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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. (JP 2012020508 A) (hereinafter Aizawa, Toshihiko et al.).
Regarding Claim 1, Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. teaches a sheet drying apparatus (14, Fig. 1) [Description Of Embodiments] comprising: a conveyance portion (16, Fig. 1) that conveys a sheet (P, Fig. 1) on which an image is formed with ink (12, Fig. 1) containing moisture [Description Of Embodiments]; and a drying portion (see Fig. 3) arranged opposite the conveyance portion (16), the drying portion (see Fig. 3) heating and drying the sheet (P), wherein the drying portion (see Fig. 3) includes a heating unit (40, Fig. 3) having a plurality of infrared heaters (44, Fig. 6C) that extends in a width direction horizontally orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet (P), the plurality of infrared heaters (44) arranged side by side along the conveyance direction [Description Of Embodiments]; and a plurality of reflectors (45, Fig. 6C) that surround the infrared heaters (44) from a direction opposite to the conveyance portion, and a hot air fan ( arranged opposite the conveyance portion across the heating unit, the hot air fan (60/90/92, Figs. 3 and 6C) blowing toward the conveyance portion hot air heated as a result of air passing through an interval between the reflectors (gaps in between the reflectors in Fig. 6C) [Description OF Embodiments], and the plurality of reflectors (45) include as many reflectors as the infrared heaters (44) arranged such that each reflector (45) surrounds one infrared heater (44) individually [Description Of Embodiments, Fig. 6C].
Regarding Claim 11, Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. teaches an image forming system (see Fig. 1) comprising: an image forming apparatus (S, Fig. 1) that performs image formation on a sheet (P, Fig. 1) with ink (12) containing moisture [Description Of Embodiments]; and the sheet drying apparatus (14, Fig. 1) according to claim 1 that is coupled to the image forming apparatus (S) at a downstream side thereof in the conveyance direction of the sheet (P), the sheet drying apparatus (14) drying the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus (S) [Description Of Embodiments].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. (JP 2012020508 A) (hereinafter Aizawa, Toshihiko et al.) in view of Nakano (2017/0217211) (hereinafter Nakano).
Regarding Claim 2, Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. teaches the sheet drying apparatus (14) [Description Of Embodiments].
Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. fails to teach wherein the interval between the adjacent reflectors is individually adjustable.
Nakano teaches wherein the interval between the adjacent reflectors is individually adjustable [Paragraphs 0067, 0085-0086, and Figs. 6, 15].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the interval between the adjacent reflectors is individually adjustable as taught by Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. as modified by Nakano is for the purposes of matching the amount of heaters with the width of the sheet in a printing apparatus [Nakano, Paragraphs 0066-0067 and 0085-0086].
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. (JP 2012020508 A) (hereinafter Aizawa, Toshihiko et al.) in view of Suzuki (2022/0032661) (hereinafter Suzuki).
Regarding Claim 6, Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. teaches the sheet drying apparatus (14) [Description Of Embodiments].
Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. fails to teach wherein a tilt of the reflectors in the conveyance direction as seen from the width direction is adjustable to be equal for all the plurality of reflectors.
Suzuki teaches wherein a tilt of the reflectors in the conveyance direction as seen from the width direction is adjustable to be equal for all the plurality of reflectors [see Paragraph 0085 and Fig. 8 to see that individual reflectors can be tilted].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein a tilt of the reflectors in the conveyance direction as seen from the width direction is adjustable to be equal for all the plurality of reflectors as taught by Aizawa, Toshihiko et al. as modified by Suzuki is for the purposes of drying a sheet without moving the heater [Suzuki, Paragraph 0058].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 and 7-10 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: The primary reason for the allowance of claims 3-5 is the inclusion of the limitation of a sheet drying apparatus that includes a reflector mechanism moving reflectors in a conveyance direction; and a control portion controlling the reflector driving mechanism, wherein the control portion adjusts an interval between adjacent reflectors on the basis of a print ratio of a sheet on the conveyance portion. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claims 7-8 is the inclusion of the limitation of a sheet drying apparatus that includes a reflector driving mechanism swinging a lower end part of the reflectors in a conveyance direction; and a control portion controlling the reflector driving mechanism, wherein the control portion adjusts a tilt of the reflectors in a conveyance direction on the basis of a print ratio of a sheeting on the conveyance portion. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 9-10 is the inclusion of the limitation of a sheet drying apparatus that includes a pair of auxiliary reflectors at opposite ends of reflectors in a width direction, the arrangement of the pair of auxiliary reflectors is opposite each other in the width direction. It is this limitation found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LISA SOLOMON whose telephone number is (571)272-1701. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:30am -6pm, EST.
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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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/LISA SOLOMON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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