CTNF 18/883,929 CTNF 89834 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/12/2024is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. 12-151 AIA 26-51 12-51 Status of Claims Claims 1-14 are pending in this application. Oath/Declaration The receipt of Oath/Declaration is acknowledged. Drawings 6. The receipt of Drawings is acknowledged. 07-30-03-h AIA Claim Interpretation 07-30-03 AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f): (f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph: An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof. 07-30-05 The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked. As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph: (A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function; (B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and (C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function. Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: a first setting unit configured to set the sheet holding unit as a sheet feed source of a separator sheet in claims 1 and 7 (See Applicant’s Spec. Para. [0069], Fig. 6, The setting selection screen 601) . a second setting unit configured to set a setting on the sheet holding unit to restrict use of a sheet held therein in claims 1 and 7 (See Applicant’s Spec. Para. [0071], Fig. 7, The sheet screen 701) . an execution unit configured to execute a print job in claims 1 and 7 (See Applicant’s Spec. Para. [0046], Fig. 1A, Printer Unit 101) . 10. Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof. 11. If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 12. Claim s 4 and 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. 13-03-01 AIA 13. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding Claim 4 : The prior art(s) searched, cited and/or of record fails to explicitly teach, disclose or suggest the teaching(s) of the printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit is configured to, in a case where the sheet holding unit on which the setting is set by the second setting unit is specified as a sheet holding unit to be used for the print job and the print job includes predetermined information, execute the print job using the sheet held in the sheet holding unit, and wherein the execution unit is configured to, in a case where the sheet holding unit on which the setting is set by the second setting unit is specified as the sheet holding unit to be used for the print job and the print job does not include the predetermined information, not execute the print job using the sheet held in the sheet holding unit. Regarding Claim 10 : The prior art(s) searched, cited and/or of record fails to explicitly teach, disclose or suggest the teaching(s) of the printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the execution unit is configured to, in a case where the sheet holding unit on which the setting is set by the second setting unit is specified as a sheet holding unit to be used for the print job and the print job includes predetermined information, execute the print job using the sheet held in the sheet holding unit, and wherein the execution unit is configured to, in a case where the sheet holding unit on which the setting is set by the second setting unit is specified as the sheet holding unit to be used for the print job and the print job does not include the predetermined information, not execute the print job using the sheet held in the sheet holding unit . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1-3, 5-9 and 11-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Shibazaki (US PG. Pub. 2022/0033205 A1) . Referring to Claim 1 , Shibazaki teaches a printing apparatus (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Sect. [0029] lines 1-9, Image Forming Device 1) comprising: a sheet holding unit (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Sheet Stacking Unit 6, Sect. [0038] lines 1-2, The sheet stacking unit 6 holds a bundle of stacked sheets 9 is stacked which can be lifted and lowered) ; a first setting unit (See Shibazaki, Fig. 10, Controller 60) configured to set the sheet holding unit as a sheet feed source of a separator sheet (See Shibazaki, Sect. [0077], when the controller 60 determines the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit 6 is the thin paper or the plain paper (when a result of step S3 is YES), it determines the height position of the pick-up roller 30 for feeding the sheet to be the first position which is the lower position than the upper end 52 of the separation member 50 (step S4). When the controller 60 determines the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit 6 is the thick paper (when a result of step S3 is NO), it determines the height position of the pick-up roller 30 for feeding the sheet to be the second position which is the higher position than the upper end 52 of the separation member 50 (step S5).) ; a second setting unit (See Shibazaki, Figs. 2-8, Sect. [0045], The separation member 50) configured to set a setting on the sheet holding unit to restrict use of a sheet held therein (See Shibazaki, Sect. [0045], The separation member 50 is arranged between the pick-up roller 30 and the pair of rollers 40 in the carrying direction of sheets. When the sheet that has low rigidity such as a thin paper or a plain paper is fed, the separation member 50 touches the leading end of the sheet which is sent out by the pick-up roller 30 and restricts the number of sheets carried to the pair of rollers 40.) ; an execution unit (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Image Forming Unit 2) configured to execute a print job (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Image Forming Unit 2, Sect. [0029] lines 14-17, The image forming unit 2 forms an image on the sheet fed by the feeder 3 in electrophotography, for instance, and ejects the sheet on which the image is printed on a paper discharging tray 2 a in an upper part.) ; a display unit configured to (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Operational Panel 15 with Display Unit 15a) , in a case where the execution unit executes the print job in a state where the setting by the second setting unit is set on the sheet holding unit set as the sheet feed source of the separator sheet by the first setting unit, display a screen configured to change the sheet feed source of the separator sheet ( See Shibazaki, Sect. [007], FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C illustrate examples of the screens displayed on the display unit 15 a of the operational panel 15. Button images B1 and B2 for the user to select either a thin paper or the plain paper, or a thick paper are displayed on a screen G1 of FIG. 12A. When the user stacks the thin paper or the plain paper on the sheet stacking unit 6, he or she touches the button image B1 so that the thin paper or the plain paper is set as the sheet type. When the user stacks the thick paper on the sheet stacking unit 6, he or she touches the button image B2 so that the thick paper is set as the sheet type.) . Referring to Claim 2 , Shibazaki teaches the printing apparatus according to claim 1 (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Sect. [0029] lines 1-9, Image Forming Device 1) , wherein the first setting unit is configured to set the sheet holding unit as a sheet feed source of a print job separator sheet (See Shibazaki, Sect. [0078] lines 15-17, The controller 60 drives the sheet carrier 71, and starts the feeding operation of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit 6 (step S10).) . Referring to Claim 3 , Shibazaki teaches the printing apparatus according to claim 2 (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Sect. [0029] lines 1-9, Image Forming Device 1) , wherein the print job separator sheet is a separator sheet first output in the print job (See Shibazaki, Sect. [0081] lines 11-15, When the multiple sheets are sent out by the pick-up roller 30, the pair of rollers 40 separates the first sheet from the second sheet or later, then feeds the first sheet toward downstream side in the carrying direction.) . Referring to Claim 5 , Shibazaki teaches the printing apparatus according to claim 1 (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Sect. [0029] lines 1-9, Image Forming Device 1) , wherein the execution unit is configured to, in a state where the screen is displayed, stop executing the print job (). Referring to Claim 6 , Shibazaki teaches the printing apparatus according to claim 5 (See Shibazaki, Fig. 1, Sect. [0029] lines 1-9, Image Forming Device 1) , wherein the first setting unit is configured to, in a case where an object displayed on the screen is operated, set another sheet holding unit as the sheet feed source of the separator sheet (See Shibazaki, Sect. [0033], The operational panel 15 displays various types of screens operable for the user and accepts operations from the user such as a job setting operation or a job processing instruction. For a copy job, for instance, the image forming 1 receives a copy job setting operation by the user. The image forming device 1 determines a tray from which a sheet is fed from among the multiple paper feeding trays 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3 d and the manual bypass tray 4 based on the user's setting operation. Once the user instructs to start processing of the copy job, the image forming device 1 drives the image reader 10 and the automatic document feeder 11 to start the document reading operation, and carries out an operation to feed the sheet from the bundle of sheets stacked on the tray specified by the user one by one.) , and wherein the execution unit is configured to, in a case where the setting is not set on another sheet holding unit, resume executing the print job (See Shibazaki, Sect. [001] lines 14-17, The image forming unit 2 is capable of forming an image not only on a sheet fed from the feeder 3 but also on a sheet fed from the manual bypass tray 4.). Referring to Claim 7 , arguments analogous to claim 1 are applicable herein. Thus, “A printing apparatus” in claim 7 herein, is rejected for same reasons explicitly taught in the rejection of “A printing apparatus” in claim 1, respectively. Referring to Claim 8 , arguments analogous to claim 2 are applicable herein. Thus, The printing apparatus of claim 8 is rejected for same reasons explicitly taught in the rejection of “The printing apparatus” in claim 2, respectively. Referring to Claim 9 , arguments analogous to claim 3 are applicable herein. Thus, The printing apparatus of claim 9 is rejected for same reasons explicitly taught in the rejection of “The printing apparatus” in claim 3, respectively. Referring to Claim 11 , arguments analogous to claim 5 are applicable herein. Thus, The printing apparatus of claim 11 is rejected for same reasons explicitly taught in the rejection of “The printing apparatus” in claim 5, respectively. Referring to Claim 12 , arguments analogous to claim 6 are applicable herein. Thus, The printing apparatus of claim 12 is rejected for same reasons explicitly taught in the rejection of “The printing apparatus” in claim 5, respectively. Referring to Claim 13 , arguments analogous to claim 1 are applicable herein. The structural elements of “A printing apparatus” in claim 1 perform all of the operations of “A method” in claim 13. Thus, “A method” in claim 13 is rejected for reasons explicitly taught in the rejection of claim 1. Referring to Claim 14 , arguments analogous to claim 1 are applicable herein. The structural elements of “A printing apparatus” in claim 1 perform all of the operations of “A method” in claim 14. Thus, “A method” in claim 14 is rejected for reasons explicitly taught in the rejection of claim 1. Cited Art 07-96 AIA 17. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure Inui et al. (US PAT. No. 10,589,948 B2) discloses A sheet feeding apparatus includes a disengagement mechanism to disengage a rotary feeding member and a separation member to be apart from each other, a pressing portion to press an upper face of a sheet supported on a sheet supporting portion, and a detector to detect displacement of the sheet pressed by the pressing portion. A controller executes one mode among a plurality of modes to feed the sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion based on a detection result of the detector. In a first feed mode, a leading edge of the sheet passes a position of a separation portion with the rotary feeding member and the separation member disengaged by the disengagement mechanism. In a second feed mode, the leading edge of the sheet passes the separation portion with the rotary feeding member and the separation member engaged . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARRYL V DOTTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-5471. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abderrahim Merouan can be reached on 571-270-5254 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DARRYL V DOTTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683 /DARRYL V DOTTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 2 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 3 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 4 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 5 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 6 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 7 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 8 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 9 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 10 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 11 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 12 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 13 Art Unit: 2683 Application/Control Number: 18/883,929 Page 14 Art Unit: 2683
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