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 Species B (Embodiment of Figure 3A -corresponding to Claims 13-20) in the reply filed on 06/16/2026 is acknowledged.
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) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jang Jae Young et al. (KR 20150125048) (hereinafter Jang Jae Young et al.).
Regarding Claim 13, Jang Jae Young teaches an inkjet printer (10, Fig. 2) [Description Of Embodiments], comprising: a substrate support (100, Fig. 2) extending in a longitudinal direction of the inkjet printer (10) [Description Of Embodiments]; a print support (see Fig. 2) comprising a printhead assembly support (200, Fig. 2) disposed across the substrate support (100) and supporting a printhead assembly (200) that is movable along the printhead assembly support (200) in a transverse direction of the inkjet printer (10) [Description of Embodiments]; and a printhead management unit (400, Fig. 2) disposed on a station support (B, Fig. 2) at one side of the substrate support (100) [Description of Embodiments], the printhead management unit (400) comprising a first printhead cleaner (420, Fig. 3) having a first areal extent (see Fig. 3) and a second printhead cleaner (440, Fig. 7) having a second areal extent (see Fig. 3) different from the first areal extent [Description of Embodiments and see Figs. 3 and 7], wherein the printhead management unit (400) is movable along the station support (B) in the longitudinal direction of the inkjet printer (10) [Description of Embodiments].
Regarding Claim 14, Jang Jae Young et al. teaches the inkjet printer (10), wherein the first printhead cleaner (420) is movable on the printhead management unit (400) in the transverse direction of the inkjet printer (10) [Description of Embodiments, see also Fig. 3 (i.e. the directional arrows)].
Regarding Claim 15, Jang Jae Young et al. teaches the inkjet printer (10), wherein the first printhead cleaner (420) comprises a linear motion device (428/429, Fig. 6) to position a cleaning surface of the first printhead cleaner (420) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse directions of the inkjet printer (10) [Description of Embodiments].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang Jae Young et al. (KR 20150125048 A) (hereinafter Jang Jae Young et al.) in view of Nishikawa (2020/0101717) (hereinafter Nishikawa).
Regarding Claim 16, Jang Jae Young et al. teaches the inkjet printer (10) [Description Of Embodiments].
Jang Jae Young et al. fails to teach wherein the printhead management unit further comprises a droplet placement analyzer, a droplet flight analyzer, or both, and further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit, the controller configured to control the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both, to determine printheads of the printhead assembly that need cleaning based on data obtained using the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both, and to control the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit to relatively position the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit to contact the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with the printheads of the printhead assembly determined to need cleaning.
Nishikawa teaches wherein the printhead management unit further comprises a droplet placement analyzer, a droplet flight analyzer, or both, and further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit, the controller configured to control the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both, to determine printheads of the printhead assembly that need cleaning based on data obtained using the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both, and to control the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit to relatively position the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit to contact the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with the printheads of the printhead assembly determined to need cleaning [Paragraphs 0057, 0076, 0088, and see Figs. 4 and 6].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the printhead management unit further comprises a droplet placement analyzer, a droplet flight analyzer, or both, and further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit, the controller configured to control the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both, to determine printheads of the printhead assembly that need cleaning based on data obtained using the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both, and to control the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit to relatively position the printhead assembly and the printhead management unit to contact the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with the printheads of the printhead assembly determined to need cleaning as taught by Jang Jae Young et al. as modified by Nishikawa for the purposes of performing a maintenance operation to prevent ink discharge failures [Nishikawa, Paragraph 0004].
Regarding Claim 17, Jang Jae Young et al. teaches the inkjet printer (10), wherein the first printhead cleaner (420), the second printhead cleaner (440), or both are movable with respect to the printhead management unit (400) [Description Of Embodiments].
Jang Jae Young et al. fails to teach the controller is further configured to control the first printhead cleaner the second printhead cleaner, or both to move the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with respect to the printhead management unit to position the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with respect to one or more printheads determined to need cleaning.
Nishikawa teaches the controller is further configured to control the first printhead cleaner the second printhead cleaner, or both to move the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with respect to the printhead management unit to position the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with respect to one or more printheads determined to need cleaning [Paragraph 0076].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both are movable with respect to the printhead management unit, and the controller is further configured to control the first printhead cleaner the second printhead cleaner, or both to move the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with respect to the printhead management unit to position the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, with respect to one or more printheads determined to need cleaning as taught by Jang Jae Young et al. as modified by Nishikawa for the purposes of determining a maintenance execution timing [Nishikawa, Paragraphs 0008 and 0010].
Regarding Claim 18, Jang Jae Young et al. teaches the inkjet printer (10), wherein the first printhead cleaner (420), the second printhead cleaner (440), or both comprises a linear motion device (428/429) to position a cleaning surface of the first printhead cleaner (420), the second printhead cleaner (440), or both in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse directions of the inkjet printer (10) [Description Of Embodiments].
Jang Jae Young et al. fails to teach the controller is further configured to retract the cleaning surface of the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, before moving the printhead cleaner with respect to the printhead assembly.
Nishikawa teaches the controller is further configured to retract the cleaning surface of the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, before moving the printhead cleaner with respect to the printhead assembly [Paragraph 0076].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the controller is further configured to retract the cleaning surface of the first printhead cleaner, the second printhead cleaner, or both, before moving the printhead cleaner with respect to the printhead assembly as taught by Jang Jae Young et al. as modified by Nishikawa for the purposes of performing a maintenance operation to prevent ink discharge failures [Nishikawa, Paragraph 0004].
Regarding Claim 19, Jang Jae Young et al. teaches the inkjet printer (10) [Description Of Embodiments].
Jang Jae Young et al. fails to teach wherein the controller is further configured to predict a cleaning time for printheads of the printhead assembly based on data obtained from the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both.
Nishikawa wherein the controller is further configured to predict a cleaning time for printheads of the printhead assembly based on data obtained from the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both [Paragraph 0076].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to wherein the controller is further configured to predict a cleaning time for printheads of the printhead assembly based on data obtained from the droplet placement analyzer, the droplet flight analyzer, or both as taught by Jang Jae Young et al. as modified by Nishikawa for the purposes of determining a maintenance execution timing [Nishikawa, Paragraphs 0008 and 0010].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is 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 the allowance of claim(s) 20 is the inclusion of the limitation of an inkjet printer that includes a printhead management unit having a purge unit, and a controller determines printheads or nozzles than need purging on the basis of data from a droplet placement analyzer, a droplet flight analyzer, or both, and to control a printhead assembly and the printhead management unit to position the printhead assembly and the purge unit relative to each other to perform a purge of one or more printheads or nozzles that need purging. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
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/LISA SOLOMON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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