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)(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.
Claims 1, 5, 6, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Takai et al. (US PG Pub 2023/0400806).
For claim 1: Takai et al. teaches an image forming apparatus (see Fig. 2, Fig. 6A), comprising: a toner image carrier 51 configured to carry a toner image; a transfer roller 56 configured to form a transfer nip 50 with the toner image carrier P and to transfer the toner image on the toner image carrier 51 onto a sheet P; a fixing device 80 configured to fix the transferred toner image on the sheet P (see Fig. 6A), the fixing device 80 comprising: a rotatable heating body 81 configured to heat the sheet; and a rotatable pressure body 82 configured to form a fixing nip with the rotatable heating body 81 and to apply pressure to the sheet S (see paragraph 66); a movable chute 75 configured to guide the sheet, the movable chute 75 being located downstream of the transfer roller 56 and upstream of the fixing device 80 in a direction of conveyance of the sheet P (see Fig. 6A), and movable between a first position and a second position located further away (see Fig. 6A, in particular, a position that the device 75 passes through in moving between Fig. 6B and 6A), than the first position (see Fig. 6B), from a straight line connecting a downstream edge of the transfer nip and an upstream edge of the fixing nip as viewed in an axial direction of the transfer roller; a movement device 74, 79, 91 configured to move the movable chute; and a controller 460 configured to control the movement device to move the movable chute only between the first position and the second position (see paragraph 74, cam motor 450 for cam 74 is controlled by control unit 460), wherein the movable chute is movable to a third position (see Fig. 6A, the third position being the position of Fig. 6A, the second position a position between the positions of Fig. 6A and 6B as the apparatus transits between them) located further away, than the second position, from the straight line.
For claim 5: Takai et al. teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement device comprises a solenoid actuator 74, and wherein the controller controls the solenoid actuator to move the movable chute between the first position and the second position (see paragraph 76).
For claim 6: Takai et al. teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the movable chute has a guide surface 76 that guides a sheet P, and wherein the movement device 74, 79, 91 has a pushing surface 79 that pushes the movable chute from a guide-surface side of the movable chute (see Fig. 6A, the surface 79 pushes the guide surface of the movable chute from the guide surface side and also from the opposite side wherever it is contacted with the rotary member 79).
For claim 9: Takai et al. teaches the image forming apparatus of claim 1 wherein a downstream end of the movable chute in the direction of conveyance (see Fig. 6A, the end associated with rotary member 79) is located further away from the straight line when the movable chute is located in the second position than when the movable chute is located in the first position (the second position being a position in between Fig. 6A and 6B, the end of the chute is lower in that position than it is in Fig. 6B being the first position), and is located further away from the straight line when the movable chute is located in the third position than when the movable chute is located in the second position (see Fig. 6A, the chute is lowest and further away from a straight line on the horizontal which is the position of Fig. 6A).
For claim 10: Takai teaches an image forming apparatus (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 6A), comprising: a transfer roller 56 configured to transfer a toner image onto a sheet P (see Fig. 6A, roller 56 transferring image from belt 51 onto a sheet P); a fixing device 80 configured to fix the transferred toner image on the sheet P (see Fig. 6A); a movable chute 75 configured to guide the sheet P, the movable chute being located downstream of the transfer roller 56 and upstream of the fixing device 80 (as seen in Figs. 1, 6A and 6B) in a direction of conveyance of the sheet, and movable to a first position (see Fig. 6B), to a second position (see Figs. 6A and 6B, a position between the two shown positions which the device 75 passes through to exhibit one position and then the other), and to a third position (see Fig. 6A) in this order in a direction (see Fig. 6B, vertical direction of arrow being non-parallel to the surface of the sheet P being the arrow in Figs. 6A, 7A, 7B) nonparallel to a surface of the sheet P; a movement device configured to move the movable chute (see paragraph 74, cam motor 450 for cam 74 is controlled by control unit 460); and a controller 460 configured to control the movement device to move the movable chute only between the first position and the second position (see paragraph 74, cam motor 450 for cam 74 is controlled by control unit 460).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takai et al. (US PG Pub 2023/0400806).
For claim 4: Takai et al. teaches all of the limitations of claim 4 except the controller is configured to control the movement device, if it is determined that a sheet is jammed during conveyance of the sheet, to position the movable chute at the first position. However, Takai et al. teaches utilizing the contact position and the first position to prevent jams due to no contact between the sheet and the conveying unit (see paragraph 78) and thus recognizes effectiveness of advancing the sheet through contact with the conveyor 75 in a jam and to prevent jams. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to move the chute into the first position in the case of a jam for the purpose of remedying a jam as already recognized within Takai.
Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takai et al. (US PG Pub 2023/0400806) in view of Shimokawa et al. (US PG Pub 2016/0033910).
For claim 11: Takai et al. teaches all of the limitations of claim 11 except a fixing housing having an opening through which a sheet conveyed toward the fixing device passes; and a fixing shutter configured to move between an open position in which the opening is uncovered and a closed position in which the opening is covered. However, Shimokawa et al. teaches a fixing unit comprising a fixing housing 32 having an opening 32a through which a sheet conveyed toward the fixing device passes; and a fixing shutter 35 configured to move between an open position in which the opening is uncovered and a closed position in which the opening is covered (see Fig. 10, see paragraphs 69 and 70). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to provide a fixing housing, opening and shutter to the fixing device of Takai et al. for the purpose of preventing operator contact with the fixing device.
For claim 12: The combination of Takai et al. and Shimokawa et al. teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 11, and Shimokawa et al. teaches a main housing 1 (see Fig. 1); and a cartridge 3 installable into and removable from the main housing 1 (see paragraph 69), wherein the fixing shutter moves from the closed position to the open position in the process of the cartridge being installed into the main housing, and wherein the fixing shutter moves from the open position to the closed position in the process of the cartridge being removed from the main housing (see paragraph 70).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 7 and 8 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: Regarding claim 2, none of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches an image transfer apparatus having a movable chute movable between a first, second and third position, with a movement device to move the movable chute, wherein the movable chute is movable in a direction from the first position toward the third position in a state where the movement device is not actuated.
Regarding claim 7, none of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches a linkage configured to be moved by a driving force of the solenoid actuator, wherein the linkage comprises: a first link with one end connected to the solenoid actuator and movable in the axial direction; a second link connected to another end of the first link and rotatable about a first axis in response to movement of the first link; and a third link connected to the second link and having the pushing surface, the third link configured to push the movable chute toward the second position in response to rotation of the second link.
Regarding claim 8, none of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches an image forming having a movable chute and a movement device wherein the controller is configured to control the movement device, if it is determined that a sheet is jammed during conveyance of the sheet, to position the movable chute at the first position and the movable chute is rotatable about a second axis, and extends downstream from the second axis in the direction of conveyance, wherein the second position is lower than the first position, and wherein a distal end of the movable chute is located above the transfer nip when the movable chute is located in the first position, and the distal end of the movable chute is located below the transfer nip when the movable chute is located in the second position
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID H BANH whose telephone number is (571)270-3851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12-8PM.
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/DAVID H BANH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853