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 § 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) 1, 2, and 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakajima (JP 2022-128143) in view of Tanaka (US 2013/0176222). (Note: cited paragraphs of Nakajima correspond to those in the machine translation of the JP document provided herewith.)
Regarding claim 1, Nakajima discloses an image forming apparatus 1 (Fig. 1 [0028]), comprising:
a main body (see Fig. 1) which incorporates therein a printing device which forms an image on a sheet ([0009]);
a display unit 17 which includes a rectangular screen and has a rectangular outline corresponding to the screen (Fig. 1A [0042]); and
a support mechanism (not shown) which is fixed to the main body and supports the display unit 17 such that the display unit 17 is rotatable about a specific straight line (predetermined axis) provided along a thickness direction of the display unit 17 (Figs. 1A-1B [0043]), wherein the support mechanism supports the display unit 17 such that the display unit 17 is rotatable about the specific straight line between a horizontally-long attitude in which the outline becomes horizontally long (Fig. 1B) and a vertically-long attitude in which the outline becomes vertically long (Fig. 1A [0043]),
the support mechanism further supports the display unit 17 in a state where, when the display unit is in the horizontally-long attitude, a right side surface of the display unit is set along a vertical plane provided along a right side surface of the main body when seen from a front surface side of the main body (see Fig. 1B),
the support mechanism further supports the display unit such that the display unit is rotatable
the support mechanism further supports the display unit 17 such that the display unit 17 is rotatable
when the display unit is in the horizontally-long attitude, a distance from the right side surface of the display unit to the specific straight line is equal to or larger than a distance from a lower surface of the display unit to the specific straight line when seen from the front surface side of the main body (although this feature is not explicitly discussed, this feature must be present in order for the right side surface of display unit 17 to line up with and not jut out from the main body of the apparatus when the display unit is in either the horizontally-long attitude or the vertically-long attitude as shown in Figs. 1A-1B).
Nakajima is silent regarding the directions of rotation to move between the vertically-long and horizontally-long attitudes.
Tanaka teaches a similar image forming apparatus 900 including a display unit 100 that is rotatable between vertically-long and horizontally-long attitudes (Figs. 3A-3B). Further, the display unit 100 can be rotated in either a clockwise R1 or counterclockwise R2 direction and can be rotated 360 degrees (Figs. 3A-3B [0069]).
Utilizing the teachings of Tanaka, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to configure the display unit of Nakajima to be rotated in either a clockwise R1 or counterclockwise R2 direction for 360 degrees. In making this modification, the display unit would be rotatable counterclockwise from the horizontally-long attitude to the vertically-long attitude and clockwise from the vertically-long attitude to the horizontally-long attitude when seen from the front surface side of the main body. One would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide the display unit of the apparatus with a greater range of motion.
Regarding claim 2, modified Nakajima teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a document sheet conveying device 16 (Fig. 2) paper tray) and a document sheet discharge tray (this is necessary for the document to come out of the apparatus) ([0035]), conveys a document sheet on the document sheet supply tray along a conveying path ([0035]), and further discharges the document sheet from the conveying path onto the document sheet discharge tray ([0035]); and an image sensor 11 (Fig. 2) which is housed inside the main body and reads an image from the document sheet conveyed by the document sheet conveying device ([0035]), wherein the support mechanism supports the display unit in a state where, irrespective of which of the horizontally-long attitude and the vertically-long attitude the display unit is in,
Nakajima does not explicitly disclose the position of the document sheet conveying device, but does explicitly disclose an upper surface of display unit 17 positioned to be lower than the uppermost portion of the apparatus 1 irrespective of which of the horizontally-long attitude and the vertically-long attitude the display unit is in (see Figs. 1A-1B).
Tanaka teaches configuring image forming apparatus 900 with a document sheet conveying device 3 (Fig. 1) including a document sheet supply tray and discharge tray (which can be seen in Figs. 3A-3B) above the main body of the apparatus.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to configure the apparatus of Nakajima such that the sheet conveying device is positioned above the main body of the apparatus, as taught by Tanaka, 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 providing an automatic document feeder to the apparatus in a location that allows the apparatus to function as intended. In making this modification, irrespective of which of the horizontally-long attitude and the vertically-long attitude the display unit is in, an upper surface of the display unit would be positioned to be lower than a document sheet placing surface of the document sheet supply tray and the document sheet discharge tray an uppermost portion when seen from the front surface side of the main body.
Regarding claim 4, Nakajima discloses an image forming apparatus 1 (Fig. 1 [0028]), comprising:
a main body (see Fig. 1) which incorporates therein a printing device which forms an image on a sheet ([0009]);
a display unit 17 which includes a rectangular screen and has a rectangular outline corresponding to the screen (Fig. 1A [0042]); and
a support mechanism (not shown) which is fixed to the main body and supports the display unit 17 such that the display unit 17 is rotatable about a specific straight line (predetermined axis) provided along a thickness direction of the display unit 17 (Figs. 1A-1B [0043]), wherein the support mechanism supports the display unit 17 such that the display unit 17 is rotatable about the specific straight line between a horizontally-long attitude in which the outline becomes horizontally long (Fig. 1B) and a vertically-long attitude in which the outline becomes vertically long (Fig. 1A [0043]),
the support mechanism further supports the display unit 17 in a state where, when the display unit is in the horizontally-long attitude, a right side surface of the display unit is set along a vertical plane provided along a right side surface of the main body when seen from a front surface side of the main body (see Fig. 1B),
the support mechanism further supports the display unit such that the display unit is rotatable
the support mechanism further supports the display unit 17 such that the display unit 17 is rotatable
when the display unit is in the horizontally-long attitude, a distance from the right side surface of the display unit to the specific straight line is equal to or larger than a distance from an upper surface of the display unit to the specific straight line when seen from the front surface side of the main body (although this feature is not explicitly discussed, this feature must be present in order for the right side surface of display unit 17 to line up with and not jut out from the main body of the apparatus when the display unit is in either the horizontally-long attitude or the vertically-long attitude as shown in Figs. 1A-1B).
Nakajima is silent regarding the directions of rotation to move between the vertically-long and horizontally-long attitudes.
Tanaka teaches a similar image forming apparatus 900 including a display unit 100 that is rotatable between vertically-long and horizontally-long attitudes (Figs. 3A-3B). Further, the display unit 100 can be rotated in either a clockwise R1 or counterclockwise R2 direction and can be rotated 360 degrees (Figs. 3A-3B [0069]).
Utilizing the teachings of Tanaka, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to configure the display unit of Nakajima to be rotated in either a clockwise R1 or counterclockwise R2 direction for 360 degrees. In making this modification, the display unit would be rotatable clockwise from the horizontally-long attitude to the vertically-long attitude and counterclockwise from the vertically-long attitude to the horizontally-long attitude when seen from the front surface side of the main body. One would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide the display unit of the apparatus with a greater range of motion.
Regarding claim 5, modified Nakajima teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a document sheet conveying device 16 (Fig. 2) paper tray) and a document sheet discharge tray (this is necessary for the document to come out of the apparatus) ([0035]), conveys a document sheet on the document sheet supply tray along a conveying path ([0035]), and further discharges the document sheet from the conveying path onto the document sheet discharge tray ([0035]); and an image sensor 11 (Fig. 2) which is housed inside the main body and reads an image from the document sheet conveyed by the document sheet conveying device ([0035]), wherein the support mechanism supports the display unit in a state where, irrespective of which of the horizontally-long attitude and the vertically-long attitude the display unit is in,
Nakajima does not explicitly disclose the position of the document sheet conveying device, but does explicitly disclose an upper surface of display unit 17 positioned to be lower than the uppermost portion of the apparatus 1 irrespective of which of the horizontally-long attitude and the vertically-long attitude the display unit is in (see Figs. 1A-1B).
Tanaka teaches configuring image forming apparatus 900 with a document sheet conveying device 3 (Fig. 1) including a document sheet supply tray and discharge tray (which can be seen in Figs. 3A-3B) above the main body of the apparatus.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to configure the apparatus of Nakajima such that the sheet conveying device is positioned above the main body of the apparatus, as taught by Tanaka, 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 providing an automatic document feeder to the apparatus in a location that allows the apparatus to function as intended. In making this modification, irrespective of which of the horizontally-long attitude and the vertically-long attitude the display unit is in, the upper surface of the display unit would be positioned to be lower than a document sheet placing surface of the document sheet supply tray and the document sheet discharge tray an uppermost portion when seen from the front surface side of the main body.
Regarding claim 6, modified Nakajima teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the display unit is in the horizontally-long attitude, the distance from the upper surface of the display unit to the specific straight line is equal to or larger than a distance from a left side surface of the display unit to the specific straight line when seen from the front surface side of the main body (although this feature is not explicitly discussed, this feature must be present in order for the right side surface of display unit 17 to line up with and not jut out from the main body of the apparatus when the display unit is in either the horizontally-long attitude or the vertically-long attitude as shown in Figs. 1A-1B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Prior art of record does not disclose or suggest the claimed “wherein when the display unit is in the horizontally-long attitude, a distance from an upper surface of the display unit to the specific straight line is equal to or larger than the distance from the right side surface of the display unit to the specific straight line when seen from the front surface side of the main body” in combination with the remaining limitations of claim 3.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yamada et al. (US 2025/0373740) and Yamada et al. (US 2025/0373741) are cited as related applications to the instant application.
Tomono (US 2019/0215406) and Yergenson et al. (US 2023/0063445) are cited for teaching image forming apparatuses having display units that are rotatable between landscape and portrait orientations.
Conclusion
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/CARLA J THERRIEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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