DETAILED ACTION
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Kawakita et al. (US Pub No. 2024/0286857 A1).
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
The claimed subject matter is found particularly in Fig. 15, when S66=N. Additionally, since the claimed condition of the last clause may not be met, the structure of Kawakita et al. reads upon the claim (see MPEP 2111.04 II) and Kawakita et al. discloses the function of determining whether air blowing is required based on sheet type. Applicant may either: add the other condition (i.e. the case of a sheet type that does not require air blowing) or delete “in a case” to overcome this interpretation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 5 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: None of the prior art of record shows the controls as claimed, particularly wherein air blowing is performed on a second sheet after printing is performed on a first sheet, in combination with the remaining elements (Claims 4 and 5).
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
In response to Applicant’s argument that “Kawakita discloses that air is blow to the sheet to be conveyed, based on a user setting. However, Kawakita does not disclose and suggest the following feature of amended Claim 1, which has a feature similar to that of allowed Claims 4 and 5. More specifically, Kawakita fails to teach or suggest "a controller that causes, in a case where a type of a first sheet detected by the paper type detection unit is a type that requires the air blowing, the air blowing unit to perform air blowing on a second sheet that is fed subsequent to the first sheet after the image forming unit performs printing on the first sheet, wherein the controller does not cause the air blowing unit to perform air blowing at least during a period from when the paper type detection unit detects the type of the first sheet to when the first sheet is fed to the image forming unit.", it is noted that while a controller has now been recited, the interpretation regarding contingent limitations (MPEP 2111.04 II) in the prior office action rejection has not been addressed and still applies as per the 102 rejection above.
Applicant's arguments filed 4/24/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 PRASAD GOKHALE whose telephone number is (571)270-3543. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am - 5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael McCullough can be reached at (571) 272-7805. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PRASAD V GOKHALE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653 May 5, 2026
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