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 1-8 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.
Applicant recites in claims 1 and 8, a sensor that is provided on a conveyance path to detect the type of sheet, the controller causes printing of an image on one side of a third sheet but then also recites, in a case where the sensor detects a type of the third sheet, the controller does not perform the conveyance process. However, these recitations contradict. The provided sensor detects the type of sheet, the controller is recited to perform a printing on the third sheet but the controller is recited not to perform the process when the sensor detects the sheet.
Claims 1 and 8 are rejected below interpreted without the contradicting limitation. Claims 2-7 further define the contradicting limitation.
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.
Claims 1 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noguchi (US PG Pub 2017/0334223) in view of Suzuki (US PG Pub 2019/0092592).
For claim 1: Noguchi teaches an image forming apparatus (see Fig. 1) comprising: a sheet holder 101, 102, 103; a printer 105 that prints an image on a sheet conveyed from the sheet holder 101, 102, 103, a reconveyance path 109, e, f (see Fig. 1) for reconveying the sheet on which an image is printed by the printer 105 on one side, to the printer to print an image on the other side of the sheet on which the image is printed on the one side (see paragraph 22, reversing unit 109 and operation thereof on the path of re-feeding the sheet); and a controller 201 (see Fig. 2, see Fig. 4, operation described below) that causes the printer to print an image on one side of a first sheet (see Fig. 4, first sheet 1, 502), and then causes the printer to print an image on one side of a second sheet (see Fig. 4, second sheet 3, 503), and then causes the printer to print an image on the other side of the first sheet (see Fig. 4, 504) on the reconveyance path, wherein the controller is able to perform a conveyance process for causing the printer to print the image on the other side of the first sheet and then causing the printer to print an image on one side of a third sheet (see Fig. 4, 505), and then causing the printer to print an image on the other side of the second sheet on the reconveyance path (see Fig. 4, A4 back 3 thereafter). Noguchi is silent as to a sensor that is provided on a conveyance path between the sheet holder and the printer and that detects a type of a sheet conveyed from the sheet holder. However, Suzuki teaches providing a sensor on the conveyance path between the sheet holder and the printer (see paragraph 4) to detect the type of sheet to change informing in accordance with the detected sheet (see paragraph 4). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to provide a sensor for detecting the sheet type as taught by Suzuki for the purpose of controlling printing based on the detected sheet type.
Regarding claim 8, the apparatus provided above comprises a processor 201 (see paragraph 31 of Noguchi) comprising a program to operate the printer 100 performing the method of claim 8 in routine operation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID H BANH whose telephone number is (571)270-3851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12-8PM.
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/DAVID H BANH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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