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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohata et al (US Pat No 10,604,372).
Regarding claims 1 and 9, Ohata discloses a sheet stacking apparatus comprising:
an image forming portion (4a) to form an image on a sheet;
a stacking tray (103) configured to stack sheets;
a lowering unit (see column 8, lines 63 through column 9, line 2) configured to lower the stacking tray as the sheets are stacked;
a conveyance unit (73) configured to convey a sheet toward the stacking tray;
a first action unit (81/82A) and a second action unit (81/82B) configured to act on both edge ends in a width direction of a sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray to align the sheet bundle; and
a permitting portion (e.g. top of the first action units) configured to permit a next sheet to be temporarily received above the stacking tray when the first action unit and the second action unit are acting on both the edge ends to align the sheet bundle (as shown in figure 7).
Regarding claim 2, Ohata discloses the first action unit and the second action unit configured to act so as to align the next sheet temporarily received by the permitting portion together with the sheet bundle that has been aligned when the next sheet is temporarily received (as shown in figure 7).
Regarding claim 3, Ohata discloses the first action unit and the second action unit include alignment portions configured to abut on both edge ends of the sheet bundle in the width direction when aligning the sheet bundle, and the permitting portion is formed on an upper surface of at least one of the alignment portions (as shown at least in figure 7).
Regarding claim 4, Ohata discloses each of the alignment portions includes a first portion and a second portion located upstream of the first portion in a direction in which the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance unit, and a length of the first portion is longer than a length of the second portion in a vertical direction (shown in figures 3 and 12).
Regarding claim 5, Ohata discloses at least one of the first action unit and the second action unit configured to be movable between an alignment position where the alignment of the sheet bundle in the width direction is performed and a position farther away from an edge end of the sheet bundle in the width direction than the alignment position (shown in figure 7), the conveyance unit is a pair of conveyance rollers (shown in figure 4) that nip and convey the sheet, and an upstream edge portion of the permitting portion in the direction in which the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance unit is positioned below a line obtained by extending a nip surface formed between the pair of conveyance rollers downstream in the conveyance direction in a state where the first action unit and the second action unit are at the alignment position (e.g. as shown in figure 6, the upstream edge portion must be below the nip line or else the sheet cannot be accepted by the cursor 81/82).
Regarding claim 7, Ohata discloses the permitting portion configured to be movable between a permitting position where it is permitted to temporarily receive the next sheet and a retraction position retracted from the permitting position (shown in figure 7).
Regarding claim 10, Ohata discloses a control unit (200, fig. 5) configured to control the lowering unit to lower the stacking tray so that a next sheet is temporarily received by the permitting portion when the first action unit and the second action unit are acting to align the sheet bundle (see col 8, line 63 through col 9, line 2).
Regarding claim 11, Ohata discloses a control unit (200, fig. 5) configured to, when discharging a predetermined sheet, control the conveyance unit to convey a leading end of a next predetermined sheet to a position downstream, in a conveyance direction, relative to an upstream edge of the permitting portion while the first action unit and the second action unit are acting to align the predetermined sheet on the stacking tray (as shown in figure 7).
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) 6 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohata et al in view of Shimada et al (US Pat No 11,155,109).
Regarding claim 6, Ohata discloses at least one of the first action unit and the second action unit configured to be movable between an alignment position where the alignment of the sheet bundle in the width direction is performed and a position farther away from an edge end of the sheet bundle in the width direction than the alignment position (shown at least in figure 7). It is noted that Ohata fails to disclose the inclination portion.
However, Shimada discloses a similar device having a permitting portion with an inclination portion (e.g. resting surfaces 50 are inclined) provided at an upstream edge portion of the permitting portion in a direction in which the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance unit and inclined to be directed downward toward an inside, in the width direction.
The combination discloses the sheet bundle is positioned in a state where the first action unit and the second action unit are at the alignment position. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have modified Ohata with the teachings of Shimada to achieve the predictable result of having less friction and drag acting on the sheets as they’re passed (see column 5, lines 15-26).
Regarding claim 8, Ohata discloses at least one of the first action unit and the second action unit configured to be movable between an alignment position where the alignment of the sheet bundle in the width direction is performed and a position farther away from an edge end of the sheet bundle in the width direction than the alignment position, the permitting position is a position above upstream edge portions of the first action unit and the second action unit in a direction in which the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance unit in a state where the first action unit and the second action unit are at the alignment position (shown in figure 7).
It is noted that Ohata fails to disclose the permitting portion being below the lower conveyance roller shaft. However, Shimada discloses a permitting portion (50) which is disposed below the lower shaft of the lower conveyance roller. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have modified Ohata with the teachings of Shimada to achieve the predictable result of conveying the sheet to the permitting portion without causing damage to the sheet as it’s conveyed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/23/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In response to the applicant’s argument that Ohata fails to disclose the claimed features of claim 1, specifically the last clause where they “do not permit a next sheet to be temporarily received above the tray when the cursor is acting on both ends to align the sheet bundle; as shown in figure 7 of Ohata, this process is explicitly performed. It’s not clear if the applicant is arguing that both cursors are required to support the sheet, in which case the applicant’s claim doesn’t require such a feature.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 Patrick Cicchino whose telephone number is (571)270-1954. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30AM to 5PM.
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/Patrick Cicchino/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
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