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 March 24th, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-11 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendments to the Claims, Specification, and Drawings have overcome each objection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed on January 15th, 2026.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed March 24th, 2026 with respect to claim 1 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claim 1 and its dependent claims has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to new claim 10 have been considered. The examiner agrees that the original primary reference of Suzuki teaches the liquid supplying portion and liquid discharging portion as separate structural portions. However, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Sawadaishi et al. (US 20210107290 A1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Claim 2 is further 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.
Claim 2 recites, “The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supplying portion also serves as the liquid discharging portion.” This is not feasible based on the language of claim 1. Claim 1 recites both, “a liquid supplying portion to which one end portion of a supply flow path for supplying the liquid to the ejecting head is coupled and through which the liquid in the liquid containing portion is supplied,” and “when the liquid discharging portion is coupled to a collection coupling portion of a collection container.”
The current language of claim 1 of “is coupled” for both the liquid supplying portion and liquid discharging portion prevents claim 2 from being possible. The liquid supplying portion is actively coupled to a separate distinct part from the liquid discharge portion can be coupled to. It is not possible for the supplying portion to also be a discharging portion to be coupled to a collection container because the supplying portion is coupled [actively] to an end portion of a supply flow path. Additionally, the specification does not depict an instance in which the ink supplying portion is also the liquid discharging portion and is coupled to both an end portion of a supply flow path and a collection container.
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) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sawadaishi et al. (US20210107290A1), hereinafter referred to as Sawadaishi.
Regarding claim 10, Sawadaishi discloses liquid ejecting apparatus (liquid ejecting apparatus 11; at para. 0028, 0035; Fig. 1, 3), comprising:
an ejecting head configured to eject a liquid (liquid ejecting head 21; at para. 0035, 0041; Fig. 3); and
a liquid container configured to contain the liquid to be supplied to the ejecting head (liquid storage container 31; at para. 0040, 0041; Fig. 3, 5), wherein: the liquid container includes
a liquid containing portion configured to contain the liquid (liquid storage chamber 51; at para. 0053; Fig. 5),
a liquid filling portion through which the liquid is filled into the liquid containing portion (liquid pouring port 53; at para. 0053, 0057; Fig. 5),
a liquid supplying portion to which one end portion of a supply flow path for supplying the liquid to the ejecting head is coupled and through which the liquid in the liquid containing portion is supplied (coupling portion 55; at para. 0053, 0059; Fig. 5), and
a liquid discharging portion through which the liquid contained in the liquid containing portion is discharged outside, the liquid discharging portion is disposed at a bottom surface or a lower portion of a side surface of the liquid containing portion, and the liquid supplying portion also serves as the liquid discharging portion (liquid supplying portion is also liquid discharge portion, therefore both are coupling portion 55; liquid ejecting head 21 its supply tube are outside the liquid storage container 31, therefore liquid is discharged outside through coupling portion 55; coupling portion 55 is on bottom surface 42; at para. 0059; Fig. 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3-9, and 11 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The primary reason for allowance of claims 1, 3-9, and 11 is the inclusion of “a liquid supplying portion to which one end portion of a supply flow path for supplying the liquid to the ejecting head is coupled and through which the liquid in the liquid containing portion is supplied” and “the liquid discharging portion is configured to be urged in an axial direction thereof in which the liquid discharging portion advances or retreats, and when the liquid discharging portion is coupled to a collection coupling portion of a collection container, the liquid discharging portion retreats to switch a valve inside the liquid container to a valve-open state from a valve-closed state.”
Sohgawa (US20200147973A1) teaches a configuration wherein a liquid container includes [at least three] separate portions for coupling various parts (liquid inlet 311 as a liquid filling portion, first connection port 313 as a liquid supplying portion, and liquid outlet 312 as a liquid discharging portion; Fig. 2) with external valves and that each part or mechanism may be separable. Kishikawa et al. (US20210362506A1) teaches wherein a valve is internal for a liquid supplying portion and an urging direction as axial to switch valve states. While Sohgawa teaches the liquid container as detachable, modifying the valves to be inside the container as taught by Kishikawa et al. may not have been an obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Therefore, these limitations, as they are claimed in the combination, have not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, making claims 1, 3-9, and 11 allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 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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01 May 2026
/KYRA MELOR VAN KREUNINGEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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