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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/7/25 and 7/10/25 have been considered.
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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shibuya (US 2017/0277110, Applicant’s cited prior art).
Regarding claim 1, Shibuya discloses an intermediate transfer unit 50 (fig. 2) comprising: a seamless intermediate transfer belt 51 on which toner images formed on a plurality of image carrying members (41y, 41c, 41m, 41k, par. 0040, fig. 2) are sequentially stacked; a plurality of primary transfer members (54y, 54c, 54m, 54k, par. 0040, fig. 2) that are respectively arranged opposite the image carrying members via the intermediate transfer belt (fig. 2), and transfer the toner images formed on the image carrying members onto the intermediate transfer belt (par. 0051); and a power supply line 55a (par. 0045, fig. 2) that branches to at least two or more locations from a transfer voltage power supply which applies a primary transfer voltage to each of the primary transfer members to cause a primary transfer current to flow to each of the primary transfer members (see power lines connected to 54y, 54c, 54m, 54k, fig. 2), wherein the power supply line and each of the primary transfer members are connected via a high-voltage resistor 58 unit that includes a plurality of resistors 59y, 59c, 59m, 59k (fig. 5) having different resistance values (par. 0069).
Regarding claim 2, Shibuya discloses wherein a resistance value of one of the resistors of the high-voltage resistor unit is equal to or greater than 100 MΩ, and a resistance value of the others of the resistors is equal to or greater than 1 MΩ and equal to or less than 100 MΩ (see 1x10exp8 Ω, par. 0049).
Regarding claim 3, Shibuya discloses wherein resistance values of the high-voltage resistor units that are connected to the primary transfer members aligned in a conveyance direction of the toner images are sequentially decreased toward a downstream side in the conveyance direction (see par. 0050).
Regarding claim 4, Shibuya discloses wherein the resistance value of the high-voltage resistor unit is greater than a resistance value of the primary transfer member to which the high-voltage resistor unit is connected (see par. 0069).
Regarding claim 5, Shibuya discloses wherein in the high-voltage resistor unit, a lead wire is arranged in an air gap where the resistor is not mounted to connect the power supply line and the primary transfer member (see fig. 5).
Regarding claim 6, Shibuya discloses image formation units 40 that include the image carrying members 41Y to form an image (par. 0022, fig. 2); a storage unit that stores the transfer current flowing to each of the primary transfer members or the primary transfer voltage which is applied; and a control unit 10 that performs image formation based on the transfer current or the primary transfer voltage stored in the storage unit (see par. 0020).
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yasuyuki (JP 2004-258432, Applicant’s cited prior art).
Regarding claim 7, Yasuyuki discloses a method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer unit, wherein the intermediate transfer unit includes: a seamless intermediate transfer belt 11 on which toner images formed on a plurality of image carrying members (i.e. 15Y, fig. 1) are sequentially stacked; a plurality of primary transfer members (i.e. 16Y, fig. 1) that are respectively arranged opposite the image carrying members via the intermediate transfer belt, and transfer the toner images formed on the image carrying members onto the intermediate transfer belt (fig. 1); a power supply line 21 that branches to at least two or more locations (see fig. 1) from a transfer voltage power supply which applies a primary transfer voltage to each of the primary transfer members to cause a primary transfer current to flow to each of the primary transfer members (par. 0013-0019); and a high-voltage resistor unit 23-25 (fig. 2) that connects the power supply line and each of the primary transfer members (par. 0013-0019), the method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer unit comprises: a current measurement step of measuring the primary transfer current flowing to each of the primary transfer members (i.e. IY, par. 0020-0021); and a resistor determination step of determining a resistor of the high-voltage resistor unit based on the primary transfer current measured in the current measurement step (par. 0021-0024) and the current measurement step and the resistor determination step are sequentially repeated to configure the high-voltage resistor unit that includes the resistors having different resistance values (par. 0026-0027).
Regarding claim 8, Yasuyuki discloses wherein a resistance value of the resistor that is determined in a subsequent round of the resistor determination step is less than a resistance value of the resistor that has been determined in a previous round of the resistor determination step (par. 0020-0027).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hoang Ngo whose telephone number is (571)272-2138. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 am - 4:00 pm.
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/HOANG X NGO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852