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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 8/5/2024 and 1/22/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 5-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1/2) as being anticipated by Ozeki (US 2016/0096375 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 8:
Ozeki discloses a recording apparatus comprising:
an apparatus main body (Fig. 1); and
an ink container (50) that is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus main body (abstract & Fig. 12),
wherein the ink container includes:
an ink storage portion (ink container part 82) that has flexibility (paragraphs 47-48) and that is configured to store ink in an interior thereof (paragraph 48 & Fig. 3); and
an ink supply member (connection unit 83) that is provided at one end portion of the ink storage portion (Fig. 3) and that is configured to supply the ink stored in the ink storage portion to outside (paragraph 51),
wherein, when a direction of gravity while the ink container is left to stand (e.g. the ink container may be left and/or shipped in a prostrate position) is defined as a positive W direction (V direction: Fig. 4), a direction opposite to the positive W direction is defined as a negative W direction (K1 direction: Fig. 4), a horizontal direction while the ink container is left to stand is defined as a positive T direction (W direction: Fig. 4), a direction opposite to the positive T direction is defined as a negative T direction (K2 direction: Fig. 4), and a direction that is perpendicular to both the positive W direction and the positive T direction and that is a direction from the one end portion of the ink storage portion toward another end portion of the ink storage portion is defined as a positive D direction (-Z direction: Fig. 4), the ink supply member includes:
first protruding portions (of handle unit 91), one of the first protruding portions protrudes in the positive T direction and another one of the first protruding portions protrudes in the negative T direction (Fig. 4), each of the first protruding portions being provided at an end portion of the ink supply member in the negative W direction (Fig. 4); and
second protruding portions (of adhering part 86), one of the second protruding portions protrudes in the positive T direction and another one of the second protruding portions protrudes in the negative T direction (Fig. 4), each of the second protruding portions being provided at an end portion of the ink supply member in the positive W direction (Fig. 4),
wherein a protrusion amount of the second protruding portion protruding in the positive T direction is larger than a protrusion amount of the first protruding portion protruding in the positive T direction (Fig. 4), and a protrusion amount of the second protruding portion protruding in the negative T direction is larger than a protrusion amount of the first protruding portion in the negative T direction (Fig. 4), and
wherein, in the positive D direction, each of the first protruding portions has a width larger than a width of each of the second protruding portions (Figs. 4, 5).
Examiner notes that Ishizawa et al. (US 2015/0321481 A1) may act as a teaching reference, wherein Ishizawa et al. disclose a related ink container that is left to stand in a prostrate position (Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 5:
Ozeki discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and also that a shape of each of the first protruding portions when viewed from the negative W direction is a shape tapered toward the positive D direction (at least due to the rounding of handle part 116: Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 6:
Ozeki discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and also that a shape of each of the second protruding portions when viewed from the negative W direction is a shape that does not have a corner portion (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 7:
Ozeki discloses an ink container that is configured to be attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body of a recording apparatus (abstract), the ink container comprising:
an ink storage portion (ink container part 82) that has flexibility (paragraphs 47-48) and that is configured to store ink in an interior thereof (paragraph 48 & Fig. 3); and
an ink supply member (connection unit 83) that is provided at one end portion of the ink storage portion (Fig. 3) and that is configured to supply the ink stored in the ink storage portion to the apparatus main body (paragraph 51),
wherein the ink supply member has an inlet port (ink outlet part 101) through which ink stored in the ink storage portion is introduced (paragraph 51), and
wherein, when a direction of gravity while the ink container is in a mounting position by being mounted on the apparatus main body (the ink container may be mountable in a prostrate position) is defined as a positive W direction (V direction: Fig. 4), a direction opposite to the positive W direction is defined as a negative W direction (K1 direction: Fig. 4), a horizontal direction while the ink container is left to stand is defined as a positive T direction (W direction: Fig. 4), a direction opposite to the positive T direction is defined as a negative T direction (K2 direction: Fig. 4), and a direction that is perpendicular to both the positive W direction and the positive T direction and that is a direction from the one end portion of the ink storage portion toward another end portion of the ink storage portion is defined as a positive D direction (-Z direction: Fig. 4), the ink supply member includes:
first protruding portions (of handle unit 91), one of the first protruding portions protrudes in the positive T direction and another one of the first protruding portions protrudes in the negative T direction (Fig. 4), each of the first protruding portions being provided at an end portion of the ink supply member in the negative W direction (Fig. 4); and
second protruding portions (of adhering part 86), one of the second protruding portions protrudes in the positive T direction and another one of the second protruding portions protrudes in the negative T direction (Fig. 4), each of the second protruding portions being provided at an end portion of the ink supply member in the positive W direction (Fig. 4),
wherein a protrusion amount of the second protruding portion protruding in the positive T direction is larger than a protrusion amount of the first protruding portion protruding in the positive T direction (Fig. 4), and a protrusion amount of the second protruding portion protruding in the negative T direction is larger than a protrusion amount of the first protruding portion in the negative T direction (Fig. 4), and
wherein, in the positive D direction, each of the first protruding portions has a width larger than a width of each of the second protruding portions (Figs. 4, 5).
Examiner notes that Tsukahara et al. (US 2015/0343786 A1) may act as a teaching reference, wherein Tsukahara et al. disclose a related ink container that is mounted in an apparatus main body such that the ink container is prostrate in the mounting position (Figs. 18, 20).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 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.
Claim 2 appears to contain allowable subject matter because the prior art of record does not disclose or make obvious an ink container in which “a ratio (first protruding portions/second protruding portions) of the protrusion amounts of the first protruding portions in the T directions to the protrusion amounts of the second protruding portions in the T directions is 1/10 or more and 1/3 or less.” It is this limitation, in combination with other features and limitations of claim 2, that indicates allowable subject matter over the prior art of record.
Claim 3 appears to contain allowable subject matter because the prior art of record does not disclose or make obvious an ink container in which “a ratio (first protruding portions/second protruding portions) of the width of the first protruding portions in the D directions to the widths of the second protruding portions in the D directions is 5/22 or more and 10/22 or less.” It is this limitation, in combination with other features and limitations of claim 3, that indicates allowable subject matter over the prior art of record.
Claim 4 appears to contain allowable subject matter because the prior art of record does not disclose or make obvious an ink container in which “in the W directions, a ratio (first protruding portions/second protruding portions) of the width of the first protruding portions to the widths of the second protruding portions is 1/16 or more and 3/5 or less.” It is this limitation, in combination with other features and limitations of claim 4, that indicates allowable subject matter over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Each of US 9363918 B2, US 2018/0093481 A1, US 11148426 B2, US 2018/0043695 A1, and US 2023/0018269 A1 disclose relative ink supply members of an ink container.
Communication with the USPTO
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shelby L Fidler whose telephone number is (571)272-8455. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am - 5pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas 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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SHELBY L. FIDLER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/SHELBY L FIDLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853