Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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 § 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.
2. Claims 1, 11-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Japanese Publication No. 6651738 (hereinafter “JP’738”) in view of Japanese Publication No. 2008-150173 (hereinafter “JP’173”) (cited in the 11/13/24 IDS).
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Regarding claim 1, Figs. 1-4 of JP’738 show a switching gate (40) comprising:
a plurality of blades (48) that switch a conveyance direction of a medium conveyed by a conveyor belt (34 or 35) among a plurality of directions (down or left in Fig. 2) including at least a first direction (down in Fig. 2) or a second direction (left in Fig. 2) by abutting against the medium, wherein
the plurality of blades (48) include:
a plurality of first blades (“First blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738), and
two second blades (“Second blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738) that form a blade pair and are disposed with a first distance therebetween (47L) that is larger than a length of the conveyor belt (34 or 35) in a width direction,
any adjacent two of the plurality of first blades (“First blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738) having a second distance therebetween that is smaller than the first distance, and
one of the two second blades (“Second blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738) includes an auxiliary blade (“Auxiliary blade” in annotated Figs. 3-4 of JP’738), the auxiliary blade (“Auxiliary blade” in annotated Figs. 3-4 of JP’738), the auxiliary blade (“Auxiliary blade” in annotated Figs. 3-4 of JP’738) including a side surface (“Side surface” in annotated Fig. 4 of JP’738). JP’738 teaches most of the limitations of claim 1 including the auxiliary blade with the side surface, but JP’738 does not show that the auxiliary blade has an inclined portion, as claimed.
JP’173 shows that it is well-known in the art to provide a switching gate (40) with one (left blade 42 in Fig. 8) of two blades (42 and 42 in Fig. 8) that includes an auxiliary blade (54 in Fig. 7) with a side surface (lower flat surface of 54 in Fig.7) and an inclined portion (inclined portion 55 in Fig. 8), the inclined portion (inclined portion 55 in Fig. 8) connecting a side surface (right inner side surface of left blade 42 in Fig. 8) of said one (left blade 42 in Fig. 8) blade to a side surface (lower flat surface) of the auxiliary blade (54) without any step, and being inclined to approach the other (right blade 42 in Fig. 8) of the two second blades (42 and 42) as the inclined portion (inclined portion 55 in Fig. 8) extends towards the side surface (lower flat surface) of the auxiliary blade (54). Numbered paragraph [0038] of the machine translation of JP’173 states “In addition, the planar guide 53 is provided with a flat plane as the guide surface 55, but is not limited thereto, and the guide surface 55 of the planar guide 53 may have a predetermined inclination angle or may be formed of a curved surface. In this case, by designing in consideration of the collision angle between the guide surface 55 of the planar guide 53 and the front end of the banknote 30, it is possible to prevent the front end of the banknote 30 from being damaged even by the collision.” (emphasis added). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the one of the second blades (“Second blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738) with an auxiliary blade that has a side surface and an inclined surface, for the purpose of preventing a banknote from being damaged, as taught by JP’173. See Figs. 7-8 and numbered paragraph [0036] of the machine translation of JP’173.
Regarding claim 11, providing the apparatus of JP’738 with an auxiliary blade having a side surface and an inclined portion, in a manner as taught by JP’173, results in a conveyance roller (31 in Fig. 2 of JP’738) being disposed in the second direction (left in Fig. 2 of JP’738) to apply a conveyance force to the medium conveyed in the second direction (left in Fig. 2 of JP’738), and
the auxiliary blade is provided such that the two second blades of the blade pair (taught by 42 and 42 in Fig. 8 of JP’173) is closer to each other at a position closer to the conveyance roller (31 in Fig.2 of JP’738) than at a position farther from the conveyance roller (31 in Fig. 2 of JP’738).
Regarding claim 12, the abstract of JP’738 teaches the medium includes a bill.
Regarding claim 14, Figs. 1-4 of JP’738 show a medium processing device (Fig. 1) comprising:
a switching gate (40) that includes a plurality of blades (48) that switch a conveyance direction of a medium conveyed by a conveyor belt (34 or 35) among a plurality of directions (down or left in Fig. 2) including at least a first direction (down in Fig. 2) or a second direction (left in Fig. 2) by abutting against the medium, wherein the plurality of blades (48) include:
a plurality of first blades (“First blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738), and
two second blades (“Second blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738”) that form a blade pair and are disposed with a first distance therebetween (47L) that is larger than a length of the conveyor belt (34 or 35) in a width direction, and
any adjacent two of the plurality of first blades (“First blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738) having a second distance therebetween that is smaller than the first distance, and
one of the two second blades (“Second blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738”) includes an auxiliary blade (“Auxiliary blade” in annotated Figs. 3-4 of JP’738), the auxiliary blade (“Side surface” in annotated Fig. 4 of JP’738) including a side surface (“Side surface” in annotated Fig. 4 of JP’738). JP’738 teaches most of the limitations of claim 1 including the auxiliary blade with the side surface, but JP’738 does not show that the auxiliary blade has an inclined portion, as claimed.
JP’173 shows that it is well-known in the art to provide a switching gate (40) with one (left blade 42 in Fig. 8) of two blades (42 and 42 in Fig. 8) that includes an auxiliary blade (54 in Fig. 7) with a side surface (lower flat surface of 54 in Fig.7) and an inclined portion (inclined portion 55 in Fig. 8), the inclined portion (inclined portion 55 in Fig. 8) connecting a side surface (right inner side surface of left blade 42 in Fig. 8) of said one (left blade 42 in Fig. 8) blade to a side surface (lower flat surface) of the auxiliary blade (54) without any step, and being inclined to approach the other (right blade 42 in Fig. 8) of the two second blades (42 and 42) as the inclined portion (inclined portion 55 in Fig. 8) extends towards the side surface (lower flat surface) of the auxiliary blade (54). Numbered paragraph [0038] of the machine translation of JP’173 states “In addition, the planar guide 53 is provided with a flat plane as the guide surface 55, but is not limited thereto, and the guide surface 55 of the planar guide 53 may have a predetermined inclination angle or may be formed of a curved surface. In this case, by designing in consideration of the collision angle between the guide surface 55 of the planar guide 53 and the front end of the banknote 30, it is possible to prevent the front end of the banknote 30 from being damaged even by the collision.” (emphasis added). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the one of the second blades (“Second blades” in annotated Fig. 3 of JP’738) with an auxiliary blade that has a side surface and an inclined surface, for the purpose of preventing a banknote from being damaged, as taught by JP’173. See Figs. 7-8 and numbered paragraph [0036] of the machine translation of JP’173.
Conclusion
3. 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 THOMAS A MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-7221. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am - 5pm.
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/THOMAS A MORRISON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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