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 Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: a holding mechanism in claim 1, understood to be the mounting structure of ribs and grooves as illustrated in Figures 11 and 16.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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 1-6 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.
Claim 1 recites, a holding mechanism that holds the separation member at a position away from the sheet feed roller after the feed surface has passed across the separation member as the sheet feed roller rotates. From the disclosure this appear to refer to the separation pad’s mounting structure of ribs and grooves as illustrated in Figures 11 and 16. Moreover, claim 4 explicitly recites that the holding mechanism includes these mounting features. However, it is not clear how the mounting structure of the fixed separation pad can be considered as holding “the separation member at a position away from the sheet feed roller after the feed surface has passed across the separation member as the sheet feed roller rotates.” This sounds like a temporary holding, but does not appear to be the case from the disclosure. The claimed components fail to particularly point out and distinctly claim the inventive subject matter. Claims 2-6 are rejected by virtue of their dependency.
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) 1-3, 5, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2015-20879 (“JP ‘879”).
Regarding claim 1, JP ‘879 disclosed a sheet feeding device comprising:
a sheet stacking tray (3) on which a sheet is stacked, the sheet stacking tray being movable up and down;
a sheet stop portion (see at least Figure 6) against which a leading end of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking tray is thrust to be aligned;
a sheet feed roller (9) in pressed contact with a top surface of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking tray, the sheet feed roller having a half-moon-shaped feed surface (see Figures 1 and 6) that feeds out the sheet in a feed direction;
a separation member (13a) that contacts the feed surface of the sheet feed roller to form a feed nip;
a first urging member (5) that urges the sheet stacking tray in a direction toward the sheet feed roller;
an eccentric cam (24) that is fixed to a rotating shaft (8) of the sheet feed roller, the eccentric cam having a maximum eccentric radius larger a radius of the sheet feed roller (Figure 6);
a cam follower (7a) provided at a position in the sheet stacking tray where the cam follower contacts the eccentric cam, the cam follower raising the sheet stacking tray by moving a contact point from a large-diameter portion of the eccentric cam to a small-diameter portion of the eccentric cam as the eccentric cam rotates (see at least Figure 6);
a detection mechanism that detects the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking tray, the detection mechanism including:
a sheet detection sensor (11) that includes a detection portion having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion; and
a detection member (including 10) that could make contact with the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking tray to swing, the detection member having a light-shielding portion that shields or opens an optical path of the detection portion (Figure 1),
a holding mechanism (including 12 and/or 13 and/or the equivalent mounting structure of pad 13a to the support below the pad) that holds the separation member at a position away from the sheet feed roller after the feed surface has passed across the separation member as the sheet feed roller rotates, wherein,
immediately before the sheet starts to be fed, the sheet stacking tray is kept on standby at a standby position radially inward of an outer diameter of the feed surface (since the outer diameter of roller 12 is smaller than the outer diameter of roller 9) so that a feedable distance that is a distance between a feed start position at which the feed surface and the sheet stacking tray are in contact with each other and the sheet stop portion (seen in Figure 3b) is larger than a detectable distance that is a maximum distance between a detectable position at which, with the leading end of the sheet separated from the sheet stop portion (seen in Figure 3c), the sheet can be detected by the sheet detection mechanism and the sheet stop portion.
Regarding claim 2, JP ‘879 disclosed sheet feed roller only has the feed surface, and the sheet stacking tray rises to the standby position while keeping contact between the eccentric cam and the cam follower (see at least Figure 1).
Regarding claim 3, JP ‘879 disclosed the sheet feed roller includes: the feed surface; and pulleys (12) disposed at opposite sides of the feed surface along an axial direction, the pulleys having a smaller outer diameter than the feed surface, and the sheet stacking tray is disposed at the standby position in contact with an outer circumference surface of the pulleys (Figures 3a and 3b).
Regarding claim 5, JP ‘879 disclosed the sheet detection sensor is disposed in such a direction as to increase an area of the detection portion in a movement direction of the light shielding-portion (Figure 1).
Regarding claim 5, JP ‘879 disclosed an image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming portion that forms an image on a sheet (Figure 2); and the sheet feeding device according to claim 1 that feeds the sheet to the image forming portion (as mentioned above).
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) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP ‘879 in view of Arimura US 8,757,616 (“Arimura”).
JP ‘879 disclosed the limitations of claim 1, and further disclosed a holder (including 13) holding the separation member and movable in a direction toward or away from the sheet feed roller; and a second urging member (14) that urges the holder in a direction toward the sheet feed roller. JP ‘879 did not teach the claimed structure of the mounting features of the holding mechanism. Arimura teaches a holding mechanism that includes a guide groove (534) formed along a movement direction of the holder; and a support rib (621) slidably engaged in the guide groove, and an end part of the guide groove and the support rib making contact with each other results in the separation member being held in a position away from the sheet feed roller (Figures 6, 12, and 13). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the teachings of Arimura within JP ‘879 as a well-known way to reliably mount the pad to the holder.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOWARD J SANDERS whose telephone number is (571)270-3096. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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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.
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/HOWARD J SANDERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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