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 .
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.
Claims 4, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the installation direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the installation direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 13 claims “the label” in line 2. It is considered to be indefinite because it is unclear which one of the plurality of labels (line 2) is the label.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 5-10, 12, and 14-20 are allowed.
Claims 4, 11, and 13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Independent claim 1 is allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record does not teach or suggest: “a first voltage control member configured to move between a first position and a second position in response to an external force, wherein when the first voltage control member is in the first position, the detection device and the grounding terminal are electrically connected, and when the first voltage control member is in the second position, the detection device and the grounding terminal are not electrically connected” as set forth in the claimed combination.
Independent claim 9 is allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record does not teach or suggest: “a first voltage control member configured to move in response to a movement of the first drive force receiving member, thereby switching between an electrically connected state and an electrically non-connected state between the first conductive member and the second conductive member” as set forth in the claimed combination.
Independent claim 19 is allowable over the prior art of record because the prior art of record does not teach or suggest: “a first voltage control member configured to move in response to a movement of the first drive force receiving member to control switching between an electrically connected state and an electrically non-connected state between the first electrical connection portion of the conductive assembly and the grounding terminal” as set forth in the claimed combination.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhou (US Pat. Pub. No. US 2022/0100121 A1) discloses a developing cartridge, comprising: a developing frame internally provided with a developer chamber configured to accommodate developer; a developing roller rotatably disposed on the developing frame; a first drive force receiving member configured to receive a driving force for driving rotation of the developing roller; and a first end cover.
Peng et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. US 2025/0013167 A1) discloses a developing cartridge, comprising: a developing frame internally provided with a developer chamber configured to accommodate developer; a developing roller rotatably disposed on the developing frame; a first drive force receiving member configured to receive a driving force for driving rotation of the developing roller; a first end cover connected to the developing frame; a storage unit; and a conductive assembly.
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.
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, Stephanie Bloss can be reached at 571-272-3555. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SOPHIA S CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
Ssc
August 3, 2026