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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/14/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that element 72 in Kobayashi’s fig. 3 cannot read on the “liquid supply tube” of claim 1. The citing of 72 as the “liquid supply tube,” in claim 1, was a typo. The “liquid supply tube” would obviously be 65. Given this clarification, Kobayashi clearly teaches claim 1.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 2-3,5-7,10-14,16-19, and 23 remain withdrawn.
Claim Objections
Claims 8-9, 15, and 20-22 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.
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 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kobayashi et al. (JP 2018-187888 A).
Regarding claim 1, Kobayashi discloses A printing apparatus comprising:
a transport unit configured to transport a printing medium in a transport direction (Y, fig. 1-2 and 4) (inherent in fig. 1-2 and 4);
a printing head (61, fig. 3-4) configured to print an image on the printing medium (inherent in Kobayashi);
a carriage (63, fig. 3-4) configured to move the printing head back and forth above a transport path of the printing medium in a scanning direction (X, fig. 3) intersecting the transport direction (inherent in fig. 2-4);
a liquid container coupling portion (the inherent structure that connects liquid containers 23 to printing head 61) to which a liquid container (23, fig. 2-3) containing a liquid to be supplied to the printing head is coupled (see fig. 3);
a liquid supply tube (65, fig. 3) coupled to the liquid container coupling portion to supply the liquid from the liquid container to the printing head via the liquid container coupling portion (inherent in fig. 3);
a holding portion (91, fig. 4, pg. 8, lines 3-5) configured to hold a waste liquid container (80, fig. 4, pg. 8, lines 3-5) configured to contain a waste liquid discharged from the printing head (see pg. 9, lines 9-15 and pg. 6, line 34 through pg. 7, line 11); and
a discharge portion (92, fig. 3-4, pg. 8, lines 6-8 and pg. 8, line 30 through pg. 9, line 2) including a nozzle in which a discharge port for discharging the waste liquid is formed (inherent in fig. 3), wherein
the holding portion is disposed at a position at which a waste liquid container region and a part of the movement path of the carriage overlap when viewed from the transport direction (see fig. 3-4), the position further being above the transport path and downstream of the movement path of the carriage in the transport direction (see fig. 3-4), the waste liquid container region vertically overlapping the waste liquid container held by the holding portion in a region inside the printing apparatus (see fig. 4),
a portion of the liquid supply tube is located between the movement path and the waste liquid container region when viewed from a gravity direction (see fig. 3) and overlaps the waste liquid container region when viewed from the transport direction (inherent in fig. 4),
the waste liquid container region is spaced apart from the liquid supply tube (see fig. 3), and the discharge portion is provided in the holding portion and is movable between a third position (position in which 92 is engaged with the waste liquid container 80, fig. 3) determined in advance as a position at which the discharge portion discharges the waste liquid to the waste liquid container (this is determined in advance when the printer is designed) and a fourth position (position in which 92 is disengaged with the waste liquid container 80; inherent in pg. 9, lines 19-21) determined in advance as a position at which the discharge portion does not discharge the waste liquid to the waste liquid container (this is determined in advance when the printer is designed).
Regarding claim 24, Kobayashi further discloses The printing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: the waste liquid container (inherent in Kobayashi).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et al. (JP 2018-187888 A) in view of Matsuhashi (WO 97/06010 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Kobayashi discloses all the limitations introduced in parent claim 1. Kobayashi further discloses the following italicized portions of claim 4:
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an operating portion configured to receive an operation for moving the discharge portion from the fourth position to the third position (In Kobayashi, this “operating portion” can be considered the region surrounding 92 [see fig. 3], in which the user can manually insert/remove 92 from the waste liquid container 80.); and
a movement mechanism configured to move the discharge portion from the fourth position to the third position in response to the operation received by the operating portion (taught in Matsuhashi below).
Kobayashi does not appear to disclose the following italicized portions of claim 4:
1. Kobayashi further discloses the following italicized portions of claim 4:
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an operating portion configured to receive an operation for moving the discharge portion from the fourth position to the third position (In Kobayashi, this “operating portion” can be considered the region surrounding 92 [see fig. 3], in which the user can manually insert/remove 92 from the waste liquid container 80.); and
a movement mechanism configured to move the discharge portion from the fourth position to the third position in response to the operation received by the operating portion.
However, Kobayashi, as modified by Matsuhashi, discloses the italicized portions immediately above:
Kobayashi does not appear to disclose the following italicized portions of claim 4:
1. Kobayashi further discloses the following italicized portions of claim 4:
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an operating portion configured to receive an operation for moving the discharge portion from the fourth position to the third position (In Kobayashi, this “operating portion” can be considered the region surrounding 92 [see fig. 3], in which the user can manually insert/remove 92 from the waste liquid container 80.); and
a movement mechanism configured to move the discharge portion from the fourth position to the third position in response to the operation received by the operating portion (Matsuhashi discloses a mechanism that mechanically inserts/removes the waste liquid supply tube from the waste liquid tank. See Matsuhashi’s pg. 8, line 28 through pg. 9, line 30.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kobayashi with the teachings of Matsuhashi, for the purpose of ensuring proper engagement between the waste liquid supply tube and the waste liquid tank.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9, 15, and 20-22 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.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN SEO whose telephone number is (571)270-1327. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/JUSTIN SEO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
June 25, 2026
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