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 has been filed on 9/11/25, the requirements 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d) are met.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited on a Form PTO 1449 have been considered.
Specification
The specification has been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. However, the 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 (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.
Claim(s) 1-9 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawate et al. (U.S. 2018/0104955 A1).
Kawate et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding independent Claim 1, an ink container (Title, §0059 and Figs. 4-6) comprising:
an ink storage portion (60, §0073 and Figs. 4-6) that has flexibility and that is configured to be capable of storing ink in an interior thereof; and
an ink supply portion (52, §§0074-0075 and Figs. 4-6) that is provided at one end portion of the ink storage portion and that is configured to be capable of supplying the ink stored in the ink storage portion to outside,
wherein the ink supply portion has an inlet port (66, §0098 and Fig. 6) through which the ink stored in the ink storage portion is introduced, and
wherein, when a direction of gravity while the ink container is left to stand (e.g. the direction -T or Z of Kawate et al. , see Fig. 5; the container 20 is left to stand on the bottom plate 67) is defined as a positive W direction and a direction from the one end portion of the ink storage portion toward another end portion of the ink storage portion (e.g. the direction -D or Y of Kawate et al. , see Fig. 5) is defined as a positive D direction, a first wall (e.g. walls constituting the identification portion 54, §0079 and Fig. 5) is provided at a position located in a negative W direction from the inlet port in such a manner as to protrude in the positive D direction.
Regarding Claim 2, wherein the ink supply portion has a second wall (97, §0110 and Fig. 6) at a position opposite to the inlet port.
Regarding Claim 3, wherein a gap is formed between the first wall and the second wall in the positive D direction (Fig. 6).
Regarding Claim 4, wherein a cutout (e.g. 95, §0109 and Fig. 12) is provided at an end portion of the second wall in the positive W direction or an end portion of the second wall in the negative W direction (e.g. 95, §0109 and Fig. 11).
Regarding Claim 5, wherein a cutout is provided at both an end portion of the second wall in the positive W direction and an end portion of the second wall in the negative W direction (Figs. 11-12).
Regarding Claim 6, wherein a third wall (97, §0110 and Figs. 6, 11-12) is provided in such a manner as to protrude from the second wall in a negative D direction.
Regarding Claim 7, wherein a gap is formed between the first wall and the third wall in the positive W direction (Figs. 5-6).
Regarding Claim 8, wherein the third wall is provided at a position shifted in the positive W direction with respect to the first wall (Figs. 5-6).
Regarding Claim 9, wherein a cutout is formed in an end portion of the second wall in the positive W direction or an end portion of the second wall in the negative W direction (Figs. 9, 11-12).
Regarding independent Claim 13, an ink container (Title, §0059 and Figs. 4-6) that is configured to be attachable and detachable to and from an apparatus main body of a recording apparatus, the ink container comprising:
an ink storage portion (60, §0073 and Figs. 4-6) that has flexibility and that is configured to be capable of storing ink in an interior thereof; and
an ink supply portion (52, §§0074-0075 and Figs. 4-6) that is provided at one end portion of the ink storage portion and that is configured to be capable of supplying the ink stored in the ink storage portion to the apparatus main body,
wherein the ink supply portion has an inlet port (66, §0098 and Fig. 6) through which the ink stored in the ink storage portion is introduced, and
wherein, when a direction of gravity while the ink container is in a mounting position by being mounted on the apparatus main body (e.g. the direction -T or Z of Kawate et al. , see Fig. 5; the container 20 is left to stand on the bottom plate 67) is defined as a positive W direction and a direction from the one end portion of the ink storage portion toward another end portion of the ink storage portion (e.g. the direction -D or Y of Kawate et al. , see Fig. 5) is defined as a positive D direction, a first wall (e.g. walls constituting the identification portion 54, §0079 and Fig. 5) is provided at a position located in a negative W direction from the inlet port in such a manner as to protrude in the positive D direction.
Regarding independent Claim 14, a recording apparatus (11, §0058 and Fig. 1) comprising:
an apparatus main body (12, §0058 and Fig. 1); and
an ink container (Title, §0059 and Figs. 4-6) that is configured to be attachable and detachable to and from the apparatus main body,
wherein the ink container includes
an ink storage portion (60, §0073 and Figs. 4-6) that has flexibility and that is configured to be capable of storing ink in an interior thereof; and
an ink supply portion (52, §§0074-0075 and Figs. 4-6) that is provided at one end portion of the ink storage portion and that is configured to be capable of supplying the ink stored in the ink storage portion to outside,
wherein the ink supply portion has an inlet port (66, §0098 and Fig. 6) through which the ink stored in the ink storage portion is introduced, and
wherein, when a direction of gravity while the ink container is in a mounting position by being mounted on the apparatus main body (e.g. the direction -T or Z of Kawate et al. , see Fig. 5; the container 20 is left to stand on the bottom plate 67) is defined as a positive W direction and a direction from the one end portion of the ink storage portion to another end portion of the ink storage portion (e.g. the direction -D or Y of Kawate et al. , see Fig. 5) is defined as a positive D direction, a first wall (e.g. walls constituting the identification portion 54, §0079 and Fig. 5) is provided at a position located in a negative W direction from the inlet port in such a manner as to protrude in the positive D direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-12 are 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claim 10 is the inclusion of the limitations of an ink container including wherein an area of the cutout at the end portion in the positive W direction is larger than an area of the cutout at the end portion in the negative W direction. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 11-12 is the inclusion of the limitations of an ink container including wherein a filter is provided so as to connect the second wall and a wall in which the inlet port is formed to each other. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER D SHENDEROV whose telephone number is (571)270-7049. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodrigues 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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/ALEXANDER D SHENDEROV/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/JASON S UHLENHAKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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