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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
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.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kato et al. US 2018/0267447 (Kato).
Regarding claim 1, Kato teaches an image forming apparatus comprising:
a plurality of function modules including a first function module (ID 002) configured to fix a toner image to a sheet and a second function module (ID 001) used for forming the toner image on the sheet (FIG. 3); and
at least one processor configured to:
acquire a power consumption value (in W) of the first function module and a power consumption value of the second function module (FIG. 3), respectively;
acquire an accumulated power consumption amount of the first function module by accumulating power consumption values of the first function module in a time axis direction (404); and
acquire an accumulated power consumption amount of the second function module by accumulating power consumption values of the second function module in the time axis direction (405 & 406).
Regarding claim 2, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to sum the accumulated power consumption amount of the first function module and the accumulated power consumption amount of the second function module (¶0139).
Regarding claim 3, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
acquire individual power consumption values for the plurality of function modules (FIG. 3);
accumulate the individual power consumption values for the plurality of function modules in the time axis direction to acquire an accumulated power consumption amount of each of the plurality of function modules (¶0129-¶0132); and
acquire an accumulated power consumption of the image forming apparatus by summing the accumulated power consumption amount of each of the plurality of function modules (¶0129-¶0158).
Regarding claim 4, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the second function module includes at least one of:
a reading unit (11) configured to read a document;
a control unit (40) including the at least one more processor;
an image forming unit (20) configured to form the toner image on the sheet; or
a conveyance unit (22/15) configured to convey the sheet.
Regarding claim 5, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising:
a first housing (50) and a second housing (70) each having a power cable (FIG. 9), wherein the first function module and the second function module are arranged in the first housing (¶0096), a third function module (ID 003, 004, 005) in the plurality of function modules are arranged in the second housing, the at least one processor is further configured to:
acquire a power consumption value of the third function module (ID 003, 004, 005); and acquire an accumulated power consumption amount of the third function module (ID 003, 004, 005) by accumulating power consumption values of the third function module in the time axis direction (¶0129-¶0158).
Regarding claim 6, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the third function module (ID 003, 004, 005) includes an optional device connected to a main body of the image forming apparatus.
Regarding claim 7, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein the optional device includes at least one of:
a post-processing apparatus (16) configured to perform post-processing on the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus; or
a feeding device (17) configured to feed the sheet to the image forming apparatus (FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 8, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the first function module includes a first heater (51) and a second heater (53), and the one more processors is further configured to acquire a power consumption value of the first heater and a power consumption value of the second heater, respectively (¶0128-¶0134).
Regarding claim 9, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to acquire power consumption values for the first function module (ID 002) and the second function module (ID 001) using different calculation methods for each (FIG. 3).
Regarding claim 10, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein the at least one processor (47) is further configured to acquire an accumulated power consumption amount as a fixed value for the reading unit (¶0071-¶0075).
Regarding claim 11, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to acquire an accumulated power consumption amount as a fixed value for the control unit (¶0151-¶0165).
Regarding claim 12, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to accumulate the power consumption values acquired each control period of the first function module (¶0205-¶0211).
Regarding claim 13, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising:
a temperature sensor (54) configured to detect a temperature of a heating element of the first function module (¶0057-¶0059), wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine a control value for controlling the temperature detected by the temperature sensor to a target temperature (via 45c, ¶0145);
adjust an electrical power supplied to the heating element in accordance with the control value (¶0140); and
acquire a power consumption value of the first function module based on the control value (¶0136-¶0154).
Regarding claim 14, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising:
a current sensor (48) configured to detect a current supplied to a heating element of the first function module (¶0059),
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to acquire a power consumption value of the first function module based on the current detected by the current sensor (¶0136-¶0154).
Regarding claim 15, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising:
a voltage sensor configured to detect a voltage applied to a heating element of the first function module (¶0176),
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to acquire a power consumption value of the first function module based on the voltage detected by the voltage sensor (¶0173-¶0176).
Regarding claim 16, Kato teaches the image forming apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising:
a display (¶0052) configured to display at least one of an accumulated power consumption amount of the first function module and an accumulated power consumption amount of the second function module (¶0052), or
an accumulated power consumption amount based on the accumulated power consumption amount of the first function module and the accumulated power consumption amount of the second function module (FIG. 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA L ELEY whose telephone number is (571)272-9793. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM CST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter Jr. 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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/JESSICA L ELEY/
Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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