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 .
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.
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 5-7 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 5 recites the limitation "the widening portion" in the 2nd line of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is unclear whether or not claim 5 is intended to be dependent upon claim 1, in which “the widening portion” should be corrected to --a widening portion--, or perhaps claim 2 or claim 3, which both introduce “a widening portion”. For examination purposes, “the widening portion” in claim 5 will be interpreted as “a widening portion”.
Claims 6-7 are rendered indefinite due to their dependence upon claim 5.
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, 5-10, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Endo (US 2018/0284661).
Regarding claim 1, Endo discloses a fixing device 16 (Fig. 4 [0027]) comprising:
a belt 201 (Fig. 6 [0028]);
an opposed rotator 251 contacting an outer circumferential surface of the belt 201 to form a nip N (Fig. 6 [0028]);
a heater 203 to heat the belt 201 (Fig. 6 [0031]);
a holder 204 holding the heater 203, the holder 204 extending in a longitudinal direction (into/out of the page of Fig. 6) (Figs. 6 & 9B [0032]); and
a support 206 supporting an end of the belt 201 in the longitudinal direction (Figs. 9B-9C [0040]), the support having a widened portion 206d/206e (Fig. 1 [0068]),
wherein the holder 204 widens the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206. (See [0071-0074]. The holder and widened portion are assembled by snap-fitting, which requires deformation/widening. As described, the “regulating portion can release the regulation when the flange member 206R or the holder 204 is deformed against the elasticity.” As such, the holder 204 widens the widened portion 206d/e of support 206.)
Regarding claim 2, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 1,
wherein the support 206 has a belt slide 206b (Fig. 9B) having:
an opening (area inside and beyond the “wall” of 206b; Fig. 9B); and
the widened portion 206d/e at least in a part of an edge of the opening (see Fig. 1; holder 204 extends through the opening and widened portion 206d/e therefore is at least in a part of an edge of the opening),
the holder 204 includes a widening portion 204c in a part of the holder 204 in the longitudinal direction (Fig. 1),
the widening portion 204c of the holder 204 contacts the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206 and widens the widened portion 206d/e (Fig. 1 [0071, 0074]),
the widening portion 204c of the holder 204 not disposed inside the support 206 has a first length A in a transverse direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (see annotated partial Fig. 1 below), and
the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206, in which the holder 204 is not disposed, has a second length B (length of 206d/e that is snap-fit into 204b) in the transverse direction shorter than the first length A at a position where the widening portion 204c of the holder 204 contacts the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206 (see annotated partial Fig. 1 immediately below).
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Regarding claim 3, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 1,
wherein the support 206 has a belt slide 206b (Fig. 9B) having:
an opening (area inside and beyond the “wall” of 206b; Fig. 9B); and
the widened portion 206d/e at least in a part of an edge of the opening (see Fig. 1; holder 204 extends through the opening and widened portion 206d/e therefore is at least in a part of an edge of the opening),
the holder 204 includes a widening portion 204c in a part of the holder 204 in the longitudinal direction (Fig. 1),
the widening portion 204c of the holder 204 contacts the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206 and widens the widened portion 206d/e (Fig. 1 [0071, 0074]),
the widening portion 204c of the holder 204 not disposed inside the support 206 has a longest length C in a transverse direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (see annotated partial Fig. 1 immediately below), and
[AltContent: arrow]the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206, in which the holder 204 is not disposed, has a shortest length D in the opening in the transverse direction shorter than the longest length (see annotated partial Fig. 1 immediately below).
Regarding claim 5 as best understood, Endo discloses the fixing device according to wherein the widening portion 204c of the holder 204 has a first projection (upper portion of 204c providing a wall to opening 204b) having a first height changing in an insertion direction (i.e. “tapered shape”) in which the holder 204 is inserted into the support 206 or the support 206 is inserted into the holder 204 (Fig. 1 [0071]), and the widened portion 206d/e of the support has a second projection (tapered portion 206e) contacting with the first projection of the holder 204, the second projection has a second height changing in the insertion direction (Fig. 1 [0071]).
Regarding claim 6 as best understood, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 5, wherein the first height of the first projection of the holder and the second height of the second projection of the support change in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrow G in Fig. 1 [0071]).
Regarding claim 7 as best understood, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 5, wherein the holder 204 extends in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrow C in Fig. 9B) and a transverse direction (direction of arrow D in Fig. 9B) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and the first height of the first projection of the holder and the second height of the second projection of the support change in a direction (up/down direction of Fig. 1) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction (see Fig 1).
Regarding claim 8, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 2, wherein the widening portion 204c of the holder 204 has a projection (upper portion of 204c providing a wall to opening 204b) having a tapered shape, and the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206 has a projection 206e having a tapered shape (Fig. 1 [0071]).
Regarding claim 9, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 1, further comprising a frame 260 fitted to the support 206 (Fig. 2 [0044]), wherein the support 206 has a belt slide 206b (Fig. 1 [0041]), and the widened portion 206d/e of the support 206 extends from the belt slide 206b (see Fig. 1) to a position adjacent to a position at which the frame is fitted to the support in the longitudinal direction (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 1, further comprising a frame 260 fitted to the support 206 (Fig. 2 [0044]), wherein the support 206 includes a bridging portion 206a adjacent to a position at which the frame 260 is fitted to the support 206 (Fig. 2 [0044]).
Regarding claim 13, Endo discloses an image forming apparatus 1 comprising the fixing device according to claim 1 (Fig. 4 [0021]).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Endo (US 2018/0284661).
Regarding claim 4, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 2, but is silent regarding specific relative lengths of length A and length B, and therefore fails to disclose wherein the length A and the length B satisfy (A - B) ≤ 0.1 mm.
However, because lengths A and B represent portions of 206d/e and 204c that engage in order for the support and holder to be engaged and disengaged via snap-fitting ([0071-0074]), one of ordinary skill would have understood that the relative lengths A and B would directly affect the amount of force necessary to engage and disengage the support and the holder.
As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention one of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the lengths A and B, including that which results in (A - B) ≤ 0.1 mm, in order to result in a snap-fitting that would securely hold the engagement but would also allow for disengagement when necessary.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Endo (US 2018/0284661) in view of Someya et al. (US 2019/0286027; “Someya”).
Regarding claim 11, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the support 206 has a belt slide 206b (Fig. 9B).
Endo fails to disclose a gap between the heater and an edge of the holder adjacent to the belt slide is larger than a gap between the heater and the edge of the holder not adjacent to the belt slide.
Someya teaches a similar fixing device 300 (Fig. 2A [0048]) that has a heater 350 held by holder 340 (Fig. 2A [0101]). The holder 340 includes guide ribs 340a/340b (Figs. 3A-3E [0114]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include guide ribs as taught by Someya into the holder of Endo. One would have been motivated to make this modification in order to rotate the fixing belt stably while retaining a substantially tubular shape (Someya [0114]).
In making this modification, a gap between the heater and an edge of the holder including a rib 340a or 340b on a longitudinal end of the heater and holder adjacent to the belt slide would be larger than a gap between the heater and the edge of the holder not including a rib 340a or 340b not adjacent to the belt slide (see Fig. 3E of Someya, and note that the belt slide would be at the longitudinal end of the heater and holder).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Endo (US 2018/0284661) in view of Matsuno et al. (US 2003/0231894; “Matsuno”).
Regarding claim 12, Endo discloses the fixing device according to claim 1, but fails to disclose the fixing device further comprising a ball bearing receiving a shaft of the opposed rotator. Endo is completely silent as to any bearing or shaft of the opposed rotator.
Matsuno discloses a similar fixing device 18 (Figs. 4-5 [0074]) comprising a ball bearing 42a receiving a shaft 42b of an opposed rotator 42 (Fig. 12 [0082]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the fixing device of Endo to include a ball bearing receiving a shaft of the opposed rotator as taught by Matsuno, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results. In this instance, the predictable results would be a structure to enable the pressing roller/opposed rotator to rotate in order for the fixing device to operate as intended.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLA J THERRIEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2677. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8 am - 4 pm EST.
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/CARLA J THERRIEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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