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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim(s) 14-20 is/are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected method/apparatus, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 12/23/2025. Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, Claim(s) 1-13 in the reply filed on 12/23/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that they are not distinct inventions. This is not found persuasive because Group I, Group II, and Group III are distinct for their separate status in the art as shown by their different classification.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement(s) submitted by applicant on 03/14/2024 and 07/31/2025 has/have been considered. The submission(s) is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR § 1.97.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 103
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 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 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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
1. Claim(s) 1-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 20220388308 to Nakatani et al. (hereinafter “Nakatani”) in view of SAMANTA AVIK ET AL: "Large-area surface wettability patterning of metal alloys via a maskless laser-assisted functionalization method", APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE, vol. 568, 14 August 2021 (2021-08-14) (hereinafter "Avik").
With respect to claim 1, Nakatani discloses A printhead (Head 300 FIG. 4A), comprising: an assembly of structural elements each comprising a metal substrate (Nozzle 312, pressure chamber 314, individual channel 315, diaphragm 317, common channel 351, and narrow part 320 [0059] FIG. 4A), wherein the structural elements form a plurality of jetting channels (314) and a manifold (315) fluidly coupled to the jetting channels, and wherein the jetting channels and the manifold have internal surfaces internal to the printhead configured to contact a print fluid (FIG. 4A); one or more wetting regions on the one or more of the internal surfaces ([0058]-[0060] FIG. 4A).
However, Nakatani fails to specifically disclose:
and a laser-altered surface texture formed directly on one or more of the internal surfaces via a laser treatment to define.
Avik discloses:
and a laser-altered surface texture formed directly on one or more of the internal surfaces via a laser treatment to define (Pages 1-3 of AVIK disclose that a metal substrate can undergo a laser surface treatment to get superhydrophobic and superhydrophillic properties. Page 1 discloses that it is used in inkjet printing applications.).
At the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the laser surface treatment as disclosed by Avik with the method/apparatus of Nakatani. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve the surfaces to get superhydrophobic and superhydrophillic properties. (Pages 1-3 of Avik).
With respect to claim 2, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses wherein: the structural elements comprise a housing and a plate stack; and the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on the one or more of the internal surfaces of at least one of the housing and the plate stack ([0058]-[0060] FIG. 4A).
With respect to claim 3, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses wherein: the housing comprises a manifold duct that forms the manifold; and the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on an inner wall surface of the manifold duct ([0058]-[0060] FIG. 4A).
With respect to claim 4, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses the plate stack includes a nozzle plate comprising a plurality of nozzle holes disposed through the nozzle plate from a first surface to an opposing second surface to define nozzles of the jetting channels, wherein the nozzle holes at the second surface define nozzle discharge orifices of the nozzles; and the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the nozzle plate (Fig. 4A and [0058]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320).
With respect to claim 5, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on an inner wall surface of a nozzle inner wall of the nozzle holes (Fig. 4A and [0058]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320).
With respect to claim 6, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses the laser-altered surface texture defines a wetting region along at least a portion of a length of the nozzle inner wall beginning at a nozzle discharge orifice (Fig. 4A and [0052]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320).
With respect to claim 7, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses the laser-altered surface texture comprises a first laser-altered surface texture formed directly on the one or more inner wall surfaces of the nozzle plate to define the one or more wetting regions; and the printhead further comprises a second laser-altered surface texture formed directly on the second surface of the nozzle plate via the laser treatment to define a non-wetting region on the second surface surrounding the nozzle discharge orifices (Fig. 4A, [0052]: the hydrophobic film 350 is formed on a second outer surface of the nozzle plate).
With respect to claim 8, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses wherein: the plate stack includes a chamber plate comprising a plurality of chamber openings disposed through the chamber plate from a first surface to an opposing second surface to define pressure chambers of the jetting channels; and the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the chamber plate (Fig. 4A and [0052]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320).
With respect to claim 9, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses the plate stack includes a restrictor plate comprising a plurality of restrictor openings; and the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the restrictor plate (Fig. 4A and [0052]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320).
With respect to claim 10, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses wherein: the plate stack includes a support plate comprising a plurality of chamber openings disposed through the support plate from a first surface to an opposing second surface to define pressure chambers of the jetting channels, and a manifold opening disposed through the support plate to define the manifold; and the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the support plate (Fig. 4A and [0052]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320).
With respect to claim 11, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses the plate stack includes a diaphragm plate that forms diaphragms of the jetting channels; the diaphragm plate includes a first surface configured to contact actuators, and an opposing second surface; the diaphragm plate comprises a manifold opening disposed through the diaphragm plate to define the manifold; and the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the diaphragm plate (Fig. 4A and [0052]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320, diaphragm 317).
With respect to claim 12, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses the structural elements comprise one or more bonding surfaces; and the printhead further comprises another laser-altered surface texture formed directly on the one or more bonding surfaces via the laser treatment to define one or more adhesion regions on the one or more bonding surfaces (Fig. 4A and [0052]-[0060] of Nakatani: the hydrophillic film 340 may also be formed in the inner wall of the common channel 351; the film 340 is also formed in the inner walls of the nozzle holes; see also the restrictor plate 320 having the film 320).
With respect to claim 13, Nakatani in view of Avik discloses an image forming apparatus, comprising: the printhead of claim 1 (ink-jet head 300 may be provided in an ink-jet apparatus [0089]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record, whether or not relied upon, is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050200655 to Mackler et al. discloses a laser surface treatment on a printhead.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bradley W Thies whose telephone number is (571)270-5667. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:30 am -6:00 pm.
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/BRADLEY W THIES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853