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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group 1 in the reply filed on 4/10/26 is acknowledged. Claims 10-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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)(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 1-4, 6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen (US Publication 2008/279603).
With respect to claim 1, Chen teaches a spindle (Figures 1, 2) for facilitating removal of used ribbon material in a printer (Paragraphs 0004, 0027,0028), comprising:
a shaft (10) movably attached to the printer (200);
a spindle arm (40) positioned on the shaft (10) for collecting the used ribbon material, the spindle arm (40) having a first side and a second side opposite the first side (Paragraphs 0018, 0022, 0027, Figure 1);
a slider (34) disposed between the shaft (10) and the spindle arm (40) and configured for bidirectional movement along the shaft (10) between a first position and a second position (Paragraph 0020, Figures 2, 4);
a first wiper (35, 36) connected to the slider (34, Figure 2); and
a button (60) connected to the slider and operably engaging the shaft (Paragraphs 0025, 0027);
wherein engaging the button permits movement of the slider along the shaft from the first position to the second position (Paragraphs 0020, 0022, 0023, 0027, 0028) thereby causing the first wiper to move the used ribbon material toward an end of the spindle arm (35, 36 move together with slider 34 via depressing button 60).
With respect to claim 2, Chen teaches a locking mechanism (50 via 60) operably connected to the button and capable of being in an engaged state or a disengaged state (Paragraph 0025),
wherein the locking mechanism (50 via 60) maintains the slider in the first position while the locking mechanism is in the engaged state (Paragraphs 0025 and 0028), and
wherein depressing the button causes the locking mechanism to transition from the engaged state to the disengaged state thereby releasing the slider from the first position (Paragraphs 0025, 0028).
With respect to claim 3, Chen teaches the locking mechanism (50 via 60) engages a pin member connected to the shaft (10) when the locking mechanism (50 via 60) is in the engaged state.
With respect to claim 4, Chen teaches a spring (50) disposed along the shaft and in contact with the slider, the spring biasing the slider toward the second position (Paragraph 0025).
With respect to claim 6, Chen teaches a user can engage the button (60) and generate movement of the slider (34) between the first position and the second position using one hand (Paragraphs 0022, 0022, 0028).
With respect to claim 9, Chen teaches wherein the slider (34) includes a first arm and a second arm that is substantially parallel to the first arm (refer to marked-up Figure 2), wherein the first wiper is connected to the first arm and a second wiper is attached to the second arm (Figure 2).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 7 and 8 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.
With respect to claim 5, the prior art does not teach or render obvious a first groove disposed on the first side of the spindle arm; and a second groove disposed on the second side of the spindle arm, wherein one or more of the first groove or the second groove enable a user's finger to contact an underside of the used ribbon material collected on the spindle arm to aid in removal of the used ribbon material from the spindle arm when the slider is in the second position.
With respect to claim 7, the prior art does not teach or render obvious an outer core surrounding at least a portion of the shaft and the slider, the outer core including a first channel oriented along a portion of the spindle arm;
an inner core positioned between the slider and the outer core, the inner core including a second channel configured to align with the first channel,
wherein the first channel and the second channel permit the first wiper to travel along a portion of the spindle arm toward the end of the spindle arm.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN216860993, Chen (US Publication 2009/0175668), Peirce (US Patent 7,299,846), Lenkl (US Publication 007/0125899) teaches a collapsible spindle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARISSA LIANA FERGUSON SAMRETH whose telephone number is (571)272-2163. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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/CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
/Marissa Ferguson-Samreth/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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