DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim 1 is 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. The claim recites one of the first components positioned on a first region not facing the recorder “between the first pulley and the second pulley.” It is not understood to exactly what the claimed first region is intended to refer. It would seem the recorder moves across the entire conveyance belt, and thus anything between the pulleys supporting the belt would at some point face the recorder.
The claim now recites a virtual linear line extending from “a first rotation center of the first pully to a second rotation center of the second pulley.” As Examiner interprets it, this virtual linear line would simply be down the center of the transport belt from the upstream pulley to the downstream pulley. This would mean that the upstream virtual linear line would simply be an extension of the virtual linear line in the upstream direction and upstream of the first pulley, and the downstream virtual linear line would simply be an extension of the virtual linear line in a downstream direction and downstream the second pulley. That is, all claimed virtual lines would seem to extend from each other. If this is the case, it is not understood how one of the first components or the second components, which are attached to one of the first and second side plates, could overlap with one of the virtual linear lines that extends down a center of the belt and continues upstream and downstream of the belt.
Clarification is required.
Because all other claims depend from claim 1, they are also rejected on this basis.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-10, 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jo (8,646,872).
Regarding claim 1, Jo teaches a recording apparatus, comprising:
a recording unit (figs. 2, 5, 14, the recording unit is being defined as all components supported directly or indirectly by either of side walls 15, 16) including a recorder (fig. 2, item 5) configured to perform recording on a medium (fig. 2, item 3); and
a first side plate (fig. 13, item 16) and a second side plate (fig. 13, item 15) being a pair of side plates positioned across the recording unit, and configured to support the recording unit (see fig. 2), wherein
in plan view of a bottom surface of the recording apparatus, when a first straight line is drawn through a center of the recording apparatus in a front-back direction, an apparatus gravity center position is on a side closer to the second side plate with respect to the first straight line and when a second straight line is drawn through the center of the recording apparatus in a right-left direction, the apparatus gravity center position is closer to a rear side of the recording apparatus with respect to the second straight line (see fig. 8, note that the front-back direction is horizontal on page, with the rear side being the right side with the heavier components. See fig. 13, note that the right-left direction is vertical on page, and while the first side plate 16 only has a single motor 17 direction connected, the second side plate 16 has motor 47, pulleys 48, 49, gears 230, 232, and shaft 223 connected to it),
a number of first components, of the recording unit, directly supported by the first side plate is smaller than a number of second components, of the recording unit, directly supported by the second side plate (see fig. 13, note that the right-left direction is vertical on page, and while the first side plate 16 only has a single motor 17 direction connected, the second side plate 16 has motor 47, pulleys 48, 49, gears 230, 232, and shaft 223 connected to it. Note also that “directly supported by” could mean more than one thing. That is, “directly supported by” is broader than “directly connected to” or “fastened to”),
the recording unit includes a transport belt (fig. 2, item 37) being a belt arranged at a position facing the recorder (see fig. 2), and transports the medium,
the transport belt is stretched around and directly in contact with a first pulley (fig. 2, item 38) and a second pulley (fig. 2, item 39) that are arranged at a downstream with respect to the first pulley along a transport direction of the medium (see fig. 2),
at least one of the first components (fig. 2, note unlabeled rectangular component sandwiched by wiper blade 30 and transport belt 37) is positioned on a first region (fig. 2, note that the first region is being defined as the exact region wherein the above-referenced rectangular component is located) of an inner side of the transport belt (fig. 2), with a perimeter of the at least one of the first components being contained within the first region when viewed along a first longitudinal axis of the first pulley (see fig. 2, note that the at least one first component is, by definition, located in the first region, and thus, no matter along what axis a viewer looks, the at least one first component is in the first region. That is, the claim does not recite that the at least one first component overlaps the axis in an axial direction, which is what appears to be claimed here), the inner side of the transport belt being positioned between the first pulley and the second pulley (see fig. 2), the at least one of the first components positioned within the first region not facing the recorder (see fig. 2), the at least one of the first components is not positioned on a second region of the inner side of the transport belt facing the recorder (fig. 2, note that, by definition above, the at least one first component occupies the first region and only the first region),
a first one of the second components (fig. 2, most upstream portion of item 24) is positioned in an upstream region with respect to the first pulley, the upstream region being a region extending upstream from the first region of the inner side against the transport direction of the medium (fig. 2, note that item 24 is upstream of first pulley 39 in transport direction Y), and a second one of the second components (fig. 2, item 47) is positioned in a downstream region with respect to the second pulley, the downstream region being a region extending downstream from the first region of the inner side toward the transport direction of the medium (fig. 2, note that item 47 is downstream of second pulley 39 in transport direction Y),
wherein, with a virtual linear line extending from a first rotation center of the first pulley to a second rotation center of the second pully, an upstream virtual liner line extending upstream from the virtual linear line, and a downstream virtual linear line extending downstream from the virtual linear line, the first one of the second components lies on the upstream virtual linear line and the second one of the second components lies on the downstream virtual linear line (see fig. 2).
Regarding claim 5, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one of the first components is located within a region of the recorder in the transport direction of the medium (see fig. 13, Note that any component, including a portion of the first side plate, can be said to be “located within a region of the recorder” in any direction. “A region of the recorder” can mean almost anything).
Regarding claim 6, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
the recording unit includes
a first sub frame being a frame facing the first side plate and including the at least one of the first components and
a second sub frame being a frame facing the second side plate and including the first one of the number of second components and the second one of the number of second componentsa face that can be said to face the first and second side plates, respectively. Note that “sub frame” has not been defined).
Regarding claim 7, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
the first one of the first components is formed as a first supported protrusion that is fitted into a first supporting hole formed at the first side plate,
the first one of the second components is formed as a second supported protrusion that is fitted into a second supporting hole formed at the second side plate,
the second one of the second components
when the third supported protrusion and the third supporting hole are fitted, a larger gap is secured than when the second supported protrusion and the second supporting hole are fitted (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 8, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second side plate has a through hole through which the recording unit passes, and
when the recording unit moves toward the first side plate through the through hole, the first supported protrusion enters the first supporting hole, the second supported protrusion enters the second supporting hole, and the third supported protrusion enters the third supporting hole (see figs. 2, 5, 8, 13, 14).
Regarding claim 9, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
the first side plate and the second side plate are coupled to each other via a coupling member (fig. 2, item 80), and
when the recording unit moves toward the first side plate through the through hole, the coupling member supports the recording unit and guides the recording unit toward the first side plate (see figs. 2, 5, 8, 13, 14).
Regarding claim 10, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the recorder includes
a liquid ejection head (fig. 2, item 9) configured to eject a liquid onto a medium (fig. 2, item 3), and
a liquid storage (fig. 2, item 24) located between the first side plate and the second side plate and configured to store the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection head, and
the coupling member separates, between the first side plate and the second side plate, an arrangement region of the liquid storage and an arrangement region of the recorder from each other (see figs. 2, 5, 8, 13, 14).
Regarding claim 12, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a leg portion is provided at each of four corners of a bottom portion of an apparatus main body (see fig. 2, Note that the four corners of the housing that is necessarily present are being taken to be leg portions).
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) 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jo in view of Saiga (2021/0001651).
Regarding claim 11, Jo teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the recording unit is coupled to the first side plate with play (see figs. 2, 5, 8, 13, 14),
the play is movement at least in a direction in which the first side plate is away from the second side plate (see figs. 2, 5, 8, 13, 14). Jo does not teach wherein
the recording unit is coupled to the first side plate by a stepped screw,
the stepped screw includes
a head portion,
a screw portion fitted into a screw hole of the recording unit, and
a cylinder portion having a diameter larger than the screw portion and provided between the head portion and the screw portion, and the cylinder portion is inserted into a through hole formed at the first side plate. Saiga teaches this (Saiga, [0054], see fig. 4, Note recording unit 6/18/25 fitted into a carriage side wall 5 via a screw hole 24 with stepped screw 22). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use the arrangement disclosed by Saiga to mount the recording unit disclosed by Jo because doing so would amount to applying a known recording unit arrangement to a known recording unit to obtain predictable results.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/8/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The claims have been amended to further specify the structure of the device, but the amendments fail to distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. The rejections above have been updated to reflect the changes to the claims. The standing prior art rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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