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 .
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.
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) 1-6 and 8-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishikawa et al. (US 2009/0060568; “Ishikawa”) in view of Hale et al. (US 2017/0320701; “Hale”).
Regarding claim 1, Ishikawa discloses an image-forming apparatus 1 (Fig. 1 [0020]) comprising:
a housing 2 (Fig. 1 [0023]) comprising:
a first side wall (frontmost wall in Figs. 1-2 including cover 21) having a first opening (at cover 21; see Fig. 2); and
a second side wall (rearmost wall in Figs. 1-2 including cover 22) positioned apart from the first side wall in a first direction (rear-front direction) (Fig. 1);
a sheet supply tray 31 configured to support a sheet P thereon and configured to be accommodated in the housing 2 (Fig. 1 [0037]);
an image forming unit 4/5 comprising a cartridge 57 storing therein a developing agent (Fig. 1 [0031]) (note that although process cartridge 5 is described, a different configuration including a separate developing cartridge and drum cartridge included within cartridge frame 51 may be applied; [0127]), the image forming unit being configured to form an image on the sheet supplied from the sheet supply tray with the developing agent ([0023, 0077-0079]);
a drawer 51 attachable to and detachable from the housing (see Fig. 2), the drawer being configured to support the cartridge ([0127]), the drawer being movable relative to the housing in the first direction through the first opening (Figs. 1-2), the drawer supporting a registration roller 37 configured to correct an orientation of the sheet (Figs. 1-2; note that registration roller 37 is not enumerated in Fig. 2, but it clearly is supported by and removed with drawer 51);
a fixing device 6 attachable to and detachable from the housing (Fig. 2 [0058]), the fixing device including a rotatable heating body 61 and a rotatable pressing body 62 (Fig. 1 [0035]);
a re-conveying path 9 along which the sheet is configured to be conveyed toward the image forming unit after an image is formed on one side of the sheet by the image forming unit, the re-conveying path 9 being positioned upward of the sheet supply tray 31 in an up-down direction (Fig. 1 [0044]); and
a re-conveying chute (comprising walls 92-95) housing (Fig. 1), the part of the re-conveying path being positioned between the sheet supply tray 31 and the drawer 51 in the up-down direction (at least wall 94 and part of 95 is in the claimed position; Fig. 1 [0046, 0050]).
Ishikawa fails to teach the re-conveying chute attachable to and detachable from the housing independently of the drawer and the fixing device.
Hale teaches a similar image forming apparatus 10 (Fig. 1 [0036]) including a re-conveying chute 300 attachable to and detachable from the housing independently of the drawer 112 housing a toner cartridge (Fig. 2D) and the fixing device 114 (Fig. 3B), the re-conveying chute forming a part of the re-conveying path DP in a state where the re-conveying chute is attached to the housing (Fig. 1 [0050]), the part of the re-conveying path DP being positioned between the sheet supply tray 170a and the drawer 112 in the up-down direction (Fig. 1 [0050]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the configuration of the image forming apparatus of Ishikawa such that the re-conveying chute is attachable to and detachable from the housing independently of the drawer and the fixing device, as taught by Hale. One would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide access to the re-conveying chute/duplex media path portion for clearing media jams therein (Hale [0081]).
Regarding claim 2, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein (see Ishikawa) the second side wall has a second opening, wherein the re-conveying chute attached to the housing is movable relative to the housing through the second opening in a direction from the first side wall toward the second side wall (when modifying Ishikawa, the re-conveying chute could be configured to be movable in either direction through an additional opening), and wherein the drawer 51 is attachable to the housing (Figs. 1-2), the drawer 51 attached to the housing being movable, relative to the housing, through the first opening in a direction from the second side wall toward the first side wall (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, (see Ishikawa) wherein the second side wall has a second opening (at cover 22; Fig. 2), wherein the fixing device 6 attached to the housing is movable relative to the housing through the second opening in a direction from the first side wall toward the second side wall (see Fig. 2), and wherein the drawer attached to the housing is movable, relative to the housing, through the first opening in a direction from the second side wall toward the first side wall (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein at least a part of the drawer 51 and at least a part of the fixing device 6 are overlapped with each other as viewed in the first direction (see Ishikawa Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein (see Ishikawa) the housing further comprises a cover 22 movable, relative to the second side wall, between an open position (Fig. 2) where the cover opens the second opening and a closed position (Fig. 1) where the cover closes the second opening, and wherein the cover 22 at the open position is positioned offset from a locus of the fixing device which is defined by movement of the fixing device relative to the housing (see Fig. 2; because the fixing device 6 is able to be withdrawn completely from the apparatus, cover 22 is offset from a locus of fixing device 6).
Regarding claim 6, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein (see Ishikawa) the housing further comprises a cover 22 movable, relative to the second side wall, between an open position (Fig. 2) where the cover opens the second opening and a closed position (Fig. 1) where the cover closes the second opening, the cover forming an air flow passage when the cover is at the closed position (there is no disclosure of the apparatus being hermetically sealed, so air is surely able to flow along guide wall 91 when cover 22 is closed), and wherein the fixing device further comprises a handle (see annotated partial Fig. 2 below) configured to be gripped by a user for moving the fixing device, the handle and the air flow passage (along guide wall 91) being overlapped with each other as viewed in an axial direction of the rotatable pressing body (in the view of Fig. 1, the handle and air flow passage overlap in the rear-front/first direction), the axial direction being perpendicular to the first direction and the up-down direction.
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Regarding claim 8, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein (see Ishikawa) the image forming unit further comprises a photosensitive drum 52 supported on the drawer 51 (Fig. 1 [0127]), and wherein the cartridge further comprises a developing roller 54 configured to contact the photosensitive drum 52 upon attachment of the cartridge to the drawer 51 (Fig. 1 [0078, 0127]).
Regarding claim 9, Ishikawa discloses an image-forming apparatus 1 (Fig. 1 [0020]) comprising:
a housing 2 (Fig. 1 [0023]) comprising:
a first side wall (frontmost wall in Figs. 1-2 including cover 21) having a first opening (at cover 21; see Fig. 2); and
a second side wall (rearmost wall in Figs. 1-2 including cover 22) positioned apart from the first side wall in a first direction (rear-front direction) (Fig. 1), the second side wall having a second opening (at cover 22);
a sheet supply tray 31 configured to support a sheet P and configured to be accommodated in the housing 2 (Fig. 1 [0037]);
an image forming unit 4/5 comprising a cartridge 57 storing therein a developing agent (Fig. 1 [0031]) (note that although process cartridge 5 is described, a different configuration including a separate developing cartridge and drum cartridge included within cartridge frame 51 may be applied; [0127]), the image forming unit being configured to form an image on the sheet supplied from the sheet supply tray with the developing agent ([0023, 0077-0079]);
a drawer 51 configured to support the cartridge ([0127]), the drawer being movable relative to the housing in the first direction through the first opening (Figs. 1-2);
a re-conveying path 9 along which the sheet is configured to be conveyed toward the image forming unit after an image is formed on one side of the sheet by the image forming unit, the re-conveying path 9 being positioned upward of the sheet supply tray 31 in an up-down direction (Fig. 1 [0044]); and
a re-conveying chute (comprising walls 92-95) at least wall 94 and part of 95 is in the claimed position; Fig. 1 [0046, 0050]).
Ishikawa fails to teach the re-conveying chute attachable to and detachable from the housing through the second opening, the second opening being positioned between the sheet supply tray and the drawer in the up-down direction.
Hale teaches a similar image forming apparatus 10 (Fig. 1 [0036]) including a re-conveying chute 300 attachable to and detachable from the housing through an opening 131 (Fig. 2B) positioned between the sheet supply tray 170a and the drawer 112 in the up-down direction (Fig. 1 [0050]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the configuration of the image forming apparatus of Ishikawa such that the re-conveying chute is attachable to and detachable from the housing through the second opening (and adjusting the size of the second opening appropriately) positioned between the sheet supply tray and the drawer in the up-down direction, as taught by Hale. One would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide access to the re-conveying chute/duplex media path portion for clearing media jams therein (Hale [0081]).
Regarding claim 10, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein (see Ishikawa) the re-conveying chute attached to the housing is movable relative to the housing through the second opening in a direction from the first side wall toward the second side wall (wall 92 moves through the second opening; Fig. 2), and wherein the drawer 51 attached to the housing is movable, relative to the housing, through the first opening in a direction from the second side wall toward the first side wall (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 11, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a fixing device 6 attachable to and detachable from the housing (Ishikawa Fig. 2 [0074]), the fixing device including a rotatable heating body 61 and a rotatable pressing body 62 (Ishikawa Fig. 1 [0035]), wherein the second side wall has a third opening (at cover 22; Fig. 2) different from the second opening, the fixing device 6 attached to the housing is movable relative to the housing through the third opening in a direction from the first side wall toward the second side wall (see Ishikawa Fig. 2, also see Hale Figs. 2B-2C which shows the re-conveying chute 300 removable through a different opening than unit 112 which resides behind door 30), and wherein the drawer attached to the housing is movable, relative to the housing, through the first opening in a direction from the second side wall toward the first side wall (see Ishikawa Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 12, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein at least a part of the drawer 51 and at least a part of the fixing device 6 are overlapped with each other as viewed in the first direction (see Ishikawa Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a conveying roller 37 provided on the drawer 51 and configured to convey the sheet (Ishikawa Figs. 1-2 [0077]).
Regarding claim 14, modified Ishikawa discloses the image-forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second opening and the third opening are in communication with each other (see Hale Fig. 2D).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 stands as 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, for reasons stated in the previous Office action.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLA J THERRIEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2677. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8 am - 4 pm EST.
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/CARLA J THERRIEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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