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.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 objected to because of the following informalities: “when the charging member is performed” lacks antecedent basis, should probably be “when the correction mode is performed.” Appropriate correction is required.
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 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 Shimizu et al. US 2021/0149321 A1 (Shimizu).
Regarding claim 1, Shimizu teaches an image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming portion including:
an image carrying member (1a) having a photosensitive layer formed on a surface thereof;
a charging device (34) including a charging member that electrostatically charges the image carrying member;
an exposure device (5) that forms an electrostatic latent image by exposing to light the image carrying member electrostatically charged by the charging device; and
a developing device (3a) disposed opposite the image carrying member and including a developer carrying member (31) that carries developer, the developing device forming a toner image by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrying member (¶004-¶0045);
a developing voltage power supply (43) that applies a developing voltage to the developer carrying member;
a charging voltage power supply (45) that applies a charging voltage containing at least a direct- current component to the charging member;
a developing current sensing portion (44) that senses a developing current passing between the developer carrying member and the image carrying member;
a charging current sensing portion (50) that senses a charging current passing between the charging member and the image carrying member; and
a control portion (80) that controls the image forming portion, the developing voltage power supply, and the charging voltage power supply,
wherein the control portion can perform
an image formation mode (s2) in which the control portion performs image formation while controlling, based on a relationship between the charging current and a surface potential on the image carrying member (s3-s6), the charging voltage applied and thereby adjusting the surface potential (¶0053-¶0056) and
a correction mode (s7-s12) in which the control portion corrects the relationship between the charging current and the surface potential, and
when the correction mode is performed, the control portion calculates the surface potential on the image carrying member based on the developing voltage applied (s7-s9) and the developing current sensed by the developing current sensing portion (s9-s11) and corrects the relationship between the charging current and the surface potential based on the calculated surface potential (s12).
Regarding claim 2, Shimizu teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the correction mode is performed, the control portion applies different developing voltages as the developing voltage for the same charging current and calculates the surface potential from a relationship between the developing current sensed by the developing current sensing portion (44) and the developing voltage (¶0044-¶0051).
Regarding claim 3, Shimizu teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the correction mode is performed, the control portion calculates, from a relationship between the developing current and the developing voltage (¶0044), the developing voltage that produces the developing current with a same current value as a reference developing current sensed by the developing current sensing portion in a non-charged state with a zero surface potential on the image carrying member, and calculates the calculated developing voltage as the surface potential (¶0043-¶0045).
Regarding claim 4, Shimizu teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the correction mode is performed, the control portion applies the same developing voltage (Vdc) for different charging currents as the charging current (non-exposed and exposed ¶0041), and calculates the surface potential from a relationship between the developing current sensed by the developing current sensing portion and the charging current (¶0041-¶0042).
Regarding claim 5, Shimizu teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim l, wherein when the correction mode is performed, the control portion calculates, from a relationship between the developing current (Id) and the charging current (Ic), the charging current (Ic) that produces the developing current with a same current value as a reference developing current sensed by the developing current sensing portion in a non-charged state (non-exposed, ¶0041) with a zero surface potential (v0) on the image carrying member, and calculates the developing voltage corresponding to the calculated charging current as the surface potential (¶0040-¶0050).
Regarding claim 6, Shimizu teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developer is a two-component developer containing magnetic carrier and toner (¶0008), and when the charging member is performed, the direct-current component of the charging voltage (Vdc) that the control portion applies in a non-charged state with a zero surface potential (V0) on the image carrying member is zero. (¶0042-¶0044)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 of this title, 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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimizu et al. US 2021/0149321 A1 (Shimizu).
Regarding claim 7, Shimizu teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1. Shimizu differs from the instant claimed invention by not explicitly disclosing: a temperature measuring portion. However Shimizu does suggest that environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity effects developer and is known to contribute to developer issues such as deterioration, fogging scattering (¶0003). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add a temperature sensing portion to the device taught by Shimizu such that is measures temperature around the image carrying member, and when the correction mode is performed, the control portion corrects the relationship between the charging current and the surface potential based on predicted variation of the temperature around the image carrying member and the calculated surface potential, since doing so would have yielded a predictable result, namely the temperature can now be factored into the correction control calculations resulting in a better outcome.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA L ELEY whose telephone number is (571)272-9793. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM CST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter Jr. Lindsay can be reached on (571)272-1674. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JESSICA L ELEY/
Examiner, Art Unit 2852