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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/09/2024 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hisashi (JP 2010023374 A) in view of Hitoshi et al. (EP 1162072 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hisashi teaches an inkjet recording apparatus (Figure 1 displays an “ink jet printer 1” described in paragraph [0016]) comprising:
a recording head (Figure 1 displays “four inkjet heads 2” described in paragraph [0017]) that includes a plurality of nozzles which discharge an ink (Figure 2 displays the “plurality of minute nozzles 2” that eject ink described in paragraph [0019]);
a conveyance member (Figure 1 displays the “conveyance belt 8” described in paragraph [0018]) that includes an opening through which the ink discharged from the recording head passes (Figure 3 displays the “plurality of through holes 18” that are evenly disposed over the surface of the “conveyance belt 8” described in paragraph [0023].), and conveys a recording medium (Figure 1 displays the “paper P” described in paragraph [0018]);
a control unit (Figure 6 displays the “control unit 60” described in paragraph [0016]) that controls drive of the recording head and the conveyance member to perform flushing which discharges the ink from the nozzles of the recording head to cause the ink to pass through the opening (Paragraph [0040] describes how the “control unit 60” controls the “head drive circuit 71” that makes the “nozzles 2” discharge ink to the “ink tray 32” through the “holes” for flushing.);
an ink collection unit (Figure 1 displays the “suction box 30” described in paragraph [0032].) that is arranged opposite the recording head through the conveyance member (Figure 1 displays how the “suction box 30” is disposed at an overlapping position of the “four inkjet heads 2”, paragraph [0033], and collects the discharged ink from the “holes 18 and 19” of the “conveyor belt 8”, paragraph [0036].) and
includes an ink reception portion which receives the ink that has passed through the opening when the flushing is performed (Figure 5 displays an “ink tray 32” described in paragraphs [0033]-[0035].);
an ink passage (Figure 5 displays the “filter 34” described in paragraph [0035].) which is formed between the conveyance member and the ink reception portion and through which the ink that has passed through the opening passes (Paragraph [0035] describes how the “filer 34” captures the discharged ink from the “inkjet head 2” and disposes it to the “ink tray 32”.); and
a suction unit that is coupled to the ink reception portion (Figure 1 displays the “rotary fan 5 (suction means)” that is connected to the “ink tray 32” described in paragraph [0028].) and
sucks the ink that has passed through the opening together with air in the ink passage (paragraph [0036] describes how the ink is suctioned ),
wherein in the conveyance member, an air circulation hole is formed on an upstream side of the opening in a conveyance direction (Figure 5 displays an “elongated through holes 19” that are disposed on the “conveyance belt 8” facing the same direction as the “holes 18” in the upward direction facing the “four inkjet heads 2” described in paragraph [0022].), and
a distance between the opening and the air circulation hole in the conveyance direction is smaller than a width of the ink passage in the conveyance direction (Figure 5 displays how the distance between the “holes 18 and 19” is less than the width of the “filter 34” in the same direction as the direction the “conveyance belt 8” moves.).
Hisashi fails to teach the timing for flushing is different from timing contributing to image recording.
However, Hitoshi teaches the timing for flushing is different from timing contributing to image recording (Paragraph [0017] describes how the timing of the printing is mased on the timing after the cleaning operation indicating that the timing for cleaning and printing are different.).
Hisashi and Hitoshi are considered analogous to the art because they are in the same field involving an inkjet recording apparatus. Therefore, it would be obvious for someone with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the inkjet recording apparatus taught by Hisashi to also apply the timing for flushing being different from timing contributing to image recording taught by Hitoshi. This would have been done for the purpose of preventing unsatisfactory ejection of ink (Hitoshi, paragraph [0017]).
Regarding claim 2, Hisashi teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, Hisashi further discloses wherein in the conveyance member, one or more opening groups are formed, and each of the opening groups includes a plurality of the openings which are arranged in the conveyance direction of the recording medium and in a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, the opening group includes a most upstream opening that is located on a most upstream side in the conveyance direction (Figure 3 displays the “holes 18” are grouped and how the “elongated through holes 19” are between the group of “holes 18”. Figure 5 displays an “elongated through holes 19” that are disposed on the “conveyance belt 8” facing the same direction as the “holes 18” in the upward direction facing the “four inkjet heads 2” described in paragraph [0022].) and a distance between the most upstream opening and the air circulation hole in the conveyance direction is smaller than the width of the ink passage in the conveyance direction. (Figure 5 displays how the distance between the “holes 18 and 19” is less than the width of the “filter 34” in the same direction as the direction the “conveyance belt 8” moves.)
Regarding claim 3, Hisashi teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, Hisashi further discloses wherein a plurality of the openings are spaced a predetermined distance from each other in a width direction (Figure 5 displays the “holes 18” on the surface of the “conveyance belt 8” that are evenly distributed described in paragraph [0023].), and a same number of the air circulation holes as the openings are spaced the predetermined distance from each other (Figure 3 displays how there is an equal amount of “holes 18” and “holes 19” in each row at similar distances from each other.).
Regarding claim 4, Hisashi teaches the inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, Hisashi further discloses
wherein in the conveyance member, a large number of suction holes are formed, and an air flow for sucking the recording medium to the conveyance member by negative pressure suction flows through the suction holes (Figure 5 displays how the “holes 18” and “elongated thorough holes 19” are distributed throughout the “conveyance belt 8” and suction the discharged ink when the “rotary fan 5” to suck air into the “suction box 30” described in paragraph [0036].), and
the suction holes which are formed immediately on the upstream side of the opening in the conveyance direction also serve as the air circulation holes. (Figure 3 displays the “holes 18” and the “elongated thorough holes 19” evenly distributed all along the surface of the “conveyance belt 8” and paragraph [0006] describes how the holes function as a suction means to help the recording medium suction to the conveyance belt and to suction ink during flushing.)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATASHA DEPHENIA QUINN whose telephone number is (571)272-6375. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6:30 - 4:00 CT.
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/N.D.Q./Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/DOUGLAS X RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853