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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/22/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Missing spacing for “cloth400” five times in paragraphs 4 and 5 under the “First Platen and Second Platen” section.
o Page 7, line 10, “the cloth400 collides with” cloth400 is missing a space and should read “the cloth 400 collides with”.
o Page 7, line 13, “of the cloth400 conveyed” cloth400 is missing a space and should read “of the cloth 400 conveyed”.
o Page 7, line 14, “that the cloth400 collides with” cloth400 is missing a space and should read “that the cloth 400 collides with”.
o Page 7, line 16, “adjustment process of the cloth400” cloth400 is missing a space and should read “adjustment process of the cloth 400”.
o Page 7, line 20, “the cloth400 to a predetermined” cloth400 is missing a space and should read “the cloth 400 to a predetermined”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 7 and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kobayashi et al. (US 2021/0276346 A1 of the IDS).
Regarding claim 1, a printing apparatus (printer 1; Fig 1 & Fig. 17) comprising:
a first support having a first flat surface to support a printing object (platen 40 has support setting part 404 that is the first flat surface that supports Fabric 400; Fig. 17), the first support including a plurality of positioning portions at a plurality of positions of the first flat surface (platen 40 includes four sides of cavities to provide for a plurality of positioning portions at multiple positions of the flat support setting part 404; Fig. 17);
and
a second support having a second flat surface to support the printing object (supports 402 is the secondary support that has all sides to be flat that is used to support fabric 400; Fig. 17), the
second support including a positioned portion to be positioned on any one of the plurality of positioning portions with the second flat surface being higher than the first flat surface (supports 402 has it’s positioned portions as the left and right sides of 402 which can be positioned in any of the plurality of cavities used to position, while the secondary support 402 flat top surface is higher than the first flat surface 404; Fig. 17).
Regarding claim 2, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus wherein the plurality of positioning portions of the first support are arranged in a matrix in the first flat surface (multiple flat sides of the platen 40 are used as positioning portions that is arranged in a 8 x 6 matrix on the first flat surface 401; Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 3, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus wherein the plurality of positioning portions of the first support are grooves arranged in the matrix (multiple flat sides of platen 40 and secondary support 402 creates grooves that are arranged in an 8 x 6 matrix; Fig. 4), and the first flat surface includes a plurality of rectangular plate portions defined by the grooves (flat top of support setting part 404 includes multiple rectangular individual plates that are defined by the grooves created when set next to each other; Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 4, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus wherein the plurality of positioning portions of the first support are a plurality of columnar bosses arranged in the matrix (the multiple supports 402 on the platen 40 that are used for positioning that are engineered protrusions as a boss in a 8 x 6 matrix; Fig. 4 & Fig. 5; the supports can be altered shapes to a circular shape creating columnar boss in a matrix; [0059]), and upper circular surfaces of the plurality of columnar bosses are arranged in the first flat surface (upper rectangular surfaces can be altered to circular surfaces; [0059]; this will give multiple columnar bosses on the flat top of support setting part 404; Fig. 17).
Regarding claim 5, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus wherein the second support has the positioned portion and at least another positioned portion that are to be positioned on at least two of the plurality of positioning portions (support 402 with the left and right sides of the support 402 being positioned portion that are positioned on at least two of the side gaps of set supports on the platen 40 to use as positioning portions; Fig. 17).
Regarding claim 7, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus wherein the positioned portion of the second support is a cylindrical positioned portion to fit into any one of the plurality of columnar bosses of the first support (the sides of the secondary support 402 are rectangular positioned portion but can be altered to different shapes like a curved shape as taught in the specification; [0059], Fig. 17).
Regarding claim 10, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus further comprising:
a carriage having a liquid discharger (carriage 11 including a head 10; Fig. 1 & 3), the carriage being movable horizontally above the first support (carriage 11 moves in the main scanning direction X-axis that is located above the first platen 40; Fig. 1);
a mover to move the first support horizontally and vertically (slider 42 moves the first platen 40 horizontally along the Y-axis and vertically along the Z-axis; Fig.1);
a height sensor to detect a height of the printing object on the first support (detector 440 detects position of the support 402 support fabrics 400 which is set on the platen 40; [0110]); and
processing circuitry (print area specification device circuitry 801; [0104]; Fig. 16) configured to cause the mover to move the first support vertically (slider 42 moves the first platen 40 vertically along the Z-axis; Fig.1), based on a detection result of the height sensor (printer 1 uses detectors 440 to detect position of the carriage 11; [0038]), to adjust a distance between the carriage and the printing object (elevator 41 adjust height position of the platen 40 which hold the fabric; [0042])
Regarding claim 11, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus further comprising a display to display a print area based on the detection result of the height sensor (display 802 used to display the print area specification device 801 information based on two detectors; [0115]; Fig. 16).
Regarding claim 12, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus wherein the display displays a print image and the print area based on the detection result of the height sensor (display 802 displays from the print area specification device 801 based on two detectors, [0116]; Fig. 16).
Regarding claim 13, Kobayashi discloses a printing apparatus wherein the positioned portion of the second support is positioned on any one of the plurality of positioning portions of the first support such that the second flat surface is placed in a region of the first flat surface of the first support (sides of the second support 402 are positioned inside the cavities of the first support 40 which the second flat surface is placed in a region of the first flat surface 404; Fig. 17), the region corresponding to the print image and the print area (print image 1003A is shown of the print area 1001A of where the second support is being placed; [0115]; Fig. 15).
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et al. (US 2021/0276346 A1 of the IDS) in view of Koizumi et al. (US 2002/0060728 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Kobayashi teaches the printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the positioned portion of the second support is a protrusion to fit into grooves around any one of the plurality of rectangular plate portions, among the grooves of the first support arranged in the matrix, and the protrusion is disposed under four sides of the rectangular plate shape of the second support.
Koizumi teaches the second support has a rectangular plate shape having a size corresponding to each of the plurality of rectangular plate portions of the first support (second support 11 has a rectangular plate shape that corresponds to the rectangular plate portions 33 of the first support 32; Fig. 7 & Fig. 13), the positioned portion of the second support is a protrusion to fit into grooves around any one of the plurality of rectangular plate portions (the positioned portion 12 of the second support 11 is a protrusion 12 that fits into the groove between the two rectangular plate portions 33; Fig. 7 & Fig. 13), among the grooves of the first support arranged in the matrix (the groove in between two 33 plate portions of the first support 32 are arranged in a 2 x 1 matrix; Fig. 7), and the protrusion is disposed under four sides of the rectangular plate shape of the second support (protrusion 12 is the under of the four sides of the rectangular plate shape of the second support 11; Fig. 13).
Kobayashi and Koizumi are considered analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor of printing apparatus with first and second supports. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the second support of Kobayashi to incorporate the teachings of Koizumi by including using a second support with a protrusion that fits into the groove of the first support to allow for a quicker release and installation of the second support onto the first support.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et al. (US 2021/0276346 A1 of the IDS) in view of Niimi et al. (US 7,413,301 B2).
Regarding claim 9, Kobayashi teaches the printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the second support includes a body and a pillar, and one end of the second flat surface is connected to the body via the pillar.
Niimi teaches a second support includes a body and a pillar (second support 304 includes a body 318 and pillar 316; Fig. 39B), and one end of the second flat surface is connected to the body via the pillar (second support 304 having a second flat surface and is connected to the body 318 via the pillar 316 on one end; Fig. 39B).
Kobayashi and Niimi are considered analogous art to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of endeavor of printing apparatus with first supports. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the second support of Kobayashi to incorporate the teachings of Niimi by including the pillar to be used to align the second support with the first support better and more secure.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 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 2, 4 and 7.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Prior art of record alone or combination do not teach or does not suggest printing apparatus comprising: wherein the first support includes a male screw on an outer peripheral surface of each of the plurality of columnar bosses, the second support includes a female screw on an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical positioned portion, and the cylindrical positioned portion of the second support is rotated to screw the male screw and the female screw together to position the cylindrical positioned portion on any one of the plurality of columnar bosses.
Conclusion
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/SADMAN SAKIB BAKHT/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/RICARDO I MAGALLANES/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853