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 .
Detailed Office Action
1. Claims 1-12 are pending. Claims 1 and 11 are independent.
Claim Objection
2. Claims 1-12 is objected to because of the following:
Claim 1, line 8 of page 1, “case” should read – casing --;
Claim 10, line 15 of page 3, “closer” should read – closer to --;
Claim 11, line 4 of page 4, “case” should read – casing --;
Claims 2-10 are objected to as being dependent on objected claim 1; and
Claim 12 is objected to as being dependent on objected claim 11.
Claim Rejection – 35 U.S.C. 112(b)
3. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
4. Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 11, line 4 recites “the image reading apparatus” in the preamble. The preamble includes “an image reading apparatus” of line 1 and “an image reading apparatus” of lines 2-3, both defined differently from each other in the preamble. It is unclear which one of the two “an image reading apparatus” in the preamble the term “the image reading apparatus” is referring to.
Further, claim 11, lines 3-4 recite “the image forming apparatus” also in the preamble. The basis for this term has not been set forth. It is unclear as in whether the word “reading” in “an image reading apparatus” of line 1 was a typo and was meant to read “forming”.
Please clarify.
Claim Rejection – 35 U.S.C. §102
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 1-2, 4, 9, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shiomi (US 2015/0281483 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Shiomi discloses an image reading apparatus comprising:
a transparent member (platen glass 81, Fig. 2, 3, 6, and 7, para 0036);
a casing (base 10 and frame 89 together with upper part of housing 8, Figs. 2 and 6, para 0029, 0034-0036, note 0036) to which the transparent member (81) is mounted and including a bottom surface (bottom wall surface 11, para 0034-0035) opposing the transparent member (81);
a reading unit (reading sensor 3S) (para 0033, Figs. 3-9) including a reading sensor (in 3S) configured to read an image on a sheet via the transparent member (81), the reading unit (3S) being accommodated in the casing (base 10 together with frame 89 and upper part of casing 8);
a supporting member (carriage 20) configured to support the reading unit (3S) inside the case (Figs. 4 and 6, para 0035 especially the last two sentences), the
supporting member (carriage 20) being movable along the transparent member inside the casing (para 0033 “carriage 20” being “a mover”; 0035 the last two sentences; para 0039 “carriage 20 is reciprocatably guided”); and
a flat cable (flexible flat cable FFC 50) of which a first end portion (50B) is connected to a connecting portion (3C, Fig. 6, para 0042) provided on the reading unit (3S) and a second end portion (50A) is connected to another substrate (an inherent substrate that is at or a part of “a controller (not is illustrated) that is disposed in the housing 8”, Figs. 4-8, para 0042) other than the reading unit (3S), the flat cable (FFC 50) being curved in a direction toward the bottom surface (11) from the transparent member (81) and being laid along the bottom surface (11) (Fig. 6),
wherein the supporting member (carriage 20) includes a holding portion (first holder 110 and second holder 120 form a holding portion that holds the FFC 50, Figs. 6-11 and para 0056-0058, 0070) configured to hold the flat cable (FFC 50) so that the flat cable is along the transparent member (81) (Figs. 6; Figs. 5 and 7, para 0070 “Then, as illustrate in Figs. 5 and 7, the right end portion of the second extending portion 52 and the portion of the bent portion 54 are interposed between the first holder 110 and the second holder 120 and are held by the first holder 110 and the second holder 120.”), and
wherein in a direction (the up-down direction in Fig. 6) perpendicular to the transparent member (81), a distance between the holding portion (110 and 120) and the transparent member (81) is shorter than a distance between the connecting portion (3C) and the transparent member (81) (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 2/1, the connecting portion (connector 3C) is disposed on an outer wall surface (see Fig. 6) opposite to the transparent member (81) in the reading unit (3S).
Regarding claim 4/1, the holding portion (formed by first holder 110 and second holder 120) has a hole shape formed by being penetrated along the transparent member (81) and through which the flat cable (FFC 50) is passed (Figs. 6 and 7, and Figs. 10 and 11; para 0055-0066, note para 0055 and 0065).
Regarding 9/1, the reading unit (reading sensor 3S, Fig. 6) of Shiomi executes fixed reading in which an image on a document (document sheet) placed on a top surface of the transparent member (81B of platen glass 81) while moving along the transparent member (81B) (Figs. 1-3 and 6, para 0030).
Regarding claim 10/1, according to Fig. 6 of Shiomi, the holding portion (120 and 110) is disposed in a position closer the transparent member (81) than a center position between the transparent member (81) and the connecting portion (3C) in the direction (the up-down direction in Fig. 6) perpendicular to the transparent member (81).
Claim Rejection – 35 U.S.C. §103
7. 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.
8. Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiomi (US 2015/0281483 A1) in view of Onishi (US 2018/0218827 A1).
Regarding claim 5/4, the image reading apparatus of Shiomi is discussed for claim 4 above.
Shiomi does not mention any type of material that forms the holding portion (110 and 120).
Onishi teaches employing a magnetic material such as a ferrite core (para 0001, 0005, and 0002) as the material for a holding portion (305) to hold a flexible flat cable (301 in Figs. 4 and 5, a flexible flat cable or flat signal cable, para 0040 and 0044) in order to reduce noise transmitted from a contact image sensor (CIS 201a of an image reading unit) via a relay board (201d) and through the FFC 301 to a control board (Figs. 3A, 3B, 4, and 5, para 0040-0044, note in para 0044 “ferrite cores 305 and 306 capable of reducing noise transmitted to the control board 101 through the FFCs 301 and 302” in reference to Figs. 4 and 5).
Both Onishi and Shiomi teach using a FFC to transmit image signals from a CIS of an image reading unit to a control board or a substrate/relay board.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teaching of Onishi to employ a magnetic material as the material that forms the holding portion of Shiomi (refer to 110 and 120 in Figs. 6 and 7) that holds the FFC 50, in order to reduce noise from being transmitted from the reading sensor (3S in Fig. 6 of Shiomi).
9. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiomi (US 2015/0281483 A1) in view of Ohara (US 2006/0044625 A1).
Regarding claim 6/1, the image reading apparatus of Shiomi is discussed for claim 1 above.
Shiomi does not disclose an urgent member as claimed.
Ohara discloses an image reading apparatus comprising a spring (77, 77) (urging member) provided between a contact image sensor module (CIS module 2 in Fig. 3, para 0079) (a reading unit) and a carriage (22) (movable supporting member) on which the CIS module 2 is mounted, the spring (77, 77) configured to urge the CIS module (2) (reading unit) toward a transparent member (document platen 10) so as to abut against the transparent member (10) (Fig. 3 and para 0079; Fig. 9A and para 0081).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teaching of Ohara to the apparatus of Shiomi by including a spring (77, 77) between the reading unit (3S) and the carriage (22) of Shiomi (Fig. 6), such that the spring (77, 77) urges the reading unit (3S) toward the transparent member (81 including 81B and 81A) so as to abut against the transparent member (81), in order to keep the distance between the reading unit (3S) and the transparent member (81) constant to prevent out-of-focus image data from being produced.
10. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiomi (US 2015/0281483 A1) in view of Tanaka (US 2020/0236226 A1).
Regarding claim 8/1, the image reading apparatus of Shiomi is discussed for claim 1 above. Shiomi discloses (para 0042, Fig. 4 showing a top view) the following:
“The flat cable 50 extends from the one end portion 50A in such a manner as passing through the side wall 13 and the outer wall 14 and then the flat cable 50 is electrically coupled to a controller (not illustrated) that is disposed in the housing 8.” Accordingly, this is interpreted to mean that the “controller” of Shiomi, which generally is in form of a control board or substrate, is disposed in a part of the housing (8) below the bottom surface (10A in Fig. 4) of the casing and outside of the casing discussed for claim 1 above.
Shiomi does not disclose that the bottom surface (10A) of the casing includes a through hole disposed so as to be penetrated by the FFC (50).
Tanaka (US 2020/0236226 A1) discloses an image reading apparatus (Figs. 1-3, para 0030) comprising a flexible flat cable (FFC 118) having one end connected to a connector (119) of a movable image reading unit (107) and the other end connected to a connector (122) of an image control board (121) provided outside of a housing (101) (on the backside or lower side of housing 101) (Figs. 1-3, para 0030-0035, note para 0030-0031). The FFC (118) from the housing (101 in Fig. 1, para 0022) penetrates a “housing hole” or “casing hole” (120) (a through hole) formed in the bottom surface of the housing (101) to connect to the connector (122) of the control board (121). The image reading unit (107) transmits the image data generated by reading the image of the original (104) to the image control board through the FFC (118) (para 0030).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teaching of Tanaka to form a through hole in the bottom surface (of 10A) of the casing of Shiomi for the FFC (50) to penetrate to connect to the controller/control board (substrate) to shorten the connection distance for the FFC to connect to the controller/control board (substrate).
11. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiomi (US 2015/0281483 A1) in view of Aoyama et al. (US 2003/0081269 A1).
Regarding claim 8/1, the image reading apparatus of Shiomi is discussed for claim 1 above. The reading unit (3S) of Shiomi is movable to different reading positions in the sub-scanning direction (the left-right direction in Fig. 2), and Shiomi further discloses a conveyor (4) which inherently includes a conveyance roller configured to convey the document sheet along a conveyance path and convey the document sheet toward the transparent member (81) (Fig. 2, para 0027).
Shiomi does not specifically disclose a second position where shading correction is performed, and does not disclose the following claim limitations:
a) an opposing member disposed in a position opposed to the reading unit positioned in the first position via the transparent member;
b) a white reference plate disposed in a position opposed to the reading unit positioned in the second position via the transparent member and used for the shading correction of the reading unit; and
c) a sheet guide member disposed closer to a side of the conveyance path than the white reference plate and configured to guide the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller to between the opposing member and the transparent member.
The above limitations a), b), and c) are taught by Aoyama et al.
Aoyama et al. (Figs. 1 and 2) discloses
a) an opposing member (platen roller 18) disposed in a position opposed to a reading unit (including 6, Fig. 1, para 0029) positioned in a first position (the reading position of 6 as shown in Fig. 1) via a transparent member (3) (Fig. 1, para 0028 and 0029);
b) a white reference plate (reference white board 901) disposed in a position opposed to the reading unit (6) positioned in the second position via the transparent member (3) and used for the shading correction of the reading unit (para 0028 the last two sentences); and
c) a sheet guide member (paper guides 904 and 905 near roller 18 that form the original sheet conveyance path, Fig. 1, para 0033) disposed closer to a side of the conveyance path than the white reference plate (901) and configured to guide the sheet conveyed by a conveyance roller (16, Fig. 1, para 0033) to between the opposing member (platen roller 18) and the transparent member (3) (Fig. 1, para 0033) (the paper guides, at least guide 904, that form the original sheet conveyance path near the platen roller 18 is disposed closer to the side of the conveyance path itself than the white reference plate 901 disposed on the transparent glass 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teaching of Aoyama et al. to the image reading apparatus of Shiomi by including an opposing member (platen roller) that keeps the original sheet being conveyed to be within the depth of field of the reading unit at the original sheet reading position, a white reference member on the transparent member to enable for shading correction, and a sheet guide member to guide the original sheet to the reading position, in order for the image reading apparatus to generate image data of high quality.
12. Claims 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa et al. (US 2021/0377406 A1) in view of Tokuma et al. (US 2021/0377412 A1) and Shiomi (US 2015/0281483 A1). Nakagawa et al. was cited in the IDS filed October 24, 2024.
Regarding claim 11, insofar as the claim is understood, Nakagawa et al. (hereinafter referred to as Nakagawa) discloses an image forming system (100, 200, and 600 in Fig. 1, para 0024-0025) provided with an image [[reading]] forming apparatus (101 in Fig. 1) including an image forming portion (including image forming portions 120, 121, 122, and 123 for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black components, respectively, in Fig. 1, para 0027) configured to form an image on a sheet and an image reading apparatus (automatic adjustment apparatus 200, including image reading apparatus 700 in Figs. 3 and 4, para 0038) configured to read the image on the sheet discharged (received) from the image forming apparatus (101 in Fig. 1), the image reading apparatus (200 including 700 in Figs. 3 and 4; Figs. 5 and 6 as an example of an image reading apparatus) comprising:
a conveyance roller (211) configured to convey the sheet along a conveying path (Figs. 5 and 6, para 0045);
a transparent member (reading glass 704) configured to form a part of the conveying path (Figs. 5-7, para 0044);
a casing (casing of reading box 901) to which the transparent member (704) is mounted and including a bottom surface opposing the transparent member (704) (Figs. 5-7, para 0044 and 0045);
a reading unit (CISs 702 and 703 in this example) including a reading sensor configured to read the image on the sheet conveyed through the conveying path via the transparent member (704), the reading unit being accommodated in the casing (casing of reading box 901) (Figs. 5-7, para 0044-0048); and
a supporting member (carriage 835) configured to support the reading unit inside the case (Figs. 5 and 6, para 0047), the supporting member (carriage 835) being movable along the transparent member (704) inside the casing (Figs. 5-7, para 0047).
Nakagawa does not disclose the following claim limitations of the image reading apparatus:
“a flat cable of which a first end portion is connected to a connecting portion
provided on the reading unit and a second end portion is connected to another substrate other than the reading unit, the flat cable being curved in a direction toward the bottom surface from the transparent member and being laid along the bottom surface,”
“wherein the supporting member includes a holding portion configured to hold the flat cable so that the flat cable is along the transparent member,” and
“wherein in a direction perpendicular to the transparent member, a distance between the holding portion and the transparent member is shorter than a distance between the connecting portion and the transparent member.”
Tokuma et al. (hereinafter referred to as Tokuma) discloses a flexible flat cable (FFC) connecting a contact image sensor CIS (see 511 in Fig. 4a or 511c in Fig. 13) via a connector portion (6c) and connecting a controller (451 in Fig. 2) (para 0132). The CIS is part of a reading unit (including CIS 511, roller 515, and transparent plate 513 in Fig. 4a and 4b; or including CISs 511a and 512a, roller 515, and transparent plate 513 in Fig. 13) (para 0051-0055; para 131-0134; para 0132).
Nakagawa also discloses the following in para 0049:
“The CISs 702 and 703 irradiate the sheet P with light from the light-emitting portions 805 …… and collect reflected light from the sheet P on a line-shaped light-receiving portion (light-receiving sensor surface) 806 …… The reflected light received by each of the CISs 702 and 703 is photoelectrically converted and output to the image processing portion 260 as an output signal. The image processing 260 generates image data based on the output signals from CISs 702 and 703.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teaching of Tokuma to provide in the image reading apparatus of Nakagawa a flat cable of which a first end portion is connected to a connecting portion provided on the reading unit and a second end portion is connected to another substrate, since FFCs are designed to carry both power and image/data signal in compact, space-constrained environments such as that of the image reading apparatus of Nakagawa.
The supporting member (carriage 835 in Figs. 5 and 6, para 0047 of Nakagawa) of the image reading apparatus of Nakagawa in view of Tokuma discussed above does not include a holding portion as claimed. Specifically, Nakagawa in view of Takuma does not include the following claim limitations:
“wherein the supporting member includes a holding portion configured to hold the flat cable so that the flat cable is along the transparent member,” and
“wherein in a direction perpendicular to the transparent member, a distance between the holding portion and the transparent member is shorter than a distance between the connecting portion and the transparent member.”
The above features are taught by Shiomi. Shiomi discloses a movable support member (carriage 20) that includes a holding portion (110 and 120) configured to hold a flat cable (FFC 50) so that the flat cable is along a transparent member (81 including 81B and 81A), and that, in a direction perpendicular to the transparent member (81), a distance between the holding portion (110 and 120) and the transparent member (81) is shorter than a distance between a connecting portion (3C) and the transparent member (81).
More specifically, Shiomi discloses an image reading apparatus comprising, among other features,
a supporting member (carriage 20) configured to support the reading unit (3S) inside the case (Figs. 4 and 6, para 0035 especially the last two sentences), the
supporting member (carriage 20) being movable along the transparent member inside the casing (para 0033 “carriage 20” being “a mover”; 0035 the last two sentences; para 0039 “carriage 20 is reciprocatably guided”); and
a flat cable (flexible flat cable FFC 50) of which a first end portion (50B) is connected to a connecting portion (3C, Fig. 6, para 0042) provided on the reading unit (3S) and a second end portion (50A) is connected to another substrate (an inherent substrate that is at or a part of “a controller (not is illustrated) that is disposed in the housing 8”, Figs. 4-8, para 0042) other than the reading unit (3S), the flat cable (FFC 50) being curved in a direction toward the bottom surface (11) from the transparent member (81) and being laid along the bottom surface (11) (Fig. 6),
wherein the supporting member (carriage 20) includes a holding portion (first holder 110 and second holder 120 form a holding portion that holds the FFC 50, Figs. 6-11 and para 0056-0058, 0070) configured to hold the flat cable (FFC 50) so that the flat cable is along the transparent member (81) (Figs. 6; Figs. 5 and 7, para 0070 “Then, as illustrate in Figs. 5 and 7, the right end portion of the second extending portion 52 and the portion of the bent portion 54 are interposed between the first holder 110 and the second holder 120 and are held by the first holder 110 and the second holder 120.”), and
wherein in a direction (the up-down direction in Fig. 6) perpendicular to the transparent member (81), a distance between the holding portion (110 and 120) and the transparent member (81) is shorter than a distance between the connecting portion (3C) and the transparent member (81) (Fig. 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teaching of Shiomi to employ, in the image reading apparatus of Nakagawa in view of Tokuma, a supporting member (CIS carriage) that has a holding portion configured to hold the FFC in the manner claimed, such that in a direction perpendicular to the transparent member (704 in Figs. 5-7 of Nakagawa) of Nakagawa in view of Tokuma, a distance between the FFC holding portion and the transparent member is shorter than a distance between the connection portion, which connects the FFC to the reading unit, and the transparent member, in order for the FFC to follow the reciprocating movement of the supporting member (carriage) without interrupting image reading by the reading unit in the image reading apparatus (Shiomi, para 0009, note the last sentence).
Regarding claim 12/11, the adjustment unit (200) of Nakagawa (para 0025) is an “automatic adjustment apparatus” that includes the image reading apparatus discussed for claim 11 above and is “configured to perform front/back registration for measuring position misregistration between an image form on a front side of the sheet P by the image forming apparatus (101) and an image formed on a back side of the sheet P by the image forming apparatus (101).” See para 0025 and Figs. 1-3.
Nakagawa (para 0090) further discloses the following:
“The control portion 251 [in Fig. 2] reads the sheet P and the path images 820 formed on both sides of the sheet P by the CISs 702 and 703 of the reading box 901 for the front side and the reading box 902 for the backside, respectively (Step S1113). The image processing portion 260 obtains the front-side measurement pattern image 822 and the back-side measurement pattern image 823 from the reading results obtained by CISs 702 and 703. The front/back registration portion 700 performs line image composition with high definition, and measures print misregistration of the patch images 820 on the sheet P and the shape of the sheet P. The image processing portion 260 calculates the first geometric adjustment value 921 and the second geometric adjustment value 922 from the front-side measurement pattern image 822 and the back-side measurement pattern 823 ……”
From the above two paragraphs (0090 and 0025) of Nakagawa (see para 0089 with regard to 200 too), it is clear that Nakagawa discloses a controller (control portion 251 in Fig. 2) configured to decide presence/absence of printing failure in terms of the presence/absence of print misregistration and the calculated geometric adjustment value (921, 922 in para 0090) based on image information read by the CISs of the adjustment unit (200).
Allowable Subject Matter
13. Claim 3 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the objection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 3/2/1 would be allowable because the Shiomi (US 2015/0281483 A1), the closest prior art, does not teach the flat cable as defined in claim 3 in combination with the limitations of the base claim 1 and the limitation of intervening claim 2. Claim 3 recites “the flat cable includes a first rectilinear portion straightly extending along the outer wall surface from the first end portion, a first bent portion bent toward the transparent member from the first rectilinear portion, a second rectilinear portion straightly extending toward the transparent member from the first bent portion, a second bent portion bent toward the holding portion from the second rectilinear portion and a third rectilinear portion straightly extending toward the holding portion from the second bent portion.”
Pertinent Prior art
14. The prior art or art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Uchida et al. (US 12170746, US 2024/0205343 A1), Figs. 9 and 10, ADF CIS 401 moves in the sub-scanning direction within housing 407 of the CIS 401 within the ADF to read white reference board 416, but Uchida et al. does not disclose the “supporting member” that includes the “holding member”, and the last limitation of any of independent claims 1 and 11 regarding “a distance ……” of the instant application.
Hiromatsu (US 7453607), a flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible print circuit (FPC) used for the wiring 208, wiring 208 for transmitting an analog signal produced by CIS module 202 is connected to a connector 223 of an image-signal processing section 207 via a cable holding member 209 made of a resin, col. 4, lines 16-45, Figs. 1 and 8A-8D; col. 1, line 58 – col. 2, line 10
Adachi (US 2018/0220012 A1) (Fig. 4) discloses a flexible flat cable (FFC) having a first end connected to a connector (CCD substrate 168) provided at the right wall (as viewed in Figs. 3A-5) or the left wall (as viewed in Figs. 8-9) of an image reading portion (optical box 159, a movable image reading unit), and a second end connected to “the device main body (reader frame)”, para 0023 and 0029, the image reading portion (159) being movable at least between an image reading position (161a) at which a document being conveyed is read and a position (160a) at which a white reference (160) is read (see Fig. 4 and para 0029). However, Adachi does not disclose the “supporting member” that includes the “holding member”, and the last limitation of any of independent claims 1 and 11 regarding “a distance ……” of the instant application.
Yoshihisa et al. (US 2010/0053678 A1), Figs. 5-6C, 8, and 9, does not disclose the “supporting member” that includes the “holding member”, and the last limitation of any of independent claims 1 and 11 regarding “a distance ……” of the instant application.
Fujiwara (US 2012/0026558 A1), Figs. 4A-7B, flexible flat cable 40 connected to the bottom part of image sensor 31
Kozaki et al. (US 2011/0211234 A1), Figs. 3-7 and 9, para 0037, tension applying mechanism 17 (considered a holding member)
Hiromatsu (US 2003/0197900 A1), Fig. 10
Hozono (US 2016/0352927 A1), Figs. 5 and 8, swaying support portion (80) to prevent contact member (27) (transparent member) from contacting the FFC (30), but support portion (80) and connector (32) are at about the same level vertically.
Nakamura (US 2016/0227059 A1), para 0061-0063, Figs. 2 and 3
Tokonami et al. (US 2018/0176395 A1), Figs. 3-7, para 0042-0046; Fig. 3, flexible flat cable (FFC 44) is electrically connected at one end to a reciprocating image reading mechanism (43, including image reading components of an image reading unit as defined in para 0043) via carriage (41 of 43) that supports and reciprocates with the reading mechanism (43), and at the other end to a control section (unillustrated) that controls the image reading operation (para 0044-0045). Image data obtained by the reading mechanism (43) is transmitted to the control section through the FFC (44) (para 0044). The FFC (44) also provides electric power to drive the carriage (44) and thus the reading mechanism (43) to move in the sub-scanning direction to different positions (including a position relating to “shading correction”) (see para 0044). No detail of the holding portion which is part of the carriage as a supporting member is disclosed.
Nakagawa et al. (US Patent No. 11412100), Figs. 1, 3, 4-8, and 18, relating to claim 8 of the instant application
Takeuchi (US 8610973) (Fig. 1) discloses a platen roller 17 (opposing member), a sheet guide member (the part immediately below roller pair 16), a conveyance roller (15), scanning carriage (53) movable to and from different positions including the reading position at platen (52B) and a position at white reference plate (56B) where the white reference is read, and the sheet guide (the part immediately below roller 16) is shown to be closer to the document conveyance path than the white reference plate (56B), but the white reference plate is not read through transparent member (52A or 52B) as required by claim 8 of the instant application.
Kasuga et al. (US 2017/0171417 A1)
Mukai (US 2011/0235082 A1), Figs. 8-17, flexible flat cable 7A in Figs. 9, 13-15
Nuttall et al. (US 9025220)
Chen et al. (US 7388154)
Fujiwara (US 8724181)
Tatsumi (US 10225427)
Ninomiya (US 2016/0150107 A1), Figs. 3, 4, and 1A, cable 27 and through hole on bottom surface of scanner
Conclusion
15. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHEUKFAN LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-7407. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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, BENNY TIEU can be reached at (571)272-7490. 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.
/CHEUKFAN LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682
Prosecution Insights