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.
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, 2, 6, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2023/0314993 to Hatakeyama et al.
Hatakeyama teaches:
(claim 1) 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 side cover has a first positioning portion (91, Fig.6) that positions the unit side gear and a second positioning portion (51, Figs.8 & 11) that positions the main body side gear [0085-0089], and
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].
(claim 2) The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the second positioning portion positions the main body side gear coupled with the unit side gear positioned by the first positioning portion [0088].
(claim 6) The fixing device according to claim 1, 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 [0079, 0081].
(claim 7) An image forming apparatus (1, Fig.1) comprising: an image forming portion (6) that forms a toner image on a recording medium, and the fixing device (8) according to claim 1 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 [0043].
Claim(s) 1, 2, 6, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0200127 to Taguchi.
Taguchi teaches:
(claim 1) 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, and
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].
(claim 2) The fixing device according to claim 1, 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 1, 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 1 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].
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.
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2023/0314993 to Hatakeyama et al., as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of US 2021/0200127 to Taguchi.
Regarding claim 3, Hatakeyama teaches the fixing device according to claim 2, wherein the first positioning portion is a first bearing portion that rotatably supports a driving transmission shaft on which the unit side gear is fitted but does not suggest the unit side gear is a depressurizing gear.
Taguchi discloses an image forming apparatus comprising a housing (main body) 2 and a fixing device 8. The housing comprises a main gear GA, that serves to transmit a driving force to a heating roller 120 of the fixing device, and a cam drive gear GB, that serves to transmit a driving force to a variable pressure control mechanism 300, that respectively mesh with unit side gears G10 and G40, supported at an outer surface of a side frame 83.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure an image forming apparatus according to claim 2 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 securely positioning the fixing device in the main body.
Claim(s) 3-5 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 1, 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 1. 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.
(claim 5) The fixing device according to claim 4, wherein the fixing device is inserted in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft of the depressurizing gear with respect to the image forming apparatus (horizontal in Fig.5), and the second positioning portion is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2008/0044203 discloses an image forming apparatus comprising a first intermediate gear 113 configured to transmit a driving force generated in an electrical motor to a heat roller gear 111 coupled to a heat roller gear 111; a tip end of gear shaft 119, configured to support the first intermediate gear 113, is supported by a U-shaped cutout portion 83A at an end support portion 83 provided to a fixing unit 80 (Fig.6).
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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