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)(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.
Claims 6, 9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaka et al. (US PG Pub 2021/0216027).
For claim 6: Tanaka et al. teaches a charge-eliminating apparatus 130 (see Fig. 4) configured to perform charge elimination on a sheet S onto which a toner image is transferred at a transfer portion TR, the charge-eliminating apparatus comprising: a charge-eliminating member 111, 112 configured to be brought into contact with the sheet S and perform charge elimination on the sheet S (see paragraph 82); a power source 115 configured to apply a voltage to the charge-eliminating member 111, 112 (see paragraph 83); a detection circuit 132, 145 configured to detect the voltage applied to the charge-eliminating member 111, 112 or a current flowing in the charge-eliminating member 111, 112; and a controlling unit 131 configured to control the power source, wherein the controlling unit performs: a first mode of applying the voltage from the power source to the charge-eliminating member using constant voltage control to cause the charge-eliminating member to perform charge elimination on the sheet (see paragraph 204, constant voltage control); and a second mode of applying the voltage from the power source to the charge-eliminating member using constant current control and determining a value of the voltage applied from the power source to the charge-eliminating member in the first mode based on a detection result from the detection circuit during passage of the sheet through the charge-eliminating member (see paragraph 112, constant voltage control in consideration of the values detected from the circuit 145).
For claim 9: Tanaka et al. teaches the charge eliminating apparatus of claim 6 wherein a relationship between the detection result of the detection circuit and the value of the voltage applied from the power source to the charge-eliminating member is changed based on at least one of a thickness and material of the sheet (see paragraph 112, the physical property of the sheet controls the voltage control of the device 111 through control 131, the physical property includes a thickness of the sheet, see paragraph 94).
For claim 11: Tanaka et al. teaches an image forming system (see Fig. 4) comprising an image forming apparatus 30, 50 configured to form an image on a sheet (see Fig. 4) and the charge-eliminating apparatus 130 according to claim 6 configured to perform charge elimination on the sheet having the image formed by the image forming apparatus (see Fig. 4)
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.
Claims 1, 4, 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka et al. (US PG Pub 2021/0216027) in view of Yoshikawa et al. (US PG Pub 2024/0160141).
For claim 1: Tanaka et al. teaches a charge-eliminating apparatus (see Fig. 4) configured to perform charge elimination on a sheet S onto which a toner image (see paragraph 69, transfer of a toner image via belt 30 onto the sheet S) is transferred at a transfer portion TR, the charge-eliminating apparatus 130 comprising: a charge-eliminating member 111, 112 configured to be brought into contact with the sheet S and perform charge elimination on the sheet S; a power source 115, 132 configured to apply a voltage to the charge-eliminating member 111, 112 (see paragraph 83); and a controlling unit 131 configured to control the power source 115 (see paragraph 83, Fig. 4), wherein the controlling unit determines a value of the voltage applied from the power source to the charge-eliminating member during charge elimination on the sheet by the charge-eliminating member based on a detection result from a detection circuit 145 (see paragraph 93, controlling based on detected conditions), and causes the voltage applied to the charge-eliminating member to undergo constant voltage control (see paragraph 38 and 112).
Tanaka et al. does not teach a contacting member configured to be brought into contact with the sheet downstream of the transfer portion in a sheet-conveying direction; a detection circuit configured to detect a voltage applied to the contacting member or a current flowing in the contacting member and that the voltage applied to the contacting member undergoes constant current control. However, Yoshikawa et al. teaches a contacting member 110 configured to be brought into contact with the sheet 2 downstream of the transfer portion 32 (see Fig. 6, at least in the embodiment of Fig. 6) in a sheet-conveying direction; a detection circuit 131 configured to detect a voltage applied to the contacting member or a current flowing in the contacting member (see paragraph 45) and the voltage applied to the contacting member undergoes constant current control (see Fig. 2, by continuous contact with iterative portions of the substrate). 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 modify the invention of Tanaka et al. to provide a contacting member to detect the voltage of the substrate by contact thereto for the purpose of adjusting the voltage applied to the elimination device to maximally eliminate static in variable conditions.
For claim 4: The combination of Tanaka et al. and Yoshikawa et al. teaches the charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 and Yoshikawa et al. teaches that wherein the contacting member 110 is situated upstream of the charge-eliminating member 151 in the sheet-conveying direction (see Fig. 3, see arrow), and wherein the controlling unit determines the value of the voltage applied to the charge-eliminating member to perform charge elimination on the sheet based on the detection result from the detection circuit (see Tanaka et al., paragraph 93) during passage of the sheet along the contacting member (in combination, utilizing the contacting member detection as a factor).
For claim 5: The combination of Tanaka et al. and Yoshikawa et al. teaches the charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 and Yoshikawa et al. teaches that the contacting member 110, 120 is a roller 110 and forms a first pair of rollers 110, 120 with a first opposing roller 120 to hold and convey the sheet, wherein the charge-eliminating member 151, 152 is a roller 151, 152 and forms a second pair of rollers 151, 152 with a second opposing roller 152 to hold and convey the sheet, and wherein no other roller configured to convey the sheet is situated between the first pair of rollers and the second pair of rollers (as seen in Fig. 3, no rollers interpose rollers 120, 152).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka et al. (US PG Pub 2021/0216027).
For claim 7: Tanaka et al. teaches the charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the detection circuit detects the voltage applied to the charge-eliminating member 111 (see Fig. 4, where the detection circuit is 145, 131, 132, the detection circuit includes the portion applying voltage to the charge-elimination member). Tanaka et al. does not teach that the controlling unit determines the value of the voltage applied from the power source to the charge-eliminating member in the first mode based on an amount of change in voltage detected by the detection circuit during passage of the sheet through the charge-eliminating member in the second mode. However, Yoshikawa et al. teaches a detecting member 131 with a contacting member 110 configured to be brought into contact with the sheet 2 downstream of the transfer portion 32 (see Fig. 6, at least in the embodiment of Fig. 6) in a sheet-conveying direction; a detection circuit 131 configured to detect a voltage applied to the contacting member or a current flowing in the contacting member (see paragraph 45) and the voltage applied to the contacting member undergoes constant current control (see Fig. 2, by continuous contact with iterative portions of the substrate). 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 modify the invention of Tanaka et al. to provide a contacting member to detect the voltage of the substrate by contact thereto for the purpose of adjusting the voltage applied to the elimination device to maximally eliminate static in variable conditions.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 8 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination teaches a charge eliminating apparatus having a controller with a first mode of applying voltage from the power source to the charge eliminating member to cause the charge eliminating member to perform charge elimination on the sheet, and a second mode of determining a value of the voltage applied in the first mode based on a detection result from the detection circuit, wherein, the value of voltage applied to the charge elimination member in the second mode is preset regardless of the detection result from the detection circuit as required by claims 3 and 8.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim 2 and 10 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: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the charge eliminating device of claim 1 further comprising a detection circuit detecting the voltage in the contacting member and the controlling member determining the value of the voltage applied for the power source to the charge eliminating member based on the amount of change in voltage detected by the detection circuit during passage of the sheet along the contacting member when the voltage is applied to the contact member using constant current control as required by claim 2. None of the prior art of record teaches a charge eliminating device having further a display, an input unit which a user input the value of the voltage applied form the power source to the charge eliminating member and wherein the controlling unit displays information about an amount of electrostatic charge on the sheet on the display based on a detection result from the detection circuit.
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