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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/24/2025 and 1/21/2026 was considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 6/24/2025 are acceptable for examination by the examiner.
Title
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
Claims 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NAGATA et al. (cited by applicant, JP04-156471A; hereinafter NAGATA) in view of IKEHATA (cited by applicant; JP2005-070099A).
Regarding claim 1, NAGATA et al. teaches an image forming apparatus 10 comprising; an apparatus main body 11 having an opening and a drum unit storage part communicating with the opening (shown in figure 2), and a drum unit 30 detachably attached to the drum unit storage part through the opening, wherein the drum unit 30 includes: a photosensitive drum 31; a [corona] discharging device which[ corona] charges the photosensitive drum 31; and a drum cover 50 turnable in a protective posture for covering the photosensitive drum 31 and an exposure posture for exposing the photosensitive drum 31, and when the drum unit 30 is attached to the drum unit storage part, the drum cover 50 is turned from the protective posture into the expose posture to block a flow path communicating a space around the corona charging device with an outside of the apparatus main body (abstract; “Working Examples”, paragraphs 2-9).
Regarding claim 2, the apparatus main body has a sealed space (internal printer), and when the drum unit 30 is attached to the drum unit storage part, the drum cover 50 is turned to the exposure posture and forms an exhaust path for communicating the space around the charging device with the sealed space (figures 2-3; paragraphs under “Working Examples” 6-7).
Regarding claim 4, the apparatus main body 1 includes a fixing device 1A disposed above the drum unit storage part to form a fixing nip through which the sheet passes (shown in figure 1), when the drum unit 1A is attached to the drum unit storage part and the drum cover is turned to the exposure posture, the drum cover abuts on the fixing device and blocks the space around the charging device (Shown in figure 3, shield 30 contacts the fixing unit 1A) from a space including the fixing nip (figures 2-3; third embodiment: 1st through the 3rd paragraph).
NAGATA teaches a discharge tray 17 on which the discharged sheet on which an image is formed is loaded and which opens and closes the opening (as suggested in figure 7).
However, NAGATA does not teach regarding claim 3, a corona discharging device.
IKEHATA teaches a corona discharging device.
IKEHATA teaches regarding claim 3, a discharge tray on which the discharged sheet on which an image is formed is loaded and which opens and closes the opening, and the sealed space (at least, around the corona discharging device as shown in figure 2) is a moving space (the space where the process cartridge 120 is being inserted in figure 1) in which the drum unit is moved between the opening and the drum unit storage part (figures 1-2).
IKEHATA and NAGATA are concerned with process cartridges for image forming devices.
The rationale for combining the teachings of IKEHATA with the teachings of NAGATA relates to the rationale of combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to use the teaching of NAGATA with the teaching of IKEHATA to obtain a blocking of unwanted gas flow from inside to outside the printing device.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. KONISHI (US 2017/0031257 A1) teaches a light shielding member within an image forming apparatus.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANA GRAINGER whose telephone number is (571)272-2135. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Walter Lindsay can be reached on 571-272-1674. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/QUANA GRAINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
QG
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