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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/11/2024 was considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 11/11/2024 are acceptable for examination by the examiner.
Title
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
(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, 3-5, 7-8, and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by YOSHIDA (US 2020/0166864 A1).
Regarding claim 1, TOSHIDA teaches a first light source device 40M configured to emit a first beam; a second light source device 40Y configured to emit a second beam (shown in figure 3); a deflector 41 including a polygon mirror (shown in figure 4) rotatable about a rotation axis O extending in a first direction, the deflector 41 being configured to deflect the first beam and the second beam; a first scanning optical system including a first scanning lens 45a on which the first beam deflected by the deflector is configured to be incident, the first scanning optical system (shown in figures 3-4) being configured to form an image on a first surface to be scanned using the first beam deflected by the deflector 41, the first scanning lens having an incident surface and an emitting surface opposite the incident surface; a second scanning optical system 40M including a second scanning lens on which the second beam deflected by the deflector 41 is configured to be incident, the second scanning optical system being configured to form an image on a second surface to be scanned using the second beam deflected by the deflector, the second scanning lens being positioned on an opposite side of the polygon mirror from the first scanning lens (shown in figure 2) in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction (shown in figure 2); a frame including: a frame base wall on which the deflector 41 (see figure 5) is mounted; and a cover 50 [0040] including: a cover base wall positioned on an opposite side of the deflector from the frame base wall in the first direction and covering the deflector, wherein the cover 50 further includes: a first light-shielding wall extending toward the frame base wall from the cover base wall, the first light-shielding wall being positioned between the polygon mirror and the first scanning lens, the first light-shielding wall overlapping with the incident surface when viewed in the second direction, and wherein the frame further includes: a second light-shielding wall extending toward the cover base wall from the frame base wall, the second light-shielding wall being positioned closer to the emitting surface than to the incident surface (figures 5-7; [0045-0049], the second light-shielding wall overlapping with the emitting surface when viewed in the second direction (figures 4, 11; [0052-0054]; reduces noise [0055-0057]; cover wall end A is closer to the emitting surface).
Regarding claim 3, wherein, when viewed in the first direction, the first light-shielding wall 51a has a recessed portion (opening 51c) recessed away from the rotation axis in the second direction (figure 7, 51a; [0047]).
Regarding claim 4, the first scanning lens has a center portion in a third direction orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction, wherein the first light-shielding wall has: a first part facing the rotation axis in the second direction; and a second part facing the center portion of the first scanning lens in the second direction, and wherein a distance from the rotation axis to the first part in the second direction is greater than a distance from the rotation axis to the second part in the second direction (figure 4, [0057].
Regarding claim 5, wherein the first scanning lens 45a includes: a protruding part 53 protruding toward the polygon mirror from the center portion of the first scanning lens, and wherein the frame includes: a recessed part in which the protruding part is fitted [0050].
Regarding claim 7, the emitting surface is a convex surface and has a center portion in a third direction orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction, the center portion O of the emitting surface protruding in the second direction, and wherein the second light-shielding wall has a shape in conformance with the emitting surface when viewed in the first direction (figure 4; [0052-0054] does not interfere with the emitted light).
Regarding claim 8, the second light-shielding wall has an end surface close to the cover base wall, the end surface being inclined so as to extend toward the frame base wall away from the first scanning lens in the second direction.
Regarding claims 13-15, an image forming apparatus and a scanning optical device comprising: a scanning optical device comprising: a first light source device configured to emit a first beam; a second light source device configured to emit a second beam; a deflector including a polygon mirror rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a first direction, the deflector being configured to deflect the first beam and the second beam; a first scanning optical system including a first scanning lens on which the first beam deflected by the deflector is configured to be incident, the first scanning optical system being configured to form an image on a first surface to be scanned using the first beam deflected by the deflector, the first scanning lens having an incident surface and an emitting surface opposite the incident surface; a second scanning optical system including a second scanning lens on which the second beam deflected by the deflector is configured to be incident, the second scanning optical system being configured to form an image on a second surface to be scanned using the second beam deflected by the deflector, the second scanning lens being positioned on an opposite side of the polygon mirror from the first scanning lens in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a frame including: a frame base wall on which the deflector is mounted; and a cover including: a cover base wall positioned on an opposite side of the deflector from the frame base wall in the first direction and covering the deflector, wherein the cover further includes: a first light-shielding wall extending toward the frame base wall from the cover base wall, the first light-shielding wall being positioned between the polygon mirror and the first scanning lens, the first light-shielding wall overlapping with the incident surface when viewed in the second direction, wherein the frame further includes: a second light-shielding wall extending toward the cover base wall from the frame base wall, the second light-shielding wall being positioned closer to the emitting surface than to the incident surface, the second light-shielding wall overlapping with the emitting surface when viewed in the second direction, and wherein the scanning optical device is provided while the frame base wall is positioned upward of the deflector and the cover base wall is positioned downward of the deflector {claim 15, the scanning optical device further comprising: a second light-shielding wall extending toward the cover base wall from the frame base wall, the second light-shielding wall being positioned closer to the emitting surface than to the incident surface, the second light-shielding wall overlapping with the emitting surface when viewed in the second direction} (figures 4, 11; [0052-0054]; reduces noise [0055-0057]; the length of K1 and K2 are different and the ends A and B are different distances to the emitting surface).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 6, and 9-12 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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANA GRAINGER whose telephone number is (571)272-2135. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter Lindsay can be reached on 571-272-1674. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/QUANA GRAINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
QG