DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on May 27th 2025 and April 30th 2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
3. 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.
4. Claims 2-12 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 2 recites the limitation “the user” in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claim 1 is allowed.
Regarding claim 1, the most relevant prior art is Hidenori et al. (JP 2023-115754 A; “Hidenori”; refer to attached translation).
Hidenori discloses an apparatus (1) for processing sheets (S) comprising:
a conveyor (2, 27, 28) that conveys a sheet (S) on which a plurality of fold lines (C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, Cf, Cw) are set (Fig. 5; pg. 3 para. 1);
a folder (7) that folds the sheet (S) conveyed by the conveyor (2, 27, 28) along the fold lines (pg. 2 para. 1);
an applicator (31) that applies an adhesive to the sheet (S; pg. 7 para. 4); and
a controller (9) configured to control the conveyor (2, 27, 28; pg. 6 para. 5), the folder (7; pg. 2 para. 10), and the applicator (31; pg. 5 para. 13), wherein
the controller (9) includes:
an acquirer configured to acquire processing information of the sheet (S; pg. 5 para. 13).
Hidenori fails to disclose a fold line determinator configured to determine, based on the processing information acquired by the acquirer, which one of the plurality of fold lines along which the sheet is to be folded by the folder; and a folding controller configured to control the folder to fold the sheet in accordance with determination of the fold line determinator.
It would not have been obvious to modify Hidenori with the aforementioned limitation because the addition of the folding controller would provide a redundant function for the CPU of Hidenori.
6. Claims 2-12 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EYAMINDAE JALLOW whose telephone number is (571)270-1927. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from 7:30am-5:00pm and alternating Fridays from 7:30am-4:00pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, SHELLEY SELF, can be reached on (571)272-4524. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571)273-8300.
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/EYAMINDAE C JALLOW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
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