DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 20-21, 24-28, and 31-35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WATANABE et al. (US 2008/0166139 A1) in view of SATO (2008; CN-101249780A).
Regarding claim 20, WATANABE teaches a cartridge mountable on an image forming apparatus, the cartridge 30 comprising: an exterior surface; a recessed surface provided on the exterior surface and recessed relative to the exterior surface by a first depth; and a recess portion recessed relative to the recessed surface by a second depth [and including a peripheral edge shaping a trademark] (ABCDE) representing at least one of a character (ABCDE) or a logo (figures 1, 5, 7, [0063-0064]).
Regarding claim 21, the first depth is equal to or smaller than the second depth [0062-0064].
Regarding claim 24, the cartridge further comprising a plate member configured to cover the recessed surface (window shown in figure 5).
Regarding claim 25, a thickness of the plate member is equal to or smaller than the first depth (it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to select the appropriate thickness for the window plate discussed above, since "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d.).
Regarding claim 26, the cartridge further comprising at least one of: a photosensitive drum; or a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum using a toner (shown in figure 2).
Regarding claim 27, the cartridge and an image forming portion (figure 2) form an image on a sheet P1 using the cartridge 30.
Regarding claim 28, WATANABE teaches a cartridge mountable on an image forming apparatus, the cartridge comprising: an exterior surface; a recessed surface 33 provided on the exterior surface and recessed relative to the exterior surface by a first depth; and a projection portion (ABCDE projects from it surface) projecting from the recessed surface by a first height [and including a peripheral edge shaping a trademark representing at least one of a character] or logo (figures 1, 5, 7, [0063-0064]).
Regarding claim 29, the first depth is larger than the first height (the height of platform 32 is less than the recess from the surface of cartridge surface 31).
Regarding claim 32, the cartridge further comprising a plate member configured to cover the recessed surface (shown in figure 5).
Regarding claim 33, wherein a sum of the first height and a thickness of the plate member is equal to or smaller than the first depth (figure 7 shows first height and plate thickness being less than the first depth from the surface 31 to the bottom 152).
Watanabe does not teach a peripheral edge shaping a character at a recess portion.
SATO teaches a peripheral edge shaping a trademark representing at least one of a character (ABCDE) (mark 12) or a logo at a recessed portion (11) (abstract; mark 12; recessed portion 11; shown in figures 2c, 2e, 4c, 4e and text).
WATANABE and SATO teach external characters or text on a consumable product.
The rationale for combining the teachings of SATO with the teachings of WATANABE relates to the rationale of using a known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way.
It would have been It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to use the teaching of SATO with the teaching of WATANABE to obtain text with a vivid display-ability (TANJI; abstract: ADVANTAGE).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22-23 and 29-30 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. OGISO MASAKI (JP2017-013322A) teaches a recessed logo on a product. TANJI (JP 2010036370A) teaches a corrugated display portion which displays a corrugated display by producing a degree difference by convex portions and recesses of fiber layer in which fiber layer is buried/not buried in resin of base material layer, the character/symbol/pattern can be displayed vividly (shown in at least figures 1, text (convex) is background surface.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANA GRAINGER whose telephone number is (571)272-2135. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9-5.
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/QUANA GRAINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
QG
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