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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 9 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 4/26/26.
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention I (claims 1-7,9-20) in the reply filed on 4/26/26 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there would be no serious burden on the examiner to search/exam the non-elected invention. This is not found persuasive because the manufacturing method of constructing the supply roller would entail searches that would not normally be considered for the search of invention I.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-7,9-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
In independent claims 1 and 9, the applicant claims a supply roller having a larger air permeation amount in the central region than in the longitudinal end portions. However, referring to Fig.s 6(a),(b),(c) and par. 67-68, the applicant describes air permeation amount A being less than air permeation amount B; the air permeation amounts B being located at the longitudinal end portions (51A) and the air permeation amount A being located in the central region (51B). Thus, applicant seems to be describing the air permeation amount having smaller air permeation amount A in the central region and larger air permeation amount B at the longitudinal ends. Thus, the description in the specification (specifically, par. 67-68) do not describe accurately the invention that applicant has claimed.
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.
Claims 1,4-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kazuhisa et al. (JP 11-316496).
Regarding claims 1 and 7, Kazuhisa et al. teach and image forming apparatus having an image carrier 1, a developing device 4 (see Fig.s 1-2) comprising a developer carrying member 5 which develops an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier 1, a regulating member 7 for regulate the developer on the developer carrying member 5, a supply roller 6 which supplies developer to the developer carrying member, an accommodating chamber which is the area near and around the stirring member 18 for holding the developer material (top end of developing unit), a developing chamber which is the area around the developer carrying member and supply roller (lower end of developing unit), a developer “opening” which allows the developer in the top end of the developing unit to communicate with the developer in the lower end of the developing unit and can be said to “partition” the two chambers (there is no physical partition which equivalent to applicant’s specification), a stirring shaft and member 18 located in the top end accommodating chamber to stir the developing material, when the developing unit is mounted into an image forming apparatus, the opposite ends of the supplying roller are supported by a frame of the developing unit (they are not supported in air), the developing opening is located above the rotational axis of the supplying roller, the stirring shaft is located above the developing opening, the supply roller is a foam roller (75 cells/inch) which has reduced cell diameter (increasing the number of cell walls) from the center to the end portions along the longitudinal direction of the supply roller.
Regarding claims 4-5, the supply roller 6 is a polyurethane foam (sponge) bonded to a core metal 22 (par. 40) which is considered at least partially “electroconductive”.
Regarding claim 6, the developing unit is used in an image forming apparatus having an image carrier 1 (par. 18).
Specifically, Kazuhisa et al. teach all that is claimed except specifically stating the air permeation amount in the central region is larger than the end portions (1/10th the length of the toner supply roller from either end). Additionally, the polyurethane foam being cross-linked urethane resin is not specifically taught.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date that by reducing the cell diameter and thus increasing the number of cell walls at the end portions, the density would be increased at the end portions (more walls than air cells) and thus the air permeation amount would equivalently be reduced. It further would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date that the longitudinal ends of the supply roller would include a position along the length of the supply roller that is 1/10th the length from each opposite end portion. Finally, the examiner takes Official Notice that the use of a cross-linked urethane resin to form a urethane foam roller is notoriously well known in the art for the purpose of ease of formation of the foam material.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 1st paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 2, the air permeation amount being 2.5 L/min – 4.5 L/min in the central region and 0.5 L/min – 2.0 L/m in the end portions; the ratio of air permeation of the central region to the air permeation of the end portions being 1.25 – 9.0 is not taught, suggested or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Regarding claim 3, the ratio of air permeation of the central region to the air permeation of the end portions being 2.0 – 9.0 is not taught, suggested or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Claims 9-20 are allowable over the prior art if the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 1st paragraph, set forth in this Office action is overcome.
The applicant claims an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a developer carrying member, a supply roller, a regulating member, an accommodating chamber, a developing chamber, and a stirring member; the supply roller has an air permeation amount in a central portion larger in absolute value than the air permeation amount in a position at 1/10th the length of the supply roller from each opposite end portion with respect to the longitudinal direction of the supply roller; and a controller which carries out control to discharge toner to the end portion regions of the image bearing member with respect to the longitudinal direction of the image bearing member by the developer carried on the developer carrying roller which is not taught, suggested or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Mitsui, Yamamoto, Fujino et al., Munetsugu et al., Kato et al. (JP), Kim et al. (KR), and Komatsu et al. (JP) teach air permeation/ventilation/aeration amounts regarding a toner supply roller which are relevent to the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT B BEATTY whose telephone number is (571) 272-2130. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 7 to 3.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Stephanie Bloss, can be reached on (571) 272-3555. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-2130.
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/ROBERT B BEATTY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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