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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Invention I, IB, and IB1, in the reply filed on 2/3/26, is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 3-5, 8-9, 11-12, 14, and 16-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention and sub-Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 2/3/26.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 15 should read “storage portions arranged in a first direction, each storage portion configured to store…”. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-2, 6-7, 10, 13, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yonekawa et al. (US 20060082622 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yonekawa discloses A liquid storage apparatus comprising:
storage portions (receptacles for ink cartridges 20, fig. 2, para 43) arranged in a first direction (widthwise direction of printer 1, fig. 2), each storage portion configured to store a liquid container (ink bag 62 within cartridge case 63, fig. 14, para 91) for storing a liquid to be supplied to a discharge head (inherent);
status display units (ink remaining amount indicator 21, fig. 4, para 56; or ink remaining amount indicator 26, fig. 5, para 67), each status display unit corresponding to one of the storage portions and configured to display a status of the liquid container stored in the storage portion (see para 56 or 67); and
type display units (ink color indicator 25, fig. 4, para 66; or ink color indicator 27, fig. 5, para 67), each type display unit corresponding to one of the storage portions and configured to display a type of liquid assigned to the storage portion (see para 66 or 67),
wherein each storage portion and the corresponding status display unit are arranged so as to be aligned in a second direction (up/down, fig. 2,4,5) that intersects the first direction (see fig. 2,4,5), and
wherein the storage portion and the corresponding type display unit are arranged so as to be aligned in the second direction (see fig. 2,4,5), and the type display unit is arranged on a side of the status display unit with respect to the storage portion (see fig. 4,5).
Regarding claim 2, Yonekawa further discloses The liquid storage apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an outer wall portion (casing 14, fig. 2, para 43) in which the storage portions are opened (see fig. 2), wherein the status display unit is arranged in the outer wall portion so as to be aligned in the second direction with respect to the opening of the corresponding storage portion (see fig. 2), and wherein the type display unit is arranged in the outer wall portion so as to be aligned in the second direction with respect to the opening of the corresponding storage portion (see fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, Yonekawa further discloses The liquid storage apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: support units (cartridge case 63, fig. 14, para 91), each support unit corresponding to one of the storage portions (see fig. 2), configured to support the liquid container (see fig. 14, para 91), and configured to be displaceable between a storage position in which the liquid container is stored in the storage portion and a removal position in which the liquid container can be removed from the storage portion (inherent in fig. 2); and lock units (53+54+56+57, fig. 12-13, para 87-89), each lock unit corresponding to one of the storage portions (see fig. 12-13, para 87-89) and including an operation portion (54, fig. 12-13, para 87-89) configured to lock and unlock the support unit with respect to the storage position (see fig. 12-13, para 87-89), wherein the operation portion is adjacent to at least one of the status display unit or the type display unit (see fig. 4 or 5, and 12-13).
Regarding claim 7, Yonekawa further discloses The liquid storage apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the operation portion is provided in the support unit (see fig. 12-13, para 87-89).
Regarding claim 10, Yonekawa further discloses The liquid storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein display of the status display unit changes based on a liquid remaining amount of the liquid container stored in a corresponding storage portion (ink remaining amount indicator 21, fig. 4, para 56; or ink remaining amount indicator 26, fig. 5, para 67).
Regarding claim 13, Yonekawa further discloses The liquid storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type display unit displays a color as a type of liquid (ink color indicator 25, fig. 4, para 66; or ink color indicator 27, fig. 5, para 67).
Regarding claim 15, please note the rejection as set forth above with respect to claim 1. Claim 15 is rejected for similar reasons as claim 1; detailed discussion is omitted for brevity.
The following reference(s) is/are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and is/are cited for disclosing related limitations to the applicant’s claimed and disclosed invention.
US 20200290360 A1
A control unit of a liquid consumption apparatus performs determination processing that determines whether or not each of a first housing container and a second housing container is an unsuitable container that does not satisfy a use condition, performs switching decision that decides switching of a supply source that supplies a liquid composition to a liquid consumption unit to the second housing container when the first housing container is determined to be the unsuitable container while the liquid composition is being supplied from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit, and continues supply of the liquid composition from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit regardless of whether or not the second housing container is the unsuitable container until when the switching decision is performed while the liquid composition is being supplied from the first housing container to the liquid consumption unit.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN SEO whose telephone number is (571)270-1327. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo I Magallanes can be reached at 571-272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN SEO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
March 26, 2026
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