DETAILED ACTION
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) 1-4, 7, 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koshida (US Pat No 9,651,913).
Regarding claim 1, Koshida discloses a sheet conveying device comprising:
a body (1);
a first guide (e.g. opposed to 37, shown in figure 2) in the body;
a cover (93) configured to open and close the body to expose at least a part of the first guide at an opened state of the cover;
a second guide (37) in the cover, the second guide facing the first guide and configured to form a sheet conveyance path at a closed state of the cover;
a detector configured to detect a sheet passing through the sheet conveyance path, the detector including:
a feeler (121) in the cover and movable relative to the second guide, the feeler including:
a detected portion (121b) movable in conjunction with the sheet passing through the sheet conveyance path; and
a first contacted portion (121a) attached to the detected portion; and
a photosensor (122) in the body, the photosensor having a detection region configured to detect the detected portion entering the detection region by the photosensor; and
a positioner (302) in the body to contact the contacted portion to position the detected portion in the detection region when the sheet is not in the sheet conveyance path.
It is noted that the positioner disclosed by Koshida is not disposed in the body. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have modified the device taught by Koshida such that the body included the positioner instead of the cover, thereby performing the same action required by Koshida for a slightly different position within the apparatus. The functionality disclosed by Koshida would not change, merely the position of the disclosed regulating portion, which would still provide the disclosed critical function of receiving the weight of the light shielding portion. Such a modification would merely require a simple rearrangement of parts, requiring routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 2, Koshida discloses the photosensor and the positioner are at the first guide.
Regarding claim 3, it is noted that Koshida fails to disclose the photosensor and positioner being integral. However, it’s been held that making pieces integral is obvious engineering choice (see MPEP 2144.04) and further the applicant’s reasoning for making the parts integral do not impart insights which is not understood in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious at the time of filing to have made these parts integral with one another.
Regarding claim 4, Koshida discloses wherein a rotatable angle of the feeler at the closed state of the cover is smaller than a rotatable angle of the feeler at the opened state of the cover (e.g. since the regulation portion only comes into contact with the light shielding portion while in the closed position).
Regarding claim 7, Koshida discloses a spring (190) in the second guide configured to bias the feeler against the positioner.
Regarding claim 9, Koshida discloses a support shaft (92a) in the body and rotatably supporting the cover; and a reinforcement (36) in the cover, wherein the reinforcement is closer to the support shaft than to the feeler.
Regarding claim 10, Koshida discloses a sheet conveying device (shown in figure 1).
Regarding claim 11, Koshida disclose a fixing device exposed by opening the cover (shown in figures 2-4).
Regarding claim 12, Koshida discloses a sheet processing device (shown in figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14 and 15 are allowed.
Claims 5, 6, 8, and 13 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 on record discloses or suggests each and every limitation of the applicant’s claims. Specifically, the additional contacted portion and its relative position, the claimed additional structure of the feeler (including the additional contacted portion), and the first and second guide engagement, and the positioner having a specific structure.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/16/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to the applicant’s argument that the change in position of the sensor of Koshida would not be obvious to on having ordinary skill; it is noted that the structure of sheet contact and shielding portion of Koshida are provided through a slit in the conveyance guide, and while a simple rearrangement of parts would move the rotational fulcrum to the body side, the slit would still be required to allow full rotation of the sheet contact portion to be enabled to reach the standby position, shown in figure 7a. One having routine skill int the art would understand how to enable the function of the sensor while changing the part that the sensor is provided on, as such a modification is fairly routine and experimental. The proposed modification is not changing the overall structure to not include the disclosed features.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anita Coupe can be reached at (571)270-3614. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Patrick Cicchino/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
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