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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been received.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS’s) submitted on 10 January 2025 and 07 July 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the Information Disclosure Statements have been considered by the Examiner.
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.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by UENO et al. (JP 2022148189-A Machine Translation).
As related to independent claim 1, UENO et al. teaches a sheet drying apparatus (UENO et al. – Paragraph 1) comprising: a conveyance portion that conveys a sheet on which an image has been formed with ink containing moisture (UENO et al. – Figure 2, Reference #30, shown below); a drying portion arranged opposite the conveyance portion (UENO et al. – Paragraph 6 and Figure 2, Reference #31 & #30, shown below), the drying portion heating and drying the sheet; a main body frame that accommodates the conveyance portion and the drying portion (UENO et al. – Figure 2, Reference #20, #30, & #31, shown below); an exterior cover that can be opened and closed, the exterior cover being attached to the main body frame (UENO et al. – Figure 8, Reference #62, shown below); an inner cover that can be opened and closed between the exterior cover and the drying portion, the inner cover in a closed state restricting access to the drying portion, the inner cover in an open state allowing access to the drying portion (UENO et al. – Figures 8 & 9, Reference #62, #61, & #31, shown below); a locking mechanism that locks the inner cover in the closed state (UENO et al. – Paragraphs 6, 57, & 59 and Figures 8 & 9, Reference #70, shown below); a temperature sensor [i.e. measuring unit] that senses a temperature in the drying portion (UENO et al. – Paragraphs 6, 31, & 59 and Figures 8 & 9, Reference #60 & #31, shown below); and a control portion that controls the locking mechanism, wherein the control portion makes the locking mechanism lock the inner cover in the closed state until the temperature in the drying portion sensed by the temperature sensor falls below a first temperature (UENO et al. – Paragraphs 56-64 and Figures 2, 8, & 9, Reference #33, #70, #61, #31, & #60, shown below).
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As related to dependent claim 2, UENO et al. continues to teach a heater arranged in the drying portion, the heater heating the sheet; and a heater voltage supply that energizes the heater, wherein the control portion makes the locking mechanism lock the inner cover in the closed state when the heater is energized or the temperature in the drying portion reaches or exceeds the first temperature, and the locking mechanism unlock the inner cover when the temperature in the drying portion reaches a second temperature lower than the first temperature (UENO et al. – Paragraphs 56-64 & 74 and Figures 2, 8, & 9, Reference #30, #70, & #60, shown above).
As related to further dependent claim 3, UENO et al. continues to teach the drying portion includes: a heating unit that can be raised and lowered between a heating position in which the heating unit is arranged opposite the conveyance portion and heats the sheet with the heater and a retracted position in which the heating unit is arranged away from the conveyance portion, and a unit ascent-descent mechanism [i.e. elevating unit] that raises and lowers the heating unit, wherein when a jam of the sheet is sensed between the conveyance portion and the heating unit, the control portion makes the unit ascent-descent mechanism raise the heating unit from the heating position to the retracted position at a same time that the inner cover is unlocked, or before the inner cover is unlocked (UENO et al. – Paragraphs 6 & 13).
As related to further dependent claim 4, UENO et al. continues to teach an image forming system comprising: an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet with ink containing moisture; and the sheet drying apparatus that is coupled to the image forming apparatus at a downstream side thereof in a conveyance direction of the sheet, the sheet drying apparatus drying the sheet having an image formed thereon by the image forming apparatus (UENO et al. – Paragraphs 6 & 19-27 and Figure 2, shown above).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Codos (US 2003/0043246 A1) teaches a sheet drying apparatus in an image forming apparatus. Moon (US 2007/0227446 A1) teaches an image forming apparatus with a unit that can be raised and lowered into processing position. Yokoyama (US 2008/0024582 A1) teaches an image forming apparatus with a unit that can be raised and lowered into processing position. Niekawa (US 2009/0231404 A1) teaches an image forming apparatus with a unit that can be raised and lowered into processing position. Casey et al. (US 11,884,088 B2) teaches an image forming apparatus and a sheet drying apparatus contained therein. TSUCHIYA (US 2024/0300251 A1) teaches a drying device in an image forming apparatus which includes a raising and lowering unit for the heater in the drying device. Kaneko et al. (US 12,545,035 B2) teaches a sheet drying apparatus in a printing device with a heat shielding section that can be raised and lowered to change the temperature.
Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular Figures & Reference Numbers, Columns, Paragraphs and Line Numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to JOHN P ZIMMERMANN whose telephone number is (571)270-3049. The Examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 0700-1730 EST.
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If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo Magallanes can be reached at (571) 272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/John P Zimmermann/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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