DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 4/8/24. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the JP 2024-062268 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “medium container includes the display” (Claim 7) and another side fan disposed closer to a center of the media in a conveyance direction than the side fan (Claim 8) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Claim 7: The medium container comprises at least 52-54 per Applicant’s specification. However, the display 25 in Fig. 1, is not shown on the container but on image forming apparatus 2.
Claim 8: As seen in the Figures, only one side fan (53a/54a) exists on each side of the media. There are however two outlets (531/532, 541/542) on each side, wherein one is disposed closer to the center as claimed. Either two fans should be depicted as claimed or the claim should be amended to recite outlets.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 7, it is not understood whether the display is required to be part of the medium container or of the image forming apparatus (see the inconsistency stated in the drawing objection above).
Regarding Claim 8, it is not understood whether two fans are required on each side or merely two outlets (see the inconsistency stated in the drawing objection above). It is the Examiner’s position that two outlets are required, as per the specification and drawings.
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(s) 1-4, 9 and 11-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakamura (US Pub No. 2018/0327202 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Nakamura discloses
a medium container (50, comprising 511, 512 and the side guides, Fig. 3A) to store multiple media;
a conveyor (55, 56) to convey, in a conveyance direction (i.e. direction ‘a’ in Fig. 4), an uppermost medium of the multiple media in the medium container;
a side fan (531/541, Fig. 3A) at both sides of the medium container in a width direction (i.e. parallel to 512 in Fig. 3A) orthogonal to the conveyance direction to blow air to each side of the uppermost medium in an airflow direction; and
circuitry (400) configured to control the side fan to change the airflow direction (via 537/547, see [0045], [0046], [0059]) according to a characteristic of the multiple media (i.e. basis weight, see [0102]).
Regarding Claim 2, Nakamura discloses
a rotator (537/547) to rotate the side fan,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the rotator to rotate the side fan ([0059]) to:
blow the air to each side of the uppermost medium in the airflow direction parallel to the width direction (Fig. 5A); or
blow the air to each side of the uppermost medium in the airflow direction inclined to the width direction (Fig. 5B or 5C),
according to the characteristics of the multiple media (i.e. basis weight, see [0102]).
Regarding Claim 3, Nakamura discloses
control the side fan to direct the airflow direction to the width direction when a basis weight of the uppermost medium is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (i.e. S903, where the basis weight is greater than the threshold 300g, see [0093], [0094], Fig. 9, Fig. 8A, wherein there is at least a component in the width direction since the claim does not require parallel to the width direction); and
control the side fan to direct the airflow direction to the inclined direction when the basis weight of the uppermost medium is smaller than the predetermined threshold value (i.e. S911, where the basis weight is less than threshold 300g, see [0099], Fig. 9, Fig. 8C).
Regarding Claim 4, Nakamura discloses
control the side fan to direct the airflow direction to the inclined direction directed toward an upstream side in the conveyance direction (i.e. the inclined direction in Fig. 8C is upstream/towards rear guide 512).
Regarding Claim 9, Nakamura discloses
a front fan (521) disposed downstream of the medium container in the conveyance direction (Fig. 3A) to blow air toward the uppermost medium in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction (i.e. via port 522, Fig. 4, [0046]).
Regarding Claim 11, Nakamura discloses
an air suction fan (562, [0066]) to attract an upper surface of the uppermost medium.
Regarding Claim 12, Nakamura discloses
an image forming apparatus (100, Fig. 1) to form an image on the uppermost medium fed from the medium feeder.
Regarding Claim 13, Nakamura discloses
multiple containers including the medium container (i.e. multiple 50 in 500, Fig. 1),
wherein one of the multiple containers (i.e. uppermost one) is disposed at the same height as the image forming apparatus, and
said one of the multiple containers includes the side fan (i.e. see 54 shown in Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 14, Nakamura discloses
the conveyor conveys, in the conveyance direction, the uppermost medium of the multiple media including sheets ([0069]).
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.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (US Pub No. 2018/0327202 A1) in view of Fuda et al. (US Pub No. 2013/0087967 A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Nakamura does not disclose another side fan/outlet.
Fuda et al. discloses another side fan/outlet (28a, Fig. 4), wherein said another side fan is disposed closer to a center of the multiple media in the conveyance direction than the side fan (see the lower 28 in Fig. 12), for the purpose of more evenly blowing air and separating sheets.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date to modify the invention of Nakamura by including another side fan/outlet as
disclosed by Fuda et al, for the purpose of more evenly blowing air and separating
sheets. Also see the 112 rejection above.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (US Pub No. 2018/0327202 A1) in view of Morita (US Pub No. 2025/0206556 A1).
Regarding Claim 10, Nakamura does not disclose first and second front fans.
Morita discloses the front fan includes a first front fan (71a) and a second front fan (72a), and the first front fan and the second front fan blow air toward different directions from each other (Fig. 2), for the purpose of floating and separating sheets.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date to modify the invention of Nakamura by including first and second front fans
as disclosed by Morita, for the purpose of floating and separating sheets.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 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: None of the prior art of record shows a display that is controlled to display airflow direction as claimed (Claims 5-7).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PRASAD GOKHALE whose telephone number is (571)270-3543. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am - 5:30pm.
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, Michael McCullough can be reached at (571) 272-7805. 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.
/PRASAD V GOKHALE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653 March 13, 2026