DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claims 4, 5, 9 and 16-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention and species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made with the reply filed on 12/16/2025. Applicant traverses the Requirement for Election of Species on the basis that Figures 5 and 6 show the same embodiment. However, no requirement between Figures 5 and 6 has been asserted. That is, as shown in the Requirement on page 4, Figures 5 and 6 are in different groups, and Applicant has elected that embodiment for examination. Further Applicant traverses the Requirement for Restriction on the grounds that the inventions are properly grouped as combination and subcombination. Applicant does not provide any further argument as to why the listed inventions do not meet the criterion. According to Applicant, the two inventions “share a same core concept” that would not result in a serious search burden. Sharing a same core concept does not make the inventions one. Examiner maintains that searching both inventions properly would require diverging, non-overlapping searches, which would result in a serious search burden.
The Requirements are maintained.
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 10 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 a pump is disposed in a plurality of flow paths, but it does not seem a single pump can be in multiple places. Correction is required.
Because claims 11 and 12 depend from claim 10, they are also rejected on this basis.
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) 1-3, 6-8 and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Murakami et al. (2011/0074892).
Regarding claim 1, Murakami teaches an inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of inkjet heads (fig. 7, items 20) configured to discharge ink;
a supply storage device (fig. 7, item 21) configured to supply the ink to the plurality of inkjet heads;
a plurality of supply flow paths (fig. 7, flow paths 46/50) configured to move the ink from the supply storage device to the plurality of inkjet heads (see fig. 7);
a plurality of discharge flow paths (fig. 7, items 54/55) configured to move the ink from the plurality of inkjet heads to the supply storage device (see fig. 7); and
a plurality of by-pass lines (fig. 7, items 64, 68) directly connecting the plurality of supply flow paths with the plurality of discharge flow paths (see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 2, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of flow rate regulators (fig. 7, items 66, 67) disposed in the plurality of by-pass lines, wherein the plurality of flow rate regulators are configured to regulate a flow rate of the ink moving along the plurality of by-pass lines (fig. 7, Note that valves regulate whether liquid flows or doesn’t).
Regarding claim 3, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of valves (fig. 7, items 52) disposed in the plurality of supply flow paths, wherein the plurality of valves are configured to adjust a flow of the ink moving along the plurality of supply flow paths (fig. 7, Note valves adjust whether liquid flows or not).
Regarding claim 6, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of supply flow paths include first to fifth supply flow paths, the first supply flow path (fig. 7, item 46) is connected to the supply storage device (see fig. 7) and diverged into the second supply flow path and the third supply flow path at a first divergence point, the second supply flow path is connected to the first divergence point and a second divergence point and diverged into the fourth supply flow path and the fifth supply flow path at the second divergence point, and the fourth and fifth supply flow paths are each connected to one of the plurality of inkjet heads (see fig. 7, Note that any four supply flow paths 50 diverged from supply flow path 46 meet the limitations of the second to fifth flow paths. That is, the language is broad enough that any of flow paths 50 can be said to “diverge from” flow path 46 at a divergence point between itself and an adjacent supply flow path 50 at a “divergence point.” Also note that the whole system can be said to be “connected” as liquid flows throughout).
Regarding claim 7, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of discharge flow paths include first to fifth discharge flow paths, the first discharge flow path and the second discharge flow path are each connected to one of the plurality of inkjet heads and are merged into the third discharge flow path at a first merging point, the third discharge flow path is connected to the first merging point and a second merging point, and the third discharge flow path and the fourth discharge flow path are merged into the fifth discharge flow path at the second merging point, and the fifth discharge flow path is connected to the supply storage device (see fig. 7, Note that any four discharge flow paths 55 diverged from discharge flow path 54 meet the limitations of the second to fifth flow discharge paths. That is, the language is broad enough that any of flow paths 55 can be said to “diverge from” flow path 54 at a divergence point between itself and an adjacent discharge flow path 55 at a “divergence point.” Also note that the whole system can be said to be “connected” as liquid flows throughout).
Regarding claim 8, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of by-pass lines include at least one of a first by-pass line or a second by-pass line (see fig. 7), the first by-pass line connects the fourth supply flow path with the first discharge flow path, and the second by-pass line connects the fifth supply flow path with the second discharge flow path (Again, note that the entire system is connected. Note that bypass lines are connected to supply and discharge lines on opposite ends of the first and second supply and discharge lines. Thus, if the second and third supply and discharge lines are defined as those on one side of the main supply and discharge lines, and the fourth and fifth supply and discharge lines are on an opposite end of the main supply and discharge lines, the limitations are met).
Regarding claim 10, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pump disposed in the plurality of supply flow paths (fig. 7, item 48), wherein the pump is configured to provide a driving force so that the ink moves along the plurality of supply flow paths (see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 11, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the supply storage device is provided as one or more, the pump is provided as one or more, a total number of the one or more supply storage devices and a total number of the one or more pumps are each smaller than a total number of the plurality of inkjet heads (see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 12, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of inkjet heads are connected to one supply storage device and one pump (see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 13, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a buffer storage device (fig. 7, item 86) configured to supply the ink to the supply storage device (fig. 7, Note that subtank 86 in discharge line supplies ink back to the supply storage device 21).
Regarding claim 14, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a first buffer flow path (fig. 7, path between 86 and 21) configured to move the ink from the buffer storage device to the supply storage device (see fig. 7); and a second buffer flow path (fig. 7, path between item 86 in supply path) configured to move the ink from the first buffer flow path to the buffer storage device (see fig. 7, Note that liquid is moved circulated through the entire system, so any component can be said to move ink to any other component).
Regarding claim 15, Murakami teaches the inkjet printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of manifolds (fig. 7, items 40) disposed between the plurality of supply flow paths and the plurality of inkjet heads, wherein the plurality of manifolds are configured to supply the ink to a plurality of nozzles included in the plurality of inkjet heads (see fig. 7).
Conclusion
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853