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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hiramatsu Soichi ( JP 61-019374).
Hiramatsu Soichi disclose the following claimed limitations:
* Re clm 1, a thermal head/ fig 5) (see first embodiment, clm 1, figs 5-12);
* a substrate/ceramic substrate 1/ (see first embodiment, figs 5-12);
* a heat storage layer/heat retaining glaze layer 5//located on the substrate/1/ (see first embodiment, figs 5-12);
* a heat generating part/heating element 2/ located on the heat storage layer/5/ (see first embodiment, figs 5-12);
* wherein a transport direction of a recording medium is defined as a first direction/L direction/, a direction opposite to the first direction is defined as a second direction/printing direction F/ (see figs 9-12);
* in the heat storage layer/5/, a thickness of a portion located under an end portion of the heat generating part/2/ on a side of the second direction/F/ is thicker than a thickness of a portion located under an end portion of the heat generating part/2/on a side of the first direction/L/ (see figs 9-12 and their corresponding embodiments).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (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.
6. 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.
7. Claim(s) 2-4 & 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiramatsu Soichi (61-019374) in view of Hiyoshi et al. (JP 09-109428),
Hiramatsu Soichi does not disclose the following claimed limitations:
* Re clm 2, wherein the heat storage layer comprises a first heat storage layer located between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the substrate and between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the first direction and the substrate and a second heat storage layer having thermal conductivity lower than thermal conductivity of the first heat storage layer and located between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the substrate.
* Re clm 3, wherein the second heat storage layer is located between the substrate and the first heat storage layer.
* Re clm 4, wherein the second heat storage layer/15/ is located between the first heat storage layer and the heat generating part.
* Re clm 7, wherein the heat storage layer comprises a stepped portion between the portion located under the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the portion located under the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the first direction, and in the stepped portion, a thickness of the heat storage layer changes along a curved surface.
Hiyoshi et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
* Re clm 2, wherein the heat storage layer comprises a first heat storage layer/12/ located between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the substrate and between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the first direction and the substrate and a second heat storage layer/15/ having thermal conductivity lower than thermal conductivity of the first heat storage layer and located between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the substrate (paras 0021-0035, figs 1, 6 & 9).
* Re clm 3, wherein the second heat storage layer/15/ is located between the substrate/11/ and the first heat storage layer/14/ (paras 0021-0035, figs 1, 6 & 9).
* Re clm 4, wherein the second heat storage layer/15/ is located between the first heat storage layer/14/ and the heat generating part/20/ (paras 0021-0035, figs 1, 6 & 9).
* Re clm 7, wherein the heat storage layer/15/ comprises a stepped portion between the portion located under the end portion of the heat generating part/20/ on the side of the second direction and the portion located under the end portion of the heat generating part/20/ on the side of the first direction, and in the stepped portion, a thickness of the heat storage layer/15/ changes along a curved surface (paras 0021-0035, figs 1, 6 & 9).
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 heat storage layer comprises a first heat storage layer located between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the substrate and between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the first direction and the substrate and a second heat storage layer having thermal conductivity lower than thermal conductivity of the first heat storage layer and located between the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the substrate.; wherein the second heat storage layer is located between the substrate and the first heat storage layer.; wherein the second heat storage layer/15/ is located between the first heat storage layer and the heat generating part.; and wherein the heat storage layer comprises a stepped portion between the portion located under the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and the portion located under the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the first direction, and in the stepped portion, a thickness of the heat storage layer changes along a curved surface, taught by Hiyoshi et al. into Hiramatsu Soichi for the purposes of improving print quality of images, increasing thermal efficiency and facilitating or providing high speed printing of images.
8. Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiramatsu Soichi (61-019374) in view of Kiguchi (US 2022/0176712).
Hiramatsu Soichi disclose the following claimed limitation:
* Re clm 8, a thermal printer (Detailed description of the invention, Field of Invention (para 0001) Description of Prior Art (para 0002).
Hiramatsu Soichi does not disclose the following claimed limitations:
* Re clms 8-10, a transport mechanism configured to transport the recording medium on the heat generating part and a platen roller configured to press the recording medium on the heat generating part.
Kiguchi disclose the following claimed limitations:
* Re clms 8-10, a thermal printer/Z1/ (Abst., para 0002, figs 3 & 6);
* a transport mechanism/40/ configured to transport the recording medium/P/ on the heat generating part and a platen roller/50/ configured to press the recording medium/P/ on the heat generating part/9/ (paras 0006, 0062-0063, figs 3 & 6).
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 a transport mechanism configured to transport the recording medium on the heat generating part and a platen roller configured to press the recording medium on the heat generating part, taught by Kiguchi into Hiramatsu Soichi for the purpose of providing a thermal printer that is capable of transporting a recording medium while providing high quality printed images.
9. Claim(s) 9 & 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiramatsu Soichi (61-019374) as modified by Hiyoshi et al. (JP 09109428) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kiguchi (US 2022/0176712).
Hiramatsu Soichi as modified by Hiyoshi et al. disclose the following claimed limitation:
* Re clm 8, a thermal printer (Hiramatsu Soichi, Detailed description of the invention, Field of Invention (para 0001) Description of Prior Art (para 0002);
Hiramatsu Soichi as modified by Hiyoshi et al. does not disclose the following:
* Re clms 8-10, a transport mechanism configured to transport the recording medium on the heat generating part and a platen roller configured to press the recording medium on the heat generating part.
Kiguchi disclose the following claimed limitations:
* Re clms 8-10, a thermal printer/Z1/ (Abst., para 0002, figs 3 & 6);
* a transport mechanism/40/ configured to transport the recording medium/P/ on the heat generating part and a platen roller/50/ configured to press the recording medium/P/ on the heat generating part/9/ (paras 0006, 0062-0063, figs 3 & 6).
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 a transport mechanism configured to transport the recording medium on the heat generating part and a platen roller configured to press the recording medium on the heat generating part, taught by Kiguchi into Hiramatsu Soichi as modified by Hiyoshi et al. for the purpose of providing a thermal printer that is capable of transporting a recording medium while providing high quality printed images. .
Allowable Subject Matter
10. Claims 5-6 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.
11. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 5-6 is the inclusion of the limitations of a thermal head that includes wherein the heat storage layer and the heat generating part are located across a plurality of surfaces, and an angle formed by a surface of the substrate facing the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the second direction and a printing surface of the recording medium is smaller than an angle formed by a surface of the substrate facing the end portion of the heat generating part on the side of the first direction and the printing surface of the recording medium. It is these limitations found in the claims, as they are 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
12. 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