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 Amendment
The amendment filed February 2, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 2 ,4, 6-8, and 10 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed July, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of JP .
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.
Claims 1 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kida et al. (US 11072195 B2), hereinafter referred to as “Kida”, in view of Kinoshita et al. (JP 2005205766 A), hereinafter referred to as “Kinoshita” (cited in IDS dated July 13, 2026).
Regarding claim 1, Kida teaches a liquid ejecting apparatus (printing apparatus 1; col. 2, ll. 24-25; Fig. 1) comprising:
a print head (printing head 8; col. 2, ll. 29; Fig. 1) that ejects liquid onto a medium (a print medium on which the print head performs printing; col 17, ll. 51-52);
a liquid storage section including a container that stores the liquid (sub-tank 151 in which a certain amount of ink is contained; col. 7, ll. 8-9; A main tank 141 is a tank that contains ink which is to be supplied to the sub-tank 151; col. 7, ll. 29-30; Fig. 6; col. 17, ll. 40-42);
a tube that is flexible (a linkage tube 159 is provided for each of the supply flow path C2; col. 10, ll. 54-55; Fig. 8; portion of Fig. 8 annotated above) and supplies the liquid to be ejected from the print head from the liquid storage section to the print head (The sub-tank 151 in which a certain amount of ink is contained is connected to a supply flow path C2 for supplying ink to the print head 8; col. 7, ll. 8-10; Fig. 6; col. 17, ll. 43-44), the tube having one end and another end, the one end being located at an upstream end in a direction of flow of the liquid and coupled to the container, the another end being located at a downstream end in the direction and coupled to the print head (as understood from at least Fig. 6, 8 and col. 10, ll. 54-63, one end of the supply flow path C2 (i.e., linkage tube 159) is connected to the sub-tank 151 and another end is connected to print head 8);
a duct in which gas flows (an air passage is formed from the print head 8 to the air discharge fan 163 approximately in the horizontal direction; col. 13, ll. 24-26; an air passage is formed from the air supply opening 43 to the print head 8 approximately in the horizontal direction; col. 13, ll. 53-54; Fig. 13), the duct including an inlet (air supply openings 43; col. 12, ll. 57; Fig. 13) and an outlet (air discharge opening 44; col. 13, ll. 1; Fig. 13), the inlet being disposed at an air inlet of a housing (“supply openings 43 are formed in the first housing cover 71”; col. 12, ll. 59-60);
and a fan that forms a flow of gas in the duct, the fan drawing outside air from the air inlet into the duct (driving of the air discharge fan 163 causes an air flow in which air (outside air) flows in through the air supply openings 43 into the ink supply unit 15 and air inside the printing apparatus (inside air) is discharged through the air discharge opening 44; col. 13, ll. 54-59; col. 14, ll. 13-16; Fig. 13).
However, Kida does not teach that the duct includes a hollow body between the inlet and outlet, and that at least a portion of the tube is fixed to an outer surface of the hollow body of the duct.
Kinoshita teaches a liquid ejection apparatus (inkjet recording device 10; [0024]; Fig. 1) comprising: a print head (recording heads 14; [0047]; Fig. 7) that ejects liquid onto a medium (paper P; [0026]; Fig. 1); a tube (flexible ink tubes 74; [0047]; Fig. 7) that is flexible and supplies the liquid to be ejected from the print head ([0047]); a duct (flexible duct 76 with recovery duct 78; [0047]-[0048]; Fig. 7-8) in which gas flows, the duct including an inlet, an outlet, and a hollow body between the inlet and the outlet (it is understood that the duct is empty/hollow from Fig. 7 and 8); and a fan (air suction fan 42; [0050]; Fig. 1, 7) that forms a flow of the gas in the duct, at least a portion of the tube being fixed to an outer surface of the hollow body of the duct (“ink tube 74, and flexible duct 76 are tightly attached to each other”; [0048]).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device described in Kida wherein the duct includes a hollow body and at least a portion of the tube is in contact with an outer surface of a hollow body of the duct, as taught by Kinoshita. This would have been done so the tube and duct form a single unit as an efficient arrangement within the liquid ejection apparatus and decrease the apparatus size, as taught in Kinoshita ([0048]-[0049]).
Regarding claim 6, Kida as modified by Kinoshita discloses the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, and Kida further teaches the liquid ejecting apparatus wherein the print head is a line head having a length equal to or longer than a width of the medium (The print head 8 of the present embodiment is a full line type color inkjet print head. In the print head 8 , a plurality of ejection openings configured to eject ink based on print data are arrayed in the y-direction in FIG. 1 so as to correspond to the width of a print medium S; col. 3, ll. 30-34).
Regarding claim 7, Kida as modified by Kinoshita discloses the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1. Kida fails to teach that at least the portion of the tube is disposed along the flow of the gas in the duct.
Kinoshita teaches wherein the at least the portion of the tube is disposed along the flow in the duct (tube 74 and duct 76 are tightly attached to each other; [0048]; from Fig. 7, tube 74 is parallel to duct 76, and therefore disposed along the flow of the duct).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device described in Kida as modified by Kinoshita so that the portion of the tube is disposed along the flow in the duct, as taught by Kinoshita. This would have been done so the tube and duct form a single unit as an efficient arrangement within the liquid ejection apparatus and decrease the apparatus size, as taught in Kinoshita ([0048]-[0049]).
Regarding claim 8, Kida as modified by Kinoshita discloses the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, and Kida further teaches the liquid ejecting apparatus wherein the liquid is a water-based ink (water contained in the ink evaporates; col. 1, ll. 13-14; col. 12, ll. 47-48).
Claims 2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kida as modified by Kinoshita in view of Eto (US 11241881 B2).
Regarding claim 2, Kida as modified by Kinoshita discloses the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, however Kida as modified by Kinoshita does not explicitly teach a heat generator, wherein the duct is disposed between the heat generator and the tube.
Eto teaches a liquid ejection apparatus that includes a duct (The main body housing 54 includes a gutter-shaped member 541; col. 5, ll. 3-4; Fig. 6),
and a heat generator (heat generated in the circuit board, col. 1, ll. 29-30; heat of the control board 513 is transferred to the head housing 514; col. 6, ll. 29; Fig. 8),
wherein a portion of the tube enters the duct (The liquid supply path 52 and the cleaning liquid supply path 53 are inserted into the main body housing 54 from the outside of the main body housing 54 through the through holes 5421 and connected to the liquid ejection head 51; col. 5, ll. 36-39),
and the tube is separated from the heat generator by the duct (Fig. 8 as annotated below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device described in Kida as modified by Kinoshita to further include a heat generator wherein the duct is disposed between the heat generator and the tube as taught by Eto. This would have been done to directly cool the heat generator and keep the tube’s ink temperature controlled, as taught in Eto (col. 5, ll. 44-53).
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Regarding claim 4, Kida as modified by Kinoshita discloses the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, however Kida as modified by Kinoshita does not explicitly teach a heat generator, wherein the duct supplies the gas to the heat generator.
Eto teaches a liquid ejection apparatus that includes a duct (The main body housing 54 includes a gutter-shaped member 541; col. 5, ll. 3-4; Fig. 6),
a fan that causes air flow in the duct (The fan 55 is arranged in the intake opening 543 of the main body housing 54; col. 5, ll. 20-21; The fan 55 sucks in the air outside the main body housing 54 and feeds the air into the main body housing 54; col. 5, ll. 23-25),
and a heat generator being cooled by the air flow (Furthermore, the fan 55 causes air to flow between the main body housing 54 and the head housing 514. As a result, the control board 513 of the liquid ejection head 51 may be cooled via the head housing 514; col. 5, ll. 25-28; Fig. 6; Fig. 8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device described in Kida as modified by Kinoshita to further include a heat generator wherein the duct supplies air to the heat generator in order to directly cool the heat generator as taught by Eto. This would have been done to keep the tube’s ink temperature controlled, as taught in Eto (col. 5, ll. 44-53).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kida as modified by Kinoshita in view of Sekino et al. (JP 2009214521 A), hereinafter referred to as “Sekino”.
Regarding claim 10, Kida as modified by Kinoshita discloses the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, however Kida as modified by Kinoshita does not teach a heat generator and a case in which the heat generator is arranged, the outlet being disposed in the case.
Sekino teaches a liquid jet printing apparatus with a duct (first air conveyance path 39; [0029]; Fig. 1) further comprising a heat generator (drive circuit generates heat; [0028]) and
a case in which the heat generator is arranged (circuit case 31; [0028]; Fig. 1),
the outlet of the duct being disposed in the case (airport 34 is provided on lower portion of circuit case 31; [0029]; Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device described in Kida as modified by Kinoshita to include a heat generator with a case for the heat generator with the outlet of the duct being disposed in the case. This would have been done to provide a heat generator with a hermetically sealed case to prevent changes in the liquid ejecting head and cool the heat generator, as taught in Sekino ([0028] and [0029]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kida et al. (US 20200047512, from IDS) is the pre-grant publication of Kida used as the primary reference.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYRA M VAN KREUNINGEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9423. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thur 9:00am-6:00pm and Fri 9:00am-1:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ can be reached at (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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30 July 2026
/KYRA MELOR VAN KREUNINGEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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