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 .
Claims 1 – 10 are pending in this application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02/23/2025 and 07/31/2025 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Applicants have not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s) discussed below.
Lee et al. (TW 201004308 A or U.S Patent No. 2010/0002274 A1, hereinafter ‘Lee’) discloses an independent scanning apparatus and an independent scanning method. The independent scanning apparatus of the invention includes a casing, a sheet-feeding mechanism, a scanning device, a store module, and a processing module. The casing includes an inlet and an outlet. The sheet-feeding mechanism is disposed in the casing for transporting an object through the inlet and the outlet. The scanning device is disposed in the casing for scanning the object. The processing module is disposed in the casing and electrically connected to the sheet-feeding mechanism, the scanning device and the store module. When the object enters the casing through the inlet and the independent scanning apparatus receives an actuation instruction, the sheet-feeding mechanism transport the object from a first position toward the outlet and the scanning device starts to scan the object to generate scanned image data which is then stored in the store module, and when the object arrives at a second position, the scanning device stops the scanning. A modified image data could be determined according to the analysis of the scanned image data.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
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 - 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohmiya et al. (U.S PreGrant Publication No. 2021/0385384 A1, hereinafter ‘Ohmiya’) in view of Yoshida (U.S PreGrant Publication No. 2017/0064124 A1, hereinafter ‘Yoshida’).
With respect to claim 1, Ohmiya teaches a sheet-sensing system (e.g., an image forming system, ¶0032) applied to a sheet (e.g., a sheet P, ¶0039) and a transparent carrier plate (e.g., a glass 404, Fig. 2), the sheet being placed on the transparent carrier plate (e.g., said sheet P positioned by the glass 404, Fig. 2), the sheet-sensing system comprising: a microcontroller (e.g., a CPU 10 or Control Unit 42, Figs. 4 & 5); an infrared-emitting apparatus (e.g., a light source 401/402, Fig. 2) electrically connected to the microcontroller (e.g., Fig. 4); and an infrared-receiving apparatus (e.g., an imaging element 403, ¶0042) electrically connected to the microcontroller (e.g., Fig. 4), wherein the microcontroller controls the infrared-emitting apparatus to emit an infrared ray toward the sheet and the transparent carrier plate (e.g., said CPU 10 controls at least the light source 401/402 to emit infrared light toward the sheet P and the glass, Fig. 2); the microcontroller uses the infrared-receiving apparatus to receive the infrared ray passing through the transparent carrier plate to determine a boundary of the sheet (e.g., said CPU 10/ Control unit 42, via the imaging element 403, receive the infrared light passing the glass 404 to detect a boundary between regions of the sheet P, ¶0078 Fig. 2); but fails to teaches wherein said sheet and said transparent carrier plate are disposed between said infrared-emitting apparatus and said infrared-receiving apparatus.
However, the aforementioned claimed limitations are well-known in the art as evidenced by Yoshida. In particular, Yoshida teaches wherein a sheet and a transparent carrier plate are disposed between an infrared-emitting apparatus and an infrared-receiving apparatus (e.g., where a sheet P and a plate-like member 24 are sandwiched between a first frame (light source) 23 and an element light receiving surface, ¶0023, ¶0056, ¶0065, Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the system of Ohmiya as taught by Yoshida since Yoshida suggested in ¶0023, ¶0056, ¶0065 and Fig. 1 that such modification/build would avoid incorrect boundary/edge in order to reduce moving distance of infrared elements; thereby avoiding reduction of reading quality.
With respect to claim 2, Ohmiya in view of Yoshida teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 1, wherein Yoshida further teaches comprising an upper cover, wherein the infrared-emitting apparatus embeds in the upper cover ( e.g., a first cover member 24, ¶0029, Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 3, Ohmiya in view of Yoshida teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 2, wherein Yoshida teaches the infrared-emitting apparatus comprises an infrared emitter; the infrared emitter is electrically connected to the microcontroller and embeds in the upper cover; the microcontroller controls the infrared emitter to emit the infrared ray (e.g. light emitter means, ¶0025, ¶0030; that is controlled by a control portion and positioned above the first cover member 24, said control portion controls the light emitter means to emit ¶0010 with ¶0025 - ¶0028).
With respect to claim 4, Ohmiya in view of Yoshida teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 3, wherein Yoshida teaches the infrared-emitting apparatus further comprises a light guide member; the light guide member embeds in the upper cover and is used to transmit the infrared ray emitted by the infrared emitter, so that the infrared ray covers a receiving area of the infrared-receiving apparatus (e.g., a first light guide that shapes the light emitted by the first light sources 22 into a line (shapes the light into a line light source). The first light guide 4 has a rod-like shape that is long in the main-scan direction and is integrally formed by a transparent material, such as an acrylic resin material. One or both end surfaces of the first light guide 4 in a longitudinal direction (main-scan direction) are provided with first light incident surfaces 41 for receiving the light emitted by the first light sources 22. Side surfaces of the first light guide 4 are provided with a first light diffusing surface 42 for diffusing entered light and a first light emission surface 43 for emitting diffused light toward the outside (i.e. the conveyance path P of the paper sheet S), ¶0031).
With respect to claim 5, Ohmiya in view of Yoshida teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 4, wherein the light guide member is a light guide plate, or the light guide member is a plurality of light guide strips forming a cross shape or an L shape (e.g., pattern formed as cross shaped marks, ¶0048).
With respect to claim 6, Ohmiya in view of Yoshida teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 1, wherein the infrared-receiving apparatus comprises a contact image sensor scanning circuit electrically connected to the microcontroller; the contact image sensor scanning circuit comprises a plurality of light sensors electrically connected to the microcontroller (e.g., a CIS (e.g., an image sensor), ¶0042 & ¶0062; Yoshida also teach the image sensor, ¶0028).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 - 10 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 7, none of the cited references teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 6, wherein the microcontroller moves the contact image sensor scanning circuit to a starting area and uses the light sensors to receive the infrared ray passing through the transparent carrier plate to determine a first boundary of the boundary of the sheet; the microcontroller moves the contact image sensor scanning circuit from the starting area along a first direction and uses the light sensors to receive the infrared ray passing through the transparent carrier plate to determine a second boundary of the boundary of the sheet.
With respect to claim 8, none of the cited references teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 6, wherein the infrared-receiving apparatus further comprises an infrared receiver; the infrared receiver is electrically connected to the microcontroller and attached to the contact image sensor scanning circuit; the microcontroller moves the contact image sensor scanning circuit to a starting area and uses the light sensors to receive the infrared ray passing through the transparent carrier plate to determine a first boundary of the boundary of the sheet; the microcontroller moves the contact image sensor scanning circuit from the starting area along a first direction until the infrared receiver receives the infrared ray passing through the transparent carrier plate to determine a second boundary of the boundary of the sheet.
With respect to claim 9, none of the cited references teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 6, wherein the infrared-receiving apparatus further comprises a moving structure and an infrared receiver; the moving structure is electrically connected to the microcontroller and attached to the contact image sensor scanning circuit; the infrared receiver is electrically connected to the microcontroller and attached to the moving structure; the microcontroller moves the contact image sensor scanning circuit to a starting area, and controls the moving structure to move the infrared receiver along a second direction until the infrared receiver receives the infrared ray passing through the transparent carrier plate to determine a first boundary of the boundary of the sheet; the microcontroller moves the contact image sensor scanning circuit from the starting area along a first direction until the infrared receiver receives the infrared ray passing through the transparent carrier plate to determine a second boundary of the boundary of the sheet.
With respect to claim 10, none of the cited references teaches the sheet-sensing system of claim 6, wherein the contact image sensor scanning circuit further comprises a plurality of light emitters electrically connected to the microcontroller; after the microcontroller determines the boundary of the sheet, the microcontroller moves the contact image sensor scanning circuit along a return direction to use the light sensors and the light emitters to scan the sheet.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Lee et al. (U.S PG Publication No. 2010/0002274 A1)1
Sakai (U.S PG Publication No. 2022/0033210 A1)2
Watanabe (JP 2011259164 A)3
1This reference corresponds to the U.S version of KR 201004308 A.
2This reference teaches a center sensor 211, the first side sensor 212 and the second side sensor 213 are gesture sensors such as a light sensor. The center sensor 211 includes a light emitter 211a and a light receiver 211b. The light emitter 211a is an example of a light emitting module, and emits light (infrared light) toward the medium tray 103. On the other hand, the light receiver 211b is an example of a light receiving module, and receives light emitted by the light emitter 211a and reflected by the medium tray 103 or a medium placed on the medium tray 103, and detects the received light. The light receiver 211b includes a plurality of light receiving elements arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally, and generates and outputs an intensity pattern indicating a distribution of an intensity of light received by each light receiving element and a time pattern indicating a distribution of the time from the irradiation of light by the light emitter 211a to the reception of light by each light receiving element. The first side sensor 212 includes a light emitter 212a and a light receiver 212b similar to the light emitter 211a and the light receiver 211b. The second side sensor 213 includes a light emitter 213a and a light receiver 213b similar to the light emitter 211a and the light receiver 211b.
3This reference teaches that when a tip part of an original D is guided by a conveyance guide 55 passes through a detection position X2 of a distance measuring sensor 51, the distance measuring sensor 51 detects a distance H to the original D to obtain a height Hα from a dustproof glass 50b of a CIS 50 for the original D based on the distance of the detected distance H. If the obtained Hα is not within an allowed tolerance range of the focal position in the CIS 50, the conveyance course of the original D is displaced by moving the conveyance guide 55 in the direction shown by an arrow B so that the obtained Hα can be within the allowed tolerance range.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUAN M GUILLERMETY whose telephone number is (571)270-3481. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00AM - 5:00PM.
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/JUAN M GUILLERMETY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2682
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