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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1-11 are 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.
Claims 1 and 11 recite “a partition member arranged between the lid member located inside the absorber chamber,” which fails to clearly define how the partition member is configured relative to the lid member and absorber chamber, such that an artisan would not be able to determine the point of infringement.
Dependent claim 2-10 inherit the profile of independent claim 1 and therefore also fail to meet the requirements of this statute.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 5-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagi
(US 6,070,976) further in view of Hattori (US 7,121,656).
With regard to claim 1, Takagi discloses a cartridge (1a) [ink tank; Col. 27; lines 6-7; Fig. 22] comprising:
an absorber (12a) [ink-impregnated member; Col. 27; line 9] configured to retain a liquid [ink];
a tank (11a) [main tank chamber; Col. 27; line 8] including an opening and an absorber chamber configured to hold the absorber;
a lid member (3a) [cover; Col. 27; line 7] joined to the opening of the tank and including an air communication port (13a) [atmospheric communication hole; Col. 27; lines 9-10] in communication with atmosphere; and
a partition member (4a) [guard member; Col. 27; line 8] arranged between the lid member located inside the absorber chamber [Fig. 22], wherein
the lid member includes a first protrusion (22a) [partitions; Col. 28; line 53] to protrude toward the partition member [Fig. 22], and the first protrusion is formed to surround the air communication port [Col. 8; lines 24-25; Figs. 23, 26],
the partition member includes a second protrusion (24a) [partition; line 53] to face the first protrusion [Fig. 26], and
a communication path (27a) [communication channel; Col. 28; lines 54-55] communicating with the air communication port is formed between the first protrusion and the second protrusion [Fig. 26].
Takagi does not disclose the partition member includes a groove to be connected to the absorber chamber.
However, Hattori teaches a partition member (3) [upper cover member; Col. 5; line 25] includes a groove (16a) [through hole/recess; Col. 5; lines 22-27] to be connected to the absorber chamber [Fig. 2].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the partition member of Takagi with a groove connected to the absorber chamber in order to secure the ink passage stably between the ink containing unit and the ink supply port irrespective of the posture in distribution for delivery and storage or the environmental changes.
With regard to claim 2, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitation of claim 1 and Takagi also discloses wherein the communication path is formed at a tip end of the second protrusion in the partition member [Fig. 26].
With regard to claim 3, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and Hattori also discloses wherein an absorber pressing rib [bottom portion of walls 33; Fig. 2] to be in contact with the absorber is formed in the partition member [Fig. 2].
With regard to claim 5, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and also Takagi discloses wherein the communication path is formed at a tip end of the first protrusion of the lid member [Fig. 26]
With regard to claim 6, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and Takagi also discloses wherein the lid member includes a third protrusion (21a) [Col. 28; line 53] inside the first protrusion [Fig. 25B].
With regard to claim 7, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and Takagi also discloses wherein the partition member includes a fourth protrusion (23a) [Col. 28; line 53] to face the third protrusion, and a different communication path is formed between the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion [Col. 28; line 53; Fig. 26].
With regard to claim 8, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and Takagi also discloses wherein the air communication port communicates with a print head (not shown) configured to eject the liquid [Col. 4; Lines 42-44]
With regard to claim 9, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and Takagi also discloses wherein the tank includes one absorber chamber, and one absorber is held in the absorber chamber. [Fig. 22]
Claim(s) 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takagi (US 6,070,976) further in view of Hattori (US 7,121,656)) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Yanagimachi (US 2008/0007606)
With regard to claim 10, Takagi’s modified cartridge discloses all the limitations of claim 1 but does not disclose wherein the tank includes a plurality of absorber chambers and a plurality of the absorbers are held in the plurality of absorber chambers, respectively.
However, Yanagimachi teaches a tank includes a plurality of absorber chambers (1501-1503), [Para. 0140; Fig. 4] and a plurality of the absorbers are laid in the plurality of absorber chambers, respectively. [Para. 0140; Fig. 4]
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the tank of Takagi modified with a plurality of absorber chambers and a plurality of absorbers held in the plurality of absorber chambers as taught by Yanagimachi in order to hold inks of different colors.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Harada (US 2009/0219337) discloses a method comprising the steps of: detaching a lid member (446) from the tank [See Para.0287]; separating the lid member from the partition member [Para. 0287]; exchanging the absorber [S304]; cleaning an inside of the tank [S306]; inserting an absorber renewed in the absorber exchanging step into the tank(S306); fitting a lid member different from the lid member to the partition member [Para. 0017; Fig. 32]; and welding the different lid member to the tank [Para. 0044]. Harada discloses the steps of cartridge reuse for a waste ink tank and so the steps of preparing a cartridge having consumed the liquid and injecting the liquid into the tank are not taught.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACEY M MCMILLION whose telephone number is (571)270-5193. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6AM-2:30PM EST.
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/TRACEY M MCMILLION/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/SHELBY L FIDLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853