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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/5/2025 was considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 3/6/2025 are acceptable for examination by the examiner.
Title
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5-7, and 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by YAMADA, MASAHIKO (cited by US 2007/059036 A1).
MASAHIKO YAMADA teaches regarding claim 1, an image forming apparatus 100 configured to form a toner image on a sheet, the image forming apparatus 100 comprising: an apparatus body provided with an opening portion [0075-0076]; an opening/closing member 28 supported to be openable and closable between an open position and a closed position (figures 2-3) with respect to the apparatus body, the opening/closing member 28 covering the opening portion at the closed position and opening the opening portion at the open position; a fixing unit 9 supported to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body via the opening portion and configured to apply heat and pressure to the sheet to fix the toner image to the sheet; and a moving unit (rails 18-19 and guides 4-5) provided in the apparatus body and configured to move the fixing unit from a first position (figure 2) toward a second position above the first position (figure 10), wherein movement of the fixing unit 9 from the first position to the second position is restricted in a state in which the opening/closing member 28 is positioned at the closed position and is allowed in a state in which the opening/closing member 28 is positioned at the open position, wherein the moving unit (4-5, 18-19) includes a support portion 4-5 configured to support the fixing unit positioned at the second position such that the fixing unit is attachable and detachable, and wherein the support portion (18-19 rails) extends in a longitudinal direction of the fixing unit and supports the fixing unit from below (figures 1-3, 8-10; [0052, 0068-0069, 0075-0076, 0078, 0087-0089], figure 10 – figure 8 teaches the close position to the open position for the opening/closing member and the process of removing the fixing unit. A stepped portion 19a is shown in figure 10 that the fixing unit is lowered or lifted by the high 19a and low 18a entrance sides).
Regarding claim 2, YAMADA teaches the fixing unit positioned at the first position does not overlap with the opening/closing member 28 positioned at the closed position when viewed in the longitudinal direction, and wherein at least a part of the second position of the fixing unit 9 overlaps with the opening/closing member 28 positioned at the closed position when viewed in the longitudinal direction (figures 1-2, 8-10; overlap shown in figures 8-10)..
Regarding claim 5, the support portion includes a placement surface (4a, 5a, 18a, 18b, 19a) extending in the longitudinal direction on which the fixing unit is placed, a pair of side surfaces 4, 5 erecting upward from respective end portions, in the longitudinal direction, of the placement surface, and a coupling surface 7 erecting upward from the placement surface to couple the pair of side surfaces (figures 6B, 7A).
Regarding claim 6, in a state in which the fixing unit 9 is placed on the placement surface, the fixing unit 9 is provided with a gap, between the fixing unit 9 and the coupling surface, 7 through which air flows (figures 6B and 7A).
Regarding claim 7, the support portion 18-19 is provided with an opening that the sheet conveyed toward the fixing unit 9 positioned at the first position is capable of passing through (guide rails are support portion).
Regarding claim 9, the image forming apparatus 100 further comprising a restricting portion (6, locking levers) configured to restrict the movement of the fixing unit from the first position to the second position (figures 6, 8 [0085, 0093]).
Regarding claim 10, the fixing unit includes an engagement portion 11, 13 configured to move to a restricting position (fixing lock levers, 6) where the engagement portion engages with the restricting portion to restrict the movement of the fixing unit 9 from the first position to the second position, and an allowing position where engagement between the restricting portion 6 and the engagement portion 11, 13 is released to allow the movement of the fixing unit from the first position to the second position (figure 6B, [0093]).
Regarding claim 11, the fixing unit 9 is moved to the second position by the moving unit in a case where the opening/closing member 28 is moved from the closed position to the open position (figure 10 to figure 8) and the restricting portion 6 is moved from the restricting position 6 to the allowing position [0093].
Regarding claim 12, the support portion 18-19 of the moving unit is separated from the fixing unit 9 positioned at the first position in a case where the opening/closing member28 is positioned at the closed position (figure 10, [0086]).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3-4 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YAMADA in view of SUZUKI (US 6990303 B2).
YAMADA does not teach a support portion includes shafts.
SUZUKI teaches a support portion in figures 2-3 as discussed below.
Regarding claim 3, the support portion includes a pair of shaft members extending in the longitudinal direction, and wherein a lower surface of the fixing unit is provided with a pair of recess portions configured to engage with the pair of shaft members (column 3, line 61 - column 4, line 14).
Regarding claim 4, the support portion includes a pair of coupling members configured to couple respective end portions of the pair of shaft members in the longitudinal direction to each other (column 3, line 61 – column 4, line 14).
Regarding claim 13, the examiner takes official notice that it is known in the art (WANG) at the effective filing date of this application to allow an image forming portion configured to form the toner image on the sheet, wherein the image forming portion is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body through the opening portion in a state in which the fixing unit has been moved to the second position by the moving unit (WANG teaches a detachable process cartridge which can be removed while the fixing device is removed to a second position).
YAMADA, SUZUKI, and WANG are concerned with removable cartridges or unit within an image forming apparatus.
The rationale for combining the teachings of WANG with the teachings of YAMADA relates to the rationale of combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
The rationale for combining the teachings of SUZUKI with the teachings of YAMADA relates to the rationale of applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to use the teaching of SUZUKI with the teaching of YAMADA to obtain a conventional fixing unit support method such as the method taught by SUZUKI.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to use the teaching of WANG with the teaching of YAMADA to obtain easy excess to the image forming process units for maintenance and replacement.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 14-15 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.
Claim 8 recites the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit includes an urging portion configured to urge the fixing unit from the first position toward the second position.
Claim 14 recite the image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the fixing unit positioned at the first position overlaps with a movement trajectory of attachment and detachment of the image forming portion to and from the apparatus body.
Claim 15 recite the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supporting portion configured to support the sheet fed toward the fixing unit, wherein the supporting portion is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus body on the same side as the opening portion.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. NOGUCHI et al. (5,579,098) teaches a removeable fixing unit for an image forming apparatus.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANA GRAINGER whose telephone number is (571)272-2135. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9-5.
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, Walter 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.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/QUANA GRAINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
QG