DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claim 4 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/4/2025.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the supply part makes the cleaning liquid on contact with an inner wall” is grammatically incorrect. Appropriate correction is required.
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 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Akuta (2015/0273836) in view of Park et al. (5,933,172).
Regarding claim 1, Akuta teaches an ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
an inkjet head (fig. 2, item 22) provided with a nozzle surface (fig. 2, item 24) on which ink ejection ports (fig. 5, items 23) of a plurality of nozzles are opened downward;
a supply path (fig. 6, path including step portions 32a, 33, 42) through which a cleaning liquid is supplied ([0072]);
a blade (fig. 5, item 34) movable in contact with the nozzle surface (see fig. 5); and
a cleaning liquid supply member (fig. 3, item 42) which supplies the cleaning liquid supplied through the supply path to at least one of the nozzle surface and the blade (see fig. 6).
Akuta does not teach wherein the cleaning liquid supply member has at least one supply hole through which the cleaning liquid is supplied and wherein the supply path has a supply part inserted into the supply hole.
Park teaches a reciprocating carriage that is refillable with liquid at one end of its path by inserting a supply part into a supply hole (Park, see figs. 3, 4, Note supply part inserted into top of container with tapered opening, i.e., cleaning liquid supply member with supply hole).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the refilling arrangement disclosed by Park in the device disclosed by Akuta because doing so would amount to the simple substitution of one known liquid refilling configuration for another to obtain predictable results.
Upon combination of the teachings, the carriage of Akuta would have a reservoir with a supply path and a supply member and containing cleaning fluid.
(Examiner is aware that Park is directed to refilling of ink in an ink container while Akuta is directed to refilling of a cleaning fluid in a cleaning fluid container. Nonetheless, Examiner maintains it would have been obvious to one of skill in the art to apply the configuration of Park to any reciprocating carriage requiring liquid refilling at one end of its path).
Regarding claim 2, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner dimension of the supply hole is increased upward (Park, see fig. 3, Note tapered opening of unlabeled liquid-containing tank).
Regarding claim 3, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply hole has a portion whose inner dimension is smaller than an outer dimension of the supply part except for an upper end of the supply hole (Park, see figs. 3, 4).
Regarding claim 5, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply part makes the cleaning liquid in contact with an inner wall of the supply hole (Park, see figs. 3, 4).
Regarding claim 6, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply part is inserted into the supply hole until its tip end reaches a lower end of the supply hole (Park, see figs. 3, 4).
Regarding claim 7, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a cleaning liquid supply mechanism (Akuta, see fig. 3, note that tube 42 transports liquid via a pump from a tank) which is disposed separated away from the inkjet head and supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid supply member (Akuta, see fig. 3), wherein
the cleaning liquid supply member is supplied with the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply mechanism (see fig. 6), is then separated away from the cleaning liquid supply mechanism (Akuta, fig. 3, Park, figs. 3, 4) and moved to a position where it can be in contact with the nozzle surface while holding the supplied cleaning liquid, and the supply part is inserted into the supply hole at the position (Akuta, see figs. 2-6, Note that, upon combination as detailed in claim 1, the limitation would be met).
Regarding claim 8, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a wipe unit (Akuta, fig. 4, item 36) including the blade and the cleaning liquid supply member (Akuta, see fig. 6), wherein as the wipe unit moves, the blade and the cleaning liquid supply member are moved (Note that, as defined in claim 1, the limitation is met).
Regarding claim 9, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a wipe unit including the blade (Akuta, fig. 4, item 36), the cleaning liquid supply member, and a waste liquid tray Akuta, fig. 3, item 46) disposed below the blade and the cleaning liquid supply member to receive the cleaning liquid falling from the cleaning liquid supply member and the ink wiped by the blade (Akuta, see fig. 3), wherein when the cleaning liquid supply member is moved, the waste liquid tray is kept at a position below the cleaning liquid supply member (Akuta, see fig. 3).
Regarding claim 10, Akuta in view of Park teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply part can be moved to a separated position where a tip end is separated from the supply hole (Akuta, see fig. 3), an insertion position located in the supply hole, and a penetration position protruding from the supply hole (Akuta, see figs. 3, 6).
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
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