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
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakagawa (US 2023/0391567).
Regarding claim 5, Nakagawa discloses a document conveying device comprising: a sheet feeding tray 44 on which a document is placed; a sheet feeding mechanism 31 which feeds the document placed on the sheet feeding tray in a predetermined sheet feeding direction; a sheet feeding tray lifting mechanism 33 which lifts and lowers the sheet feeding tray; a top plate 21 which is adjacent to the sheet feeding tray on a downstream side in the sheet feeding direction and is in contact with a lower surface of the document to be fed; a fixed wall part 23 which is provided extending downward from an upstream side end portion of the top plate in the sheet feeding direction, and fixed in position; and a lifting wall part 25 which is provided extending upward from a downstream side end portion of the sheet feeding tray in the sheet feeding direction, faces the fixed wall part 23 on an upstream side of the fixed wall part in the sheet feeding direction, and is lifted and lowered along the fixed wall part together with the sheet feeding tray 44 (par. 76), wherein the fixed wall part 23 has a plurality of fins (see Fig. below) along an upper-and-lower direction, the plurality of fins having a same thickness along a direction crossing the sheet feeding direction, an upper end portion of the slit is opened in the upper-and-lower direction, the lifting wall part 25 has a plurality of slits (see Fig. below) along the upper-and-lower direction and having a width longer than the thickness of the fin, and the fin protrudes upstream of the sheet conveying direction, and is arranged inside the slit.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the nearest prior art does not teach or suggest the claimed subject matter. For example, Nakagawa does not disclose everything claimed, including the fixed wall part having a plurality of plate-like fins as claimed, in combination with the rest of the claimed elements.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments (see Remarks, p. 4-5) regarding claims 1-4 as amended are persuasive and the rejection over Nakagawa is withdrawn.
Regarding claim 5, Applicant argues that the claim is patentable over Nakagawa, as the projection portions of Nakagawa do not have the same width. Remarks, p. 5. The Examiner respectfully disagrees, as there are a plurality of projection portions having the same width, as shown above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 extension fee 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 Jeremy R. Severson, whose telephone number is (571)272-2209. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Curtis Mayes, can be reached at (571) 272-1234. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEREMY R SEVERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759
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