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(s) 1-2, 5-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ariga (U.S. Pub. 2022/0135362)
Regarding claim 1, a sheet conveyance apparatus comprising: a conveyance portion configure to convey a sheet
A switching portion (40) configured to be switched between a first position and a second position (Figures 3-6; Paragraphs 0044-0045), the first position being a position at which the switching portion guides the sheet conveyed in a first conveyance path (path before the switch 40) by the conveyance portion, to a second conveyance path (path after the switch 40 to the imaging device 11), the second position being a position at which the switching portion guides the sheet conveyed in the first conveyance path by the conveyance portion, to a third conveyance path (path to multi-feed storage section 42) (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0043-0044; 0057-0058)
A multi-feeding detection portion (41) disposed upstream of the switching portion in a sheet conveyance direction and configured to detect multi-feeding in which a first sheet and a second sheet that follows the first sheet overlap with each other (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0042, 0057-0058)
A control portion (CPU; Paragraph 0028) configured to control the switching portion for guiding the first sheet and the second sheet to third conveyance path by switching the switching portion to the second position in a case where multi-feeding is detected by the multi-feeding detection portion (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0042, 0057-0058)
Wherein in the case where multi-feeding is detected by the multi-feeding detection portion, the control portion is configured to calculate a first time at which a trailing edge of the second sheet in the sheet conveyance direction has been passed through the switching portion, and switch the switching portion from the second position to the first position at the first time (Figures 1-4; Paragraph 0058: “After a lapse of a predetermined time since the multi feed detecting sensor 41 detects the multi feed of sheets and the horizontal conveyance sensor 39a detects a rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheets finally stored in the multi feed storage section 42, the switch portion 40 operates to return the flap member 45 to the first rotation position from the second rotation position”)
Regarding claim 2, wherein in the case where multi-feeding is detected by the multi-feeding detection portion, the control portion is configured to switch the switching portion from the second position to the first position based on an amount of shift between a leading edge of the first sheet and a leading edge of the second sheet in the sheet conveyance direction (overlap/shift between leading edges will be detected by the multi-feed detection portion 41; Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0042, 0057-0058)
Regarding claims 5, 12, wherein the second conveyance path is a conveyance path for conveying the sheet to an image forming portion (11) to form an image on the sheet (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0057-0058)
Regarding claims 6, 13, wherein the image forming portion is configured to form an image by using an ink jet system (Paragraph 0024)
Regarding claims 7, 14, a discharging support portion configured to support the sheet discharged, wherein the third conveyance path is a conveyance path for conveying the sheet to the discharging support portion (Figures 1, 4; Paragraphs 0043-0044, 0058)
Regarding claims 8, 15, a support portion (21) configured to support a plurality of sheets; and a feeding portion (12) configured to feed the sheets supported by the support portion to the first conveyance path (Figure 1; Paragraphs 0025, 0036-0037)
Regarding claim 9, a sheet conveyance apparatus comprising: a conveyance portion configure to convey a sheet
A switching portion (40) configured to be switched between a first position and a second position (Figures 3-6; Paragraphs 0044-0045), the first position being a position at which the switching portion guides the sheet conveyed in a first conveyance path (path before the switch 40) by the conveyance portion, to a second conveyance path (path after the switch 40 to the imaging device 11), the second position being a position at which the switching portion guides the sheet conveyed in the first conveyance path by the conveyance portion, to a third conveyance path (path to multi-feed storage section 42) (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0043-0044; 0057-0058)
A multi-feeding detection portion (41) disposed upstream of the switching portion in a sheet conveyance direction and configured to detect multi-feeding in which a first sheet and a second sheet that follows the first sheet overlap with each other (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0042, 0057-0058)
A railing-edge detection portion (39a) disposed upstream of the switching portion in the sheet conveyance direction and configured to detect a trailing edge of the second sheet in the sheet conveyance direction (Paragraph 0058)
A control portion (CPU; Paragraph 0028) configured to control the switching portion for guiding the first sheet and the second sheet to third conveyance path by switching the switching portion to the second position in a case where multi-feeding is detected by the multi-feeding detection portion (Figures 1-4; Paragraphs 0042, 0057-0058)
Wherein in the case where multi-feeding is detected by the multi-feeding detection portion, the control portion is configured to switch the switching portion from the second position to the first position based on detecting the trailing edge of the second sheet by the trailing-edge detection portion (Figures 1-4; Paragraph 0058: “After a lapse of a predetermined time since the multi feed detecting sensor 41 detects the multi feed of sheets and the horizontal conveyance sensor 39a detects a rear end in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheets finally stored in the multi feed storage section 42, the switch portion 40 operates to return the flap member 45 to the first rotation position from the second rotation position”)
Regarding claim 10, wherein the trailing-edge detection portion is disposed with a distance from the switching portion in the sheet conveyance direction (Figures 1-4)
Regarding claim 11, wherein the control portion is configured to switch the switching portion to the second position in a case where the trailing-edge detection portion detects a leading edge of the fist sheet in the sheet conveyance direction and the multi-feeding detection portion detects multi-feeding (Paragraph 0058)
Regarding claim 16, an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on the sheet conveyed from the sheet conveyance apparatus (Figure 1; Paragraphs 0025-0026)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON S UHLENHAKE whose telephone number is (571)272-5916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X. Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JASON S UHLENHAKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 October 7, 2026
Prosecution Insights