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) 1-7, 9, 10 and 17-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Govyadinov et al. (2013/0063528) in view of Nakakubo et al. (10,300,707) and Govyadinov et al. (10,183,493).
Regarding claims 1 and 17, Govyadinov ‘528teaches a liquid ejection apparatus and control method, comprising:
(I) an element substrate including:
(A) a flow channel formation layer (fig. 2, layer with flow channel 212) provided with a pressure chamber (fig. 2, item 214) communicating with an ejection port (fig. 2, item 116) from which a liquid is ejected;
(B) a first layer (fig. 2, item 200) provided with (1) an ejection element (fig. 2, item 216) that is provided in the pressure chamber that ejects the liquid stored in the pressure chamber from the ejection port (see fig. 2); (2) a first flow channel (fig. 4, item 210) that supplies the pressure chamber with the liquid (see fig. 4); (3) a second flow channel (fig. 4, item 202) collecting liquid from the pressure chamber (see fig. 4);
a liquid transportation chamber (fig. 4, item 208) transporting the liquid collected in the second flow channel to the first flow channel (see fig. 4, note that all liquid that is circulated through the first and second flow channels so as not to be ejected from the nozzles is necessarily circulated back to the first flow channel via the transportation chamber);
(D) a liquid transportation unit (figs. 4, item 206) that flows the liquid in the liquid transportation chamber to the first flow channel by expanding and contracting an inner volume of the liquid transportation chamber with application of a driving voltage (see figs. 5-8), which includes (a) a step-up waveform (fig. 11, compressive displacement portion) in which the driving voltage rises from an initial voltage to a predetermined reached voltage and (b) a step-down waveform (fig. 11, tensile displacement portion) in which the driving voltage drops from the reached voltage to the initial voltage (see fig. 11); and
(II) a control unit (fig. 1, item 110) that controls a driving of the ejection element in accordance with (1) a predetermined ejection cycle and (2) an application timing of the driving voltage to the liquid transportation unit in the predetermined ejection cycle ([0045]),
wherein an ejection port row (fig. 1, item 116) is formed of a plurality of ejection ports (fig. 2, item 116),
wherein an ejection port element row is formed of a plurality of the ejection elements (fig. 2, items 216), which are provided correspondingly to the plurality of ejection ports (see fig. 2),
wherein the ejection element row is sectioned into a plurality of groups, each of the plurality of groups including a plurality of ejection elements (note that any arbitrary group can be selected to meet this limitation),
wherein at least one liquid transportation unit is provided for each of the plurality of groups (see fig. 4, note that, because each ejection element has a corresponding liquid transportation unit, the limitation is met), and
wherein the control unit controls the application timing of the driving voltage to a liquid transportation unit of the at least one liquid transportation unit corresponding to one group of the plurality of groups in the predetermined ejection cycle such that a first period, which is a shorter voltage change period (smaller voltage change rate) out of a voltage change period of the step-up waveform and a voltage change period of the step-down waveform, is within the predetermined ejection cycle and does not coincide with a driving timing of the ejection element ([0045], figs. 8, 11, Note that the ejection element is activated during the ejection cycle only during longer of the two voltage change periods, the compressive displacement period and not during the shorter tensile displacement period).
Govyadinov ‘528 does not teach (C) a middle layer provided with the liquid transportation chamber and the liquid transportation unit, wherein the flow channel formation layer, the first layer and the middle layer are laminated in this order, or wherein the first flow channel extends in a direction perpendicular to the flow channel formation layer and the second flow channel extends in a direction perpendicular to the flow channel formation layer. Nakakubo teaches this arrangement (Nakakubo, see fig. 2B, Note channel formation layer 10, first layer 9 with ejection element 1 and middle layer 13 with transportation unit 13 laminated in that order. Note that the vertical formations of Nakakubo’s flow channels are perpendicular to the flow channel formation layer). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to arrange the elements disclosed by Govyadinov ‘528in the manner disclosed by Nakakubo because doing so would amount to substituting one known arrangement of common elements for another to obtain predictable results. In other words, both of Govyadinov ‘528and Nakakubo teach all of the same elements, and thus to for one arrangement over another would have amount to a simple design choice.
Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo does not teach wherein the application timing of a driving voltage to the liquid transportation unit does not coincide with driving timings of any of the ejection elements included in the one group. Govyadinov ‘493 teaches this (Govyadinov ‘493, see fig. 7, Note first span 710). It would have been obvious to apply the ejection and liquid transportation driving timing scheme disclosed by Govyadinov ‘493 to the device disclosed by Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo because doing so would amount to applying a known technique to a known device in need of improvement to obtain predictable results.
Regarding claim 2, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid transportation unit includes a piezoelectric element (Govyadinov ‘528, [0019]-[0020]) that is displaced in accordance with an applied voltage (Govyadinov ‘528, [0019]-[0020]).
Regarding claim 3, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving voltage is a triangle wave including the step-up waveform and the step-down waveform (Govyadinov ‘528, see fig. 11).
Regarding claim 4, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
with a first driving voltage applied, the liquid transportation unit generates a first circulation flow to circulate the liquid in the order of the first flow channel, the pressure chamber, the second flow channel, the liquid transportation chamber, and the first flow channel (Govyadinov ‘528, see figs. 8, 11).
Regarding claim 5, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
with a second driving voltage applied, the liquid transportation unit generates a second circulation flow to circulate the liquid in the order of the first flow channel, the liquid transportation chamber, the second flow channel, the pressure chamber, and the first flow channel (Govyadinov ‘528, see figs. 8, 11).
Regarding claim 6, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein with a first driving voltage applied, the liquid transportation unit generates a first circulation flow to flow the liquid in the order of the first flow channel, the pressure chamber, the second flow channel, the liquid transportation chamber, and the first flow channel, and with a second driving voltage applied, which is different from the first driving voltage, the liquid transportation unit generates a second circulation flow to flow the liquid in the order of the first flow channel, the liquid transportation chamber, the second flow channel, the pressure chamber, and the first flow channel, and
wherein out of the first driving voltage and the second driving voltage, the control unit applies one driving voltage to the liquid transportation unit by a predetermined number of times and thereafter applies the other driving voltage to the liquid transportation unit (Govyadinov ‘528, see figs. 8, 11).
Regarding claim 7, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
in the first driving voltage, the voltage change of the step-up waveform corresponds to the first period of the first driving voltage, and
in the second driving voltage, the voltage change period of the step-down waveform corresponds to the first period (Govyadinov ‘528, see figs. 8, 11).
Regarding claim 9, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
each ejection element generates ejection energy to eject the liquid in the pressure chamber through the corresponding ejection port in accordance with a predetermined ejection signal (Govyadinov ‘528,[0045]).
Regarding claim 10, Govyadinov ‘528 in view of Nakakubo and Govyadinov ‘493 teaches teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
for each of the plurality of groups, the control unit (1) drives the plurality of the ejection elements in that group at respectively different timings within the predetermined ejection cycle (Govyadinov ‘493, see fig. 7, Note first span 710), and
(2) controls the application timing of the driving voltage such that the first period does not coincide with a drive timing of any or the plurality of the ejection elements in the predetermined ejection cycle (Govyadinov ‘493, see fig. 7, Note first span 710).
Regarding claim 18, see fig. 2. Note connection flow channel 232 that has a smaller cross-section than the liquid transportation chamber, as defined in the illustration above.
Regarding claim 19, see claim 1 rejection, fig. 4.
Regarding claim 20, see Govyadinov ‘493, figs. 3.
Regarding claim 21, see claim 1 rejection, fig. 4.
Regarding claim 22, the prior art combination teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined ejection cycle includes (1) a plurality of periods in which the ejection elements in the one group are driven at different timings and (2) pause periods in which none of the ejection elements in the one group are driven, and
wherein the control unit controls the application timing of the driving voltage such that the first period includes in one of the pause period (Govyadinov ‘493, see fig. 7, Note first span 710. Note periods where ejection elements are fired and pauses between those periods in which none of the ejection elements are fired. Note that the entire driving voltage is supplied to the transportation unit during one of the pause periods).
Regarding claim 23, the prior art combination teaches the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the one of the pause periods, in the predetermined ejection cycle, between two of the plurality of periods in which the ejection elements in the one group are driven at different drive timings (Govyadinov ‘493, see fig. 7, Note that, as defined in the rejection of claim 22, the limitation is met).
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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEJANDRO VALENCIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5473. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplie
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEJANDRO VALENCIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5473. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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.
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853