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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: Lines 8-9 disclose “the ink circuit unit” which appears to be a typographical error and the Examiner has read the term as “the ink circulation unit”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: Line 2 discloses “a flow mater” which appears to be a typographical error and the Examiner has read the term as “a flow meter” which is also referenced throughout the specification filed 5/29/2024. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 9, 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishikawa et al (U.S. Pub. 2015/0070415)
Regarding claim 1, an apparatus for supplying ink, comprising: an ink storage unit (13) configured to store ink at least temporarily
A first passage tube (14) configured to supply the ink stored in the ink storage unit to an ink jet head unit (12)
A second passage tube (16; tube portion before the circulation pump 17) configured to collect the ink from the ink jet head unit
An ink circulation unit (17) configured to move the ink introduced through the second passage tube in one direction
A third passage tube (16; tube portion after the circulation pump 17) configured to supply the ink discharged from the ink circuit unit to the ink storage unit (Figure 1; Paragraphs 0017-0018)
Regarding claim 9, a negative pressure setting part connected to the ink storage unit to set the internal space of the ink storage unit to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure (Figures 1, 5; Abstract; Paragraphs 0036-0041)
Regarding claim 12, wherein the ink comprises solid contents (Paragraph 0076)
Regarding claim 13, an ink jet head unit provided with a plurality of nozzle parts configured to discharge ink onto a substrate; and the apparatus for supplying the ink which is configured to supply the ink to the ink jet head unit (Figure 1; Paragraphs 0017-0018)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 2-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishikawa et al (U.S. Pub. 2015/0070415) in view of Okamura et al (U.S. Pat. 5,205,216)
Regarding claim 2, Okamura discloses a cylinder part configured to provided a hollow internal space extending in the one direction; a screw part (5b) extending in the one direction and inserted into the internal space so as to be rotatably provided; and a motor part (5a) configured to selectively rotate the screw part (Figure 3; Column 3, Lines 10-38)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Okamura into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of efficiently enabling the transfer of ink
Regarding claim 3, wherein the internal space has s cylindrical shape with the same inner diameter in the one direction; and the screw part has the same outer diameter in the one direction (Figure 3; Column 3, Lines 10-38)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Okamura into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of efficiently enabling the transfer of ink
Regarding claim 4, Ishikawa in view of Okamura discloses the claimed invention except for wherein the outer diameter of the screw part is less than the inner diameter of the internal space and is about 80% or more of the inner diameter of the internal space. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to use an outer diameter of the screw part is less than the inner diameter of the internal space and is about 80% or more of the inner diameter of the internal space, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of using an outer diameter of the screw part is less than the inner diameter of the internal space and is about 80% or more of the inner diameter of the internal space, for the purpose of efficiently enabling the transfer of ink
Regarding claim 5, wherein the screw part (5b) comprises: a shaft part extending in the one direction; and a blade part provided in a spiral shape along an outer wall of the shaft part, wherein each of an outer diameter and a pitch of the blade part is the same in the one direction (Figure 3; Column 3, Lines 10-38)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Okamura into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of efficiently enabling the transfer of ink
Regarding claim 6, Ishikawa discloses A third passage tube (16; tube portion after the circulation pump 17) configured to supply the ink discharged from the ink circulation unit to the ink storage unit (Figure 1; Paragraphs 0017-0018)
Okamura discloses wherein a spaced space is defined between one end of the screw part and an inner end of the internal space; and the third passage tube is connected to the spaced space (Figure 3; Column 3, Lines 10-38)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Okamura into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of efficiently enabling the transfer of ink
Regarding claim 7, Ishikawa discloses a flow meter (flow rate will be controlled based on the monitored flow rate) configured to measure a flow rate of the ink flowing inside the third passage tube; and a controller configured to control at least one of a rotation speed, a rotation rate, or rotation force of the motor part in accordance with a flow rate of the ink, which is measured in the flow meter (Figures 1, 5; Paragraphs 0038-0041)
Claim(s) 8, 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishikawa et al (U.S. Pub. 2015/0070415) in view of Delueg (U.S. Pub. 2010/0110155)
Regarding claim 8, Delueg discloses a capacity detection part (37) configured to detect a capacity of the ink stored in the ink storage unit; and an ink supplement part (12) connected to the ink storage unit to supplement insufficient ink when a capacity of the ink detected by the capacity detection part is less than a reference capacity (Figure 1; Abstract; Paragraphs 0063-0065)
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Delueg into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of maintaining a constant ink level
Regarding claim 14, Delueg discloses wherein the ink jet head unit is provided in plurality (Abstract)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Delueg into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of setting the range to any width across the printing medium (Paragraph 0017)
Regarding claim 15, Delueg discloses the first passage tube (19) to the second passage tube (21) are provided in a plurality to correspond to the plurality of ink jet heads; wherein each of the first passage tubes is connected to one side of the corresponding ink jet head unit; and each of the second passage tubes is connected to the other side of the corresponding ink jet head units (Figures 1-2; Abstract; Paragraphs 0063-0065)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Delueg into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of setting the range to any width across the printing medium (Paragraph 0017)
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishikawa et al (U.S. Pub. 2015/0070415) in view of Wang et al (U.S. Pub. 2004/0056918)
Regarding claim 10, Wang discloses a buffer unit (5) that is in communication with supplying passage tube and is disposed between the ink storage unit and the ink jet head (2) to provide a buffer space having a transverse section greater than the at of the supply passage tube (Figure 1; Paragraphs 0027, 0046, 0086)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Wang into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of holding ink that is supplied from the ink supply source through a supply path to the ink jet head (Paragraphs 0026-0027)
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishikawa et al (U.S. Pub. 2015/0070415) in view of Mizuno (U.S. Pub. 2020/0079100)
Regarding claim 11, Mizuno discloses supply tubes providing in plurality (plurality of supply tanks which will each have supply tubes to the ink jet head; Figure 1; Paragraphs 0019-0020); and a return tubing which has an inner diameter greater than that of the supply tubing (the supply channel has a greater resistance than the return channel; Figure 6; Paragraph 0153)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Mizuno into the device of Ishikawa, for the purpose of uniformizing the ink flow quantity between the head units (Paragraph 0153)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON S UHLENHAKE whose telephone number is (571)272-5916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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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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/JASON S UHLENHAKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 January 16, 2026