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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Specification
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.
JUMBO CASE - The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: an image carrying member, a transfer member, a voltage application unit in claim 1; a current detection unit in claim 2; a notification unit in claim 4; an image carrying member, a transfer member, a voltage application unit, a current detection unit in claim 7; a voltage control unit in claim 8; a notification unit in claim 10; an image carrying member, a transfer member, a voltage application unit, an output unit, a transmission unit, a reception unit, a notification unit in claim 13; a current detection unit, a voltage control unit in claim 14.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2006-258935 to Goto in view of US 9,158,242 to Saito.
Goto teaches:
(claim 1) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrying member (11, 20) configured to carry a toner image formed based on image information; a transfer member (15a, 22) configured to transfer the toner image carried on the image carrying member; a voltage application unit (18, 26) configured to apply a voltage to the transfer member; and a control unit (50) configured to obtain information about an amount of toner in the toner image from the image information (S14), obtain a correction value (S16) by correcting a voltage (V2) to be applied to the transfer member based on the information about the amount of toner (Fig.3);
(claim 2) further comprising: a current detection unit (an ammeter in the device 26), configured to detect a current flowing through the transfer member (22); and a voltage control unit (50) configured to control the voltage to be applied to the transfer member to cause a predetermined current to flow to the transfer member;
(claim 3) wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus configured to form an image using toner of a plurality of colors (YMCK), and wherein the information about the amount of toner is information about a maximum amount of toner (Max Cin) in a case where the maximum amount of toner corresponds to an amount of toner in a portion with a largest amount of toner in a toner image formed by superimposing a plurality of toner colors.
Goto appears silent about obtaining data on prediction of a life of the transfer member based on the correction value.
Saito discloses adjusting a target current for transfer according to measured transfer roller resistance and determining an end-of-life of a transfer roller when the applied voltage required for the target current to flow at the transfer portion is higher than a threshold voltage (Figs.3-5). When a predetermined time period has elapsed since a last image forming operation, new settings are stored at the time of a pre-processing operation. A warning unit includes a display unit configured to display that the transfer roller has reached its end-of-life.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Goto and Saito to configure the image forming apparatus such that a control unit is configured to obtain data on prediction of a life of the transfer member based on the correction value, for at least the purpose of accounting for changes in the total resistance at the transfer portion due to the presence of a toner image.
The combination further renders obvious:
(claim 4) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify a user of information about the life of the transfer member based on the data on the prediction of the life (Saito: col. 7 lines 37-41).
(claim 5) The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information about the life is information about a remaining life of the transfer member (Saito: col. 7 lines 37-41).
(claim 6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a timer configured to measure an elapsed time from a time when an image is formed, wherein the current detection unit executes current detection after a lapse of a predetermined period, wherein the voltage control unit controls the voltage to be applied to the transfer member based on the current, and wherein the control unit obtains the data on the prediction of the life of the transfer member based on the correction value obtained by correcting the voltage to be applied to the transfer member based on a voltage applied to the transfer member after the lapse of the predetermined period and the information about the amount of toner (Saito: col. 7 lines 1-7).
Goto teaches:
(claim 7) An image forming apparatus (Fig.1) comprising: an image carrying member (20) configured to carry a toner image formed based on image information; a transfer member (22) configured to transfer the toner image carried on the image carrying member; a voltage application unit (26) configured to apply a voltage to the transfer member; a current detection unit (an ammeter in the device 26) configured to detect a current flowing through the transfer member; and a control unit (50) configured to obtain information about an amount of toner in the toner image from the image information (S14), obtain a resistance value of the transfer member based on the voltage to be applied to the transfer member and the current (S12), obtain a correction value by correcting the resistance value based on the information about the amount of toner (S16);
(claim 8) further comprising a voltage control unit (26) configured to control the voltage to be applied to the transfer member to cause a predetermined current to flow to the transfer member;
(claim 9) wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus configured to form an image using toner of a plurality of colors (YMCK), and wherein the information about the amount of toner is information about a maximum amount of toner (Max Cin) in a case where the maximum amount of toner corresponds to an amount of toner in a portion with a largest amount of toner in a toner image formed by superimposing a plurality of toner colors.
Goto appears silent about obtaining data on prediction of a life of the transfer member based on the correction value.
Saito discloses adjusting a target current for transfer according to measured transfer roller resistance and determining an end-of-life of a transfer roller when the applied voltage required for the target current to flow at the transfer portion is higher than a threshold voltage (Figs.3-5). When a predetermined time period has elapsed since a last image forming operation, new settings are stored at the time of a pre-processing operation. A warning unit includes a display unit configured to display that the transfer roller has reached its end-of-life.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Goto and Saito to configure the image forming apparatus such that a control unit is configured to obtain data on prediction of a life of the transfer member based on the correction value, for at least the purpose of accounting for changes in the total resistance at the transfer portion due to the presence of a toner image.
The combination further renders obvious:
(claim 10) The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify a user of information about the life of the transfer member based on the data on the prediction of the life (Saito: col. 7 lines 37-41).
(claim 11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the information about the life is information about a remaining life of the transfer member (Saito: col. 7 lines 37-41).
(claim 12) The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a timer configured to measure an elapsed time from a time when an image is formed, wherein the current detection unit executes current detection after a lapse of a predetermined period, wherein the voltage control unit controls the voltage to be applied to the transfer member based on the current, and wherein the control unit obtains the data on the prediction of the life of the transfer member based on the correction value obtained by correcting the voltage to be applied to the transfer member based on a voltage applied to the transfer member after the lapse of the predetermined period and the information about the amount of toner (Saito: col. 7 lines 1-7).
Claim(s) 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2006-258935 to Goto in view of US 10,416,600 to Shibuya.
Goto teaches:
(claim 13) An image forming system comprising: an image forming apparatus (Fig.1) including: an image carrying member (20) configured to carry a toner image formed based on image information; a transfer member (22) configured to transfer the toner image carried on the image carrying member; a voltage application unit (26) configured to apply a voltage to the transfer member; and an output unit (200) configured to output a correction value obtained by correcting a voltage to be applied to the transfer member based on information about an amount of toner in the toner image obtained from the image information (correction value based on the combined resistance of the secondary transfer portion);
(claim 14) wherein the image forming apparatus further includes: a current detection unit (an ammeter in the device 26) configured to detect a current flowing through the transfer member; and a voltage control unit (50) configured to control the voltage to be applied to the transfer member to cause a predetermined current to flow to the transfer member;
(claim 15) wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus configured to form an image using toner of a plurality of colors (YMCK), and wherein the information about the amount of toner is information about a maximum amount of toner (Max Cin) in a case where the maximum amount of toner corresponds to an amount of toner in a portion with a largest amount of toner in a toner image formed by superimposing a plurality of toner colors.
Goto does not explicitly teach a server and an information processing apparatus as claimed.
Shibuya discloses an image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus (600) and a server (800). When prescribed timing comes, the image forming apparatus transmits to server, a resistance value of a transfer roller based on a result of measurement with voltage sensor. The server stores the received data in a resistance value history table and a hardware processor of the server predicts a serviceable period of transfer roller. According to the above, image forming apparatus itself does not have to perform processing for predicting a serviceable period of the transfer roller. Server can know a serviceable period of a member of connected image forming apparatus (col. 16 lines 29-54). When the serviceable period of the transfer roller exceeds a prescribed value, a serviceperson can be notified to replace the transfer roller and the image forming apparatus can be prevented from extended downtime (col. 13 lines 12-21).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further configure the system of Goto to further comprise
a server including: an obtaining unit connected to the image forming apparatus via a network and configured to obtain data on prediction of a life of the transfer member based on the correction value output from the image forming apparatus; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the data on the prediction of the life; and
an information processing apparatus including: a reception unit connected to the server via a network and configured to receive the data on the prediction of the life transmitted from the server; and a notification unit configured to notify a user of information about the life of the transfer member based on the data on the prediction of the life
for at least the purpose of reducing the amount of processing the image forming apparatus itself has to execute.
The modification above further renders obvious:
(claim 16) The image forming system according to claim 13, wherein the information about the life is information about a remaining life of the transfer member.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 7,676,164 discloses in an image forming system, a lifetime management device calculates remaining lifetime of process units, a transfer unit, a secondary transfer unit, a belt cleaning unit and a fixing unit mounted on an image forming apparatus based on an operation amount thereof and a predetermined lifetime index. Based on the remaining lifetime and a predetermined replacement index, the lifetime management device determines whether any unit needs to be replaced, and, if any, transmits a replacement request signal to an external information processor together with a signal indicating remaining lifetime of other units via a communication line.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARLENE HEREDIA whose telephone number is (571)272-8393. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephanie Bloss can be reached at (571)272-3555. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Arlene Heredia Ocasio/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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