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 .
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.
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Drawings
Figure 1 appears to only show prior art and should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 11: “a downstream end” (line 1) is positively recited in claim 1, from which it is dependent. It is unclear whether this is the same downstream end or different. For the purpose of examination, they are being interpreted as being the same.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 11, 12, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kaiga et al. (US 2021/0109464).
Regarding claim 1, Kaiga et al. (hereinafter Kaiga) teaches an image forming apparatus comprising: a transfer unit 64 configured to transfer a toner image onto a sheet [0019]; a fuser 7 including a heater and configured to fix the toner image on the sheet conveyed from the transfer unit 64 [0020]; a movable chute located downstream of the transfer unit 64 and upstream of the fuser 7 in a first direction (see Fig. below), the first direction being a sheet conveyance direction from the transfer unit 64 toward the fuser 7 (Fig. 3), the movable chute having a downstream end in the first direction (see Fig. 3 below), the movable chute being movable between a first position (Fig. 1) and a second position different from the first position (Fig. 3), the downstream end of the movable chute located at the second position being farther from a sheet conveyance path than the downstream end of the movable chute located at the first position (Fig. 3), the sheet conveyance path being formed along the first direction; and a reconveyance chute configured to guide the sheet having passed the fuser to the transfer unit, the reconveyance chute forming a reconveyance path 9 of the sheet that is reconveyed from the fuser 7 toward the transfer unit 64 (Fig. 1), the reconveyance path being located between the movable chute and the reconveyance chute in a sheet thickness direction of the sheet (see Fig. below), the movable chute having a sheet conveyance surface (surface along the side with reference numeral 64) and a first reconveyance surface (surface along the side of reference numeral 94b), the sheet conveyance surface being configured to guide the sheet that is conveyed from the transfer unit 64 toward the fuser 7 along the sheet conveyance path (Fig. 1), the first reconveyance surface facing opposite to the sheet conveyance surface in the sheet thickness direction (Fig. 1), the first reconveyance surface forming the reconveyance path (Fig. 1).
[AltContent: textbox (reconveyance chute)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (sheet conveyance path)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (movable chute)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (downstream end)][AltContent: textbox (fuser)][AltContent: arrow]
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Regarding claim 11, Kaiga teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a downstream end of the movable chute in the first direction when the movable chute is located at the second position (Fig. 3) is located at a lower position than the downstream end of the movable chute in the first direction when the movable chute is located at the first position (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 12, Kaiga teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the sheet thickness direction is an upper-lower direction; and wherein the movable chute is located above the reconveyance chute, the movable chute forming an upper surface of the reconveyance path (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 17, Kaiga teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first reconveyance surface forms the reconveyance path when the movable chute is located at the first position (Fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10, 13-16, and 18-20 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.
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW V DO whose telephone number is (571)270-3420. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30-4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter L Lindsay can be reached at 571-272-1674. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WALTER L LINDSAY JR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2852
/A.V.D/Examiner, Art Unit 2852