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 Invention I in the reply filed on 5/27/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 3-7 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/27/26.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-2 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okui et al. (US 2021/0370677 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Okui discloses A liquid discharge head (10, fig. 6, para 39) comprising:
an array (see fig. 6) of multiple discharge openings (N, fig. 6, para 49) from each of which a liquid is to be discharged onto a recording medium (PP, fig. 22, para 32) moved relative to the liquid discharge head in a relative movement direction (DM, fig. 22, para 36);
a liquid channel communicating with each of the multiple discharge openings (inherent in fig. 6); and
a supply opening (inherent in fig. 6) to supply liquid to the liquid channel,
wherein:
two or more discharge openings of the multiple discharge openings in the array are adjacent to each other in an orthogonal direction (X, fig. 6, para 30) orthogonal to the relative movement direction (see fig. 6), and
the array is arrayed in an array direction (V, fig. 6, para 52) tilted with respect to the orthogonal direction (see fig. 6).
Regarding claim 2, Okui further discloses The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein: the multiple discharge openings are different in position in the relative movement direction (see fig. 6).
Regarding claim 8, Okui further discloses A liquid discharge apparatus comprising: the liquid discharge head according to claim 1 (see fig. 22); and a driver (3, fig. 22, para 35) to move the liquid discharge head relative to the recording medium (see para 35-36 and 214-218).
Regarding claim 9, Okui further discloses The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: a timing for discharging ink to the recording medium through each of the multiple discharge openings is shifted for a position difference of each of the multiple discharge openings in the relative movement direction while the moving mechanism moves the liquid discharge head relative to the recording medium (Inherent in fig. 22 and para 214-218. Otherwise, the printer would not be able to correctly print the intended images.).
The following reference(s) is/are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and is/are cited for disclosing related limitations to the applicant’s claimed and disclosed invention.
CN 114080321 A
At least fig. 14-15.
KR 20060093778 A
At least fig. 5-6 and 7b.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN SEO whose telephone number is (571)270-1327. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo I Magallanes can be reached at 571-272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN SEO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
7/17/2026
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