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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/08/2024, 08/20/2025 are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim does not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because claim 1 recites “a memory connected to the controller”. The specification discloses the use of different kinds of carrier mediums /storage mediums/ including transient carrier mediums such as different signals (at para. 0079).
The examiner suggests claiming the above subject matter in the following manner: “a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connected to the controller” or clarify that the claimed “memory” is non-transitory in a different manner.
Regarding claim 2-8, claims 2-8 are similarly rejected for inheriting the above discussed issues due to their dependencies on independent claim 1.
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.
Claims 9-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohnishi (US 2012/0147109).
Regarding claim 9, Ohnishi teaches a liquid discharge method (figs.1-4), comprising:
drawing an outer edge portion (outline/border portions 32,33 figs.3,4) of an object to be drawn, using one discharge nozzle (nozzle used to draw outlines 32,33 in figs.3,4 for instance small nozzle 50 fig.5B) of a plurality of discharge nozzles (50,52 in fig.5B; nozzles of inkjet heads 14,24 in figs.1,2); and
drawing a portion inside the outer edge portion (solid/image area portion 34 figs.4) of the object, using another discharge nozzle (nozzle used to draw inner portions 34 in figs.4 for instance large nozzle 52 fig.5B) of the plurality of discharge nozzles,
the one discharge nozzle (nozzle used to draw outlines 32,33 in figs.3,4 for instance small nozzle 50 fig.5B) and the another discharge nozzle (nozzle used to draw inner portions 34 in figs.4 for instance large nozzle 52 fig.5B) being different in characteristic (paragraphs 0018,0043,0081,0082,0085).
Regarding claim 10, Ohnishi further teaches wherein: the drawing of the outer edge portion and the drawing of the portion inside the outer edge portion are performed using the discharge nozzles having different nozzle diameters (paragraphs 0018,0043, 0081,0082).
Regarding claim 11, Ohnishi further teaches further comprising: changing drive amounts of movable components of the discharge nozzles between the drawing of the outer edge portion and the drawing of the portion inside the outer edge portion (paragraphs 0059,0075-0078, the drive pulses applied to the actuators such as piezo elements correspond to the discharge nozzles changes when drawing/printing the outer-edge-portion and the portion inside the outer edge portion).
Regarding claim 12, Ohnishi further teaches further comprising: changing voltage waveforms applied to the discharge nozzles between the drawing of the outer edge portion and the drawing of the portion inside the outer edge portion (paragraphs 0075-0078).
Regarding claim 13, Ohnishi further teaches further comprising: changing pressures applied to the discharge nozzles or storage containers that store the liquid between the drawing of the outer edge portion and the drawing of the portion inside the outer edge portion (paragraphs 0059,0075-0078, the amount of pulses applied to discharge nozzles/chambers changes the pressure in the discharge nozzles/chambers).
Regarding claim 14, Ohnishi further teaches wherein: the drawing the portion inside the outer edge portion of the object uses a spray gun nozzle (paragraphs 0001, 0008,0060,0077,0081,0094).
Regarding claim 15, Ohnishi further teaches further comprising: changing, for the drawing the portion inside the outer edge portion, a number of discharge nozzles used for drawing the object, according to a feature of a drawing region in which the object is to be drawn (paragraphs 0018,0043,0069,0076, 0077,0078,0082 of Ohnishi).
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by Ohnishi (US 2012/0147109) or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Ohnishi in view of Kumagai (US 2018/0086098).
Regarding claim 1, Ohnishi teaches a liquid discharge apparatus (figs.1-4), comprising:
discharge nozzles (50,52 in fig.5B; nozzles of inkjet heads 14,24 in figs.1,2) to discharge liquid (paragraphs 0059,0077,0081,0082);
a carriage (13 fig.1) that holds the discharge nozzles;
a conveyor (18 fig.1) configured to convey the carriage; and
a controller and a memory (inkjet printer 10 of fig.1inherently includes a controller and memory elements to control the printer) connected to the controller configured to control drawing of an object to be drawn (drawing/printing on medium 31 figs.3,4; medium 12 fig.1), using the discharge nozzles,
the controller (controller of the inkjet printer 10 of fig.1) being configured to:
draw an outer edge portion (outline/border portions 32,33 figs.3,4) of the object using one discharge nozzle (nozzle used to draw outlines 32,33 in figs.3,4 for instance small nozzle 50 fig.5B) of the discharge nozzles in an outer-edge-portion (outline/border portions 32,33) drawing process (paragraphs 0081,0082); and
draw a portion inside the outer edge portion (solid/image area portion 34 figs.4) of the object using another discharge nozzle (nozzle used to draw inner portions 34 in figs.4 for instance large nozzle 52 fig.5B) of the discharge nozzles in an internal drawing process (solid/image area portion 34), the one discharge nozzle and another discharge nozzle being different in characteristic (paragraphs 0018,0043,0081,0082,0085).
In case applicant argued that Ohnishi does not teach a controller and a memory connected to the controller.
In the alternative, Kumagai teaches similar liquid discharge apparatus (figs.1,2) including a controller (51 fig.1) and a memory (51b) connected to the controller configured to control drawing of an object to be drawn (figs.3-7), using discharge nozzles (nozzles of head 41 in fig.1; nozzles of head 1 in fig.2).
Therefore, in the alternative, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art, as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include such controller and memory elements in the liquid discharge apparatus of Ohnishi based on the teachings of Kumagai to enable processing of print jobs and controlling of the liquid discharge apparatus.
Regarding claim 2, Ohnishi as alternatively modified by Kumagai further teaches wherein: the controller is configured to perform the outer-edge-portion drawing process and the internal drawing process using the discharge nozzles having different nozzle diameters (paragraphs 0018,0043,0081,0082 of Ohnishi).
Regarding claim 3, Ohnishi as alternatively modified by Kumagai further teaches wherein: the controller is configured to change drive amounts of movable components of the discharge nozzles between the outer-edge-portion drawing process and the internal drawing process (paragraphs 0059,0075-0078 of Ohnishi, the drive pulses applied to the actuators such as piezo elements correspond to the discharge nozzles changes when drawing/printing the outer-edge-portion and the portion inside the outer edge portion).
Regarding claim 4, Ohnishi as alternatively modified by Kumagai further teaches wherein: the controller is configured to change voltage waveforms applied to the discharge nozzles between the outer-edge-portion drawing process and the internal drawing process (paragraphs 0075-0078 of Ohnishi).
Regarding claim 5, Ohnishi as alternatively modified by Kumagai further teaches wherein: the controller is configured to change pressures applied to the discharge nozzles or storage containers that store the liquid between the outer-edge-portion drawing process and the internal drawing process (paragraphs 0059,0075-0078 of Ohnishi, the amount of pulses applied to discharge nozzles/chambers changes the pressure in the discharge nozzles/chambers).
Regarding claim 6, Ohnishi as alternatively modified by Kumagai further teaches wherein: the controller is configured to use a spray gun nozzle of the discharge nozzles in the internal drawing process (paragraphs 0001,0008,0060,0077,0081,0094 of Ohnishi).
Regarding claim 7, Ohnishi as alternatively modified by Kumagai further teaches wherein: the controller is configured, in the internal drawing process, to change a number of discharge nozzles used for drawing the object, according to a feature of a drawing region in which the object is to be drawn (paragraphs 0018,0043,0069,0076, 0077,0078,0082 of Ohnishi).
Regarding claim 8, Ohnishi as alternatively modified by Kumagai further teaches wherein: the controller is configured to draw the object in a manner such that a drawing region drawn in a subsequent process overlaps with a drawing region drawn in a preceding process to the subsequent process (figs.4; paragraphs 0016,0041,0084 of Ohnishi).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENOK D LEGESSE whose telephone number is (571)270-1615. The examiner can normally be reached General Schedule 9:00 am- 5:00 pm, IFP.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas 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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/HENOK D LEGESSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853