DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of the species according to Figure 4 in the reply filed on 7/1/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3 and 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claim recites wherein two sliders “contact a guide along different directions.” However, contact does not itself have a direction. That is, while one structure can urge or push another along a direction, it would not seem structure can contact another along a direction. Clarification is required.
Because claims 5-7, 9 and 10 depend from claim 3, they are also rejected on this basis.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claim recites wherein two different sliders are guided in different directions, but from what Examiner can tell from the figures all sliders are guided by the guide only in the main scan direction. Clarification is required.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claim recites “the partition extends longer than a length of where the timing belt is disposed along the main scan direction,” but a place where something is disposed does not have a length.
Clarification is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of pre-AIA 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 –
(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application for patent in the United States.
Claim(s) 2-11, 13-15 and 18-21 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being anticipated by Ishikawa et al. (7,275,882).
Regarding claims 2 and 21, Ishikawa teaches an image forming apparatus, comprising:
a carriage (fig. 13, item 5) that is movable in a main scan direction (fig. 13, into page), wherein the carriage includes a first part (fig. 13, part of carriage mounting head 4) and a second part (fig. 13, part of carriage mounting sensor 85), the first part to mount a recording head, the second part to mount a substrate provided with an encoder sensor (see fig. 13), and the second part extends from the first part (see fig. 13);
a guide (fig. 13, item 23) to slidably guide the carriage along the main scan direction (see fig. 13), wherein the guide includes a plurality of portions which slidably contact the carriage (fig. 6, note any number of portions of guide 23 in Y direction), and one portion (fig. 13, vertical portion of guide 23) of the plurality of portions of the guide extends in the main scan direction and is disposed between the recording head and the encoder sensor in a sub scan direction (see figs. 6, 13, note vertical portion of guide 23):
an encoder scale (fig. 13, item 47) disposed on one side of the one portion, wherein the encoder sensor to read the encoder scale (see fig. 13);
a partition (figs. 1, 13, top portion of printer housing 2 partitioning inside and outside of the printer housing extending in the main scan direction and between the recording head and the encoder sensor in the sub scan direction) that extends in the main scan direction (fig. 13, note that all three-dimensional objects extend in all directions) and the partition is disposed between the recording head and the encoder sensor in the sub scan direction (see fig. 13); and
a first slider (fig. 13, item 60) attached to the carriage, the first slider slidably contacting the one portion (see figs. 10, 13), wherein
the first part is arranged on another side of the one portion in the sub scan direction (see fig. 13), and
the second part is arranged on the one side of the one portion in the sub scan direction (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 3, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a second slider (fig. 13, item 55b) attached to the carriage, the second slider slidably contacting another portion of the plurality of portions of the guide (see fig. 13), wherein the first slider and the second slider contact to the guide in different direction (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 4, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second slider (fig. 13, item 52) attached to the first part, the second slider slidably guided while the carriage moves (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 5, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a third slider (fig. 13, item 55a) attached to the first part, the third slider slidably guided while the carriage moves (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 6, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first slider contacts the guide along a first direction, and the second slider contacts the guide along a second direction different from the first direction (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 7, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first slider contacts the guide along a first direction, and the second slider contacts the guide along a second direction different from the first direction (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 8, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first slider is guided along a first direction, and the second slider is guided along a second direction different from the first direction (see fig. 13)
Regarding claim 9, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first slider is guided along a first direction, and the third slider is guided along a second direction different from the first direction (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 10, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the third slider is guided along a direction different from the first direction (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 11, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the carriage is movable relative to the partition along the main scan direction, and the one portion and the encoder scale extend in the main scan direction (see figs. 1, 13, Note that, as defined in claim 1, the limitation is met).
Regarding claim 13, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a timing belt (fig. 13, item 24) extending in the main scan direction, the timing belt to move the carriage, wherein the partition extends longer than a length of where the timing belt is disposed along the main scan direction (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 14, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide and the partition shield a mist from the recording head (see figs. 1, 13, Note that the partition member can be said to shield mist from outside of the printer from the head, and the guide can be said to shield mist from above the guide from the head).
Regarding claim 15, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a timing belt (fig. 13, item 24) extending in the main scan direction, the timing belt to move the carriage (see fig. 13); and a maintenance recovery mechanism (fig. 5, item 50) including a cap, to cap the recording head, and a wiper to wipe the recording head, wherein the maintenance recovery is disposed at one side of the timing belt in the main scan direction (fig. 5, item 50).
Regarding claim 18, Ishikawa image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first slider is attached to the second part (see fig. 13).
Regarding claim 19, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the partition is different material than material of the guide (figs. 1, 13, Note that the printer housing and the guide rail are different materials).
Regarding claim 20, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the partition is separated from the guide (Note that, as defined in claim 1, the limitation is met).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim 12 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Ishikawa in view of Huang (2010/0309263).
Regarding claim 12, Ishikawa teaches the image forming apparatus according to claim 11. Ishikawa does not teach wherein the partition has a first surface which faces toward an encoder sensor side in the sub scan direction, and the partition has a second surface which faces toward a recording head side in the sub scan direction. Huang teaches wherein a partition member is a portion of a guide with first and second surfaces facing first and second parts of a carriage in the sub scan direction (Huang, see fig. 5, Note partition 25). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a guide with two vertically aligned guide surfaces (25, 27) of the type disclosed by Huang instead of the guide with two horizontally aligned guide surfaces (22, 23) of Ishikawa because doing so would amount to the simple substitution of one known guide construction for another to obtain predictable results.
Upon combination of the references, partition 25 disclosed by Huang would be located between the encoder sensor and the recording head in the sub scan direction and would have two surfaces facing both components in the sub scan direction.
Conclusion
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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