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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement(s) submitted by applicant on 11/17/2025, 07/24/2025, and 11/26/2024 has/have been considered. The submission(s) is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR § 1.97.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 4 is/are objected to because there appears to be a typo. The word “heastsink” should likely be “heatsink”. Correction is required. Examination has proceeded as if the word is “heatsink”.
Dependent claims 5 and 6 are objected to for the reasons presented above with respect to objected claim(s) 4 and in view of their dependence thereon.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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 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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
1. Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over the Service Instructions Manual (hereinafter “SIM”) and the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024.
With respect to claim 1, SIM discloses a printer (printer), comprising: a media path along which a media is movable (label and receipt rolls SIM page 21); a printhead assembly positioned along the media path at a first side of the media path (print head assembly SIM page 27), wherein the printhead assembly includes a carrier component and a printhead unit (FIG. SIM page 27), wherein the printhead unit is slidably engageable with the carrier component to facilitate install and removal of the printhead unit in the printer (FIG. SIM page 27); wherein the printhead unit comprises a removal side that includes a gripping region (clip area of printhead unit SIM FIG. page 27 and/or the rectangular recess on the right side of the image that maybe grabbed.), wherein the gripping region is defined by an upwardly extending recess on a bottom side of the printhead unit (clip area of printhead unit SIM FIG. page 27 and/or the rectangular recess on the right side of the image that maybe grabbed.), wherein the upwardly extending recess is bounded on the removal side by a wall (clip area of printhead unit SIM FIG. page 27 and the rectangular recess on the right side of the image that maybe grabbed.)
However, SIM fails to specifically identify:
a pull wall.
SIM and the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024 discloses:
a pull wall (clip area of printhead unit FIG. page 27, the directions on page 27 specifically say to pull out the printer head. Additionally, the top wall of the rectangular recess may also be pulled. Furthermore, the right wall of the rectangular recess may be pulled. Therefore, it would have been obvious to pull on the clip wall and/or the rectangular recess wall to help remove the printhead. Additionally, adding handles to pull removable pieces and/or printheads was common practice at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention in order to help facilitate safe removal of the piece and/or printhead. For some examples of removeable pieces with handles see patent number 8517618 22 FIG. 4, Publication number 20180162127 34 FIG. 7, and 20110026058 136 FIG. 11).
Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the recess walls and/or the clip to pullout the printhead as disclosed by the SIM and the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024. The motivation for doing so would have been to remove the printhead. (SIM page 27).
With respect to claim 2, SIM in view of the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024 discloses wherein the upwardly extending recess is formed in a cover of the printhead unit (clip area of printhead unit FIG. page 27 and/or the rectangular recess on the right side of the image that maybe grabbed), wherein the pull wall is a wall of the cover (clip area of printhead unit FIG. page 27 and/or the rectangular recess on the right side of the image that maybe grabbed), wherein the pull wall is offset inwardly of an outwardly facing edge of the cover to define a side recess at the outwardly facing edge (Admitted Prior art IDS dated 11/26/2024 and clip area of printhead unit FIG. page 27, the directions on page 27 specifically say to pull out the printer head. Additionally, the top wall of the rectangular recess may also be pulled. Furthermore, the right wall of the rectangular recess may be pulled.).
With respect to claim 3, SIM in view of the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024 discloses wherein the upwardly extending recess is defined as a pocket that is sized to enable insertion of at least a portion of a finger during user removal of the printhead unit (Admitted Prior art IDS dated 11/26/2024 recess area and/or clip area of printhead unit SIM FIG. page 27).
With respect to claim 4, SIM in view of the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024discloses a printhead unit slidably insertable into a printhead assembly of a printer (printhead unit and assembly FIG. page 27), the printhead unit comprising: a printhead component (printhead unit FIG. page 27); a heastsink for transferring heat from the printhead component (heatsink FIG. page 27 and admitted prior art in IDS dated 11/26/2024); a printed circuit board carrying electronics for driving the printhead component (printhead unit FIG. page 27, printer board Page 34 and admitted prior art in IDS dated 11/26/2024); a cover member holding the printed circuit board, wherein the cover member includes a top side, a bottom side and first and second lateral sides, wherein the printed circuit board is held at the top side (printhead unit FIG. page 27, printer board Page 34 and admitted prior art in IDS dated 11/26/2024), wherein the cover member includes a gripping region along the first lateral side, wherein the gripping region is defined by an upwardly extending recess of the bottom side of the cover member, wherein the upwardly extending recess is bounded on the first lateral side by a pull wall (clip area of printhead unit and admitted prior art in IDS dated 11/26/2024, FIG. page 27, the directions on page 27 specifically say to pull out the printer head. Additionally, the top wall of the rectangular recess may also be pulled. Furthermore, the right wall of the rectangular recess may be pulled. Therefore, it would have been obvious to pull on the clip wall and/or the rectangular recess wall to help remove the printhead. Additionally, adding handles to pull removable pieces and/or printheads was common practice at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention in order to help facilitate safe removal of the piece and/or printhead.).
However, SIM fails to specifically identify:
a pull wall.
SIM and the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024 discloses:
a pull wall (clip area of printhead unit FIG. page 27, the directions on page 27 specifically say to pull out the printer head. Additionally, the top wall of the rectangular recess may also be pulled. Furthermore, the right wall of the rectangular recess may be pulled. Therefore, it would have been obvious to pull on the clip wall and/or the rectangular recess wall to help remove the printhead. Additionally, adding handles to pull removable pieces and/or printheads was common practice at the time of the invention and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention in order to help facilitate safe removal of the piece and/or printhead. For an example of removeable see patent number 8517618 22 FIG. 4, Publication number 20180162127 34 FIG. 7, and 20110026058 136 FIG. 11).
Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the recess walls or the clip to pullout the printhead as disclosed by the SIM and the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024. The motivation for doing so would have been to remove the printhead. (SIM page 27).
With respect to claim 5, SIM in view of the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024 discloses wherein the pull wall is a wall of the cover member, wherein the pull wall is offset inwardly of an outwardly facing edge at the first lateral side of the cover member to define a side recess at the outwardly facing edge (clip area of printhead unit and admitted prior art in IDS dated 11/26/2024, FIG. page 27, the directions on page 27 specifically say to pull out the printer head. Additionally, the top wall of the rectangular recess may also be pulled. Furthermore, the right wall of the rectangular recess may be pulled.).
With respect to claim 6, SIM in view of the Admitted Prior Art disclosed in the IDS dated 11/26/2024 discloses wherein the upwardly extending recess is defined as a pocket that is sized to enable insertion of at least a portion of a finger (clip area of printhead unit FIG. page 27 and admitted prior art in IDS dated 11/26/2024).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record, whether or not relied upon, is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20180162127 to Rosati et al. discloses handle 34 FIG. 7.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20110026058 to Rosati et al. discloses grip 136 FIG. 11.
U.S. Patent No. 8517618 to Cartwright et al. discloses handle 22 FIG. 4.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bradley W Thies whose telephone number is (571)270-5667. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:30 am -6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo Magallanes can be reached at (571) 272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRADLEY W THIES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
Prosecution Insights