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 .
Non-Final Rejections
The applicant's amendment of 05/13/2026 necessitated a new ground of rejection as
follows below:
Claim Rejections
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patentor application, as the case may be, names
another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 8 and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsukamoto (US Pub. 2014/0300672).
Note: The method steps are inherently taught in the apparatus device/limitations in the
rejections as follow:
Tsukamoto discloses in Figure 1, 2A an ink circulation apparatus comprising:
Regarding claim 1, an ink feed (122. 126), an ink return (142, 144), a pump (124) and a print head (200), the print head (200) having ink inlet (266) and outlet port (268) and ink jetting nozzles (204), the ink circuit (100) being arranged such that, when printing at normal levels of ink demand, the pump (124) causes ink to flow from the ink feed into the print head (200) through the ink inlet port (266), some of the ink flowing into the print head (200) through the ink inlet port (266) is ejected from the ink jetting nozzles (204) and the remainder (202) flows out of the print head (200) through the ink outlet port (268) to the ink return (142, 144), wherein the ink circuit (100) further comprises print head ink supply boost means (124, 146) operable, when printing at high levels of ink demand, to cause ink to flow into the print head (200) through the ink outlet port (268) at the same time as ink flows into the print head (200) through the ink inlet port (266) (Figure 1 and 2a).
Regarding claim 8, wherein the ink circuit (100) includes a heater (heater) for
heating the ink that flows into the print head (28) through the ink outlet port (Figure 1, paragraph 0055).
Regarding claim 10, a printer (10) including an ink circuit (100) (Figures 1 and 5).
Regarding claim 11, a method of boosting a print head (200) ink supply in an ink circuit (60)
for an ink jet printer (10), which ink circuit (100) includes a print head (200) that has ink inlet (266) and outlet port (268) and ink jetting nozzles (204), the method comprising
when printing at normal levels of ink demand, causing ink to flow from an ink feed (122, 126) of the ink circuit (100) into the print head (200) through the ink inlet port (266) some of the ink flowing into the print head (200) through the ink inlet port (266) to be ejected from the ink jetting nozzles (200) and the remainder (140) to flow out of the print head (200) through the ink outlet port (266) to an ink return (142) of the ink circuit (100), the method
further comprising, when printing at high levels of ink demand, causing ink to flow into the print
head (200) through the ink outlet port (266) at the same time as ink flows into the print head (200) through the ink inlet port (266) (Figure 1).
Response to Applicant's Arguments
The applicant's arguments with respect to the prior art rejection have been carefully
considered and have been traversed in view of the new grounds of rejection over Tsukamoto reference.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7 and 9 would be allowable if rewritten to include all of the limitations of the
base claim and any intervening claims. These claims would be allowable because the prior art
references of record fail to teach or suggest an ink circuit comprising a print head ink supply boost means that comprise a drain tank in fluid communication with an ink outlet port of a print head, a drain tank receiving a flow of ink from an ink outlet port when a volume of ink ejected from the ink jetting nozzles is less than a volume of ink flowing into the print head through an ink inlet port, and the drain tank providing a flow of ink into the ink outlet port when the volume of ink ejected from the ink jetting nozzles exceeds a volume of ink flowing into the print head through the ink inlet port in the combination as claimed.
Claims 12-13 would be allowable if rewritten to include all of the limitations of the
base claim and any intervening claims. These claims would be allowable because the prior art
references of record fail to teach or suggest a method of boosting a print head ink supply in an
ink circuit for an ink jet printer, which ink circuit includes a print head that has ink inlet and
outlet ports and ink jetting nozzles, the method comprising wherein the method comprises
measuring pressures in drain and fill tanks in fluid communication, respectively, with the ink
outlet and inlet ports of the print head, and controlling return and feed pumps in fluid
communication, respectively, with the drain and fill tanks to maintain the pressures in the drain
and fill tanks below atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the drain tank below the pressure in
the fill tank in the combination as claimed.
CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
examiner should be directed to Examiner Anh Vo whose telephone number is (571) 272
2262. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 9:30 A.M.to 6:00 P.M..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
supervisor, Douglas Rodriguez can be reached on (571) 431-0716. The fax phone
number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -
273-8300.
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/ANH T VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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