DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claims 2-5 and 18-28 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/8/2025.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the edge area of a substrate” and “both directions” lack antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claim recites wherein ink is ejected “in a direction horizontal to the substrate.” A direction cannot be “horizontal to” a structure. Correction is required.
Because all other claims depend from claim 1, they are also rejected on this basis.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “part” in all claims.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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, 6-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhou et al. (2020/0311146).
Regarding claim 1, Zhou teaches a 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
a nozzle part (fig. 4, nozzle) that comprises a nozzle (see fig. 4) that is disposed outside of a side surface of the substrate (see fig. 4), configured to eject ink in a direction horizontal to the substrate ([0114]), through Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jetting by applying a voltage to an electrode ([0112]);
a moving part (fig. 1, Z axis moving stand) that moves the nozzle in both directions in a normal vector direction of the substrate around a rim of the substrate (see fig. 1, note that the “rim” is being taken to be any portion of the surface of the substrate to be printed); and
a control part (fig. 1, 180) that controls a printing operation (see fig. 1), wherein a pattern that is continuously connected along a front surface of the rim of the substrate, a side surface of the substrate, and a rear surface of the rim of the substrate is printed as the moving part moves the nozzle in both directions ([0062], note that the claimed front surface, rim, side surface and rear surface could be defined in any number of ways, and here, those claimed areas are being defined as corresponding to printable portion of the prior art device), and
the control part controls the printing operation, considering changes in 3D electric field distribution that occur due to changes of a shape and material of a structure surrounding an area being printed and a pre-printed pattern, as printing proceeds (see figs. 5, 6, Note that “considering changes” could mean any number of things. Note that the claimed structure could be anything in the vicinity of printing that might affect the electric fields. As shown in figs. 5, 6, that all of the positions of the nozzle, the hole-disk electrode and the substrate relative to each other affect the electric field in the printing area).
Furthermore, regarding the language of the specific pattern created, MPEP 2114 states that the manner of operating a device does not differentiate the device from the prior art. Here, it seems a specific pattern is claimed, but the limitation is purely functional and thus does not differentiate the claimed device from the prior art apparatus.
Regarding claim 6, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 1, wherein the control part obtains, through simulation, the changes in 3D electric field distribution that occur due to changes of the shape and material of the structure surrounding the area being printed and the pre-printed pattern, as printing proceeds (see figs. 5, 6).
Regarding claim 7, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 6, wherein the control part considers the changes in 3D electric field distribution that occur due to changes of temperature or humidity as printing proceeds ([0105], Again, note that the language “considers” could mean any number of things. Here, because both of the temperature and electric fields are controlled by controller 180, it can be said that the temperature is “considered” as it related to the fields).
Regarding claim 8, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 1, wherein the control part controls the voltage being applied to the electrode (see figs. 1, 4) or controls a flow rate ([0085]) of the ink being ejected from the nozzle, considering the changes in 3D electric field distribution that occur due to the pre-printed pattern (see fig. 1, [0085]).
Regarding claim 9, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 1, further comprising: an imaging part that photographs an image of the ink being ejected from the nozzle, wherein the control part measures a diameter of the ink being ejected from the nozzle, based on the image photographed by the imaging part, and prints while controlling the diameter of the ink, in real time ([0110]).
Regarding claim 10, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 1, further comprising: an imaging part that photographs a line patterned on the substrate, wherein the control part obtains a line width of the patterned line based on an image photographed by the imaging part, and stores information of the line width and printing conditions regarding the line width, and predicts a diameter of the ink being ejected from the nozzle based on changes of the line width, and prints while controlling the diameter of the ink, in real time (see fig. 11, Note that there must be an imaging part to image the shown lines).
Regarding claim 11, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 10, wherein the control part predicts the diameter of the ink being ejected from the nozzle based on the information of the line width of the line patterned on a same substrate (see fig. 11).
Regarding claim 12, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 10 wherein the control part predicts the diameter of the ink being ejected from the nozzle based on the information of the line width of the patterned line, stored regarding a plurality of substrates, in repetitive printing processes (see fig. 11).
Regarding claim 13, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim wherein the substrate is any one of a plastic substrate, a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, and a substrate where plastic and glass are formed in a multiple layer form ([0104]).
Regarding claim 14, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 9 wherein the control part controls the diameter to be constant (see fig. 11).
Regarding claim 15, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim wherein the control part controls the diameter by controlling at least one of a distance between the nozzle and the substrate, a size of the voltage being applied to the electrode for the Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jetting, a flow rate of the ink being ejected from the nozzle, and an ejecting angle (see fig. 11, Note that any or all of the criteria can be used to control the diameter. That is, the diameter is constant, and the device necessarily has values for all of the inputs).
Regarding claim 16, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim wherein the nozzle part further comprises a pneumatic controller that controls a pneumatic inside the nozzle, and the control part controls the flow rate of the ink by controlling the pneumatic ([0087]-[0091]).
Regarding claim 17, Zhou teaches the 3D surface printing apparatus for the edge area of a substrate, according to claim 8, further comprising: a syringe pump that supplies ink to inside of the nozzle, wherein the control part controls the flow rate of the ink by controlling the syringe pump ([0083].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEJANDRO VALENCIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5473. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853