the lateral y direction, the direction along which the lens is sandwiched between the pair of members 42a/b, whereas the scanning is along the longitudinal x direction. Moreover, nothing in the claim language precludes the use of adhesive/epoxy in addition to the pressing force by the plate members).
(claim 2) further comprising a light receiving substrate (45) on which the light receiving element is mounted (Figs. 1, 4-5, 14 and ¶ 38, 43, 48, 55-56) and which is fixed to the pair of holding members (via the housing of the module 1/10 and holding members 70).
(claim 3), wherein each of the pair of holding members is formed to have an L-shaped cross section in which a first plate portion and a second plate portion extending along the main scanning direction are connected (Figs. 4, 6, 12; ¶ 60-63 for ex; side members 50/10 present L shapes of which parts extend along the scanning direction).
(claim 4) wherein in a state where the pair of holding members sandwich the image forming lens, the first plate portion of one of the holding members and the first plate portion of another one of the holding members face each other to sandwich the image forming lens, and the second plate portion of one of the holding members and the second plate portion of another one of the holding members are located on a same plane, so that the pair of holding members are arranged to have a T- shaped cross section (Figs. 4, 6, 12; ¶ 60-63, 91-94 for ex; side members 50/10 present T shapes of which parts extend along the scanning direction.)
(claims 5-6) wherein at least one of the pair of holding members (59a-b, parts of the holding members 50/56/42a-b) is provided with an elastically deformable portion extending along the main scanning direction (Figs. 4, 6 for ex.), and in a state where the image forming lens is sandwiched by the pair of holding members, the elastically deformable portion elastically deforms and abuts on the image forming lens (when 59a/b deform to engage in 20, the holding members, via their components 56 abut on the lens); wherein the elastically deformable portion is elastically deformable about a groove (between 59a-b for ex.) extending in the main scanning direction formed in at least one of the pair of holding members (Figs. 1, 4, 6, 12 and ¶ 63, 91).
(claim 7) wherein a depth of the groove varies depending on a position in the main scanning direction (Fig. 6 for ex; the depth of the groove between the two engagement pieces 59 a and b is different whether under the lip 56/57 or not).
(claim 8) further comprising a pressing tool (the lip 56/57) that is provided at a central portion in the main scanning direction of the elastically deformable portion and presses the image forming lens (Fig. 1, 6; wall surface 57 presses indirectly on the imaging lens 41 along the scanning direction).
(claim 9) an optical line sensor (Figs. 1-5, 14; ) comprising: the optical unit according to claim 1; and a light source unit (30/33) that irradiates an object (P) conveyed in the sub-scanning direction with light (Figs. 1-5), wherein transmitted light or reflected light from the object of light emitted from the light source unit is transmitted through the image forming lens, so that an image is formed on the light receiving element (Figs. 1-5, ¶ 38-41, 47-50, 96-98).
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).
The examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record in the body of this action for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. Applicant should consider the entire prior art as applicable as to the limitations of the claims. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the response, to consider fully the entire references as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMED AMARA whose telephone number is (571)272-7847. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday: 9:00-17:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tarifur Chowdhury can be reached on (571)272-2287. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mohamed K AMARA/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877
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