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 & 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 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 & 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kuta et al. (US PG Pub 2017/0343281; hereafter ‘281).
Claim 1: ‘281 discloses a photoirradiation unit for irradiating photo-curing ink supplied to a print medium with light (title, abstract, Figs. 1A & 1B, and ¶s 34-35), the photoirradiation unit comprising:
a case having a lower surface having an opening (see Fig. 11 & ¶ 46);
a light source arranged in the case (508, Fig. 11; ¶ 84);
a light converging lens that is arranged in the case and that causes light emitted from the light source to converge (509, Fig. 11; ¶ 84); and
a light transmissible member that is arranged in the opening of the case and that permeates light that has converged by the light converging lens (504, Fig. 11; ¶s 83-84),
wherein the light transmissible member has a flat lower surface (see ¶s 83-84, a quartz plate).
Claim 7: ‘281 discloses a printer (Fig. 1B, abstract) comprising:
a transport mechanism that transports a print medium along a predetermined transport path (see Fig. 1B);
an ejection head that ejects photo-curing ink from a plurality of ink ejection outlets to the print medium that is transported by the transport mechanism (¶s 34-35);
a first base that supports the ejection head (the ejection head is supported); and
a second base capable of supporting a photoirradiation unit that irradiates the ink supplied to the print medium with light via a light converging lens (see 20a, 20b, 20c, & 20d which support 22a, 22b, 22c, & 22d in Fig. 1b, ¶ 54 wherein 22a-d irradiate light via a converging lens, ¶ 83),
wherein the second base includes:
a base plate having an opening (see Fig. 11 & ¶ 46); and
a light transmissible member that is arranged in the opening of the case (504, Fig. 11; ¶s 83-84),
wherein the light transmissible member has a flat lower surface (see ¶s 83-84, a quartz plate).
Claims 2-5, 6, & 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over ‘281.
Claim 2: The structure of ‘281 reads on the claimed structure.
Additionally, ‘281 teaches that the light that is emitted from the light source and permeated by the light converging lens and the light transmissible member forms a spot of a predetermined area on a surface of the print medium (the light is collimated, ¶ 83 and see Fig. 11).
‘281 does not teach that the light source and the light converging lens are located in height positions that are higher than height positions in which the light source and the light converging lens are located when the spot of the predetermined area is formed on the print medium in the absence of said light transmissible member.
However, it is apparent that the light transmissible member has a vertical thickness that takes up space and therefore necessarily displace the vertical position of the light source and light converging lens.
If however, the height difference is not implicitly present, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to change the size and/or rearrange the parts because the collimated beam will be collimated regardless of the height and changes in size are prima facie obvious to change the distance and/or rearrange the parts. See MPEP §2144.0(VI)(C).
Claim 3: The lower surface of the light transmissible member and the lower surface of the case are located in the same plane or in approximately the same plane (see Fig. 11).
If however, ‘281 does not implicitly teach that the lower surface of the light transmissible member and the lower surface of the case are located in the same plane or in approximately the same plane, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to rearrange the parts to place them in the same plane because it is prima facie obvious to rearrange parts. See MPEP §2144.0(VI)(C).
Claim 4: The light converging lens is a rod lens that extends in parallel with the lower surface of the case (Fig. 11 & ¶ 84).
If however, ‘281 does not teach the claimed orientation, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to orient the rod lens in the claimed orientation because rearrangement of parts is prima facie obvious. See MPEP §2144.0(VI)(C).
Claim 5: ‘281 discloses a printing system (abstract, Fig 1A & 1B, and ¶s 51-53) comprising:
a transport mechanism that transports a print medium along a predetermined transport path (see Fig. 1B, substrate motion and ¶ 22);
an ejection head that ejects photo-curing ink from a plurality of ink ejection outlets to the print medium that is transported by the transport mechanism (¶s 34-35);
a first base that supports the ejection head (18, the print heat, is supported by the rail of 17);
the photoirradiation unit according to claim 1 (see above); and
a second base that supports the photoirradiation unit (20a & 20b; Fig. 1B, support the photoirradiation unit 22a & 22b, see ¶ 53);
wherein the photoirradiation unit irradiates the print medium with light on a downstream side of the ejection head in the transport path (see Fig. 1B), and
the lower surface of the light transmissible member and the lower surface of the case are located in the same plane or in approximately the same plane (see Fig. 11).
If however, ‘281 does not implicitly teach that the lower surface of the light transmissible member and the lower surface of the case are located in the same plane or in approximately the same plane, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to rearrange the parts to place them in the same plane because it is prima facie obvious to rearrange parts. See MPEP §2144.0(VI)(C).
Claim 6: It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to rearrange the parts to place them in the same plane because it is prima facie obvious to rearrange parts. See MPEP §2144.0(VI)(C).
Claim 8: It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to rearrange the parts to place them in the same plane because it is prima facie obvious to rearrange parts. See MPEP §2144.0(VI)(C).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘281 as applied above, and further in view of Rae et al. (US PG Pub 2016/0200119; hereafter ‘119).
Claim 9: ‘281 does not provide details regarding the shape of the opening on the second base nor teach the structure as claimed (the Examiner notes that the Specification teach a structure as depicted in 461 & 462 in Fig. 6 as reading on claimed structure of the rectifier).
‘119 is also directed towards a print curing apparatus (title) and discloses a housing for light source wherein the housing has an opening in the base of the housing in which a a quartz window is placed to protect the light source (see Figs. 1-3 and ¶s 51-53) wherein the surfaces of the opening of the base next to the window can have a sloped surface as claimed (see Fig. 3).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to incorporate the structure of ‘119 into ‘281 such that the opening at the windows edge has sloped edges as taught by ‘119 because it is an art recognized structure for the edge of the opening for the window in a UV curing unit in the art and would have predictably been suitable in the ‘281 UV curing unit.
Claims 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘281 in view of ‘119.
Claims 10-11: ‘281 discloses a photoirradiation unit for irradiating photo-curing ink supplied to a print medium with light (title, abstract, Figs. 1A & 1B, and ¶s 34-35), the photoirradiation unit comprising:
a case having a lower surface having an opening (see Fig. 11 & ¶ 46);
a light source arranged in the case (508, Fig. 11; ¶ 84);
a light converging lens that is arranged in the case and that causes light emitted from the light source to converge (509, Fig. 11; ¶ 84); and
a light transmissible member that is arranged in the opening of the case and that permeates light that has converged by the light converging lens (504, Fig. 11; ¶s 83-84).
‘281 does not provide details regarding the shape of the opening on the second base nor teach the structure as claimed (the Examiner notes that the Specification teach a structure as depicted in 461 & 462 in Fig. 6 as reading on claimed structure of the rectifier).
‘119 is also directed towards a print curing apparatus (title) and discloses a housing for light source wherein the housing has an opening in the base of the housing in which a a quartz window is placed to protect the light source (see Figs. 1-3 and ¶s 51-53) wherein the surfaces of the opening of the base next to the window can have a sloped surface as claimed (see Fig. 3).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to incorporate the structure of ‘119 into ‘281 such that the opening at the windows edge has sloped edges as taught by ‘119 because it is an art recognized structure for the edge of the opening for the window in a UV curing unit in the art and would have predictably been suitable in the ‘281 UV curing unit.
Claim 12: ‘281 discloses a printing system (abstract, Fig 1A & 1B, and ¶s 51-53) comprising:
a transport mechanism that transports a print medium along a predetermined transport path (see Fig. 1B, substrate motion and ¶ 22);
an ejection head that ejects photo-curing ink from a plurality of ink ejection outlets to the print medium that is transported by the transport mechanism (¶s 34-35);
a first base that supports the ejection head (18, the print heat, is supported by the rail of 17);
the photoirradiation unit according to claim 10 (see above); and
a second base that supports the photoirradiation unit (20a & 20b; Fig. 1B, support the photoirradiation unit 22a & 22b, see ¶ 53);
wherein the photoirradiation unit irradiates the print medium with light on a downstream side of the ejection head in the transport path (see Fig. 1B), and
As noted above, the photoirradiation unit comprises the claimed rectifier surfaces and thus the apparatus of the combination will inherently guide an airflow as claimed.]
Claim 13: The rectifier surfaces, lower surface of the ejection head, lower surface of the first base, and the lower surface of the second base are present and thus they inherently guide air flow as recited.
Claim 14: ‘281 discloses a printer (Fig. 1B, abstract) comprising:
a transport mechanism that transports a print medium along a predetermined transport path (see Fig. 1B);
an ejection head that ejects photo-curing ink from a plurality of ink ejection outlets to the print medium that is transported by the transport mechanism (¶s 34-35);
a first base that supports the ejection head (the ejection head is supported); and
a second base capable of supporting a photoirradiation unit that irradiates the ink supplied to the print medium with light via a light converging lens (see 20a, 20b, 20c, & 20d which support 22a, 22b, 22c, & 22d in Fig. 1b, ¶ 54 wherein 22a-d irradiate light via a converging lens, ¶ 83),
wherein the second base includes:
a base plate having an opening (see Fig. 11 & ¶ 46); and
a light transmissible member that is arranged in the opening of the case (504, Fig. 11; ¶s 83-84),
wherein the light transmissible member has a flat lower surface (see ¶s 83-84, a quartz plate).
‘281 does not provide details regarding the shape of the opening on the second base nor teach the structure as claimed (the Examiner notes that the Specification teach a structure as depicted in 461 & 462 in Fig. 6 as reading on claimed structure of the rectifier).
‘119 is also directed towards a print curing apparatus (title) and discloses a housing for light source wherein the housing has an opening in the base of the housing in which a a quartz window is placed to protect the light source (see Figs. 1-3 and ¶s 51-53) wherein the surfaces of the opening of the base next to the window can have a sloped surface as claimed (see Fig. 3).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to incorporate the structure of ‘119 into ‘281 such that the opening at the windows edge has sloped edges as taught by ‘119 because it is an art recognized structure for the edge of the opening for the window in a UV curing unit in the art and would have predictably been suitable in the ‘281 UV curing unit.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES M MELLOTT whose telephone number is (571)270-3593. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30AM-4:30PM CST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Curtis Mayes can be reached at 571-272-1234. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/James M Mellott/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759
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