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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed on 7/9/24 and 12/3/25, the requirements 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d) are met.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited on a Form PTO 1449 have been considered.
Specification
The specification has been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. However, the applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1-4 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (U.S. 2017/0210126 A1) in view of Kumagai et al. (U.S. 2011/0050793 A1).
Kato discloses the following claimed limitations:
Regarding independent Claim 1, a liquid discharge apparatus (1, §0026 and Fig. 1) comprising:
a liquid discharge head (100, 200, §0028 and Figs. 1-3) including a nozzle capable of discharging a liquid (113, §§0032-0035 and Figs. 3-5);
a circulation mechanism (711, 712, 731, 732, 901, 902, 685, 686, §0049 and Fig. 4) configured to circulate the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head;
a temperature sensor (23, §§0073 and Fig. 6) configured to detect a temperature for the liquid circulated by the circulation mechanism; and
a cap (67, §0042 and Figs. 2-3) capable of capping the nozzle that discharges the liquid in the liquid discharge head,
wherein the circulation mechanism circulates the liquid based on a detection result of the temperature sensor in a state in which the nozzle is capped by the cap (§§0063, 0073, 0079-0082).
Regarding Claim 3, wherein the circulation mechanism circulates the liquid if an elapsed time from preceding circulation of the liquid satisfies a reference (Abstract).
Regarding Claim 4, wherein the cap caps the nozzle based on whether an elapsed time satisfies a reference (§0007).
Regarding Claim 9, wherein when starting printing of an image, if a predetermined time elapses as an elapsed time from preceding circulation of the liquid, the circulation mechanism circulates the liquid in a state in which the nozzle is capped by the cap, and when starting printing of an image, if the predetermined time does not elapse as the elapsed time from preceding circulation of the liquid, the circulation mechanism circulates the liquid in a state in which capping of the nozzle by the cap is canceled (§0007).
Kato does not disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding independent Claim 1, a heating element configured to perform temperature adjustment for the liquid circulated by the circulation mechanism.
Regarding Claim 2, wherein the circulation mechanism circulates the liquid after the liquid is heated by the heating element and reaches a target temperature.
Regarding Claim 8, wherein a target temperature of the liquid heated by the heating element is adjusted based on a temperature of the liquid and/or an ingredient of the liquid.
Kumagai et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding independent Claim 1, a heating element (e.g. 71, 72, §§0083-0087, 0096-0108 and Figs. 1, 5-7) configured to perform temperature adjustment for the liquid circulated by the circulation mechanism. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to apply the heating element of Kumagai et al. to the apparatus of Kato to control ink temperature and stabilize ejection.
Regarding Claim 2, wherein the circulation mechanism circulates the liquid after the liquid is heated by the heating element and reaches a target temperature (§§0083-0095). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to apply the heating element of Kumagai et al. to the apparatus of Kato to control ink temperature and stabilize ejection.
Regarding Claim 8, wherein a target temperature of the liquid heated by the heating element is adjusted based on a temperature of the liquid and/or an ingredient of the liquid (§§0083-0095). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to apply the heating element of Kumagai et al. to the apparatus of Kato to control ink temperature and stabilize ejection.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato (U.S. 2017/0210126 A1) and Kumagai et al. (U.S. 2011/0050793 A1) as applied to Claim 1, and further in view of Ichihara et al. (U.S. 2014/0168295 A1).
Kato and Kumagai et al., in combination, disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding 7, all limitations of Claim 1 (from which this Claim depends).
Kato and Kumagai et al. do not disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding 7, wherein a time of circulation of the liquid by the circulation mechanism is adjusted based on a temperature of the liquid and/or an ingredient of the liquid.
Ichihara et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding 7, wherein a time of circulation of the liquid by the circulation mechanism is adjusted based on a temperature of the liquid and/or an ingredient of the liquid (e.g. §§0071, 0085-0087). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to apply the adjustable circulation timing of Kumagai et al. to the apparatus of Kato to control ink temperature and stabilize ejection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 10-12 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. 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 an apparatus including wherein based on whether the elapsed time satisfies the reference, the heating element heats the liquid before or after the circulation of the liquid by the circulation mechanism. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claim 10 is the inclusion of the limitations of an apparatus including wherein when starting printing of an image, if a predetermined time elapses as an elapsed time from preceding circulation of the liquid, circulation of the liquid by the circulation mechanism is performed after temperature adjustment by the heating element is started, and when starting printing of an image, if the predetermined time does not elapse as the elapsed time from preceding circulation of the liquid, temperature adjustment by the heating element is performed after circulation of the liquid by the circulation mechanism is started. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 11-12 is the inclusion of the limitations of an apparatus including wherein the apparatus includes: a nozzle capable of discharging black ink; and a nozzle capable of discharging white ink, and when starting printing of an image, for the white ink, circulation of the liquid by the circulation mechanism is performed after temperature adjustment by the heating element is started, and for the black ink, temperature adjustment by the heating element is performed after circulation of the liquid by the circulation mechanism is started. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER D SHENDEROV whose telephone number is (571)270-7049. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodrigues can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEXANDER D SHENDEROV/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/JASON S UHLENHAKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853