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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 8 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.
It is unclear to the Examiner how “the liquid sending unit is the first pump” when independent claim 1 claims the liquid ejection head has both a first pump and a liquid sending unit.
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(s) 1-3, 5, 7, and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kumagai (US 2019/0344580) and further in view of Katada (US 2009/0108879).
With regard to claims 1, Kumagai discloses a liquid ejection head (12) [Para. 0023] comprising:
an ejection unit (23) [nozzles; Para. 0023] capable of ejecting a liquid [Para. 0021];
a first pressure control unit (18) [Para. 0020] capable of regulating pressure in a supply channel (14) [supply flow path; Para. 0020] by supplying the liquid to the ejection unit via the supply channel [Fig. 8];
a second pressure control unit (19) [Fig. 8] capable of regulating pressure in a collection channel (15) [circulation flow path; Para. 0020] by collecting the liquid from the ejection unit via the collection channel [Fig. 8];
a first pump unit (17) [circulation pump; Para. 0020] which is provided between the second pressure control unit and the first pressure control unit [Fig. 8] and which is capable of sending the liquid from the second pressure control unit to the first pressure control unit [Fig. 8]; and
a liquid sending unit (16) [supply pump; Fig. 8] which is provided outside a first channel for a flow from the supply channel to the collection channel via the ejection unit [Fig. 8],
Kumagai does not discloses the liquid sending unit is capable of sending the liquid from the first pressure control unit to the second pressure control unit while bypassing the ejection unit.
However, Katada teaches a liquid sending unit (V4) capable of sending the liquid from a first pressure control unit (P1) to a second pressure control unit (P2) while bypassing an ejection unit (50).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the liquid sending unit of Kumagai to bypass the ejection unit as taught by Katada in order to control pressure of liquid outside of the ejection unit.
With regard to claim 2, Kumagai’s modified ejection head discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and Kumagai also discloses wherein the liquid sending unit is a second pump [Fig. 8] provided in a second channel [Fig. 8] and Katada discloses a second channel (172) connects a first pressure control unit (P1) and a second pressure control unit (P2) and which is provided in parallel with the first pump unit [Fig. 11], the valve being capable of sending the liquid from the first pressure control unit to the second pressure control unit [Fig. 11].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the second channel of Kumagai parallel with the first pump unit in order to increase total flow rate of ink.
With regard to claim 3, Kumagai’s modified liquid ejection head discloses all the limitations of claim 2, and Katada also discloses further comprising a pressure gauge (S2) capable of measuring pressure in the second pressure control unit [Para. 0088].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the ejection head of Kumagai with a pressure gauge in order to eject the liquid more reliably.
With regard to claim 5, Kumagai’s modified liquid ejection head discloses all the limitations of clam 1, Kumagai also discloses wherein the liquid sending unit is a second channel (68) but does not disclose connecting the first pressure control unit and the second pressure control unit and which is provided in parallel with the first pump unit.
However, Katada teaches a liquid sending unit (172) connecting the first pressure control unit (P1) and the second pressure control unit (P1) and which is provided in parallel with the first pump unit [Fig. 11].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the second liquid sending unit of Kumagai in parallel with the first pump unit in order to increase flow rate of liquid.
With regard to claim 7, Kumagai’s modified liquid ejection head discloses all the limitations of claim 5, and Katada also discloses wherein the second channel includes a valve (V4) capable of opening and closing the second channel. [Fig .11]
With regard to claim 9, Kumagai’s modified liquid ejection head discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and Katada also discloses wherein the ejection unit ejects the liquid by driving a heater resistor element [Para. 0079].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the ejection unit of Kumagai with a heater resistor element as taught by Katada in order to ejection ink from head by thermal method.
With regard to claim 10, Kumagai discloses a liquid ejection apparatus (12) [Para. 0023] comprising:
an ejection head (23) [nozzles; Para. 0023] capable of ejecting a liquid [Para. 0021];
a first pressure control unit (18) [Para. 0020] capable of regulating pressure in a supply channel (14) [supply flow path; Para. 0020] by supplying the liquid to the liquid ejection head via the supply channel [Fig. 8];
a second pressure control unit (19) [Fig. 8] capable of regulating pressure in a collection channel (15) [circulation flow path; Para. 0020] by collecting the liquid from the liquid ejection head via the collection channel [Fig. 8];
a first pump unit (17) [circulation pump; Para. 0020] which is provided between the second pressure control unit and the first pressure control unit [Fig. 8] and which is capable of sending the liquid from the second pressure control unit to the first pressure control unit [Fig. 8]; and
a liquid sending unit (16) [supply pump; Fig. 8] which is provided outside a first channel for a flow from the supply channel to the collection channel via the liquid ejection head [Fig. 8].
Kumagai does not discloses the liquid sending unit is capable of sending the liquid from the first pressure control unit to the second pressure control unit while bypassing the liquid ejection head.
However, Katada teaches a liquid sending unit (V4) capable of sending the liquid from a first pressure control unit (P1) to a second pressure control unit (P2) while bypassing a liquid ejection head (50).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the liquid sending unit of Kumagai to bypass the ejection unit as taught by Katada in order to control pressure of liquid outside of the ejection unit.
With regard to claim 11, Kumagai discloses a liquid ejection apparatus [Para. 0023] comprising:
an ejection unit (23) [nozzles; Para. 0023] capable of ejecting a liquid [Para. 0021];
a first pressure control unit (18) [Para. 0020] capable of regulating pressure in a supply channel (14) [supply flow path; Para. 0020] by supplying the liquid to the ejection unit via the supply channel [Fig. 8];
a second pressure control unit (19) [Fig. 8] capable of regulating pressure in a collection channel (15) [circulation flow path; Para. 0020] by collecting the liquid from the ejection unit via the collection channel [Fig. 8];
a first pump unit (17) [circulation pump; Para. 0020] which is provided between the second pressure control unit and the first pressure control unit [Fig. 8] and which is capable of sending the liquid from the second pressure control unit to the first pressure control unit [Fig. 8]; and
a liquid sending unit (16) [supply pump; Fig. 8] which is provided outside a first channel for a flow from the supply channel to the collection channel via the ejection unit [Fig. 8].
Kumagai does not discloses the liquid sending unit is capable of sending the liquid from the first pressure control unit to the second pressure control unit while bypassing the ejection unit.
However, Katada teaches a liquid sending unit (V4) capable of sending the liquid from a first pressure control unit (P1) to a second pressure control unit (P2) while bypassing an ejection unit (50).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the liquid sending unit of Kumagai to bypass the ejection unit as taught by Katada in order to control pressure of liquid outside of the ejection unit.
With regard to claim 12, Kumagai’s modified ejection apparatus discloses all the limitations of claim 11 and Kumagai also discloses wherein the liquid sending unit is a second pump unit [Fig. 8] provided in a second channel [Fig. 8] and Katada discloses a second channel (172) which connects a first pressure control unit (P1) and a second pressure control unit (P2) and which is provided in parallel with the first pump unit [Fig. 11], a valve being capable of sending the liquid from the first pressure control unit to the second pressure control unit [Fig. 11].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the second channel of Kumagai in parallel with the first pump unit and configure the second channel of Kumagai to connect to the first control unit and the second control unit in order to increase flow rate of liquid.
Claim(s) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kumagai (US 2019/0344580) in view of Katada (US 2009/0108879) as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Goto (US 2019/0092034).
With regard to claim 4, Kumagai’s modified liquid ejection head discloses all the limitation sof claim 2 but does not disclose wherein the first pump unit and the second pump unit are piezoelectric diaphragm pumps.
However, Goto teaches a liquid ejection head wherein first pump unit (33) [circulation pump; Para. 0044] and a second pump unit (53) [replenishing pump] are piezoelectric diaphragm pumps [Para. 0044].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the first and second pump of Kumagai with piezoelectric diaphragm pumps in order to control volume changes through vibration by a voltage at a particular frequency.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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.
Claim 6 is objected to because the prior art does not teach or make obvious “wherein the second channel has flow resistance lower than flow resistance of the first channel.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACEY M MCMILLION whose telephone number is (571)270-5193. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6AM-2:30PM EST.
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/TRACEY M MCMILLION/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/RICARDO I MAGALLANES/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853