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 .
2. This office action is responsive to the application Nº 18/719,676 filed on June 13th, 2024 in which claims 1-20 are pending and ready for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. Acknowledgment is made of Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) form PTO-1449. These IDS have been considered.
Drawings
4. The examiner contends that the drawings submitted on 06/13/2024 are acceptable for examination proceedings.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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 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.
6. 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.
7. Claims 1, 3-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Yasuda (US Pub. Nº 2007/0070106).
8. Regarding independent claim 1: Yasuda disclosed a printhead assembly (Fig. 2) for an inkjet printer ([0039], line 1), the printhead assembly comprising:
a printhead ([0024], line 1; also see Fig. 8, reference 10) comprising a plurality of nozzles ([0076], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, references 142);
a nozzle plate attached to the printhead (Fig. 8, the supporting plate attached to printhead 10 and comprising portions 12, 13, 16 and 17 for positioning the printhead); and
a base plate attached to the nozzle plate ([0058], line 1; also see Fig. 8, reference 20) by at least three fasteners that provide independent positioning of the nozzle plate with respect to the base plate in three independent dimensions ([0159], lines 1-3, [0162], lines 1-3 and [0165], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 8, references 41, 51 and (23,24) or alignment in the directions (-θ - +θ), (-Y - +Y) and vertical (-Z - +Z) respectively).
9. Regarding claim 3: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the fasteners is a conical screw (Figs. 9 and 10; references 41 and 51 are conical screws).
10. Regarding claim 4: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 3, wherein at least one conical screw is positioned to provide rotational adjustment of the nozzle plate with respect to the base plate ([0159], lines 1-3; also see Fig. 8, reference 41).
11. Regarding claim 5: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 4, wherein the at least one conical screw includes a first conical screw positioned to provide rotation of the nozzle plate with respect to the base plate ([0159], lines 1-3; also see Fig. 8, reference 41) and a second screw to provide linear movement of the nozzle plate with respect to the base plate ([0162], lines 1-3; also see Fig. 8, reference 51).
12. Regarding claim 6: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 5, wherein the nozzle plate has a long dimension (Fig. 8, the dimension along the Y direction), a short dimension (Fig. 8, the dimension along the X direction), a first end, and a second end opposite from the first end along the long dimension (Fig. 8, the two ends in the Y direction); and wherein the first conical screw is located at the first end (Fig. 8, reference 51) and the second conical screw is located at the second end along a side of the nozzle plate (Fig. 8, reference 41).
13. Regarding claim 8: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the printhead is a first printhead (Fig. 7a, any of a first printhead 10 attached to the base plate 20), the nozzle plate is a first nozzle plate (see the rejection of claim 1), and further comprising a second printhead attached to a second nozzle plate (Fig. 7a any of a second printhead 10 attached to the base plate 20), wherein the second nozzle plate is attached to the base plate by at least three fasteners that provide independent positioning of the nozzle plate with respect to the base plate in two independent dimensions (see the rejection of claim 1. Also Fig. 8 references 41 and 51 adjust the position of the second head in the M and θ directions) and fix a position of the second nozzle plate with respect to the base plate in one dimension independent of the two independent dimensions (Figs. 8 and 11 references 23 and 24 position the nozzle plate in a fixed position (vertical) with respect to the base plate 20).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
14. 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 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.
15. 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 of this title, 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.
16. Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuda (US Pub. Nº 2007/0070106), in view of Yasuda (JP 2008-062583) hereinafter Yasuda II.
17. Regarding claim 2: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 1.
Yasuda is silent about wherein at least one of the fasteners includes a shim.
Yasuda II disclosed a fastener (Fig. 5, references 32 and 38) for positioning a printhead ([0028], line 1; also see Fig. 5, reference 11) on a base plate ([0036], line 6; also see Fig. 5, reference 12), wherein at least one of the fasteners includes a shim (Fig. 5, references 34 and 37 are washers).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Yasuda with those of Yasuda II by providing a washer/shim in order to maintain a desired gap between the printhead and the base plate as commonly known in the art.
18. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuda (US Pub. Nº 2007/0070106), in view of Nakamori et al. (WO 2013/015093).
19. Regarding claim 7: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 1.
Yasuda is silent about wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the base plate is less than about 20 x 10-6/K.
Nakamori et al. disclosed a support cover (Fig. 1, references 24 and 25) for supporting a printhead assembly (Fig. 1, references 21), wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the base plate is less than about 20 x 10-6/K (Page 11, lines 34-35).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Nakamori et al. with those of Yasuda by selecting a base plate having an appropriate thermal expansion coefficient in order to prevent misalignment of the printhead due to thermal expansion as currently known in the art.
20. Claims 9, 11-12, 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasuda (US Pub. Nº 2007/0070106), in view of Ferrari (US Pub. Nº 2017/0087904).
21. Regarding claim 9: Yasuda disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 1.
Yasuda is silent about further comprising a tile structure attached to the base plate at a first end of the tile structure and a fluid manifold attached to a second end of the tile structure opposite from the first end, the fluid manifold comprising at least two fluid connections and at least two manifold alignment features.
Ferrari disclosed a printhead assembly (see Fig. 1) comprising a printhead ([0107], line 1; also see Fig. 4, reference 21), a nozzle plate ([0107], line 1; also see Fig. 4, reference 22), a base plate ([0107], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 4, reference 15) and fasteners for positioning the nozzle plate with respect to the base plate in three dimensions ([0069], lines 1-5 and [0106], lines 1-3; also see Fig. 6, references 41, 45a, 45b and 51), and further comprising a tile structure (Fig. 1 shows support boards 28 disposed in a tile structure) attached to the base plate at a first end of the tile structure (Fig. 1 shows the lower ends of support board 28 attached to the base plate 15) and a fluid manifold attached to a second end of the tile structure opposite from the first end ([0133], line 2; also see Fig. 1 references 18), the fluid manifold comprising at least two fluid connections ([0131], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 2, references 36) and at least two manifold alignment features (Fig. 1, attachment screws of the manifold 18 to the support structure 13 (not shown)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Ferrari with those of Yasuda by providing a tile structure for supporting manifolds for supplying printing liquid to the respective printheads in order to increase the autonomy of the printhead assembly as shown by Ferrari in Fig. 1.
22. Regarding claim 11: The combination of Yasuda and Ferrari disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 9, wherein the fluid manifold has a wall that surrounds the fluid connections (Ferrari, Fig. 2, the outer casing of the manifold 18).
23. Regarding claim 12: The combination of Yasuda and Ferrari disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 9, wherein the fluid manifold has a recess to receive a manifold fastener (Ferrari, Fig. 2, the holes in the manifold 18 for receiving attachment screws (not shown)).
24. Regarding claim 15: The combination of Yasuda and Ferrari disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 9, wherein the tile structure has a first member attached to the base plate (Ferrari, Fig. 2, reference 28) and a second member attached to the fluid manifold (Ferrari, Fig. 2, reference 36), and wherein the first member is attached to the second member by a flexible connection (Ferrari, [0133], lines 1-3).
25. Regarding claim 16: The combination of Yasuda and Ferrari disclosed the printhead assembly of claim 9, wherein the tile structure has an orientation feature (Ferrari, Fig. 1, the horizontal plates sticking out of the support structure 13 as an orientation feature in the attachment of the assembly 10 to the base plate 15).
Allowable Subject Matter
26. Claims 10 and 13-14 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.
27. Claims 17-20 are allowed.
Conclusion
28. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YAOVI M. AMEH whose telephone number is (571)272-4578. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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30. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, STEPHEN MEIER can be reached at (571)272-2149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YAOVI M AMEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853