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 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.
Claim 1 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 the limitation "the conveyor" in in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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)(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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Amano (EP 3974193 A).
Referring to claim 1. Amano discloses a medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) comprising:
a liquid application member (62; Figure 2) to contact a medium (P) to apply liquid (ink) to the medium (p);
a movement mechanism (20; Figure 17) to move the liquid application member (62) close to or away from the medium (see Figures 20-22); and
a liquid-application sensor (sensor 55; Figure 6) to determine whether the liquid application member has passed through a detection area of the liquid-application sensor when the liquid application member is moved close to or away from the medium (The control section 26 drives the motor 49 based on the rotation angle of the cam shaft 47 detected by the position sensor 55 to adjust the rotation angle of the eccentric cam 48. In the present embodiment, the lowering of the head unit 20 is stopped in a state where the plate portion 20A of the head 20H is in contact with the cam surface 48A of the eccentric cam 48. Therefore, the head 20H is disposed at the recording position),
wherein when the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) is moved close to the medium (P), the conveyor (28) moves the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) at a first speed (a lowering speed of the rack 28) to get close to the medium (P) after the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) has passed through the detection area (as the position is determined by sensor 55; Figure 6), and moves the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) at a second speed (lowers at a speed lower than a lowering speed of the rack 28) slower than the first speed (a lowering speed of the rack 28) to get close to the medium (P) until the liquid application member passes through the detection area (as the position area is determined by sensor 55; Figure 6).
Referring to claim 2. Amano discloses a medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) comprising:
wherein the movement mechanism (20; Figure 17) maintains the second speed (lowers at a speed lower than a lowering speed of the rack 28) of the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) after the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) has reached the detection area of the liquid-application sensor (as the position area is determined by sensor 55; Figure 6) and until the liquid-application sensor detects (as the position area is determined by sensor 55; Figure 6) that the liquid application member has passed through the detection area (a lowering speed of the rack 28).
Referring to claim 3. Amano discloses a medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) comprising:
wherein the movement mechanism (20; Figure 17) moves the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) at the first speed (a lowering speed of the rack 28) toward the medium (P) by a given distance after the liquid-application sensor detects that the liquid application member has passed through the detection area (the position is determined by sensor 55; Figure 6).
Referring to claim 4. Amano discloses a medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) comprising:
wherein the movement mechanism (20; Figure 17) controls movement of the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) for the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) to keep contacting the medium (P) for given time (for depositing ink).
Referring to claim 5. Amano discloses a medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) comprising:
wherein the conveyor (28) moves the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) at the first speed (a lowering speed of the rack 28), and changes speed of the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) to a third speed slower than the first speed before the liquid application member contacts the medium (a third speed equal to, a speed lower than a lowering speed of the rack 28).
Referring to claim 6. Amano discloses a medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) comprising:
wherein the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) is at a first standby position (a position after which the speed changes to a second speed) before the liquid is to be applied to the medium (P), and wherein the movement mechanism starts moving the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) from a second standby position (position for depositing ink onto the medium) closer to the medium (P) than the first standby position.
Referring to claim 7. Amano discloses a medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) comprising:
wherein the movement mechanism (20; Figure 17) adjusts a moving distance to make the liquid application member (62; Figure 2) contact the medium (P) based on a number of a plurality of media (P) that make up a medium bundle (a bundle of 1 media) including the medium to which the liquid has been applied.
Referring to claim 8. Amano discloses
a image forming system (1; Figure 1) comprising:
an image forming apparatus (apparatus within 1) to form an image on a medium; and the medium processing apparatus (2; Figure 1) according to claim 1 to perform given processing (printing) on the medium (P) on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus (printing on media P).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAKESH KUMAR whose telephone number is (571)272-8314. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH from 8AM-6:30PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at (571) 272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RAKESH KUMAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
