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
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, 2, 4-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kitahara et al. (US 6328395).
Kitahara et al. discloses the following claimed limitations:
* Re clms 1, 14 & 18, a drive device/drive signal generator circuit/8/ (Abst., figs 1-4);
* a drive circuit/8/ configured to output a drive signal waveform to be applied to an actuator/piezoelectric component 17/ of a liquid ejection head/print head 10/ (col 5, lines 17-44, figs 1-4);
* wherein the drive signal waveform (see fig 4) includes an adjustment ejection waveform/during the printing period/ portion that includes (col 5, lines 17-44, col 6, line 66-col 7, line 21, fig 4);
* a first portion/P11-P15/ having an expansion pulse that decreases pressure in a pressure chamber/27/ of the actuator/piezoelectric component 17/ (col 6, line 49-col 7, line 34, col 8, line 53-col 9, line 5, figs 1-4);
* a second portion/P16-P34/ having a contraction pulse that increases pressure in the pressure chamber/27/, the contraction pulse including a plurality of voltage increase changes/VPM to VL/ that change the voltage applied to the actuator/piezoelectric component 17/ stepwise (see fig 4) and a return pulse/P24, P31. P32/ that is between a pair of voltage increase changes in the plurality of voltage increase changes, the return pulse/P24, P31. P32/ changing from a first voltage level/P23/ that is less than a maximum voltage level of the contraction pulse to a second voltage level/P31/ that is greater than a minimum voltage level of the expansion pulse (col 6, line 66-col 9, line 5, figs 1-4).
* Re clm 2, 15, 19 wherein the difference between the first voltage level/Vm/ and the second voltage level/Vp/ is equal to the magnitude/amplitude/ of a voltage increase change in the plurality of voltage increase changes (col 17, lines 36-43, fig 14).
* Re clm 4, wherein the return pulse changes in discrete steps/P21, P23, P33/ from the first voltage level/Vm/ to the second voltage level/VPM/ (col 6, line 66-col 9, line 5, fig 4).
* Re clm 5, wherein the return pulse changes in discrete steps from the second voltage/VPM/ level to first voltage level/Vm/ (col 6, line 66-col 9, line 5, fig 4).
* Re clm 6, wherein magnitudes of each of the discrete steps are equal (col 6, line 66-col 9, line 5, fig 4).
* Re clm 7, wherein the expansion pulse changes voltage in discrete steps from a reference voltage level to the minimum voltage level. (col 6, line 66-col 9, line 5, fig 4).
* Re clm 8, wherein the expansion pulse changes voltage in discrete steps from the minimum voltage level to the reference voltage level. (col 6, line 66-col 9, line 5, fig 4).
* Re clms 9, 16 & 20, wherein the drive signal waveform is a multi-drop waveform having a plurality of drop waveforms in sequence & the adjustment ejection waveform is part of at least one of the drop waveforms of the plurality of drop waveforms (col 12, lns 19-46, fig 4-8).
* Re clm 10, wherein the adjustment ejection waveform is part of the first drop waveform in the sequence of the plurality of drop waveforms. (col 12, lines 19-46, figs 1-10).
* Re clm 11, wherein the second drop waveform in the sequence of the plurality of drop waveforms is a reference ejection waveform including an expansion pulse that decreases pressure in the pressure chamber/27/ and a contraction pulse that increases the pressure in the pressure chamber/27/ in discreate steps (col 6, ln 49-col 9, ln 5, col 12, lns 19-46, figs 1-10).
* Re clms 12 & 17, wherein the drive circuit/8/ is configured to control an ejection volume by adjusting a pulse width/ejects different volumes/ of the return pulse (col 12, lines 19-46, figs 1-10).
* Re clm 13, wherein the second voltage level is a ground potential/minimum potential VL/ can be set at ground level/0V/ (col 7, lines 35-46 66, fig 4).
* Further re clm 14, a liquid ejection head/print head 10/ (col 5, lines 3-23);
* an actuator/piezoelectric component 17/ that expands and contracts a pressure chamber to eject a liquid from a nozzle associated with the pressure chamber (col 5, lines 17-44, figs 1-4).
* Further re clm 18, a printer (col 1, lines 7-10, fig 1);
* an inkjet head/print head 10/ (col 5, lines 3-23);
* a sheet conveying mechanism configured to position a sheet relative to the inkjet head, wherein the inkjet head includes: an actuator/piezoelectric component, 17/ that expands and contracts a pressure chamber to eject a liquid from a nozzle associated with the pressure chamber (col 1, lines 11-27, col 5, lines 3-44).
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitahara et al. (US 6328395).
Kitahara et al. does not discloses the following claimed limitations:
* Re clm 3, wherein the difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level is equal to one-half the magnitude of the expansion pulse.
However, there are a finite number of possibilities for the determining the drive signal waveform having magnitude of an expansion pulse (i.e. having the same, 1/3, 3/4… magnitude of an expansion pulse or determining what one skill in the art would achieve utilizing various magnitudes of a waveform). As stated in the MPEP 2143, choosing from a finite number of identified predictable solutions with a reasonable expectation of success is indicia of obviousness. Here, there are various magnitudes that can be utilized to achieve the various outcomes of a waveform magnitude. The Examiner sees no patentable distinction between any of these various likely options. As stated in the MPEP 2143, a simple substitution of one know element for another to obtain predictable results is indicia of obviousness
The rationale to support a conclusion that the claim would have been obvious is that the substitution of one known element for another yields predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to utilize wherein the difference between the first voltage level and the second voltage level is equal to one-half the magnitude of the expansion pulse for the purpose of improving printed images.
Conclusion
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