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 Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 4, the recited “air second path” should be corrected to “second air path”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Nishino et al. US 20120051778.
Regarding claim 1, Nishino et al. discloses:
An image forming system including a plurality of modules, the image forming system comprising:
a first module (main assembly 101) (FIGs. 1 and 2);
a second module (upstream or downstream module in sheet conveying direction connected to main assembly 101) (FIG. 2), the first module and the second module being arranged along a conveying direction in which a sheet in the first module is conveyed (FIGs. 1 and 2);
a first electric component module (102/103) (FIG. 5) coupled to the first module, the first electric component module being arranged, with respect to the first module, in a crossing direction that intersects the conveying direction (FIGs. 5 and 6);
a first electric component unit (any electric component of image forming portions Py-Pb such as drum 1, charging roller 2, exposure device 3, and developing device 4) (FIG. 1) [0029], provided in the first module; and
a duct (air flow path from image forming portions Py-Pb to exhaust fan 105) (FIG. 1) arranged below the first electric component unit in a vertical direction [0054] (FIG. 1), the duct being configured to guide air for cooling the first electric component unit [0041 and 0054],
wherein the first electric component module has an intake (intake through which ambient air enters 102) [0041 and 0070] through which the air is sucked into inside the first electric component module (due to suction of fan 104) (FIG. 4) [0041 and 0070], and
wherein the duct has a duct opening through which the air passes (open space in air flow path leading to exhaust fan 105) (FIG. 4),
wherein a first air path is formed in the first electric component module so that the air sucked through the intake of the first electric component module flows to the duct opening [0041 and 0070] (FIG. 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 2-4, the prior art of record does not disclose or suggest the recited “wherein a second air path connecting the duct opening and the cover opening is formed in a space between the first module and the first electric component module, and wherein the air sucked through the intake of the first electric component module flows to the duct opening via the first air path and the second air path.” along with the remaining claim limitations.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS S GIAMPAOLO II whose telephone number is (571)272-6619. The examiner can normally be reached T-Th 9-5.
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/THOMAS S GIAMPAOLO II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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