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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 9-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10/14/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okubo et al. (11,155,09) (hereinafter Okubo et al.).
Regarding claim 1, Okubo et al. teaches a liquid ejection head (252, Figs. 1-2) [Column 3 lines 23-26] comprising: a first printing element substrate (H1-H4, Fig. 4) that includes a plurality of first ejection ports (N, Fig. 5) that eject liquid [Column 3 lines 46-49, Column 4 lines 56-62], a plurality of first pressure chambers (Ca, Fig. 5) that are provided to correspond to the plurality of first ejection ports (N), respectively, and that are configured to be able to eject the liquid [Column 5 lines 5-58], a supply channel (31/Sa, Fig. 6) that is configured to supply the plurality of first pressure chambers (Ca) with the liquid and that includes a first supply opening (Sa_in, Fig. 6) provided upstream a liquid flow direction, and a gathering channel (Da, Fig. 6) that is configured to gather the liquid from the plurality of first pressure chambers (Ca) and that includes a first gathering opening (Da_out, Fig. 6) provided downstream the liquid flow direction [Column 6 lines 5-45]; a second printing element substrate (H1-H4) that includes a plurality of second ejection ports (N) that eject the liquid [Column 3 lines 46-49, Column 4 lines 56-62], a plurality of second pressure chambers (Cb, Fig. 5) that are provided to correspond to the plurality of second ejection ports (N), respectively, and that are configured to be able to eject the liquid [Column 5 lines 5-58], a supply channel 31/Sb, Fig. 6) that is configured to supply the plurality of second pressure chambers (Cb) with the liquid and that includes a second supply opening (Sb_in, Fig. 6) provided upstream the liquid flow direction, and a gathering channel (Db, Fig. 6) that is configured to gather the liquid from the plurality of second pressure chambers (Cb) and that includes a second gathering opening (Db_out, Fig. 6) provided downstream the liquid flow direction [Column 6 line 46-Coumn 7 line 3]; and a liquid supply member (40a, 40b, Fig. 6) that includes a distribution channel (44a/44b, Fig. 6) that is arranged upstream the first printing element substrate (H1-H4) and the second printing element substrate (H1-H4) and that includes an inlet opening (see Fig. 6) into which the liquid flows and a first distribution opening (see Fig. 6) and a second distribution opening (see Fig. 6) that distribute the liquid flowing from the inlet opening (see Fig. 6) to the first supply opening (Sa_in) and the second supply opening (Sb_in), respectively [Column 7 line4-Column 8 line 3], and a collection channel (41a/41b, Fig. 6) that is arranged downstream the first printing element substrate (H1-H4) and the second printing element substrate (H1-H4) and that includes a first collection opening (see Fig. 6) and a second collection opening (see Fig. 6) that collect the liquid from the first gathering opening (Da_out) and the second gathering opening (Db_out), respectively [Column 7 line 4-Column 8 line 3], and an outlet opening (see Fig. 6) from which the liquid collected from the first collection opening (see Fig. 6) and the second collection opening (see Fig. 6) flows out [Column 7 line 4-Column 8 line 3], wherein in the distribution channel (44a/44b), the first distribution opening (see Fig. 6) and the second distribution opening (see Fig. 6) are arranged in series manner so as to be arrayed in this order from the inlet opening (see Fig. 6), in the collection channel, the first collection opening (see Fig. 6) and the second collection opening (see Fig. 6) are arranged parallel to each other so as to be connected with the outlet opening (see Fig. 6) by way of a branch point [Column 7 line 4-Column 8 line 3], and in the collection channel (41a/41b), a flow resistance between the first collection opening (see Fig. 6)and the branch point is smaller than a flow resistance between the second collection opening (see Fig. 6) and the branch point [Column 16 lines 34-46].
[AltContent: textbox (Outlet opening)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (2nd collection opening)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st collection opening )][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (2nd Distribution opening)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (1st Distribution opening)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Inlet opening)][AltContent: arrow]
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 2 is the inclusion of the limitation of a liquid ejection head that includes a fluctuation in pressures in a plurality of first and second pressure chambers in a first and second printing element substrate, respectively, is within 93 mmAq. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claims 3-5 is the inclusion of the limitation of a liquid ejection head that includes a pressure loss in both a distribution and collection channel due to a flow rate of liquid ejected from a plurality of first and second pressure chambers is within range of an allowable negative pressure range that allows for normal ejection. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 6 is the inclusion of the limitation of a liquid ejection head that includes a sum of flow resistances in the distribution channel and the collection channel due to a flow rate of the liquid ejected from the plurality of first pressure chambers included in the first printing element substrate and a sum of flow resistances in the distribution channel and the collection channel due to a flow rate of the liquid ejected from the plurality of second pressure chambers included in the second printing element substrate are both equal to or smaller than 0.36 mmAq/(ml/min)/cP. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 7-8 is the inclusion of the limitation of a liquid ejection head that includes a sum of pressure losses in a distribution and collection channel in one printing element is equal to or smaller than a sum of pressure losses in a supply channel and gathering channel in the one printing element substrate. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LISA SOLOMON whose telephone number is (571)272-1701. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:30am -6pm, EST.
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/LISA SOLOMON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853