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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/26/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2019/0193432 A1 to Tsukuda et al. “Tsukuda.”
With regard to Claim 1, Tsukuda teaches a printing apparatus (1) comprising:
a feeding roller (42) configured to transport a medium (S) from an accommodation unit (5A) configured to accommodate the medium (S), the feeding roller (42) being provided in a transport path (CP1) disposed downstream of the accommodation unit (5A) in a transport direction (forward direction) in which the medium is transported (fig. 4A);
an intermediate roller (32) provided in the transport path and at a position downstream of the feeding roller (42) and configured to transport the medium (S);
a printing roller (70) provided at a position downstream of the intermediate roller (32) and configured to transport the medium toward a medium support portion (9) at which printing is performed on the medium (S) (fig. 8);
a first motor (22) configured to rotate the feeding roller (42) and the intermediate roller (32) through a power transmitting unit [0062];
the power transmitting unit configured to transmit power of the first motor to the feeding roller and the intermediate roller (fig. 14) [0081-0082]; and
a second motor (26) configured to rotate the printing roller (70), wherein
the power transmitting unit includes a connecting portion (33) in a transmission path configured to transmit power of the first motor (22) to the intermediate roller (32), and when external force acts, the connecting portion (33) allows the intermediate roller to rotate in accordance with the external force, the external force causing the intermediate roller (32) to rotate in a direction in which the medium is transported downstream [0075].
With regard to Claim 2, Tsukuda teaches wherein in the transmission path, the power transmitting unit includes a drive shaft (30) at which the intermediate roller (32) is rotatably provided, and the connecting portion (33) is provided between the intermediate roller and the drive shaft [0071-0072].
With regard to Claim 3, Tsukuda teaches wherein the connecting portion includes a one-way clutch (33) configured to allow the intermediate roller (32) to rotate in a direction in which the medium (S) is transported downstream when the external force acts on the intermediate roller (32) [0073].
With regard to Claim 4, Tsukuda teaches wherein when the first motor (22) rotates in one direction, power of the first motor (22) is transmitted to the intermediate roller (33) through the power transmitting unit to transport the medium downstream, and when the first motor (22) rotates in another direction, power of the first motor is transmitted to the feeding roller (42) and the intermediate roller (32) through the power transmitting unit to transport the medium downstream from the accommodation unit (5A) (fig. 8).
With regard to Claim 5, Tsukuda teaches further comprising a control unit (200), wherein when, as the printing roller (70) and the intermediate roller rotate (32), a previous medium transported downstream passes through a predetermined position disposed between the feeding roller and the intermediate roller in the transport path, the control unit (200) switches a rotational direction of the first motor from the one direction to the other direction to transport a next medium downstream from the accommodation unit [0041-0043, 0067 and 0072-0075].
With regard to Claim 6, Tsukuda teaches further comprising a medium detector (20) at the predetermined position (fig. 8), wherein when the medium detector changes from a detection state in which the medium is detected into a non-detection state in which the medium is not detected, the control unit (200) determines that the medium passed through the predetermined position [0066-0067].
With regard to Claim 7, Tsukuda teaches wherein the control unit (200) determines whether the medium passed through the predetermined position on a basis of an amount of transport of the medium transported downstream from a reference position that is set in advance [0042-0043 and 0066-0067].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20170052486 A1 discloses an image forming device includes: a conveyance unit; an image forming section; a plurality of storage units; and a sheet feeding roller, wherein provided are: one drive source; a first drive transmission system including a first one-way clutch; a second drive transmission system including: a second one-way clutch; and a first transmission interrupting unit; a third drive transmission system including: a third one-way clutch; and a second transmission interrupting unit; and a control unit, and the control unit is configured to: rotationally drive the drive source in the first direction at the time of the sending operation by the first sheet feeding roller; rotationally drive the drive source in the second direction at the time of the sending operation by the second sheet feeding roller; and rotationally drive the drive source in the second direction at the time of the sending operation by the third sheet feeding roller.
US 20160251182 A1 discloses a transport apparatus includes: a separation roller pair which is operated when power is transmitted from a first motor; a resist roller pair which is operated when power is transmitted from a second motor; an assist roller pair which is disposed between the separation roller pair and the resist roller pair in the transport direction of the document; a first transmission mechanism portion which transmits the power from the first motor to the assist roller pair; a second transmission mechanism portion which transmits the power from the second motor to the assist roller pair; and a control portion which controls operation aspects of each roller pair.
US 8979088 B2 discloses a sheet feeding portion is provided with a pair of separation rollers that include a feed roller which conveys the sent sheet and a retard roller which applies a rotation force to return the sheet in a direction opposite to a sheet feeding direction through a torque limiter in a state of being pressed against the feed roller. The sheet feeding portion further includes a rotation transmitting mechanism that transmits a rotation of the retard roller, at the time of sending the sheet to the sheet feeding direction, to the pickup roller and a changing mechanism that switches a retard pressure, which allows the retard roller to be pressed against the feed roller, according to a reaction force that is transmitted to the retard roller from the pickup roller.
CN 104290465 A discloses a printing device and a control method. The printing device of the invention includes a printing unit, a conveying unit, a driving transmission unit for driving source, a feeding unit, a discharging unit, a control unit, a switching unit for driving the state of the switching mechanism and limit the discharge unit of the reverse feeding of the limiting mechanism. feeding of the printing medium in the control unit according to the subsequent printing medium printing start position changes the subsequent.
Communication with the PTO
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHARON A POLK whose telephone number is (571)270-7910. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7-3.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas Rodriguez can be reached at 571-431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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SHARON A. POLK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Sharon Polk/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
Prosecution Insights