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
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoshioka et al. (US 2019/0384216).
Yoshioka et al. (…216) disclose an imaging system (figure 5), comprising: a rotatable photoconductive drum (101) having an outer surface; a rotatable developer roll (121) having an outer surface in contact with the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for supplying toner to the outer surface of the photoconductive drum ([0038]; [0076]; and figure 5); a rotatable charge roll (103) having an outer surface in contact with the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for electrically charging the outer surface of the photoconductive drum ([0037]; [0075]; and figure 5); and an air duct (72) having at least one outlet positioned to direct forced air flowing through the air duct to the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for indirectly cooling the developer roll without directing forced air from the air duct directly onto the outer surface of the developer roll ([0006]; [0049]; [0075]; [0079]-[0081]; and figure 5) [see Applicant’s claim 1].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshioka et al. (US 2019/0384216) in view of Oya (US 2017/0017200).
Yoshioka et al. (…216) disclose an imaging system (figure 5), comprising: a rotatable photoconductive drum (101) having an outer surface; a rotatable developer roll (121) having an outer surface in contact with the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for supplying toner to the outer surface of the photoconductive drum ([0038]; [0076]; and figure 5); a rotatable charge roll (103) having an outer surface in contact with the outer surface of the photoconductive drum for electrically charging the outer surface of the photoconductive drum ([0037]; [0075]; and figure 5); and an air duct (72) having at least one outlet positioned to direct forced air flowing through the air duct to the outer surface of the photoconductive drum facilitating a transfer of heat generated by friction between the developer roll and a contact member from the developer roll to the photoconductive drum. ([0006]; [0049]; [0075]; [0079]-[0081]; and figure 5) [see Applicant’s claim 4]. The air duct does not direct forced air directly onto the outer surface of the developer roll ([0006]; [0075]; [0079]-[0081]; and figure 5) [see Applicant’s claim 5]. However, Yoshioka et al. (…216) does not disclose the claimed end seal and the claimed imaging basket. Oya (…200) discloses an imaging system including a developer roll (22) and an end seal (30) having a curved rotary seal portion in contact with the outer surface of the developer roll near an axial end of the developer roll ([0041]; and [0053]-[0054]) [see Applicant’s claims 2 and 4]. The imaging system further comprising: an imaging basket (27) having a positioning slot configured to receive a replaceable developer unit (7) that includes the developer roll (22), wherein an air duct (24) is positioned on the imaging basket ([0041]-[0044]; and figures 2A and 2B) [see Applicant’s claims 3 and 6]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the claimed end seal, since as disclosed by Oya (…200), it is well known in the art to have such an end seal so as to prevent toner leakage. Moreover, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the claimed imaging basket, as disclosed by Oya (…200), such is well known in the art to mount replaceable units.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANDRA BRASE whose telephone number is (571)272-2131. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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/SANDRA BRASE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852 January 24, 2026