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 .
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.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Moreau et al. (US PG Pub 2014/0168293).
For claim 1: Moreau et al. teaches a print tile 120c for a printhead assembly 130 130a, 130b (see paragraph 97) in a printer, the print tile comprising: a base plate 120c having an upper surface (see Fig. 11A and 12, upper surface), a lower surface (see Fig. 11A and 12, lower surface opposite to the visible upper surface) opposite the upper surface in a thickness direction of the base plate 11, and a slot 122 (see Fig. 12) extending through the base plate from the upper surface to the lower surface see Fig. 12, the slot 122 being a through opening on the plate); a printhead 130 (see Figs. 11A and 12, any of elements 130a, 130b, 130d shown in the figures) comprising a lower part (see Figs. 11A, 11B and 12, portion 160 is the lowest portions and protrudes in arrangement into the slot 122) disposed in the slot and having a plurality of nozzles 164 (see paragraph 99, Fig. 4C and 13A, 13B, nozzles most clearly depicted in Fig. 4C as element 164) from which a print material is to be ejected in a printing operation; a nozzle plate (see Fig. 4A, the bottom surface where elements 168a, 168b are disposed) attached to the printhead 100; and a plurality of mounting elements 168a, 168b to mount the nozzle plate (see Fig. 6) to the base plate 120, while permitting adjustment of a position of the printhead relative to the base plate (see paragraph 79, mounting with alignment adapter, adjustments can be made through an automated manipulation system for the x-, y- and z positions), wherein the nozzle plate has opposite first and second end portions (see Fig. 6, first side being where hole 168a is provided, second end portion being where hole 168b is provided) and the base plate comprises first and second adjustable lifts correspondingly under the first and second end portions of the nozzle plate, to adjust positions of the first and second end portions of the nozzle plate independently one from another in the thickness direction of the base plate (see paragraph 82-85, kinematic couplings provided, provided to manipulate the system in the z- direction among other direction when it is determined to be out of alignment, see Fig. 7 for the structure, Fig. 14, step 1406 for the adjustment).
For claim 2: Moreau et al. teaches the print tile of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mounting elements 168a, 168b comprises first and second fastening elements 169a, 169b correspondingly fastening the first and second end portions of the nozzle plate to the base plate (see paragraph 98, screws for the screw holes).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-13 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 14-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 3: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the tile of claim 2 having a spacer having a predetermined thickness disposed between the upper surface of the base plate and a first end portion of the nozzle plate or the second end portion of the nozzle plate.
Regarding claim 4: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the print tile of claim 2 having a plurality of spacers of different thicknesses with a first spacer disposed around the first fastening element between the first end of the nozzle plate and the upper surface of the base plate and a second spacer disposed around the second fastening element.
Regarding claim 5: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the print tile of claim 2, wherein the plurality of mounting elements further comprises a position adjusting element to engage with a side of the nozzle plate and to adjust the position of the nozzle plate in a rotational direction about an axis oriented in the thickness direction of the base plate.
Regarding claim 6: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the print tile of claim 2, wherein the plurality of mounting elements further comprises a conical screw having a conical surface to engage with the first end portion of the nozzle plate and to adjust a position of the first end portion in a rotational direction about an axis at the second end portion of the nozzle plate, the axis oriented in the thickness direction of the base plate.
Regarding claim 9: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the print tile of claim 2, wherein the plurality of mounting elements further comprises a position fixing element, or a position adjusting element, to engage with the second end portion of the nozzle plate to fix, or adjustably fix, a position of the second end portion in a longitudinal direction of the nozzle plate, while permitting a position of the first end portion of the nozzle plate to vary in the longitudinal direction due to thermal expansion of the nozzle plate.
Regarding claim 12: None of the prior art of record or any obvious combination thereof teaches the print tile of claim 1 further having a first pad disposed between the first end portion of the second nozzle plate and the base plate and a second pad disposed between the second end portion of the second nozzle plate and the base plate, and the first and second adjustable lifts are adjustable to align the first nozzle plate and the first printhead to the second nozzle plate and the second printhead on the first and second pads. Similarly, the prior art of record does not teach the limitations of claim 14.
Regarding claim 13: The prior art of record does not teach the print tile of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second adjustable lifts comprises a differential screw, the differential screw has first threads engaged with the base plate and second threads engaged with a head of the first fastening element, a first thread pitch of the first threads is different from a second thread pitch of the second threads, and the head of the first fastening element engages the first end portion from below.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Reasons for allowance for claims 14 and 15 are similar to the reasons in claim 12 and 6 respectively.
Regarding claim 20: None of the cited prior art teaches or any reasonable combination thereof teaches the plurality of printheads, a connector set comprising at least one fluid connector and at least one electrical connector fluidly and electrically coupled, respectively, to the plurality of printheads, and the supply arrangement comprises, for each of the plurality of print tiles, a corresponding connector set coupled to the connector set of the print tile when the print tile is removably attached to the supply arrangement from below by a fastening structure and an alignment structure, wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one alignment pin on one of the supply arrangement and the print tile, and at least one alignment hole on the other of the supply arrangement and the print tile, the at least one alignment pin being aligned with and received in the at least one alignment hole as required by claim 20.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID H BANH whose telephone number is (571)270-3851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12-8PM.
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/DAVID H BANH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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