DETAILED ACTION
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, 2, 4 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by Nagashima (2007/0229611).
Regarding claim 1, Nagashima teaches a maintenance assembly for an inkjet head, which comprises:
a housing (fig. 11, item 100) having an upper face (fig. 11, face of portion generally denoted by 107 facing nozzles 105) facing a nozzle face (fig. 11, face on which nozzles 105 are disposed) on which nozzles for discharging a chemical liquid on a substrate are arranged (note that ink contains chemicals); and
a fluid supplying part (fig. 11, item 102) for providing a humidity control fluid onto the nozzles and the nozzle face such that a humidity of the nozzles and a humidity of the nozzle face are adjusted to a set humidity if the humidity of the nozzles and the humidity of the nozzle face are different from the set humidity ([0150], note that the humidity is adjusted if it is not at the proper level), wherein the humidity control fluid is selected from an oxygen gas, a nitrogen gas, a clean dried air and combinations thereof ([0150], note that the air can be dried to lower the humidity),
wherein the fluid supply part includes a heater (fig. 11, item 113) configured to heat the humidity control liquid ([0150]).
Regarding claim 2, Nagashima teaches the maintenance assembly for an inkjet head of claim 1, wherein the fluid supplying part includes an inflow line through which the humidity control fluid is provided from an external source, a humidity controlling part for enabling the humidity control fluid to have the set humidity, and a supply line for providing the humidity control fluid having the set humidity onto the nozzles and the nozzle face ([0150], see fig. 11).
Regarding claim 4, Nagashima teaches the maintenance assembly for an inkjet head of claim 2, further comprising a humidity sensing part for measuring the humidity of the nozzles and the humidity of the nozzle face, wherein the humidity controlling part adjusts the humidity of the humidity control fluid in accordance with results measured by the humidity sensing part ([0136]-[0138]).
Regarding claim 6, Nagashima teaches the maintenance assembly for an inkjet head of claim 1, further comprising a guide part for maintaining a constant distance between the upper face of the housing and the nozzle face (see fig. 11, Note that a constant distance is maintained at all times, and thus the walls of the housing holding the upper face serve as the guide part).
Regarding claim 7, Nagashima teaches the maintenance assembly for an inkjet head of claim 1, further comprising a pressure controlling part for adjusting a pressure of the humidity control fluid, and a fluid discharging part for discharging the humidity control fluid to an outside (see fig. 11, Note that some of the heated air is “discharged to an outside” by being carried with the medium. Note that the heated air is blown at a positive pressure and thus controlled by a pressure controlling part).
Regarding claim 9, Hattori in view of McConville teaches the maintenance assembly for an inkjet head of claim 1, further comprising a chemical liquid collecting part for collecting a remaining chemical liquid or a falling chemical liquid from the nozzles and the nozzle face in a vacuum suction manner (see fig. 11, Note that negative pressure in the return side of the circulation flow path can suction a satellite droplet).
Regarding claim 10, Nagashima teaches the maintenance assembly for an inkjet head of claim 9, wherein the chemical liquid collecting part includes a chemical liquid receiving part for receiving the remaining chemical liquid or the falling chemical liquid, a chemical liquid discharging part for temporally storing and discharging the remaining chemical liquid or the falling chemical liquid, and a connection line coupled to the chemical liquid receiving part and the chemical liquid discharging part (see fig. 11, rejection of claim 9).
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) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagashima in view of Komatsu (2022/0250385).
Regarding claim 5, Nagashima teaches the maintenance assembly for the inkjet head of claim 1, further comprising a fluid distributing part for uniformly distributing the humidity control fluid over the nozzles and the nozzle face (see fig. 11). Nagashima does not teach wherein the fluid distributing part has a mesh structure. Komatsu teaches this (Komatsu, fig. 4, item 52). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to add a mesh portion of the type disclosed by Komatsu to the fluid distributing part disclosed by Nagashima because doing so would allow for transmission of the humidifying gas and not any liquid.
Claim(s) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagashima in view of Vronsky (2019/0280204)
Regarding claim 8, Nagashima teaches the maintenance assembly for an inkjet head of claim 1. Nagashima does not teach wherein
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