DETAILED ACTION
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, 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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 18-21 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Daley et al. (2022/0153029) in view of Fan .
Regarding claim 1, Daley teaches a system for printing on a random-height container, the printing system comprising:
a frame (note that the frame is being defined as the unshown housing of the printer including all shown components);
a printer (figs. 1, 3, item 304) that is linearly height adjustable relative to the frame (see figs. 1, 3).
Daley does not teach a lifter that lifts the printer as the container to be printed engages the lifter; and a damper operatively coupled to the printer and the lifter, to dampen movement of the printer relative to the frame as the printer is lifted by the lifter. Fan teaches this (Fan, see fig. 4, Note frame 12, printer, 110, lifter 14 and damper 144). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the lifter/damper arrangement disclosed by Fan to the device of Daley because doing so would simplify movement of the shield/lifter and printer of Daley into a single motion.
Upon combination of the prior art, the resultant device would have Daley’s printer 404 attached to shield/lifter 406 so that container contact with the shield/lifter 406 would move both of the shield/lifter 406 vertically, as shown by the concept of Fan’s figure 4.
Regarding claim 2, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 1, wherein the lifter includes a roller (Daley, fig. 4, item 434).
Regarding claim 6, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyer that conveys the container into a printing region between the printer and the conveyer (Daley, [0014]).
Regarding claim 9, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 6, further comprising a support (Daley, fig. 4, portion of shield 406 on which printhead 404 rests) that maintains the printer lifted away from the conveyer while the container is in the printing region (Daley, see fig. 4).
Regarding claim 10, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 9, wherein the support includes a pair of bars that engage the container (Daley, see fig. 5, Note bars flanking printhead 504).
Regarding claim 12, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 10, wherein the bars engage the container outside of a print area on the container (Daley, see fig. 5, Note that the bars do not overlap with the printhead nozzles).
Regarding claim 14, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 9, wherein the support includes a roller (Daley, fig. 4, item 434) that engages a top surface of the container, while the container is within the printing region (Daley, see figs. 1-5, Note that if the entire area below the shown device is considered to be “the printing region” the roller engages the top surface in the printing region).
Regarding claim 15, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 1, further comprising a low-friction coupling between the printer and the frame (Daley, see fig. 4, Note that there is no friction when the printhead couples to the frame and lefts away to the retracted position from the frame).
Regarding claim 18, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 1, further comprising springs (Daley, fig. 4, items 436) that engage the printer and the frame, to bias the printer to a default height relative to the frame (Daley, see figs. 4, 5).
Regarding claim 19, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 18, wherein the springs include coil springs (Daley, see figs. 4, 5).
Regarding claim 20, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 19, wherein the coil springs include four coil springs, located at corners of the printer (Daley, see fig. 5, Note that there are two shown coil springs and two unshown, and each corresponds to one corner of the printhead 404).
Regarding claim 21, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 1, further comprising a macro height adjuster used to selectively adjust a height of the printer relative to the frame (Daley, see fig. 2, Note that while no specific adjustment mechanism is disclosed, one is necessarily present).
Regarding claim 23, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 21, further comprising a lock that locks the printer and the frame together during operation of the macro height adjuster (Daley, see figs. 1-5, Note that any number of components can be said to lock the printer to the frame at all times, including during the operation of the macro height adjuster. That is, there are any number of components that physically couple, i.e., lock, the printhead 404 to the larger unshown housing of the device).
Claim 3 and 22 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Daley in view of Fan as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of official notice.
Regarding claim 3, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to any one of claim 1, wherein the lifter is at a front end of the printer (Daley, see fig. 4, note that this could mean anything, but as shown the figure, the lifter can be said to be at all ends of the printer 404), where the print media enters a printing region where printing occurs. Daley in view of Fan does not expressly teach printing on a container but rather printing on a three-dimensional object (Daley, [0009] and note that printing on a three-dimensional object is contemplated, and a container is a three-dimensional object). Examiner takes official notice that one of skill in the art would have found it obvious to use a container as the print medium instead of substrates with differing thicknesses.
Regarding claim 22, Daley in view of Fan teaches the printing system according to claim 21. Daley in view of Fan does not teach wherein the macro height adjuster includes servo motors that adjust height of the printer relative to the frame. Examiner takes official notice that one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to use servo motors to adjust the height of the printer relative to the frame.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Fan.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEJANDRO VALENCIA whose telephone number is (571)270-5473. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
