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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited on a Form PTO 1449 have been considered.
Specification
The specification has been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. However, the applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections
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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matsushima et al. (US Pub. 2011/0193927).
Matsushima et al. disclose in Figures 1-9 a thermal printer comprising:
Regarding claim 1, a storage unit (14) in which a roll-shaped printing medium (200) is stored (Figure 6D, paragraph 0057);
a print head (41) configured to print on the medium (200) (Figure 6D);
a first roller (roller) that is rotatable to draw out the medium (200) from the storage unit (14) while pressing the medium (200) against the print head (41) (Figure 6D, paragraphs 0091 and 0095);
a damper (52a) disposed between the storage unit (14) and the print head (41) and against which the medium (200) is pressed as a result of tension in the medium (200) that is drawn out from the storage unit (14) (Figure 6D);
an elastic body (52b) against which the damper (52a) is pressed when the medium (200) is pressed against the damper (52a), wherein an elastic force applied to the damper (52a) by the elastic body (52b) increases as the tension in the medium (200) that is drawn out from the storage unit (14) increases (Figures 6A-6D);
Regarding claim 2, wherein the elastic body (52b) includes one or more elastic members by which the elastic force is generated (Figure 6D);
Regarding claim 3, wherein the elastic members are coil springs (19a-19d) (Figure 7A).
Regarding claim 8, wherein a number of the elastic members that contact the damper (52a) when the medium (200) is drawn out varies depending on the tension in the medium (Figure 6D).
Regarding claim 9, wherein the damper (52a) includes a second roller (51f) against which the medium (200) that is drawn out is pressed, and a pivot point about which the damper (52a) rotates to be pressed against one (52a) or more of the elastic members as the medium (200) is drawn out (Figures 6A- 6D);
Regarding claim 10, wherein the medium (200) is a thermal sheet (Figure 6D, paragraph 0057).
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. These prior art references (US Pub. 2005/0068405; US Pub. 2016/0185135) cited in the PTO 892 form show a thermal printer which is deemed to be relevant to the present invention. These references should be reviewed.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 would be allowable if rewritten to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. This claim would be allowable because the prior art references of record fail to teach or suggest a printer comprising a length of one of coil springs is different from a length of another one of the coil springs so that a damper: at a first position is in contact with the one coil spring but not the another coil spring, and at a second position is in contact with both the one coil spring and the another coil spring in the combination as claimed.
Claim 5 would be allowable if rewritten to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. This claim would be allowable because the prior art references of record fail to teach or suggest a printer comprising coil springs that include a first coil spring, a second coil spring, and a third coil spring that is between the first and second coil springs, and a length of the third coil spring is shorter than a length of the first spring and longer than the second coil spring so that the damper: at a first position is in contact with the first coil spring but not with the second and third coil springs, at a second position is in contact with the first and third coil springs but not with the second coil spring, and at a third position is in contact with the first, second, and third coil springs in the combination as claimed.
Claim 6 would be allowable if rewritten to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. This claim would be allowable because the prior art references of record fail to teach or suggest a printer comprising coil springs include two coil springs, each of which generates an elastic force of a different magnitude in the combination as claimed.
Claim 7 would be allowable if rewritten to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. This claim would be allowable because the prior art references of record fail to teach or suggest a printer comprising elastic members are protrusions having different heights in the combination as claimed.
Claims 11-20 would be allowable. These claims would be allowable because the prior art references of record fail to teach or suggest a printer comprising a support plate that rotatably supports a damper; and a plurality of elastic members between the damper and the support plate, wherein the elastic members include a first elastic member and a second elastic member, and a first height of the first elastic member is different from a second height of the second elastic member in the combination as claimed.
CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Anh Vo whose telephone number is (571) 272-2262. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 9:30 A.M.to 6:00 P.M..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner'ssupervisor, Douglas Rodriguez can be reached on (571) 431-0716. The fax phonenumber for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANH T VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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