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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I, claims 1-7, in the reply filed on December 8, 2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Neese (US 2005/0151801).
Claim 1: Neese discloses a system for delivering liquid material to a nozzle array of a printing system (abstract; claim 1). The system includes a cartridge (40) having a cartridge outlet (90) and containing the liquid material (figs. 3-5, 15; ¶¶ 42-44), and a vented sub-tank having a sub-tank inlet (88) configured to receive the cartridge outlet to allow the liquid material to flow through the cartridge outlet by gravity (figs. 3-5, 15; ¶¶ 42-44), two inlet ports within the sub-tank inlet at different heights relative to a liquid level in the sub-tank (ink inlet via needle 50 into shroud 48 and air inlet via needle 46 into shroud 44 terminating at different vertical positions inside the sub-tank; fig. 15), and a sub-tank outlet sealingly connectable to the nozzle array by a pipe and having an outlet port below the inlet ports (ink exit port 58 which connects via tubing to the nozzle array; ¶ 58; fig. 15).
Claims 3-4: Neese discloses that each outlet channel on the cartridge 40 is closed by a self-sealing valve for opening upon engagement between the sub-tank inlet and the cartridge outlet (¶¶ 46, 56; conduit needles 46, 50 serve as valve actuating members by piercing the cartridge’s septum vales and opening fluid flow).
Claim 5: Neese discloses the sub-tank includes a neck below the inlet ports (fig. 15).
Claim 6: Neese discloses that the sub-tank’s outlet connects to the nozzle array through a fluid connection (fig. 24; ¶ 71).
Claim 7: Neese discloses maintaining the printhead and manifold at a higher elevation than the ink level/outlet of the sub-tank to create a negative pressure at the nozzles (¶ 58).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Neese (US 2005/0151801), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Tow (US 2021/0291537).
Claim 2: Neese is silent as to a filter. However, in the same field of endeavor, Tow discloses a system for delivering liquid material to a nozzle array of a printing system (abstract), which includes an integrated filter 112 positioned over the ink outlet port for filtering ink delivered to the printhead (¶ 45). As taught by Tow, including a filter minimizes ingress of air bubbles and particulates (¶ 9). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the application to have included the filter of Tow in the system of Neese to minimize ingress of air bubbles and particulates.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY THROWER whose telephone number is (571)270-5517. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm MT M-F.
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/LARRY W THROWER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754