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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 1 and 2, filed 02/27/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 12 and 13 under Double Patenting have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of US20160205281 to Narita .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1 recites the limitation "an image forming operation" in line 1. Claim 1 further recites that the aforesaid image forming operation comprises “an image forming operation” in line 3. It is believed, applicant intended to recite “the image forming operation,” in line 3. Appropriate correction is required.
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 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Narita US 20160205281 A1.
Regarding claim 1,
an image forming operation (Paragraph 0002, "Aspects of the present invention generally relate to an image forming apparatus, a method for controlling an image forming apparatus, and a storage medium"),
a plurality of sheet supply devices that each supply a recording sheet (Paragraph 0023, "The image forming apparatus 101 includes sheet cassettes 703"; Paragraph 0024, "Each of the sheet cassettes 703 functions as a feeding unit and supplies, into the apparatus, a sheet on which an image is to be formed"),
an image forming device that executes an image forming operation on a basis of print data, on the recording sheet supplied from one of the sheet supply devices (Paragraph 0024, "To form the image on the sheet, the image forming unit 707 includes an exposure unit, a photosensitive drum, and a developing unit"; The claim of the present application recites that the image forming device executes an image forming operation or an adjustment operation. The patent application publication of Narita teaches an image forming device which performs an image forming operation, satisfying the claim language. Note that further limitations dependent on the execution of an adjustment operation then do not further limit the device performing an image forming operation), or an adjustment operation including a prespecified image forming operation for adjustment (The adjustment operation is an alternative operation and thus not being considered),
an operation device that receives an instruction, inputted by a user and designating one of the plurality of sheet supply devices as a supply source of the recording sheet (Paragraph 0018, “The manual registration method refers to a method in which die user selects a sheet size and a sheet type from a list of setting items in a sheet setting screen displayed on an operation unit 105”) for the adjustment operation (The adjustment operation is an alternative operation and thus not being considered),
a control device including a processor, and configured to act, when the processor executes a control program, as a controller that decides whether the sheet supply device is to be used as the supply source (Paragraph 0043, "...the CPU 106 searches, among the cassettes of the printing unit 104, for a cassette of which both the sheet size and the sheet type match those in the sheet feeding setting information") of the recording sheet for the adjustment operation (The adjustment operation is an alternative operation and thus not being considered), with respect to each of the sheet supply devices, according to the instruction inputted to the operation device (Paragraph 0043, "... if the setting pattern is sheet type specifying ("sheet, type specifying" in step S602: the setting pattern 3), then in step S607, the CPU 106 searches, among the cassettes of the printing unit 104, for a cassette of which both the sheet size and the sheet type match those in the sheet feeding setting information."),
when causing the image forming device to execute the adjustment operation, the controller causes the sheet supply device, designated as the supply source of the recording sheet for the adjustment operation, to supply the recording sheet to the image forming device (This limitation is drawn to the adjustment operation, which is an alternative, and thus not being considered).
Regarding claim 10,
the controller decides, according to an instruction inputted to the operation device, whether to permit or reject the image forming operation based on the print data by the image forming device, to be performed on the recording sheet supplied from the sheet supply device designated as the supply source, and permits or rejects the image forming operation, according to a decision made (Paragraph 0041, “If the cassette specifying is automatic ("automatic" in step S603: the setting pattern 1), then in step S604, the CPU 106 searches, among the cassettes of the printing unit 104, for a cassette of which the sheet size matches that in the sheet feeding setting information. If there is a cassette of which the sheet size matches that in the sheet feeding setting information (YES in step S605), then in step 5620, the CPU 106 feeds a sheet from the cassette and executes the job. If, on the other hand, there is no cassette of which the sheet size matches that in the sheet feeding setting information (NO in step S605), then in step S630, the CPU 106 stops the job”).
Regarding claim 12,
the image forming device forms an image on the recording sheet through an electrophotographic process (Paragraph 0024, “The image forming unit 707 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum serving as an image bearing member, using the exposure unit”),
the adjustment operation includes causing the image forming device to form a predetermined pattern on the recording sheet (This limitation is drawn to the adjustment operation, which is an alternative, and thus not being considered).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Narita US 20160205281 A1.
Regarding claim 13, Narita teaches:
the image forming device forms an image on the recording sheet (Paragraph 0021, “the image forming apparatus 101 includes an image generation unit 103. The printing unit 104 prints on the set paper medium the image data generated by the image generation unit 103”), and
the adjustment operation includes causing the image forming device to spit ink onto the recording sheet (This limitation is drawn to the adjustment operation, which is an alternative, and thus not being considered).
Narita does not disclose that the image is formed through an ink jet process.
However, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Narita to have that the image forming device forms the image on the recording sheet through an ink jet process as ink jet printing is widely known in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2-9 and 11 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The primary reason for allowance for claim 2 is the inclusion of the limitation that the controller causes the sheet supply device designated as the supply source to supply the recording sheet to the image forming device, when causing the image forming device to execute the adjustment operation, and cause the image forming device to execute the adjustment operation, in a form that fits the sheet device indicated by the property information. It is this limitation found in claim 2, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested in the prior art of record which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
Claims 3-9 are allowable as being dependent on claim 2.
The primary reason for allowance claim 11 is the inclusion of the limitation that the controller is configured to designate the sheet supply device as the supply source with respect to each of the plurality of types of adjustment operation according to the instruction inputted to the operation device. It is this limitation found in claim 11, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested in the prior art of record which makes this claim allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rami Alshoroogi whose telephone number is (571)272-8946. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am-6pm.
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/RAMI A ALSHOROOGI//R.A.A./Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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