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 .
Application, submitted on 12/17/2024, has been received, entered, and made of record. Currently, claims 1-3 remain pending in the application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The submitted information disclosure statements (IDS) were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner as indicated. However, Applicant has not provided an explanation of relevance of cited document(s) discussed.
Specification
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 § 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 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuroki et al. (hereinafter referred to Kuroki, US 2007/0285738 A1) in view of DeMoore et al. (hereinafter referred to as DeMoore, US 2006/0065144 A1).
Referring to claim 1, Kuroki discloses an electronic apparatus (figs.2-3), comprising
plural motor units ([0049]) (Note: plurality of scanner motors 102);
wherein for each of the plural motor units, a counter (fig.3, counter 305) configured to count an accumulated number of rotations or accumulated operation time and display any of the accumulated number of rotations, the accumulated operation time and a remaining lifetime based on the accumulated number of rotations or the accumulated operation time ([0018], [0049], fig.8 and [0090]-[0093]) (Note: for each of the plural scanner motors, a counter is configured to count an accumulated number of rotations of the motor, and display the accumulated number of rotations, based on the accumulated number of rotations).
Kuroki fails to disclose plural motor units exchangeable with each other; and wherein each of the plural motor units comprises a counter configured to count an accumulated number of rotations or accumulated operation time.
However, in the same field of endeavor of electronic apparatus art, DeMoore discloses wherein a motor unit comprises a counter (fig.14, counter 400) configured to count an accumulated number of rotations or accumulated operation time ([0067] and [0070]) (Note: the reference discloses a motor unit comprising a counter (timer) configured to count an accumulated number of rotations or accumulated operation time).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to replace each of the plural motor units of Kuroki with a motor unit comprising a counter as taught by DeMoore. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to reduce the size of the electronic apparatus and provide precise, real-time data on rotations.
Kuroki in view of DeMoore fails to disclose motor units exchangeable with each other. However, it would have been obvious to a person of routing skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to use motor units that are exchangeable with each other. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been for easy repair and lower maintenance costs.
Referring to claim 3, Kuroki in view of DeMoore discloses the electronic apparatus according to claim 1. Kuroki further discloses:
a display device (fig.3, operation panel 313); and
a controller (fig.3, CPU 301);
wherein the controller reads count values of the counters from the plural motor units and displays the count values on the display device ([0047]-[0049] and [0090]-[0093]).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuroki in view of DeMoore, and further in view of Chong (US 2023/0251354 A1).
Referring to claim 2, Kuroki in view of DeMoore discloses the electronic apparatus according to claim 1. Kuroki discloses wherein each of the motor units comprises a housing and a motor (figs.1-2 and [0035]).
Kuroki in view of DeMoore fails to disclose a motor unit comprising a gear configured to connect with an external gear; and the gear is enabled to be apart from the external gear when the motor unit is exchanged.
However, in the same field of electronic apparatus art, Chong discloses a motor unit comprising a gear configured to connect with an external gear; and the gear is enabled to be apart from the external gear when the motor unit is exchanged (figs.1 and 5A-5B).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention by the applicant to modify each of the plural motor units of Kuroki in view of DeMoore with a motor unit comprising a gear configured to connect with an external gear; and the gear is enabled to be apart from the external gear when the motor unit is exchanged as taught by Chong. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been for an easy repair.
Conclusion
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/MOUSTAPHA DIABY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683
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