DETAILED ACTION
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 .
2. Claims 1-8 are pending in this application.
Priority
3. Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on application JP 2023-185102 filed on 10/27/2023 under 35 U.S.C 119(a)-(d).
Drawings
4. The drawing has been filed on 10/22/2024 are acceptable for examination purpose.
Information Disclosure Statement
5. The information disclosure statement filed on 10/22/2024 is in compliance with the provision of the 37 CFR 1.97 and therefore has been considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
7. Claims 1, 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagata et al. [hereafter Nagata], US Pub 2023/0089229 in view of Nagasawa, JP Pub 2005-072740 (cited in IDS).
As to claim 1 [independent], Nagata teaches a reading apparatus comprising [figs. 1 & 7, element 400; 0019, 0041, 0106-0108]:
a first roller pair [figs. 8-9, elements 404-409; 0108] configured to convey a document in a first direction [figs. 8-9, elements 404-409; 0108 Nagata teaches that conveyance roller 405, the conveyance roller pairs 407, 408, and 409 correspond to a first roller pair convey document in (first direction) a direction that can interpretated as discharge direction];
a reading unit [figs. 8-9, element E (E1, E2); 0109-0111] provided downstream of the first roller pair in the first direction and configured to read the document [figs. 8-9, element E (E1, E2); 0109-0111 Nagata teaches that the scanning device E is located downstream of the first conveyance roller pair 404-409 in the first direction to read the document];
a second roller pair [figs. 8-9, element 410; 0108] provided downstream of the reading unit in the first direction and configured to convey the document [figs. 8-9, element 410; 0108 Nagata teaches that the discharging roller pair 410 correspond to a second roller pair is located downstream of the scanning device E & the first conveyance roller pair 404-409 in the first direction to convey or output the scanned document toward discharging tray 403];
a discharge port [figs. 8-9, element 403; 0108] provided downstream of the second roller pair in the first direction and configured to discharge the document out of the apparatus [figs. 8-9, element 410; 0108 Nagata teaches that the discharging roller pair 410 correspond to a second roller pair is located downstream of the scanning device E & the first conveyance roller pair 404-409 in the first direction to convey or output the scanned document toward discharging tray 403];
a motor [0048] configured to drive the second roller pair [figs. 8-9, element 410; 0048-0049, 0108 Nagata teaches that the discharging roller pair 410 correspond to a second roller pair is obviously being driven by “an unshown motor” as disclosed at least in para., 0048];
Nagata doesn’t teach a sensor configured to detect a rotation of the motor; and
a control unit configured to, in a case where the sensor detects a predetermined rotation of the motor in a state where the document having been read by the reading unit is held and stopped via the second roller pair, drive the second roller pair to discharge the document from the discharge port.
Nagasawa teaches a sensor configured to detect a rotation of the motor [fig. 2, element 10 & fig. 4; page 4, lines 18-25 Nagasawa teaches that processor 10 (CPU 10) obviously detects the detect a rotation of the motor]; and
a control unit [fig. 2, element 10 “processor 10 (CPU 10)”; page 3] configured to, in a case where the sensor detects a predetermined rotation of the motor in a state where the document having been read by the reading unit is held and stopped via the second roller pair ([fig. 2, element 10 & fig. 4; abstract, page 2, lines 13-23, page 4, lines 18-25 Nagasawa teaches that processor 10 (CPU 10) obviously detects the detect a rotation of the motor in a state where the document is read/scanned is held and stopped via the second roller pair 103]), drive the second roller pair to discharge the document from the discharge port [page 2, lines 1-6 Nagasawa teaches that processor 10 (CPU 10) obviously performs the sheet discharge operation].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Nagasawa teaching to drive motor when the scanned document is held at the second roller pair to modify Nagata’s teaching to stop original document drive device, when the sub-scanning length of original document exceeds prestored value, so that the original document is held by document carrying roller pair. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been benefitted to the user to prevent dropping of document due to self-weight, by holding document by device after completion of reading operation.
As to claim 5 [dependent from claim 1], Nagasawa teaches wherein, in a state where the document having been read by the reading unit is held via the second roller pair, the control unit prompts a user to perform a predetermined action [fig. 2, element 10 & fig. 4; abstract, page 2, lines 13-23, page 4, lines 18-25 Nagasawa teaches that processor 10 (CPU 10) obviously detects the detect a rotation of the motor in a state where the document is read/scanned is held and stopped via the second roller pair 103 and user further issue instruction to perform further action].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Nagasawa teaching to drive motor when the scanned document is held at the second roller pair to modify Nagata’s teaching to stop original document drive device, when the sub-scanning length of original document exceeds prestored value, so that the original document is held by document carrying roller pair. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been benefitted to the user to prevent dropping of document due to self-weight, by holding document by device after completion of reading operation.
As to claim 6 [dependent from claim 1], Nagasawa teaches a display unit configured to display a message to the user [fig. 2, element 10 & fig. 4; abstract, page 2, lines 13-23, page 4, lines 18-25 Nagasawa teaches that processor 10 (CPU 10) obviously detects the detect a rotation of the motor in a state where the document is read/scanned is held and stopped via the second roller pair 103 and user further issue instruction to perform further action].
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Nagasawa teaching to drive motor when the scanned document is held at the second roller pair to modify Nagata’s teaching to stop original document drive device, when the sub-scanning length of original document exceeds prestored value, so that the original document is held by document carrying roller pair. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been benefitted to the user to prevent dropping of document due to self-weight, by holding document by device after completion of reading operation.
As to claims 7-8 [independent], However, the independent claims 7-8 essentially claimed same subject matter as claimed in the independent claim 1 for/and/with other claim limitations, and are therefore the independent claims 7-8 would be rejected based on same rationale as applied to the independent claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
8. Claims 2-4 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.
9. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The dependent claims 2-3 are allowable over the prior arts of record (or cited or listed above) since the cited references taken individually or in combination fails to particularly anticipate or disclose or suggest the claim limitations recited “wherein the sensor includes an encoder, and wherein, upon acquisition of a predetermined output of the encoder, the control unit drives the second roller pair to discharge the document from the discharge port., wherein, upon acquisition of continuous pulses from the encoder a first number of times, the control unit drives the second roller pair to discharge the document from the discharge port, and wherein, upon acquisition of continuous pulses a second number of times fewer than the first number of times, the control unit maintains the state where the document is held by the second roller pair”, in combination with all other limitations as claimed.
The dependent claim 4 is allowable over the prior arts of record (or cited or listed above) since the cited references taken individually or in combination fails to particularly anticipate or disclose or suggest the claim limitations recited “wherein, in a case where the sensor detects that the motor rotates in the first direction and then rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the control unit drives the second roller pair to discharge the document from the discharge port”, in combination with all other limitations as claimed.
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARIS SABAH whose telephone number is (571)270-3917. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday/Friday from 9:00AM to 5:30PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Benny Tieu, can be reached on (571)272-7490. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. The Examiner’s personal fax number is (571)270-4917.
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/HARIS SABAH/Examiner, Art Unit 2682
Prosecution Insights