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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 31, 38 and 39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hashimoto et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. US 2013/0266340 A1)
Regarding claim 31, Hashimoto et al. discloses an image forming apparatus 100 comprising: a developing device 4 including a developing roller 401 and a storage frame 21 including a developing storage portion configured to store toner to be supplied to the developing roller 401 and an inlet opening 22 communicating with the developing storage portion (Figs. 4 and 13); a main body 1 including an opening/closing member 1a and a body frame 11 with a main body opening (Fig. 1), the body frame 11 being configured to accommodate the developing device 4, the opening/closing member 1a being movable relative to the body frame 11 between a closed position where the opening/closing member 1a covers the main body opening and an open position where the main body opening is exposed (Figs. 1 and 2); a toner cartridge 3 including a toner frame including a toner storage portion configured to store toner to be supplied to the developing storage portion and a discharge opening 25 communicating with the toner storage portion (Fig. 4); and a moving device 2 configured to move the toner cartridge 3 from an attached position where the discharge opening 25 faces the inlet opening 22 such that the toner storage portion and the developing storage portion communicate with each other via the discharge opening 25 and the inlet opening 22 and a retracted position where the toner cartridge 3 is retracted from the attached position through the main body opening, wherein the opening/closing member 1a includes a surface configured to form a part of an exterior surface of the main body 1 when the opening/closing member 1a is in the closed position (Fig. 1), and wherein when the moving device 2 moves the toner cartridge 3 from the attached position to the retracted position, the moving device 2 moves the opening/closed member 1a from the closed position to the open position (Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 38, Hashimoto et al. discloses wherein, in a state in which the toner cartridge 3 is at the retracted position, at least part of the toner cartridge 3 projects outside relative to a position of the surface of the opening/closing member 1a at the closed position (Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 39, Hashimoto et al. discloses wherein in a state in which the toner cartridge 3 is at the retracted position and the opening/closing member 1a is at the open position, the toner cartridge 3 is supported by the opening/closing member 1a (Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 32-37 and 40-43 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.
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
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July 21, 2026
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