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 4/17/2025 was considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 4/17/2025 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities. On page 6, line 25, “Figure 1” should be - - Figure 4 - -.
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.
(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) 1-9 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by MINEGISHI et al. (US 2014/0348525 A1).
MINEGISHI teaches regarding claim 1, an imaging device, comprising: a photoconductive drum for hosting a latent image created by a laser that becomes developed with toner to create a toned image; a developer roll for providing the toner to the photoconductive drum during use; nodes to set the relative voltages on the rolls and drum; and a high-voltage power supply, the power supply sensing a current between the developer roll and the photoconductive drum.
Regarding claim 2, the imaging device further including a controller in communication with the power supply for receiving the sensed current to determine an operating mass of the toner based thereon.
Regarding claim 3, the power supply further includes a resistor through which the current becomes sensed (power supplies have resistance).
Regarding claim 4, the imaging device further including circuitry that isolates a current path between the developer roll and the photoconductive drum.
Regarding claim 5, the power supply is configured to sense the current at a time when the developer roll applies the toner to the photoconductive drum.
Regarding claim 6, the imaging device further including a controller in communication with the power supply for receiving the sensed voltage to determine an operating mass of the toner based thereon.
Regarding claim 7, the controller further coordinates with the power supply to set a charge on a charge roll for charging the photoconductive drum (for all charging of the drum even for normal imaging).
Regarding claim 8, the imaging device further including a toner cartridge (shown in figure 3) containing the toner, the toner being in communication with a toner adder roll 211 to become provided to the developer roll.
Regarding claims 9 wherein the imaging device of claim 1, further including a transfer roll opposing the photoconductive drum and an intermediate transfer belt there between, the photoconductive drum for transferring the toner to the intermediate transfer belt [0061-0063].
Regarding claim 13, the imaging device further including a toner cartridge containing the toner (figure 3).
Regarding claim 14, the imaging device further including a local or remote memory accessible by a controller 101 to subtract out empirically measured currents from the sensed current, the empirically measured currents being stored in the memory (shown in figure 2; performs density adhesion or mass calculation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-12 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.
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.
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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.
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/QUANA GRAINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
QG
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