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 .
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 – 6, 9, 10, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fujii (US 2023/0280480 A1, cited in the IDS filed on 6/12/2025).
With respect to independent claim 1, Fujii teaches in Figs. 2, 4, 6, and 10 – 12 a radiation image scanner reading a radiation image from an imaging plate, comprising:
a stage body 61 including a supporting surface which is contactable with a back surface 64F of the imaging plate;
a positioning mechanism 70 with a positioning surface having contact with an edge portion of the imaging plate located on the supporting surface, the positioning mechanism positioning the edge portion from an outer side of the edge portion in an extension direction of the supporting surface and pressing the edge portion against the supporting surface;
an excitation light source 92 irradiating the imaging plate, held on the stage body, with excitation light; and
a photodetector 94 detecting emission light by the excitation light from the image plate,
wherein
an end edge of the positioning surface located in front of the supporting surface on a side farther away from the supporting surface is a distal end edge as shown in Fig. 10 - 12, and
the positioning mechanism is configured so that a state is changeable between a first state, in which the distal end edge is disposed away from the supporting surface by a first distance and a second state, in which the distal end edge is disposed away from the supporting surface by a second distance smaller than the first distance in Fig. 10; see reference numeral 72C.
With respect to dependent claim 2, Fujii teaches in paragraph [0142] wherein when a part of the positioning surface located on the supporting surface or a part of the positioning surface located on an extension of the supporting surface is a positioning reference part, the distal end edge is located closer to a center side of the supporting surface in relation to the positioning reference part.
With respect to dependent claim 3, Fujii teaches in paragraphs [9156 – 0157] wherein in the first state, the edge portion of the imaging plate is positionable using the positioning surface, and in the second state, the radiation image is readable from the imaging plate by the excitation light source and the photodetector.
With respect to dependent claim 4, Fujii teaches Fig. 10 wherein the positioning mechanism includes a height adjustable positioning part 72C configured to adjust a height with respect to the supporting surface, and the height adjustable positioning part includes the positioning surface.
With respect to dependent claims 5 – 6, Fujii teaches Figs. 13 – 17 wherein the positioning surface includes a main positioning surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the supporting surface and a main pressing surface continuously formed with the main positioning surface and protruding from the main positioning surface to face the supporting surface see the reference numeral 72D and wherein the main pressing surface is an inclined surface directed away from the supporting surface.
With respect to dependent claim 9, Fujii teaches in Figs. 9 – 10 wherein the height adjustable positioning part includes a discharge adjustable positioning part, the positioning mechanism includes a discharge base pivotably supporting the discharge adjustable positioning part around a rotating shaft along the supporting surface on the stage body, and the discharge adjustable positioning part is supported in a height-adjustable form with respect to the supporting surface via the discharge base reference numeral 72C.
With respect to dependent claim 10, Fujii teaches in Fig. 2 a stage body moving mechanism moving the stage body between a setting position, in which the imaging plate is set on the stage body and a reading position, in which the photodetector reads the radiation image in accordance with excitation light from the excitation light source; and a positioning part operation mechanism moving the height adjustable positioning part to reduce a height with respect to the supporting surface in accordance with movement of the stage body from the setting position to the reading position by the stage body moving mechanism see reference numerals 60, 62.
With respect to dependent claim 12, Fujii teaches in Fig. 2 wherein the height adjustable positioning part includes a discharge adjustable positioning part, the positioning mechanism includes a discharge base pivotably supporting the discharge adjustable positioning part around a rotating shaft along the supporting surface on the stage body, the discharge adjustable positioning part is supported in a height-adjustable form with respect to the supporting surface via the discharge base, the stage body moving mechanism moves the stage body from the setting position to a discharge position on a side opposite to the reading position, and the positioning part operation mechanism pivots the discharge adjustable positioning part so that the discharge adjustable positioning part moves away from the edge portion of the imaging plate in accordance with the movement of the stage body, from the setting position to the discharge position, by the stage body moving mechanism see reference numerals 60, 62.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 – 8, 11, and 13 – 20 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:
With respect to dependent claim 7 and its dependent claim 8, the prior art of record fails to teach or reasonably suggest:
wherein the positioning mechanism includes a sandwiching adjustable base movably supported on the stage body in a sandwiching direction along the supporting surface, and the height adjustable positioning part includes a biaxial direction adjustable positioning part supported in a height-adjustable form with respect to the supporting surface on the sandwiching adjustable base.
With respect to dependent claim 11, the prior art of record fails to teach or reasonably suggest:
wherein the positioning mechanism includes a sandwiching adjustable base movably supported on the stage body along a sandwiching direction along the supporting surface, the height adjustable positioning part includes a biaxial direction adjustable positioning part supported in a height-adjustable form with respect to the supporting surface on the sandwiching adjustable base, and the positioning part operation mechanism moves the sandwiching adjustable base toward the edge portion of the imaging plate in accordance with the movement of the stage body, from the setting position to the reading position, by the stage body moving mechanism.
With respect to dependent claim 13 and its dependent claims 14 – 20, the prior art of record fails to teach or reasonably suggest:
wherein the positioning mechanism includes a stage-side positioning part protruding from the supporting surface and a combination positioning part located away from the supporting surface, 0 the stage-side positioning part includes a stage-side positioning surface extending from the supporting surface or an extension of the supporting surface to a front side of the supporting surface, the combination positioning part includes a combination positioning surface which is configured to protrude from the stage-side positioning surface and face the supporting surface, the combination positioning part is changeable between a state of being combined with the stage-side positioning part and a state of being separated from the stage-side positioning part, in the first state, the combination positioning part is combined with the stage-side positioning part, the positioning surface, in the first state, includes the stage-side positioning surface and the combination positioning surface configured to protrude from the stage-side positioning surface and face the supporting surface, and an end edge of the combination positioning surface, located on a side farther away from the supporting surface, is the distal end edge, in the second state, the combination positioning part is separated from the stage- side positioning part, and the positioning surface in the second state includes the stage-side positioning surface, and an end edge of the stage-side positioning surface, located on a side farther away from the supporting surface, is the distal end edge.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Umemura (US 2009/0078893 A1) teaches an image reading scanner
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIHO KIM, Ph.D. whose telephone number is (571)270-1628. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8-5 EST.
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KIHO KIM, Ph.D.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2884
/Kiho Kim/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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