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 Species I in the reply filed on 26 May 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 3 and 4 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 26 May 2026. Please note that since Claim 5 depends on a withdrawn claim (claim 3), it is therefore also withdrawn.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 29 July 2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: in lines 3-4, “a nozzle surface,” should be replaced by -- a nozzle surface; -- (i.e., change the comma to a semicolon at the end of the limitation.) Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Nakamura (US 2022/0063282.)
Regarding claim 1,
Nakamura discloses a control method of a liquid ejection device,
the liquid ejection device [11 in fig. 1] including
a liquid ejection section [15 in figs. 1-5] configured to record by ejecting liquid from a plurality of nozzle groups [L in fig. 2] formed in a nozzle surface [paragraphs 0035-0036],
a pressurizing section [40 (including 48 / 49) in fig. 4] configured to cause the liquid to bulge from the plurality of nozzle groups by pressurizing the liquid in the plurality of nozzle groups [paragraphs 0143-0144; as seen in figs. 11A-11B],
a wiping section [133 / 141 in fig. 12] configured to wipe the nozzle surface [paragraphs 0052-0054 and 0148], and
a detection section [113 in fig. 6] configured to detect a nozzle that is in contact with a liquid droplet adhering to the nozzle surface [paragraphs 0101, 0119, and 0151-0161; also, see paragraph 0206, which mentions an optical sensor],
the control method of the liquid ejection device comprising:
causing the liquid to bulge from the plurality of nozzle groups by pressurization of the pressurizing section [paragraphs 0148 and 0153-0154; as seen in figs. 11A-12 and 15A-15C];
in a state where an operation at the time when pressurization by the pressurizing section is being maintained, performing wiping of the nozzle surface by the wiping section and detection by the detection section [paragraphs 0148-0163];
based on a detection result by the detection section, setting a dummy ejection amount for each of the plurality of nozzles constituting the plurality of nozzle groups [paragraphs 0051, 0149, 0157-0161, and 0208];
releasing the pressurization of the pressurizing section [paragraphs 0145-0147]; and
based on the set dummy ejection amount, performing a dummy ejection, which is an ejection of liquid not related to the recording, from the plurality of nozzles [paragraphs 0151-0161.]
Regarding claim 2,
Nakamura further discloses the control method of the liquid ejection device further comprising:
setting a first ejection amount, which is a dummy ejection amount from the nozzle detected by the detection section, to be larger than a second ejection amount, which is a dummy ejection amount from the other nozzles [paragraphs 0149 and 0157; all of the nozzles shown in figs. 11A-11B and 15A-15C have liquid droplets adhering to their surface and perform the flushing operation, and therefore the ejection amount in the dummy ejection of nozzles not detected to have adhered droplets is zero.]
Regarding claim 6,
Nakamura discloses a liquid ejection device [11 in fig. 1] comprising:
a liquid ejection section [15 in figs. 1-5] configured to record by ejecting liquid from a plurality of nozzle groups [L in fig.2] formed in a nozzle surface [paragraphs 0035-0036],
a pressurizing section [40 (including 48 / 49) in fig. 4] configured to cause the liquid to bulge from the plurality of nozzle groups by pressurizing the liquid in the plurality of nozzle groups [paragraphs 0143-0144; as seen in figs. 11A-11B];
a wiping section [133 / 141 in fig. 12] configured to wipe the nozzle surface [paragraphs 0052-0054 and 0148];
a detection section [113 in fig. 6] configured to detect a nozzle that is in contact with a liquid droplet adhering to the nozzle surface [paragraphs 0101, 0119, and 0151-0161; also, see paragraph 0206, which mentions an optical sensor]; and
a control section [111 in fig. 6], wherein
the control section is configured to
cause the liquid to bulge from the plurality of nozzle groups by pressurization of the pressurizing section [paragraphs 0148 and 0153-0154; as seen in figs. 11A-12 and 15A-15C],
in a state where an operation at the time when pressurization by the pressurizing section is being maintained, perform wiping of the nozzle surface by the wiping section and detection by the detection section [paragraphs 0148-0163],
based on a detection result by the detection section, set a dummy ejection amount for each of the plurality of nozzles constituting the plurality of nozzle groups [paragraphs 0051, 0149, 0157-0161, and 0208],
release the pressurization of the pressurizing section [paragraphs 0145-0147], and
based on the set dummy ejection amounts, execute dummy ejection, which is ejection of liquid not related to the recording, from the plurality of nozzles [paragraphs 0151-0161.]
Regarding claim 7,
Nakamura further discloses wherein
the liquid ejection section includes a plurality of diaphragms [87 in fig. 5] and a plurality of actuators [89 in fig. 5] provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles constituting the plurality of nozzle groups [as seen in fig. 4],
the actuators are individually driven by a drive circuit to partially displace the diaphragms [paragraphs 0090-0091 and 0106],
the displaced diaphragms cause the nozzles corresponding to the driven actuators to eject the liquid [paragraphs 0090-0091 and 0106], and
the detection section detects nozzles that are in contact with liquid droplets adhering to the nozzle surface based on residual vibration of the displaced diaphragms [paragraphs 0101, 0104, and 0118-0119.]
Regarding claim 8,
Nakamura further discloses wherein
the pressurizing section includes
a liquid chamber [86 in figs. 4-5] that is provided at an intermediate position of a supply flow path for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejection section [as seen in fig. 4] and that has a volume that is changeable by displacement of a membrane member [56 in fig. 4; paragraph 0072],
an on-off valve [59 in fig. 4] provided upstream of the liquid chamber in the supply flow path and configured to open and to close the supply flow path [paragraph 0073], and
a drive section configured to displace the membrane member [paragraphs 0081-0083], and
in a state where the supply flow path is closed by the on-off valve, the control section causes the liquid to bulge from the plurality of nozzle groups by displacing the membrane member in a direction in which volume of the liquid chamber is reduced by the drive section [paragraphs 0143-0148 and 0153-0154; seen in figs. 11A-12 and 15A-15C.]
Communication with the USPTO
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JANNELLE M LEBRON whose telephone number is (571)272-2729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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 Rodriguez 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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/JANNELLE M LEBRON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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