DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshikawa et al. (2022/0274418) in view of Shinada et al. (2018/0272723) and Black et al. (11,141,983).
Regarding claim 1, Yoshikawa teaches an ink tank for use in an inkjet printer having a recording engine, the ink tank comprising an ink tank main body and a film adhered thereto, the ink tank main body comprising (the preamble is not being given patentable weight):
an ink storage chamber (fig. 3, item 105) configured to store ink (fig. 3, item 205) to be supplied to the recording engine;
an ink injection port (fig. 3, unlabeled port through which tubes 210 are inserted) in communication with the ink storage chamber (see fig. 3);
a buffer chamber (fig. 3, item 206) located below the ink storage chamber in a usage state and in communication with the ink storage chamber (see fig. 3);
an air communicating part (fig. 3, opening in top of buffer chamber to which tube 201 is connected) in communication with the buffer chamber, extending no higher than a height of the ink tank main body (see fig. 3), extending upward in the usage state (see fig. 3, note that the opening port connecting the buffer chamber and the tube extends upward), and to which an air communication tube (fig. 3, tube 201) is to be connected (fig. 3); and
an ink injection cylinder (fig. 4, item 305/210) comprising:
a first flow path tube (figs. 3, 4, shorter of tubes 201) extending vertically in the usage state and having a first opening on an upper side, a second opening on a lower side, and a first flow path formed between the first opening and the second opening, wherein the lower side is configured to be received inside a tank (see fig. 3); and
a second flow path tube (fig. 3, longer of tubes 210) extending vertically in the usage state and having a third opening on an upper side, a fourth opening on a lower side, and a second flow path formed between the third opening and the fourth opening (see figs. 3, 4),
wherein the ink injection cylinder extends through the ink injection port to the ink storage chamber, and the first opening and the third opening are disposed outside the ink tank main body (see figs. 3, 4, note that the first and third openings are on the tops of tubes),
wherein the first flow path communicates with the ink storage chamber through the second opening, and the second flow path communicates with the ink storage chamber through the fourth opening (see figs. 3, 4).
wherein at least a portion of the end surface of the second opening is located between a top portion of the air communicating part and a bottom wall of the ink storage chamber in the vertical direction (see figs. 3, 4).
Yoshikawa does not teach wherein an end surface of the second opening is inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. Shinada teaches this (Shinada, see fig. 5, Note inclined surface of second opening 321). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use the ink injection cylinder disclosed by Shinada instead of that disclosed by Yoshikawa because doing so would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention because doing so would amount to a simple substitution of one known ink injection cylinder for another to obtain predictable results.
While Yoshikawa in view of Shinada teaches all of the claimed limitations, in the interest of compact prosecution, Black is now offered as another teaching of the air communicating part extending upward. That is, while Yoshikawa teaches wherein a tube is connected to the buffer chamber through and upward extending air communicating port, Yoshikawa does not expressly disclose an upward protruding port portion specifically for connecting to a tube. Black teaches this (Black, see fig. 1, Note buffer 8 connected to tube 10 via the unlabeled upward extending connection part). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the connecting part disclosed by Black between the buffer and tube disclosed by Yoshikawa because doing so would allow for easier connection and disconnection of the buffer chamber and the tube.
Regarding claim 3, Yoshikawa in view of Shinada and Black teaches the ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the first flow path tube and the second flow path tube are integrally molded (Yoshikawa, see fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Yoshikawa in view of Shinada and Black teaches the ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the first opening and the third opening of the ink injection cylinder are used to communicate with a container that stores ink to be supplied to the ink tank (Yoshikawa, fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Yoshikawa in view of Shinada and Black teaches the ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the first opening and the third opening of the ink injection cylinder are used to communicate with a container that stores ink to be supplied to the ink tank (Yoshikawa, fig. 3).
Regarding claim 11, Yoshikawa in view of Shinada and Black teaches the ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the end surface of the second opening is inclined along a direction orthogonal to both the vertical direction and a direction in which the first path tube and the second flow path tube are arranged (Shinada, fig. 5).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot in light of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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