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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Asakma (JP H0986004 A).
Regarding claim 1, Asakma teaches a feed tray (feed tray 3; Figs 1-2, 8) comprising:
a first accommodation portion configured to accommodate a roll body, a first sheet-shaped medium being rolled in a roll shape as the roll body (roll sheet 5b is a continuous recording sheet is rotatably supported on a pair of left and right shaft 3m provided on the roll sheet holder 3g; [0044]; FIG. 8);
a bottom surface (the guide surface 3n are provided with guide rollers 3t the opening mounted rotatably on feeding cassette 3 of the guide channel 3s; [0039]; Figs 7-8); and
a partition member disposed at a position lower than a rotation axis of the roll body and extending along the bottom surface with facing the bottom surface, the bottom surface and the partition member defining an introduction path for guiding the first sheet-shaped medium unrolled from the roll body downstream in a conveyance direction (in the case of recording in the form of a roll or fanfold form of continuous recording sheet 5b, the trailing edge of the sheet guide 3h the removed state in the recording sheet 5b guide passage 3s to come up to the guide surface 3n the tip of the inserted in, the tip passes through the bottom of the paper feed tray portion 3a, push, as shown in FIG. 2, push until reaching the nip of the feed roller 4d and the pinch roller 4e; [0041]; Figs 2, 6-8; the bottom of the paper feed tray portion 3a is disposed at a position lower than the rotation axis of the roll sheet 5b).
Regarding claim 3, Asakma teaches a second accommodation portion configured to accommodate a plurality of second sheet-shaped media stacked in a first direction (a noncontinuous recording sheets 5a are stacked inside the sheet cassette 3; [0019]; FIG. 2; the sheet receiving portion 3e, the pressure plate 3p is provided for pressing the recording sheet 5a mounted on the feed roller 4r; [0036]; Figs 6-8),
wherein the partition member is configured to partition the second sheet-shaped media accommodated in the second accommodation portion and the first sheet-shaped medium in the first direction (the lower portion of the feeding tray 3a of the feeding cassette 3, the guide passage 3s are provided for guiding the feed rollers 4r and rolled recording sheet 5b; Figs 2, 6-8; [0019]; by using the guide passage 3s provided in the paper feed cassette 3, in without removing the recording sheet 5a which is stacked on the feeding tray 3a even when recording in the continuous recording sheet; [0042]; FIGs. 2, 6-8).
Regarding claim 4, Asakma teaches wherein the second sheet-shaped media accommodated in the second accommodation portion is stacked on the partition member in the first direction (a noncontinuous recording sheets 5a are stacked inside the sheet cassette 3; [0019]; FIG. 2; the sheet receiving portion 3e, the pressure plate 3p is provided for pressing the recording sheet 5a mounted on the feed roller 4r; [0036]; Figs 6-8).
Regarding claim 5, Asakma teaches a bottom wall (bottom wall of feeding tray 3a; Figs 6-8); and
a pair of side walls provided on respective edges of the bottom wall (left wall and right wall of sheet cassette 3; Figs 6-8),
wherein the partition member is supported by the pair of side walls and extends to a position of an end portion on a downstream side of the bottom wall in the conveyance direction (bottom of feeding tray 3a is supported by the left wall and the right wall of sheet cassette 3 and extends to the left end of the sheet cassette 3; Figs 6-8).
Regarding claim 7, Asakma teaches wherein the partition member is a plate-shaped member (bottom wall of feeding tray 3a is a plate-shaped member; Figs 2, 6-8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 6 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:
The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claim(s) 2 and 6 is the inclusion of “wherein the first accommodation portion comprises a support base configured to support the roll body from below, and wherein the first sheet-shaped medium unrolled from the roll body passes below the support base”. These limitations, as they are claimed in the combination, have not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, making claim(s) 2 and 6 allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENDRICK X LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-3798. The examiner can normally be reached MWFSa 10am-8pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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7 June 2026
/KENDRICK X LIU/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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