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
1. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
3. 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.
4. Claims 24-27,29,31-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torigoe USP 10,239,334 in view of Horie et al. PGPub 2012/0205418.
Torigoe discloses, regarding claim 24, A recording device comprising:
a first support portion including a first holder (221,231) which rotatably supports a first roll (R), on which a sheet is wound, at one end side in a width direction of the first roll and a second holder (222,231) which rotatably supports the first roll at the other end side in the width direction of the first roll, facing the first holder (see at least fig.1,3);
a recording portion (50) that records an image on the sheet supplied from the first roll supported by the first support portion; and
a first guide (210) that supports the second holder movably in the width direction of the first roll on the side of the second support portion relative to the first roll (see at least C6/L21-29).
Regarding claim 25, wherein the first guide supports the first holder (see at least fig.1,3).
Torigoe does not expressly disclose the remaining limitations of the claims.
Horie teaches [regarding claim 24] the use of a second support portion which takes up the sheet recorded by the recording portion onto a second roll, the second support portion including a third holder (29) which rotatably supports the second roll at one end side in a width direction of the second roll and a fourth holder (29) which rotatably supports the second roll at the other end side in the width direction of the second roll, facing the third holder (fig.2); and a second guide (26) that supports the fourth holder movably in the width direction of the second roll on the side of the first support portion relative to the second roll (¶0048), [regarding claim 25] wherein the second guide supports the third holder (fig.2), [regarding claim 26] wherein the first holder (231) protrudes from the first guide (210) in a direction opposite to the second holder (231) (fig.1), and [regarding claim 32] wherein a rotation center of the first roll supported by the first holder and the second holder matches in height with a rotation center of the second roll supported by the third holder and the fourth holder (the height can match by use of adjusting the height via the operation lever 4, as shown in at least fig.1 and ¶0034).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to provide a second support portion which takes up the sheet recorded by the recording portion onto a second roll, the second support portion including a third holder which rotatably supports the second roll at one end side in a width direction of the second roll and a fourth holder which rotatably supports the second roll at the other end side in the width direction of the second roll, facing the third holder; and a second guide that supports the fourth holder movably in the width direction of the second roll on the side of the first support portion relative to the second roll, wherein the second guide supports the third holder, wherein the first holder protrudes from the first guide in a direction opposite to the second holder, wherein a rotation center of the first roll supported by the first holder and the second holder matches in height with a rotation center of the second roll supported by the third holder and the fourth holder, as taught by Horie, in the device of Torigoe, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of printing and winding a sheet back into a roll to provide print processing and easy replacement of the printed roll (see at least ¶0009).
Torigoe further discloses, regarding claim 27, further comprising: a lock mechanism that fixes the second holder to the first guide (the second holder is locked to the first guide by virtue of the rack and pinion mechanism stationary to one another in the ‘X’ direction as discussed in at least C13/L15-19).
Regarding claim 29, further comprising:
a first stand (121) that connects to the first guide (210) on the side of the first holder (221,231); and
a second stand (121) that connects to the first guide (210) on the side of the second holder (222,231) (see at least fig.1).
Regarding claim 31, wherein a second space into which a cart (60) for transporting the first roll (R) enters is formed below a first space between the first holder and the second holder (see at least fig.7).
Regarding claim 33, further comprising: a motor (233), wherein the motor rotates the first roll (see fig.3, C5/L65-C6/L10).
Regarding claim 34, wherein the second holder (222) contacts the first guide (210) and includes a rotatable roller portion (231) (see at least C5/L65-C6/L1).
Regarding claim 35, wherein the recording portion is an inkjet print head that discharges ink onto the sheet (see at least C4/L9-11).
5. Claim 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torigoe USP 10,239,334 and Horie et al. PGPub 2012/0205418 further in view of Tenpaku et al. USP 8,919,686.
Torigoe discloses substantially all the limitations of the claims (see ¶4 above), but does not expressly disclose the limitations of claim 28.
Tenpaku teaches the lock mechanism including a rotatable knob (36) (fig.5,9-11).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to include the lock mechanism with a rotatable knob, as taught by Tenpaku, in the device of Torigoe, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of allowing a user to manually adjust the holder in accordance with the width size of the roll to be used (C6/L7-19).
6. Claim 30 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Torigoe USP 10,239,334 and Horie et al. PGPub 2012/0205418 further in view of Kobayashi et al. PGPub 2012/0199687.
Torigoe discloses substantially all the limitations of the claims (see ¶4 above), but does not expressly disclose the limitations of claim 30.
Kobayashi teaches wherein the second guide (7,5) connects to the first stand (17) on the side of the third holder (3) and connects to the second stand (17) on the side of the fourth holder (3) (see fig.1-3).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to connect the second guide to the first stand on the side of the third holder and connect to the second stand on the side of the fourth holder, as taught by Kobayashi, in the device of Horie, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of fixing both guides to the stands to prevent movement of the roll relative to the recording device.
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LESLIE A. NICHOLSON III whose telephone number is (571)272-5487. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael C 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.
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/LESLIE A NICHOLSON III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653 9/22/2026
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