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 § 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) 1-5 and 9-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Marquardt et al. US 11,410,134 (“Marquardt”).
Regarding claim 1, Marquardt disclosed a sheet processing method that is performed by a sheet processing device, the method comprising:
acquiring determination information (using 102) in a case where a deposit of a sheet is received from an external storage device (into 101), the determination information being information about the storage device where the sheet to be received has been stored (for example, one that tore, bent, glued or damaged the sheet); and
providing a curl notification that the sheet has a curl in a case where the determination information satisfies a predetermined condition (see the second paragraph of column 21).
Regarding claim 2, Marquardt disclosed a storage state of the sheet in the storage device is determined on the basis of the determination information (see the paragraph bridging columns 7 and 8).
Regarding claim 3, Marquardt disclosed the determination information is at least one of device recognition information for recognizing the storage device (for example, one that tore, bent, glued or damaged the sheet, see the paragraph bridging columns 7 and 8), and user recognition information for recognizing a user who deposits the sheet to the sheet processing device.
Regarding claim 4, the predetermined condition would be satisfied in a case where the storage device represented by the device recognition information is a specific storage device (such as one that bends a sheet).
Regarding claim 5, the predetermined condition would be satisfied in a case where the user represented by the user recognition information is associated with a specific storage device in advance (see the last full paragraph of col. 21).
Regarding claim 9, Marquardt disclosed in the acquiring of the determination information, an inputting operation of the determination information by a user who deposits the sheet to the sheet processing device is received (into 903).
Regarding claim 10, Marquardt disclosed in a case where depositing the sheet using a transport device comprising a memory unit that records the determination information, the determination information is received from the transport device in the acquiring of the determination information (see at least the second paragraph of column 21).
Regarding claim 11, in a case where a predetermined operation of a user who deposits the sheet is received after the curl notification (during a subsequent deposit, for example), the sheet deposited and received is transported to a storage unit provided in the sheet processing device (see at least Figure 1).
Regarding claim 12, Marquardt disclosed in a case where the determination information satisfies the predetermined condition, the sheet deposited and received is transported to a first storage unit that does not feed the sheet, the first storage unit being provided in the sheet processing device; and wherein in a case where the determination information does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the sheet deposited and received is transported to a second storage unit that feeds the sheet, the second storage unit being provided in the sheet processing device (see the first full paragraph of column 8).
Regarding claim 13, Marquardt disclosed in a case where skewing equal to or greater than a predetermined number of sheets has occurred during transport for deposit among sheets to be deposited to a storage unit that stores the sheet deposited and received, the deposit is stopped, and a notification that skewing has occurred is provided (see the first full paragraph of column 14).
Regarding claim 14, Marquardt disclosed a sheet processing device comprising:
an acquiring unit (102) that acquires determination information in a case where a deposit of a sheet is received from an external storage device, the determination information being information about the storage device where the sheet to be received has been stored (as discussed above with regard to claim 1);
a notification unit (903); and
a control unit that controls the notification unit to provide a curl notification that the sheet has a curl in a case where the determination information satisfies a predetermined condition (see the second paragraph of column 21).
Regarding claim 15, Marquardt disclosed a sheet processing system comprising:
a storage device that stores a sheet (Figure 1); and
a sheet processing device (col. 7, first paragraph) that receives a deposit of the sheet that has been stored in the storage device, wherein the sheet processing device comprises:
an acquiring unit (102) that acquires determination information in a case where a deposit of a sheet is received from an external storage device, the determination information being information about the storage device where the sheet to be received has been stored (as discussed above);
a notification unit (903); and
a control unit that controls the notification unit to provide a curl notification that the sheet has a curl in a case where the determination information satisfies a predetermined condition (as discussed previously).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOWARD J SANDERS whose telephone number is (571)270-3096. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael McCullough can be reached at (571) 272-7805. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HOWARD J SANDERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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