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 with traverse of Invention I in the reply filed on 4/13/26 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there would be no undue burden to examine all inventions. This is not found persuasive because each of Inventions I through X has a two-way distinctiveness with the other inventions. Therefore, each of the Inventions requires a different search.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 3-5 and 8-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 4/13/26.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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, 6-7, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Toki et al. (US 2020/0316973 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Toki discloses A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a carriage (13, fig. 2, para 33) on which a discharge head (14, fig. 2, para 33) configured to discharge a liquid is mounted (see fig. 2), the carriage being configured to move in a predetermined direction (inherent); and
an operation unit (161, fig. 2, para 37) configured to be placed near a movement region of the carriage and configured to be operated by a user (see fig. 2, para 37),
wherein when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the carriage moves to a retreat position (“cap position,” step S1201, fig. 12, para 85-99) on the movement region and then moves to a predetermined position (“replacement position,” step S1206, fig. 11,12, para 92) on the movement region (Note that this indented clause is functional language and any prior art capable of performing the functional language would read on this clause.), and
the retreat position is a position on an opposite side of the predetermined position to the operation unit in the predetermined direction (See fig. 11 and para 92. Note that para 92 discloses a range of positions that would be considered a “replacement position,” including positions that would satisfy this limitation.).
Regarding claim 2, Toki further discloses The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is a start condition for processing, the start condition requiring an operation on the operation unit (see fig. 12 and para 85-99).
Regarding claim 6, Toki further discloses The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is a valve configured to switch between supply and interruption of a liquid with respect to the discharge head (see fig. 2, para 37).
Regarding claim 7, Toki further discloses The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the valve is provided on a pipe between the discharge head and a reservoir configured to retain the liquid (see fig. 2, para 37).
Regarding claim 18, please note the rejection as set forth above with respect to claim 1. Claim 18 is rejected for similar reasons as claim 1; detailed discussion is omitted for brevity.
The following reference(s) is/are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and is/are cited for disclosing related limitations to the applicant’s claimed and disclosed invention.
JP 2920634 B2
The ink supply path 2 includes a flexible tube 2a having a flexible structure in an area that must follow the movement of the print head 3, a fixed tube 2c fixed to the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, and a flexible tube 2a and a fixed tube 2c.
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 14, 2026
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