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 7/9/2025 and 12/22/2025 was considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 7/9/2025 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 § 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SUZUKI et al. (US 2012/0308254 A1; cited by applicant; SUZUKI).
Regarding claim 1, SUZUKI teaches a fixing device (figure 1; 100) comprising: a fixing member 110 which heats a toner on a medium while rotating around an axis; a pressure member 140 which forms a pressure region with the fixing member 110 and pressurizes the toner on the medium passing through the pressure region while rotating around an axis; a fixing frame which supports both ends of the fixing member 110 and the pressure member 140 in the axial direction; a rolling bearing member which is disposed between either of the fixing member 140 and the pressure member 110 and the fixing frame in an electrically insulated state; and a ground member 300, 400 which electrically grounds either of the fixing member 110 and the pressure member 140 via the rolling bearing member (figures 1-5; [0026, 0035, 0046-0047, 0052, 0059-0061, 0063, 0072] casing is the support frame).
Regarding claim 2, the rolling bearing member includes an inner ring which rotatably supports a rotational shaft portion 141 of either of the fixing member 110 and the pressure member 140 around the axis, an outer ring 142 which is mounted on the fixing frame in an electrically insulated state, and a rolling element held between the inner ring and the outer ring (between the inner and outer ring); and the ground member 400 is in contact with the outer ring 142 (figures 2, 4, [0026]).
Regarding claim 3, the fixing device (figure 2) further comprising: a bearing holder which is made of insulator, mounted on the fixing frame while holding the rolling bearing member and the ground member 300, 400, and have a guide hole into which the ground member is inserted to bring it into contact with the outer ring; and a ground cover which is made of insulator, and mounted on the bearing holder so as to cover the ground member in contact with the outer ring through the guide hole (Figures 4-6, [0026, 0035, 0055-0058] casing is the support frame).
Regarding claim 5, the ground member includes: a first conductive member in contact with the outer ring; a second conductive member in contact with the fixing frame; and a resistance member which is provided between the first conductive member and the second conductive member and connected to the first conductive member and the second conductive member.
Regarding claim 7, an image forming apparatus comprising the fixing
Device (shown in figure 1).
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 4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUZUKI in view of WATARAI (CA 1325240 C).
SUZUKI teaches leaf spring grounding member for a fixing device (figure 4; grounding members 300 and 400).
SUZUKI does not teach a coil spring as part of the grounding member.
WATARAI teaches that leaf spring and coil springs are interchangeable (page 16, lines 5-15; the use of a leaf spring and coil spring can perform the same function).
SUZUKI and WATARAI are concerned with fixing device.
The rationale for combining the teachings of WATARAI with the teachings of SUZUKI relates to the rationale of using a known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way.
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 WATARAI with the teaching of SUZUKI to obtain a grounding device.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. KAJITA (US 2009/0142113 A1) teach a fixing device with grounding means. SUZUKI (US 2011/0206406 A1) teaches a fixing device with grounding feature.
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.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/QUANA GRAINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
QG
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