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 .
Priority
1. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
2. The drawings are objected to because:
element 71B in figure 27 is inconsistent with the other reference characters in the figure and not listed in the specification; it is understood that element 71B is element 91B;
figures 2, 3, 4, and 14 are not discernable as the lines for connecting reference characters to parts in the figures are not clear for connecting specific parts to their specific reference characters; the lines are obscured by the lower quality and blends in with various parts in the figures; it is suggested to increase the quality of the overall images or solidify or darken the lines directing reference characters to parts in the figures.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
3. The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description:
element 84 in figure 5 is not mentioned in the specification.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
4. The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
in paragraph [0075], there is inconsistent use of “cut-out” and “cutout”;
in paragraph [0091], “the upstream” and “the downstream” of “Further, in FIG. 9, reference sign d1 denotes a distance from the support structure 55 located on the upstream to the facing portion 50, and reference sign d2 denotes a distance from the support structure 55 located on the downstream to the facing portion 50.” is unclear; it is suggested to revise the language for clarity; suggestions include:
Further, in FIG. 9, reference sign d1 denotes a distance from the support structure 55, located on the upstream side of the facing portion, to the facing portion 50, and reference sign d2 denotes a distance from the support structure 55, located on the downstream side of the facing portion, to the facing portion 50.
Further, in FIG. 9, reference sign d1 denotes a distance from the upstream support structure 55 to the facing portion 50, and reference sign d2 denotes a distance from the downstream support structure 55 to the facing portion 50.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
5. Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“a nozzle” not properly demonstrated as singular in the specification; it is suggested to amend “a nozzle” to “a plurality of nozzles”;
“the opening portions” is not claimed as a plurality in previous claims; a singular opening portion was claimed previously; it is suggested to either amend the claim 1 to include the plural or amend claim 3 to be singular.
Appropriate correction is required.
6. Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“comprising” should be “further comprising” as it is a dependent claim; use of “comprising” alone may change the scope of the claims and result in a 35 U.S.C. 112(d) rejection due to issues with dependency;
“a movement direction of the liquid ejection head” interferes with the antecedent basis of “a movement direction of the liquid ejection head” from claim 2; it is suggested to replace “a” with “the” to follow antecedent basis or change the description of the movement direction if it reflects a different movement direction that that of claim 2.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. 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.
8. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato (US 8506071 B2) in view of Morimoto (JP 2021059013 A).
Regarding claim 1, Sato teaches a recording apparatus (printer 11; col. 3, ll. 56; Fig. 1 as annotated below), comprising:
a liquid ejection head configured to perform recording by ejecting a liquid onto a medium (head unit 14 with recording heads 13; col. 3, ll. 59-60; Fig. 1 as annotated below);
a facing portion disposed to face the liquid ejection head (platen 15; col. 3, ll. 61; Fig. 1 as annotated below and Fig. 4);
and a cap portion configured to cover a liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head (cap 30; col. 5, ll. 8-18; Fig. 1 as annotated below and Fig. 4),
wherein an opening portion is formed in the facing portion (openings 25; col. 4, ll. 49-51; Fig. 1 as annotated below and Fig. 4),
and the cap portion is disposed at a position that is on the inner side of the opening portion and faces the liquid ejection surface (caps 30 are disposed in the openings 25; col. 4, ll. 64-66; Fig. 1 as annotated below and Fig. 4).
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Sato also teaches the use of a lifting device for the cap portions to switch between a capping/contact position to cover the head nozzles and a separated position wherein the head nozzles are not covered by the cap portions such that they are able to perform recording on the medium (col. 5, ll. 13-18). However, Sato does not teach the use of a motor to control the liquid ejection heads from moving forward and backward from the facing portion between a cap position and a recording position.
Morimoto teaches the liquid ejection head as movable in a direction in which the liquid ejection head moves forward and backward with respect to the capping portion by power of a raising/lowering unit (head raising/lowering unit may be used to move the inkjet head 146 vertically relative to the cap portion which is disposed below the opening portion; [0125]-[0126]; Figs. 16 and 17). Morimoto also teaches that the raising/lowering unit may also move the cap portion relative to the liquid ejection head ([0126]). Additionally, the liquid ejection head switches between a recording position and cap position (head 146 moves between a moisturizing/capped position and a non-moisturizing/recording position; [0117]; [0234]; Figs. 16 and 17).
MPEP 2144.06 II reasons that substituting an art know equivalent known for the same purpose is considered obvious. The use of a motor in place of a lifting mechanism as taught by Sato or a raising/lowering unit as taught by Morimoto would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
MPEP 2144.04 VI C reasons that rearrangement of parts without changing the overall operation of the apparatus is considered obvious. Using a motor to raise and lower the liquid ejection head as taught by Morimoto in place of moving the cap portion as taught by Sato would be considered obvious as the overall function of the recording apparatus is unchanged and the purpose of changing the positions of the liquid ejection head and cap portion between a cap position and recording position is unchanged.
Therefore, 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 recording apparatus as taught by Sato to substitute the lifting device for the cap portion for a motor or equivalent to move the liquid ejection head between a cap position and recording position as taught by Morimoto as reasoned by MPEP 2144.04 VI C and 2144.06 II.
Regarding claim 2, Sato does not teach the liquid ejection head as having an abutting portion configured to abut on the facing portion, the facing portion being displaceable along a movement direction of the liquid ejection head and being pressed toward the liquid ejection head my a pressing member, and the liquid ejection head being caused to abut on the facing portion at the abutting portion in a process in which the liquid ejection head moves from the recording position to the cap position, and moves the facing portion against a pressing force of the pressing member.
Morimoto teaches the liquid ejection head as having an abutting portion (elastic member 601) that abuts a facing portion (600, 602, 602A, and 604 of capping device 403) when moving from the recording position to the cap position (elastic member 600 of the capping device 403 abuts against the head elastic member 601 provided on the side 146B of the inkjet head 146; [0235]; Figs. 16 and 17 as annotated below). Additionally, pressing member (pressing moving portion 604) moves the overall facing portion when the recording head moves forward and backward from the cap portion disposed below the facing portion (cap portion 480; [130]; Figs. 16 and 17 as annotated below).
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Morimoto also discloses that the moving direction of the pressing moving unit is not limited, and therefore the facing portion may be movable/displaceable in a movement direction of the liquid ejection head (inkjet head 146 is movable horizontally by the head horizontal moving unit 402; [0124]; Fig. 6; the ‘facing portion’ is moved by pressing moving portion 604, and pressing moving portion 604 is not limited in the direction it may move the ‘facing portion’ with respect to the inkjet head 146; [0195]; Fig. 11, 12, 16, and 17).
Therefore, 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 facing portion and liquid ejection head according to claim 1 as taught by Sato in view of Morimoto to further include an abutting portion on the liquid ejection head that abuts the facing portion when moving from the recording position to the cap position and the facing portion being displaceable in a movement direction of the liquid ejection head and pressed toward the liquid ejection head by a pressing member as taught by Morimoto. This would have been done for the purpose of improved sealing ability of the cap portion when the recording head is in the cap position wherein the facing portion is not an obstacle as taught by Morimoto ([0235]).
Regarding claim 3, Sato teaches the liquid ejection having a plurality of head chips (nozzle forming surfaces 23) each with nozzles (nozzles 24) for ejecting liquid (col. 4, ll. 27-32; Fig. 1),
with the head chips being alternately disposed at an upstream position and a downstream position along a medium width direction (nozzle forming surfaces 23 are arranged alternately in the medium width direction; col. 4, ll. 33-37 ; Fig. 3),
the opening portions disposed alternately in the same fashion as the head chips as to correspond to the disposition of the head chips (“top surface of the platen 15 has openings 25 in regions facing the nozzle forming surfaces 23”; col. 4, ll. 49-51; Figs. 1 and 4),
and the facing portion including a support portion (fixed ribs 26 and moveable ribs 32) configured to support the medium (fixed ribs 26 on platen 15 serve as fixed supporting portions on for the lower surface of sheet P; col. 4, ll. 51-54; movable ribs 32 cooperate with the fixed ribs to support sheet P when sheet P is transported; col. 6, ll. 60-65).
Regarding claim 4, Sato teaches both a first support portion extending from upstream to downstream in the medium transport direction (“fixed ribs 26 extend in the transportation direction X”; col. 4, ll. 56-57) and a second support portion extending from downstream to upstream in the medium transport direction (“movable ribs 32 are elongated in the transportation direction X”; col. 5, ll. 6-7).
9. Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato in view of Morimoto as applied to claim 4 above, and in further view of Sasa (US 7673985 B2).
Regarding claim 5, Sato in view of Morimoto teaches the recording apparatus as applied to claim 4, however it does not teach a corner portion at a downstream end of the first support portion in the medium transport direction being formed in a chamfered shape or an R shape, nor a corner portion at an upstream end of the second support portion in the medium transport direction being formed in a chamfered shape or an R shape.
Sasa teaches the first and second support portions as being chamfered on both ends (“The chamfering processing is applied to the corner portions 122, 123 of the ribs 121 of the movable support section 88”; col. 41, ll. 41-44; “The chamfering processing is also applied to the respective corner portions of the first fixed ribs 102 and the second fixed ribs 103”; col. 41, ll. 50-52; Fig. 9-11). Sato also iterates that only chamfering the upstream side of the ribs would suffice (col. 28, ll. 28-30, 35-37; col. 29, ll. 28-30).
Therefore, 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 support portion at the facing portion as taught by Sato to provide chamfering at a corner portion of each the first and second support portions as taught by Sasa. This would have been done in order to provide smooth, uninhibited transport of the medium in the medium transport direction as taught by Sasa (col. 41, ll. 45-50, 54-57).
10. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato in view of Morimoto as applied to claim 2 above, and in further view of Uchida et al. (US 5936651 A), hereinafter referred to as Uchida.
Regarding claim 6, Sato in view of Morimoto teaches the recording apparatus as applied to claim 2, however it does not teach a shaft extending in a movement direction of the liquid ejection head, the shaft being a guide shaft configured to guide the facing portion in the movement direction, a cylindrical portion provided in the facing portion, the cylindrical portion being guided by the guide shaft by the guide shaft being inserted into the cylindrical portion, and a movement prescribing portion that is a portion on which an upper end of the cylindrical portion abuts, the movement prescribing portion prescribing a movement limit of the facing portion in a direction toward the liquid ejection head, wherein the pressing member presses the cylindrical portion toward the movement prescribing portion.
Uchida teaches a recording apparatus wherein the facing portion is pressed down by the liquid ejection head (“The head unit 305 is brought into contact with an engaging face (not shown) provided on the head block 6 and with the pin 116 provided on the platen 115, slightly depressing the platen 115 against the force of the spring 117”; col. 15, ll. 16-20), and the facing portion is pressed toward the head by pressing members along shafts (“the platen 115 is lifted by the springs 117 toward the head block 6 along the guide pins 118”; col. 12, ll. 53-55). Further, it is inherent a hole or cylindrical portion through which the shafts (guide pins) go through the facing portion exist. A movement prescribing portion limiting the vertical movement of the facing portion toward the liquid ejection head as similar to the claimed invention that would abut the cylindrical portion is also taught by Uchida (as annotated on Fig. 13 and a portion of Fig. 13 below).
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Therefore, 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 movement mechanism of the facing portion as taught by Morimoto to further include a shaft, a cylinder portion, and a movement prescribing portion as demonstrated by Uchida. This would have been done for the purpose of maintaining flatness of the facing portion and obtaining a high-quality recording as taught by Uchida (col. 12, ll. 38-46).
11. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato in view of Morimoto and Uchida as applied to claim 6 above, and in further view of Mizusawa el al. (US 4947190 A), hereinafter referred to as Mizusawa.
Regarding claim 7, Sato in view of Morimoto and Uchida teaches the recording apparatus as applied to claim 6, however it does not teach the movement prescribing portion including a covering portion configured to cover the periphery of the upper end of the cylindrical portion.
Mizusawa teaches recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus; col. 4, ll. 58-60). The recording apparatus includes a liquid ejection head (recording head IJH), a movable facing portion (platen PTN) with a pressing member (SSP) pushing the facing portion toward the liquid ejection head, the upward movement guided by a shaft (PLE) and limited by the abutting part of a cylindrical portion (STP2) via a movement prescribing portion (HP2) (col. 17, ll. 56-69; Fig. 15). The movement prescribing portion also acts as a covering portion as it presses on the lip of the overhanging part of the cylindrical portion at the top of the cylindrical portion (Fig. 15).
Therefore, 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 movement prescribing portion as taught by Uchida to include a more detailed form of the movement prescribing portion as also being a covering portion that covers the upper part of the cylindrical portion as taught by Mizusawa. This would have been done for the purpose of securing the height of the facing portion as taught by Mizusawa (col. 17, ll. 64-66).
Allowable Subject Matter
12. Claims 8 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 8 would be allowable for disclosing the cylindrical portion is provided at two locations that are both end portions of the facing portion in the medium width direction with an interval therebetween in the medium transport direction, and the liquid ejection head abuts on the facing portion between the cylindrical portions provided at two locations with an interval therebetween in the medium transport direction.
Sato and Sasa, teach the facing portion as extending along a medium width direction.
Uchida and Mizusawa teach a movement mechanism for the facing portion wherein there is a pressing portion, a shaft, a cylinder portion, and a movement describing portion as described in claims 6 and 7. Uchida also implied the placement of the pressing members, and therefore the movement mechanisms, may be placed in the medium width direction with the medium transport direction as an interval therebetween, however the pressing members in this instance were used on the liquid ejection head (Fig. 28). Therefore, Uchida and Mizusawa do not explicitly teach the positions of the cylindrical portions or movement mechanisms of the facing portion as being disposed at the ends of the facing portion in the medium width direction.
Morimoto does teach the liquid ejection head as abutting the facing portion between the movement mechanisms for the facing portion. However, Morimoto does not explicitly teach the placement of the moving mechanisms as being disposed at the two locations with an interval therebetween in the medium transport direction.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date may have been drawn to a configuration closer to that of Uchida wherein the cylinder portions are disposed closer to the end portions of the facing portion in the medium transport direction or inside an open area internal to the facing portion that would not make contact with the liquid ejection head when the liquid ejection head abuts the facing portion.
Therefore, the combination of the features disclosed in prior art with the additional features of claim 8, specifically the additions of the positioning of the cylinder portions at two locations at the end portions of the facing portion in the medium width direction with an interval therebetween in the medium transport direction and the placement of the liquid ejection head abutting the facing portion as between those positions, may be considered allowable.
Conclusion
13. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Kachi (US 7334862 B2) demonstrates a facing portion (belt 17)with openings (holes 56) disposed for movable cap portions (ink receptacles 66) coordinated alternatively to align with head chips of the liquid ejection head (head 12), but the liquid ejection head is fixed (Fig. 5);
Kajihara (US 20230311512 A1) demonstrates a moving portion that moves in response to the positioning of the liquid ejection head that includes a pressing member (66), a cylindrical shaft (support column 72), a cylindrical movement portion (insertion hole 631) disposed in a part similar to a facing portion (cap body 61), and a movement prescribing portion (roller R) in the form of a covering portion that abuts on the cylindrical portion (cut 633) when pressed down ([0042], [0045], and [0048]; Fig. 6).
14. 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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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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21 January 2026
/KYRA MELOR VAN KREUNINGEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853