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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1, 8-10 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Iwadate et al. (US PG Pub 2016/0342124).
For claim 1: Iwadate et al. teaches a sheet feeder (see Fig. 3A, 3B, sheet feeder within apparatus 100 as seen in Fig. 1) comprising: a sheet placement unit (see Fig. 3A, tray 11) configured to place a sheet P; and an indicator 113 configured to indicate a predetermined position at which the sheet is to be set on the sheet placement unit 111 (see Fig. 3A, 3B, the indicator being roller 113 indicating the middle position of the sheet P placed on the tray 111),the indicator movable a first position at which the indicator is adjacent to or in contact with the sheet on the sheet placement unit (see Fig. 3A, Fig. 5B, solid position PR1) and a second position farther than the first position from the sheet placement units (see Fig. 5B, dashed position PR2) the indicator 113 including a pressing roller 113 configured to press the sheet against the sheet placement unit 111 (see Figs. 3A, 3B, 5B).
For claim 8: Iwadate et al. teaches the sheet feeder according to claim 1 further comprising a conveyor (see Fig. 3A, roller below C and rollers 114, 114) configured to convey the sheet P on the sheet placement unit, where the indicator has a width equal to or smaller than a minimum width of the sheet to be conveyed by the conveyor (see Fig. 3B, at least substantially smaller than the sheet P as seen in Fig. 3B, the recitation “minimum width of a sheet to be conveyed by the conveyor” does not structurally distinguish the claim from the prior art since the sheet P shown can be the smallest sheet elected to be conveyed in usage).
For claim 9: Iwadate et al. teaches the sheet feeder of claim 8. The additional recitation regard the indicator to equal the minimum width of the sheet conveyed does not distinguish the claim from the prior art as a sheet having the same width as element 113 can be conveyed and can be the smallest sheet elected to be conveyed in usage of the apparatus.
For claim 10: Iwadate et al. teaches a sheet feeder according to claim 1 further comprising a sheet feeding part 114 configured to feed the sheet P on the sheet placement unit 111 wherein the indicator 113 indicates the predetermined position of the sheet P on the sheet placement unit 111 in the width direction of the sheet (see Fig. 3B, the element 113 indicates the center of the sheet P).
For claim 15: Iwadate et al. teaches an image forming apparatus (see Fig. 1) comprising a sheet feeding 111 according to claim 1 configured to feed a document sheet and an image forming unit 103, 120, 130 (see Fig. 1) configured to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeder.
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 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwadate et al. (US PG Pub 2016/0342124).
For claim 14: Iwadate et al. teaches an image reading device (see Fig. 1, the top portion being an image reading device) comprising a sheet feeder according to claim 1 configured to feed the sheet (see Fig. 1, element 111, 114) and an image reading device configured to read a sheet (see paragraph 37). Iwadate et al. does not teach the sheet feeder to supply the sheet to the image reading device configured to read the sheet fed by the sheet feeder. However, this distinction from the prior art can be overcome by duplicating the known parts to provide a sheet feeder as described for the image forming portion to the image reading portion atop the image forming portion. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Iwadate et al. by duplicating the sheet feeder and providing the image reader with the same sheet feeder components for the purpose centering a sheet in the sheet tray of the reading portion of the device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 5-7, 11-13 and 16-19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the sheet feeder having an indicator including a pressing roller configured to press the sheet wherein the indicator has a mark indicating the center of the sheet, nor where the indicator indicates the predetermined position of the sheet and label with an instruction for positioning the indicator at the first position when multiple sheets are set on the sheet placement unit is provided, nor where the sheet feeing part is configured to read multiple sheets having different widths at a first speed, and feed multiple sheets having a same width at a second higher speed, nor where the indicator is comprised of at least a first and second pressing roller.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 8-10, 14 and 15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID H BANH whose telephone number is (571)270-3851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12-8PM.
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/DAVID H BANH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853