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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I and IA in the reply filed on 2/17/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 5, 7, and 11-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention and sub-Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 2/17/26.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 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 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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kubota et al. (JP 2016203572 A).
Regarding claim 1, Kubota discloses A printing device comprising:
a head (32, fig. 2b, Abstract) configured to eject ink (see Abstract);
a housing (10, fig. 2b, Abstract) in which the head is disposed (see fig. 2b); and
a chamber (interior of 12, fig. 2a-b, Abstract, highlighted portion on pg. 4) provided outside the housing and configured to accommodate dehumidified air generated by a dehumidifier (see highlighted portion on pg. 4),
wherein the housing has at least one opening communicating with the chamber (see fig. 2b, highlighted portion on pg. 4).
Regarding claim 2, Kubota further discloses The printing device according to claim 1, further comprising: an air blower configured to generate an airflow such that the dehumidified air in the chamber is supplied into the housing through the at least one opening (121, fig. 2b, highlighted portion on pg. 4).
Regarding claim 8, Kubota further discloses The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the head comprises a nozzle surface on which a nozzle configured to eject ink is formed (see Abstract), and wherein the at least one opening comprises a first opening located higher than the nozzle surface (see fig. 2b).
Claim(s) 1 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ahn et al. (KR 102253727 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Ahn discloses A printing device comprising:
a head (330, fig. 15-16, highlighted portion from pg. 12 to 13) configured to eject ink (see highlighted portion on pg. 13);
a housing (310, fig. 15-16, highlighted portion from pg. 12 to 13) in which the head is disposed (see fig. 15-16); and
a chamber (350, fig. 15-16, highlighted portion from pg. 12 to 13) provided outside the housing and configured to accommodate dehumidified air generated by a dehumidifier (see highlighted portion from pg. 12 to 13),
wherein the housing has at least one opening communicating with the chamber (inherent from pg. 12-13).
Regarding claim 8, Ahn further discloses The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the head comprises a nozzle surface on which a nozzle configured to eject ink is formed (see highlighted portion from pg. 12 to 13), and wherein the at least one opening comprises a first opening located higher than the nozzle surface (see fig. 15-16).
Regarding claim 9, Ahn further discloses The printing device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one opening further comprises a second opening located lower than the nozzle surface (see fig. 15-16).
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubota et al. (JP 2016203572 A).
Regarding claim 3, Kubota discloses all the limitations introduced in parent claims 1-2.
Kubota does not appear to disclose The printing device according to claim 2, wherein the air blower is provided in the at least one opening.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to arrange the blower (121, fig. 2b) in the at least one opening because doing so would not affect its performance, and it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Claim(s) 4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubota et al. (JP 2016203572 A) in view of Meisner et al. (US 2022/0396085 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Kubota discloses all the limitations introduced in parent claim 1.
Kubota does not appear to disclose The printing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to perform control to cause the dehumidified air in the chamber to be supplied into the housing through the at least one opening in response to receiving a first signal indicating that humidity inside the housing exceeds a first threshold.
However, Kubota, as modified by Meisner, discloses The printing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a controller (Meisner’s 20, fig. 1, para 15),
wherein the controller is configured to perform control to cause the dehumidified air in the chamber to be supplied into the housing through the at least one opening in response to receiving a first signal indicating that humidity inside the housing exceeds a first threshold (This would be intrinsic to Kubota, as modified by Meisner.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kubota with the teachings of Meisner, for the purpose of more accurately controlling the humidity.
Regarding claim 6, Kubota, as modified by Meisner, further discloses The printing device according to claim 4, further comprising:
an air blower configured to generate an airflow such that the dehumidified air in the chamber is supplied into the housing through the at least one opening (see Kubota’s 121, fig. 2b, highlighted portion on pg. 4),
wherein the controller is configured to drive the air blower in response to receiving the first signal (This would be intrinsic to Kubota, as modified by Meisner.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN SEO whose telephone number is (571)270-1327. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/JUSTIN SEO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
May 2, 2026
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