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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy of Japan Application No. 2023-124419 was received on 23 August 2024 as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited in the information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 30 July 2024 have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 30 July 2024 are accepted.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 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.
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)(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, 5, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hayashi (US PGPub 2020/0070527 A1).
With regard to Claim 1, Hayashi discloses an ink container (Fig. 4, cartridge 30; ¶0003-0004) insertable into an attachment unit (Figs. 1-2; ¶0042-0044),
the attachment unit including
a contact group (Fig. 2; contacts 132; ¶0077-0079) that has a plurality of contacts aligned in a left-right direction (Fig. 2; contacts 132; ¶0077-0079);
a first wall positioned rightward of the contact group (Figs. 3A-3B; ¶0081-0082, right and left walls 138, 139); and
a second wall positioned leftward of the contact group (Figs. 3A-3B; ¶0081-0082, right and left walls 138, 139), and
the ink container (cartridge 30) comprising:
a main body that includes a chamber configured to store ink (Fig. 5; storage chamber 32; housing 31; ¶0094);
a supply portion (Fig. 5; cylinder 75; ¶0097) that extends forward from the chamber in a front-rear direction (Figs. 4-5; 51-52 direction) and is configured to supply the ink stored in the chamber to an outside of the main body (¶0097);
an electrical interface positioned apart from the supply portion upwardly in an up-down direction orthogonal to the left-right direction and front-rear direction (Figs. 4-5; electrical interface 64; ¶0116-0121);
an upper wall that faces upward in the up-down direction and supports the electrical interface (Figs. 5, 6B; top wall 39; ¶0088); and
a front wall that faces frontward in the front-rear direction and connected to the upper wall (Fig. 5; front wall 40B; ¶0090; front wall could also be 41), wherein the electrical interface includes an electrode group that has a plurality of electrodes aligned in the left-right direction (¶0118-0120; Figs. 4-6; electrodes 65), the electrode group is electrically connected to the contact group in a state where the ink container is inserted in the attachment unit (Figs. 1-2, 3B, 9-10; ¶0147-0150), and
the upper wall (39) has:
an upper surface portion (Fig. 4; 39A) that faces the first wall (138/139) and the second wall (138/139) in the state where the ink container is inserted in the attachment unit (Figs. 3A-B; ¶0149 ; and
a front end portion (See Fig. 4 below; front end as labeled) that defines an upper end of the front wall (front wall 39; it is noted that the front end portion could also be considered to be the other side of the top of the cartridge 31 with the front end being the top of front wall 41) and a front end of the upper surface portion (See Fig. 4 below) and has a length in the left-right direction (55-56) greater than a length of the electrode group (69) in the left-right direction from a left end to a right end (Fig. 4 see below).
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With regard to Claim 5, Hayashi further discloses wherein the chamber (32; Fig. 5) is positioned rearward of a front end of the supply portion (Fig. 5; at least a portion of the chamber 32 is rearward of front end of supply portion 75), and each of the front end portion and the electrical interface is positioned frontward (front wall side being 41A) of the front end of the supply portion (See Fig. 5 below).
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With regard to Claim 6, Hayashi discloses a system (¶0002) comprising: an attachment unit that has an insertion space; and an ink container insertable into the insertion space, wherein the attachment unit includes a contact group that has a plurality of contacts aligned in a left-right direction, a first wall positioned rightward of the contact group, and a second wall positioned leftward of the contact group, the ink container includes: a main body that includes a chamber configured to store ink; a supply portion that extends forward from the chamber in a front-rear direction and is configured to supply the ink stored in the chamber to an outside of the main body; an electrical interface positioned apart from the supply portion upwardly in an up-down direction orthogonal to the left-right direction and front-rear direction; an upper wall that faces upward in the up-down direction and supports the electrical interface; and a front wall that faces frontward in the front-rear direction and connected to the upper wall, the electrical interface includes an electrode group that has a plurality of electrodes aligned in the left-right direction, the electrode group is electrically connected to the contact group in a state where the ink container is inserted in the attachment unit, and the upper wall has: an upper surface portion that faces the first wall and the second wall in the state where the ink container is inserted in the attachment unit; and a front end portion that defines an upper end of the front wall and a front end of the upper surface portion and has a length in the left-right direction greater than a length of the electrode group in the left-right direction from a left end to a right end.
The above limitations are rejected under the same reasoning/rationale as claim 1 above.
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 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.
Claim 2-3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi, in view of Miyao et al. (US PGPub 2019/0299628 A1), hereinafter Miyao.
With regard to Claim 2, Hayashi does not explicitly disclose wherein the front end portion has an inclined surface adjacent to the front end of the upper surface portion, and inclined, with respect to the upper surface portion, so as to extend downward toward a front.
The secondary reference of Miyao discloses wherein the front end portion (front end 41; Fig. 6) has an inclined surface (155 and 92) adjacent to the front end of the upper surface portion (See Fig. 6 below), and inclined, with respect to the upper surface portion (See Fig. 6 below), so as to extend downward toward a front (See Fig. 6 below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the inclined surface of Miyao, with the container of Hayashi, in order to provide a configuration that can have desired dimensions and not require a smaller circuit board substrate, as taught by Miyao (¶0006-0008).
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With regard to Claim 3, Hayashi does not explicitly disclose wherein the upper wall includes a recess positioned rearward of the front end portion and frontward of the electrical interface, and recessed downwardly from the upper surface portion.
The secondary reference of Miyao discloses wherein the upper wall (39) includes a recess (¶0112, recess at end face 151) positioned rearward of the front end portion (See Fig. 6 above) and frontward of the electrical interface (See Fig. 6 above; electrical interface 64), and recessed downwardly from the upper surface portion (See Fig. 6 above).
With regard to Claim 7, Hayashi does not explicitly disclose wherein the upper wall includes a recess positioned between the front end portion and the electrical interface and recessed downwardly from the upper surface portion, the attachment unit includes a third wall positioned upward of the recess in the state where the ink container is inserted in the attachment unit.
The secondary reference of Miyao discloses wherein the upper wall (See Fig. 6 below, top wall 39of cartridge) includes a recess (¶0112, recess at rear end face 151) positioned between the front end portion (41) and the electrical interface (64) and recessed downwardly from the upper surface portion (See Fig. 6 below), the attachment unit includes a third wall (Figs. 7-8; top wall 58 of cartridge holder 101; ¶0050) positioned upward of the recess in the state where the ink container is inserted in the attachment unit (Figs. 7-8; top wall 58 of cartridge holder 101; ¶0050).
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Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi, in view of Miyao, and further in view of Takahashi et al. (US PGPub 2018/0093485 A1), hereinafter Takahashi.
With regard to Claim 4, Hayashi-Miyao does not explicitly disclose a first protrusion that is positioned rightward of the recess and protrudes upward of the upper surface portion; and a second protrusion that is positioned leftward of the recess and protrudes upward of the upper surface portion.
The tertiary reference of Takahashi discloses disclose a first protrusion (See Fig. 3A below) that is positioned rightward of the recess (See Fig. 3A below) and protrudes upward of the upper surface portion (See Fig. 3A below); and a second protrusion (See Fig. 3A below) that is positioned leftward of the recess (See Fig. 3A below) and protrudes upward of the upper surface portion (See Fig. 3A below; under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the upper surface 39 includes the recess, thus the protrusions extend upward of the upper surface portion, as there are different levels in the upper surface portion).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the protrusions of Takahashi, with the combination of Hayashi-Miyao, in order to provide a liquid cartridge that can improve a degree of freedom in arrangement of members for achieving functions of the liquid cartridge, as taught by Takahashi (¶0006).
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCOTT A. RICHMOND whose telephone number is (313)446-6547. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9-6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas Rodriguez can be reached on 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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/SCOTT A RICHMOND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853