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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
Claims 6-12 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 6, line 41, “the pair first” should be “the pair of first”.
Claim 7, line 2, “the first guides” should be “the pair of first guides”.
Claim 7, line 3, “the second guides” should be “the pair of second guides”.
Claim 11, line 2, “the first guides and the second guides” should be “the pair of first guides and the pair of second guides”.
Claim 12, lines 3-4, “one of the first guides and one of the second guides” should be “one of the pair of first guides and one of the pair of second guides”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 11 recites the limitation "the third direction" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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) 1-6 and 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato (US Pat. Pub. No. US 2018/0107139 A1) in view of Nakamura et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0278705 A1)
Sato discloses (as in claims 1 and 6) an image-forming apparatus 1 comprising: a housing 2 having an opening 2A; a cover 2C movable between a cover closed position (Fig. 1) and a cover open position (Fig. 2) relative to the housing 2, the cover 2C closing the opening 2A in a state where the cover 2C is at the cover closed position (Fig. 1), the cover 2C opening the opening 2A in a state where the cover 2C is at the cover open position (Fig. 2); a first drum cartridge 3K attachable to the housing 2 through the opening 2A in the state where the cover 2C is at the cover open position (Fig. 2), the first drum cartridge 3K comprising: a first photosensitive drum 8K rotatable about a first axis, the first axis extending in a first direction in a state where the first drum cartridge 3K is attached to the housing 2 (paragraph [0025] and Fig. 1); a first drum cleaner 11K configured to collect waste toner on a peripheral surface of the first photosensitive drum 8K (paragraph [0026]); and a first discharging part having a first discharge opening through which the waste toner collected by the first drum cleaner 11K is configured to be discharged (paragraph [0084] and Fig. 7); a second drum cartridge 3Y attachable to the housing 2 through the opening 2A in the state where the cover 2C is at the cover open position (Fig. 2), the second drum cartridge 3Y comprising: a second photosensitive drum 8Y rotatable about a second axis, the second axis extending in the first direction in a state where the second drum cartridge 3Y is attached to the housing 2 (Fig. 1); a second drum cleaner 11Y configured to collect waste toner on a peripheral surface of the second photosensitive drum 8Y (paragraph [0026]); and a second discharging part having a second discharge opening through which the waste toner collected by the second drum cleaner 11Y is configured to be discharged (paragraph [0084] and Fig. 7); a first exposing head 4K mounted on the cover 2C, the first exposing head 4K being configured to expose the peripheral surface of the first photosensitive drum 8K to light in the state where the cover 2C is at the cover closed position (paragraphs [0028]-[0029] and Figs. 1-2); a second exposing head 4Y mounted on the cover 2C, the second exposing head 4Y being configured to expose the peripheral surface of the second photosensitive drum 8Y to light in the state where the cover 2C is at the cover closed position (paragraphs [0028]-[0029] and Figs. 1-2), the first the exposing head 4K and the second exposing head 4Y being arrayed in a second direction crossing the first direction (Fig. 1); a waste toner tube 42 having a first waste toner inlet opening and a second waste toner inlet opening (Fig. 6), the waste toner discharged through the first discharge opening being introduced into an interior of the waste toner tube 42 through the first waste toner inlet opening in the state where the first drum cartridge 3K is attached to the housing 2, the waste toner discharged through the second discharge opening being introduced into the interior of the waste toner tube 42 through the second waste toner inlet opening in the state where the second drum cartridge 3Y is attached to the housing 2 (paragraphs [0084]-[0087]; Figs. 1 and 6); (as in claim 2) wherein the waste toner tube 42 is positioned opposite the first exposing head 4K with respect to the first photosensitive drum 8K in the third direction in a state where both the first drum cartridge 3K and the second drum cartridge 3Y are attached to the housing 2 and the cover 2C is at the cover closed position (Figs. 1-2 and 6); (as in claims 3 and 8) a waste toner box 43 provided inside the housing 2 (Fig. 7), wherein the waste toner tube 42 further has a waste toner outlet opening configured to communicate with the waste toner box 43 (paragraph [0087] and Fig. 7); (as in claims 4 and 9) a conveying member 42A positioned in the interior of the waste toner tube 42 and configured to convey the waste toner inside the waste toner tube 42 toward the waste toner outlet opening (Figs. 6 and 7); (as in claim 10) wherein the first drum cartridge 3K and the second drum cartridge 3Y are aligned with each other in a second direction crossing the first direction in a state where both the first drum cartridge 3K and the second drum cartridge 3Y are attached to the housing 2 (Fig. 1); and (as in claim 12) a transferring device 5 provided inside the housing 2 (paragraph [0018] and Fig. 1).
Sato differs from the instant claimed invention in not disclosing (as in claim 1) a first guide configured to guide one end portion of the first exposing head in the first direction while the cover moves between the cover closed position and the cover open position; a second guide configured to guide one end portion of the second exposing head in the first direction while the cover moves between the cover closed position and the cover open position; and wherein the waste toner tube is positioned downward of the first guide and the second guide in a third direction crossing both the first direction and the second direction; (as in claim 5) wherein the first guide and the second guide extend in the third direction; (as in claim 6) a pair of first guides each configured to guide a corresponding end portion of the first exposing head in the first direction while the cover moves between the cover closed position and the cover open position; a pair of second guides each configured to guide a corresponding end portion of the second exposing head in the first direction while the cover moves between the cover closed position and the cover open position; wherein the waste toner tube is positioned between the pair first guides and also between the pair of second guides in the first direction; and (as in claim 11) wherein the first guides and the second guides extend in the third direction.
Nakamura et al. discloses an image forming apparatus (Fig. 1) comprising: a housing 80 having an opening (Fig. 3); a cover 40 movable between a cover closed position (Fig. 1) and a cover open position (Fig. 3); a first drum cartridge 1K; a second drum cartridge 1C; a first exposing head 60; a second exposing head 60 (Figs. 1 and 3); a pair of first guide 81 configured to guide one end portion of the first exposing head 60 in the first direction while the cover 40 moves between the cover closed position and the cover open position (paragraphs [0060] and [0065]; Figs. 1 and 3-5); a pair of second guide 81 configured to guide one end portion of the second exposing head 60 in the first direction while the cover 40 moves between the cover closed position and the cover open position (paragraphs [0060] and [0065]; Figs. 1 and 3-5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to apply the first and second guides as taught by Nakamura et al. to the first and second exposing heads of Sato to safely and correctly position the first and second exposing heads.
Because the waste toner tube is positioned inside the transfer unit, and the transfer unit is positioned downward of the first and second exposing heads, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to know the waste toner tube is positioned downward of the first guide and the second guide in a third direction crossing both the first direction and the second direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 12 are 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.
Other Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hashimoto et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. US 2014/0064781 A1) discloses an image forming apparatus comprising: a housing; a cover; a first drum cartridge including a first photosensitive drum and a first drum cleaner; a second drum cartridge including a second photosensitive drum and a second drum cleaner; a first exposing head being mounted on the cover; a second exposing head being mounted on the cover; a first guide configured to guide the first exposing head; and a second guide configured to guide the second exposing head.
Fukuoka et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2021/0240105 A1) discloses an image forming apparatus comprising: a housing having an opening; a cover; a first drum cartridge including a first photosensitive drum and a first drum cleaner; a second drum cartridge including a second photosensitive drum and a second drum cleaner; a first exposing head mounted on the cover; and a second exposing head mounted on the cover.
Sato (US Pat. Pub. No. US 2023/0350335 A1) discloses an image forming apparatus comprising: a housing having an opening; a cover; a first drum cartridge including a first photosensitive drum, a first drum cleaner, a first discharging part having a first discharge opening, and a first shutter; a second drum cartridge including a second photosensitive drum, a second drum cleaner, a second discharging part having a second discharge opening, and a second shutter; a first exposing head mounted on the cover; and a second exposing head mounted on the cover; and a waste toner tube.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOPHIA S CHEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2133. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 am - 5 pm.
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/SOPHIA S CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
Ssc
July 11, 2026
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