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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Claim(s) 1, 2, 8 & 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ito (US 2024/0109293).
Ito discloses the following claimed limitations:
*Re clms 1 & 8, a liquid ejection apparatus & a failure diagnostic method for a head unit (Abst., figs 1-13);
* a drive circuit outputting a drive signal corrected/26, 200/ based on a temperature information signal (paras 0090, 0092-0097, 0128-0132, figs 2 & 4, clm 1);
* a first print head/20 ejection modules 22-1-22n/ receiving the drive signal and ejecting a liquid (paras 0073, 0076, 0078, 0084-0090, figs 2 & 4, clm 1);
* a temperature information output circuit/26/ acquiring a first temperature signal indicating a temperature of the first print head/20/ and outputting the temperature information signal based on the first temperature signal/TH1/ (paras 0090-0100, fig 2, clm 1);
* a state determination circuit/control circuit/100/ determining a state of the first print head based on the temperature information signal, wherein the first print head/20/ includes a first piezoelectric element/60(1)/ including a first electrode/360/, a second electrode/380/, and a first piezoelectric material/370/, the first piezoelectric material370/ being positioned between the first electrode/360/ and the second electrode/380/ (see para 0303) in a first stacking direction in which the first electrode/360/, the second electrode/380/, and the first piezoelectric material/370/ are stacked, and receiving the drive signal/200/ and being driven (0010, 0031, 0083-0100, 0186-0190, 0282, figs 2, 9-13);
* a first vibrating plate/350/ located at one side in the first stacking direction with respect to the first piezoelectric element/60(1) and deformed by driving of the first piezoelectric element/60(1) (paras 0010-0012, 0031-0033, 0176, 182-187, 0282, figs 2, 9-13, clm 1);
* and a first pressure chamber substrate/310/ provided with a first pressure chamber/312/ located at one side in the first stacking direction with respect to the first vibrating plate/350/, storing the liquid, and having a volume that changes by deformation of the first vibrating plate (paras 0012, 0033, 0036, 0165, 0172-0176, figs 9-13, clm 1);
* a first nozzle/321/ ejecting the liquid in response to a change of the volume of the first pressure chamber/312/ (paras 0012, 0033, 0036, 0165, 0169, 0172-0176, figs 2, 9-13);
* a first temperature detection unit/24, resistance wiring 401/ located at the other side in the first stacking direction with respect to the first vibrating plate, acquiring first temperature information corresponding to a temperature of the first pressure chamber, and outputting the information as the first temperature signal/TH1/ (paras 0090-0100, 0215-0217, figs 2, 9-13, clms 1 & 8);
* the state determination circuit/control circuit/100/ determines that the liquid stored in the first pressure chamber is short when the temperature of the first pressure chamber corresponding to the first temperature signal exceeds a first predetermined value/ink temperature high/, and determines that the liquid stored in the first pressure chamber is not short when the temperature of the first pressure chamber corresponding to the first temperature signal does not exceed/ink temperature is normal/ the first predetermined value (paras 0245-0258, 0259-0266, figs 2, 9-23).
* Re clms 2 & 9, the head unit including a second print head/20 ejection modules 22-1-22n/ receiving the drive signal and ejecting the liquid, wherein the temperature information output circuit acquires a second temperature signal indicating a temperature of the second print head and outputs the temperature information signal based on the first temperature signal and the second temperature signal (paras 0008, 0010, 0016-0026, 0037-0047, 0073-0078, 0084-0090, 0182, 0274, 0309- 0333, 0363-0386, figs 2, 9-13, clm 1);
* the second print head/20 ejection modules 22-1-22n/ includes a second piezoelectric element including a third electrode, a fourth electrode, and a second piezoelectric material, the second piezoelectric material positioned between the third electrode and the fourth electrode in a second stacking direction in which the third electrode, the fourth electrode, and the second piezoelectric material are stacked, and receiving the drive signal and being driven (paras 0008, 0010, 0016-0026, 0037-0047, 0073-0078, 0084-0090, 0182, 0274, 0309- 0333, 0363-0386, figs 2, 9-13, clm 1);
* a second vibrating plate located at one side in the second stacking direction with respect to the second piezoelectric element and deformed by driving of the second piezoelectric element (paras 0018-0019, 0039-0040, 0283, 0311-0322, 0364-0365, figs 2, 9-13, clm 1);
* a second pressure chamber substrate provided with a second pressure chamber located at one side in the second stacking direction with respect to the second vibrating plate, storing the liquid, and having a volume that changes by deformation of the second vibrating plate (0019-0022, 0040, 312, 0364-0365, figs 2, 9-13, clm 1);
* a second nozzle ejecting the liquid in response to a change of the volume of the second pressure chamber (paras 0012, 0033, 0036, 0165, 0169, 0172-0176, 0365, figs 2, 9-13);
* and a second temperature detection unit located at the other side in the second stacking direction with respect to the second vibrating plate, acquiring second temperature information corresponding to a temperature of the second pressure chamber, and outputting the information as the second temperature signal (0022, 0043, 0165, 0173, 0217, 0283, 0284, 0312-0322, 0365, figs 2, 9-13, clm 1);
* the state determination circuit/control circuit/100/ determines that the liquid stored in the second pressure chamber is short when the temperature of the second pressure chamber corresponding to the second temperature signal exceeds the first predetermined value, and determines that the liquid stored in the second pressure chamber is not short when the temperature of the second pressure chamber corresponding to the second temperature signal does not exceed the first predetermined value (paras 0245-0258, 0259-0266, figs 2, 9-13).
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 3-4 is the inclusion of the limitations of a liquid ejection apparatus that includes wherein, when the state determination circuit determines that the liquid stored in the first pressure chamber is short and determines that the liquid stored in the second pressure chamber is not short, the first print head does not eject the liquid, and the second print head supplements the first print head. It is this limitation found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 5-7 is the inclusion of the limitations of a liquid ejection apparatus that includes wherein, when the temperature of the first pressure chamber corresponding to the first temperature signal is less than a second predetermined value which is lower than the first predetermined value and the temperature of the second pressure chamber corresponding to the second temperature signal is equal to or more than the second predetermined value, the state determination circuit determines that an abnormality occurs in a propagation path through which the drive signal propagates to the first print head. It is this limitation found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for allowance of claim 10 is the inclusion of a method steps of a failure diagnostic that includes determining that an abnormality occurs in a propagation path through which the drive signal propagates to the first print head when a temperature of the first pressure chamber corresponding to the first temperature signal is less than a second predetermined value which is lower than the first predetermined value and a temperature of the second pressure chamber corresponding to the second temperature signal is equal to or more than the second predetermined value. It is this method step found in the claim, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRISTAL FEGGINS whose telephone number is (571)272-2254. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 930-530pm.
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/KRISTAL FEGGINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853