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
The Title has been updated according to the amended Specification dated 05/20/2026. The objection to the Title has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Independent Claim 5 recites inter alia, “the second positioning portion in which the rotation shaft is inserted as the fixing device is inserted into the image forming apparatus and the second positioning portion
For the purpose of examination over prior art, this limitation is interpreted as:
the second positioning portion, in which the rotation shaft is inserted as the fixing device is inserted into the image forming apparatus, being a groove U-shaped as seen in a side view that has a cutout portion in a downstream part thereof in an insertion direction of the fixing device.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by US 2021/0200127 to Taguchi or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Taguchi in view of US 2023/0314993 to Hatakeyama et al.
Taguchi teaches:
(claim 5) A fixing device (8) comprising:
a fixing member (81) configured with a heated rotating member (120) and a pressing rotating member (82) kept in pressed contact with the heated rotating member to form a fixing nip portion (NP);
a housing (FL) that houses the fixing member [0059];
a side cover (83) fitted to at least one end of the housing in a longitudinal direction;
a pressing mechanism (300) that adjusts pressure between the heated rotating member and the pressing rotating member [0061]; and
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a unit side gear (G10, Fig.6) that is coupled with a main body side gear (GA, Fig.6) provided on a main body of an image forming apparatus, the unit side gear transmitting a driving force to the fixing member or the pressing mechanism [0093],
wherein
the side cover has a first positioning portion (see arrow B in annotated Fig.6) that positions the unit side gear and a second positioning portion (see arrow A in annotated Fig.6) that positions the main body side gear,
the fixing device heats and presses a sheet passing through the fixing nip portion to fuse and fix an unfixed toner image on the sheet [0031],
the fixing device is inserted in a direction orthogonal to a rotation shaft of the main body side gear (GA) with respect to the image forming apparatus (substantially horizontal in Fig.5), and
the second positioning portion in which the rotation shaft is inserted as the fixing device is inserted into the image forming apparatus (in a direction diagonally out of the page in Fig.6), and the second positioning portion
(claim 2) The fixing device according to claim 5, wherein the second positioning portion positions the main body side gear coupled with the unit side gear positioned by the first positioning portion (Fig.6).
(claim 6) The fixing device according to claim 5, wherein the unit side gear is a driving input gear that transmits a rotational driving force to the fixing member, and the first positioning portion is a gear cover portion that covers an outer circumferential surface of the driving input gear (Fig.6).
(claim 7) An image forming apparatus (1, Fig.1) comprising: an image forming portion (5) that forms a toner image on a recording medium, and the fixing device (8) according to claim 5 that heats and presses the recording medium having the toner image formed by the image forming portion, to fix the toner image to the recording medium [0025].
IN THE ALTERNATIVE, if Taguchi is interpreted as not teaching the direction of insertion of the fixing device as applied above,
Hatakeyama discloses a fixing device (8) comprising: a fixing member (81) configured with a heated rotating member (BL) and a pressing rotating member (82) kept in pressed contact with the heated rotating member to form a fixing nip portion (N); a housing (40) that houses the fixing member; a side cover (50/90, Fig.6) fitted to at least one end of the housing in a longitudinal direction; a pressing mechanism (60) that adjusts pressure between the heated rotating member and the pressing rotating member; and a unit side gear (G2, Fig.6) that is coupled with a main body side gear (GD, Fig.7) provided on a main body of an image forming apparatus, the unit side gear transmitting a driving force to the fixing member or the pressing mechanism, wherein the fixing device heats and presses a sheet passing through the fixing nip portion to fuse and fix an unfixed toner image on the sheet [0051]. A groove 26 (analogous to positioning slot 27 of Taguchi) is provided in a side frame of the image forming apparatus to receive a protrusion 51 of the fixing device; Fig.10 shows the direction of attachment.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to interpret the direction of insertion of the fixing device of Taguchi and disclosed by Hatakeyama, thus rendering the fixing device according to Claim 5 obvious.
Claim(s) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0200127 to Taguchi.
Regarding claim 3, Taguchi teaches a fixing device according to claim 5, a unit side gear (G40, Fig.5) that is a depressurizing gear that transmits the driving force to the pressing mechanism, a main body side gear (GB, Fig.5) that is a depressurizing input gear that is coupled with the depressurizing gear, and the first positioning portion as a first bearing portion that rotatably supports a driving transmission shaft (MP) on which a unit side gear is fitted (see Fig.6). However, Taguchi does not explicitly disclose the unit side gear is a depressurizing gear in combination with the side cover first positioning portion of claim 5. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to replicate the support configuration between gears G10-GA to support gears G40-GB, such that the unit side gear is a depressurizing gear that transmits the driving force to the pressing mechanism to relieve the pressure, the main body side gear is a depressurizing input gear that is coupled with the depressurizing gear, and the first positioning portion is a first bearing portion that rotatably supports a driving transmission shaft on which the depressurizing gear is fitted, for at least the purpose of reliably securing position of the fixing device on the main body of the apparatus.
The modification above further renders obvious:
(claim 4) The fixing device according to claim 3, wherein the second positioning portion is a second bearing portion that rotatably supports a rotation shaft of the depressurizing input gear.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6, filed 05/20/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 2, 6, and 7 under 35 USC 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-8, filed 05/20/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 3-5 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered but are not persuasive. The Applicants point to the features of claim 5 they that they believe to be allowable and state that the cited art fails to teach these features. The Office respectfully disagrees and the rejection has been presented above.
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 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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