DETAILED ACTION
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 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoshida et al (US Pat No 11,230,126).
Regarding claim 1, Yoshida discloses a medium discharge device configured to discharge a medium to a placement unit on which the medium is placed, the medium discharge device comprising:
a roller pair (33) including a first roller and a second roller positioned above the first roller and being configured to nip the medium between the first roller and the second roller and discharge the medium to the placement unit;
a first pressing member including a first member (67) and being configured to press the medium by the first member, the first member being configured to move below a nipping position at which the roller pair nips the medium; and
a lifting member (63) configured to lift up the first member from a first position (shown in figure 5B) below the nipping position to a second position (shown in figure 5A or 5C) above the first position, wherein the first member is lifted up by the lifting member while a downstream leading edge of the medium in a discharge direction passes through the nipping position, and moves from the first position to the second position, and
while an upstream trailing edge of the medium in the discharge direction passes through the nipping position, the first member moves from the second position to the first position.
Regarding claim 6, Yoshida discloses a plurality of the first pressing members arrayed along an axial direction of the first roller (shown in figure 8).
Regarding claim 8, Yoshida discloses a second pressing member (other of the 63, shown in figure 8) configured to press, toward the placement unit, the medium discharged from the roller pair on the placement unit positioned in the discharge direction with respect to the first member of the first pressing member.
Claim(s) 9-15 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Namiki et al (US Pub No 2024/0270531).
Regarding claim 9, Namiki discloses a medium discharge device configured to discharge a medium to a placement unit on which the medium is placed, the medium discharge device comprising:
a roller pair (24) including a first roller and a second roller positioned above the first roller and being configured to nip the medium between the first roller and the second roller and discharge the medium to the placement unit; and
a discharge assisting member (33) configured to assist a discharge operation of the medium to be discharged from the roller pair, wherein the discharge assisting member includes:
a medium pressing portion (e.g. downstream side of 32) configured to move between a first position below a nipping position at which the roller pair nips the medium and a second position above the first position and press down the medium in the process of moving from the second position to the first position; and
a medium abutting portion (e.g. upstream side of 32) against which the medium abuts upstream of the medium pressing portion in the discharge direction of the medium,
wherein the device of Nanki is capable of performing the functions of:
when the medium abuts against the medium abutting portion while a downstream leading edge of the medium in the discharge direction passes through the nipping position, the medium pressing portion moves from the first position to the second position, and
when the medium abutting portion is separated from the medium while an upstream trailing edge of the medium in the discharge direction passes through the nipping position, the medium pressing portion moves from the second position to the first position.
Regarding claim 10, Namiki discloses a transport unit (22) configured to transport the medium toward the roller pair, wherein the discharge assisting member is a member configured to rotate about a third rotation shaft (34), and is capable of performing when the medium transported by the transport unit abuts against the medium abutting portion, the discharge assisting member rotates about the third rotation shaft in a first direction, and the medium pressing portion moves from the first position to the second position as the discharge assisting member rotates in the first direction.
Regarding claim 11, Namiki is capable of performing the claimed function such that when the trailing edge of the medium is away from the medium abutting portion, the discharge assisting member rotates about the third rotation shaft in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the medium pressing portion moves from the second position to the first position as the discharge assisting member rotates in the second direction.
Regarding claim 12, Namiki discloses when the medium pressing portion is positioned at the first position, a region in which the medium pressing portion and the first roller overlap with each other as viewed in an axial direction of the first roller is larger than that in a case in which the medium pressing portion is positioned at the second position (shown in figure 4).
Regarding claim 13, Namiki discloses when the medium pressing portion is positioned at the first position, an angle of the medium pressing portion with respect to a vertical direction is smaller than that in a case in which the medium pressing portion is positioned at the second position (e.g. since the pressing portion is a curved surface, range from approx. 0-90 degrees, the angle can be taken at any point on that curve the meet the claim limitation).
Regarding claim 14, Namiki discloses the medium pressing portion presses the medium downstream of the nipping position in the discharge direction (e.g. the pressing portion extends downstream of the nip).
Regarding claim 15, Nanki discloses the medium pressing portion at the second position does not contact the medium.
Regarding claim 18, Namiki discloses an electronic apparatus (e.g. image reader 51, 52).
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.
Claim(s) 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshida et al in view of Sekiyama et al (US Pat No 7,431,289).
Regarding claim 7, it is noted that Yoshida fails to specifically disclose features of the discharge rollers, or any scraping member. However, Sekiyama discloses a discharge nipping pair including a nip formed between rollers (100 and 110) wherein at least one of the rollers of 110 could be considered a scraping member being configured by an elastic member rotating coaxially with the first roller and being configured to nip the medium with the second roller. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have modified the device of Yoshida with the teachings of Sekiyama to achieve the predictable result of feeding a sheet toward the discharge tray.
Claim(s) 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshida et al in view of Sekiyama et al (US Pat No 7,431,289).
Regarding claims 16 and 17, it is noted that Namiki fails to specifically disclose features of the discharge rollers, or any scraping member. However, Sekiyama discloses a discharge nipping pair including a nip formed between rollers (100 and 110) wherein at least one of the rollers of 110 could be considered a scraping member being configured by an elastic member rotating coaxially with the first roller and being configured to nip the medium with the second roller, as well as an assisting member (111). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to have modified the device of Namiki with the teachings of Sekiyama to achieve the predictable result of feeding a sheet toward the discharge tray.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 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: None of the prior art discloses or suggests the applicant’s claimed details relating to the lifting the pressing member.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Cited art generally discloses features believed to be pertinent to the applicant’s claimed invention.
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/Patrick Cicchino/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619