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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Matsuo (US 2022/0234351).
With regard to claim 1, Matsuo discloses a maintenance method of a liquid discharge apparatus [ink jet printer; Para. 0031] including a plurality of discharge sections (D[1] to D[m]) [discharging portions; Para. 0034] that is configured to discharge liquid [ink; Para. 0031], the maintenance method comprising:
acquiring a first viscosity information [attenuation factor; Para. 0034] on viscosity of the liquid filled in each of the plurality of discharge sections [Para. 0277];
causing each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge a first amount of the liquid [Para. 0277];
acquiring a second viscosity information [attenuation factor; Para. 0034] on viscosity of the liquid filled in each of the plurality of discharge sections [Para. 0277, See also Para. 0129];
generating a difference information indicating a difference between the viscosity indicated by the first viscosity information acquired before causing each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge the first amount of the liquid and the viscosity indicated by the second viscosity information acquired after causing each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge the first amount of the liquid in each of the plurality of discharge sections [difference value between the first viscosity information and the second viscosity information; Para.0140];
causing a discharge section in which the difference indicated by the difference information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value [target attenuation factor; Para. 0129] among the plurality of discharge sections, to discharge the first amount of the liquid again [Para. 0130]; and
causing a discharge section in which the difference indicated by the difference information is less than the predetermined value among the plurality of discharge sections, not to discharge the liquid [determining whether the attenuation factor is less than the target attenuation factor; Para. 0129].
With regard to claim 3, Matsuo discloses wherein each of the plurality of discharge sections is caused to discharge an amount of the liquid less than the first amount before causing each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge the first amount of the liquid [before printing a maintenance process is performed in all of the discharging portions; amount of defined flushing is smaller than the that of the first flushing; Para. 0063, 0065].
With regard to claim 9, Matsuo discloses a liquid discharge apparatus [ink jet printer; Para. 0031] comprising:
a plurality of discharge sections (D[1] to D[m]) [discharging portions; Para. 0034] that is configured to discharge liquid [ink; Para. 0031];
an acquisition section (9) [measurement circuit; Para. 112-118] that is configured to acquire a viscosity information on viscosity of the liquid filled in each of the plurality of discharge sections;
a discharge control section (2) [drive signal generation circuit; Para. 0034] that is configured to cause each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge the liquid; and
a generation section (6) that, when the acquisition section acquires a first viscosity information on viscosity of the liquid filled in each of the plurality of discharge sections, the discharge control section causes each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge a first amount of the liquid [Para. 0277] and then the acquisition section acquires a second viscosity information on viscosity of the liquid filled in each of the plurality of discharge sections after causing each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge the first amount of the liquid [Para. 0277], is configured to generate a difference information indicating a difference between the viscosity indicated by the first viscosity information acquired before causing each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge the first amount of the liquid and the viscosity indicated by the second viscosity information acquired after causing each of the plurality of discharge sections to discharge the first amount of the liquid [Para. 0140], wherein
the discharge control section
causes a discharge section in which the difference indicated by the difference information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value [target attenuation factor; Para. 0129] among the plurality of discharge sections, to discharge the first amount of the liquid again [Para. 0129], and
causes a discharge section in which the difference indicated by the difference information is less than the predetermined value among the plurality of discharge sections, not to discharge the liquid [determining whether the attenuation factor is less than the target attenuation factor; Para. 0129].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 4-8 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.
The primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 2, 4-8 is the inclusion of the limitations of a preparation operation includes selecting a sample discharge section from among the plurality of discharge sections, repeating, a plurality of times, acquisition of a viscosity information on viscosity of the liquid filled in the sample discharge section and discharge of the liquid from the sample discharge section, to acquire relationship information on a relationship between a cumulative amount of the liquid discharged from the sample discharge section during the preparation operation and the viscosity, determining a second amount that is a discharge amount of the liquid to be discharged by the discharge section in the preparation operation based on the relationship information, and causing a discharge section, other than the sample discharge section, among the plurality of discharge sections, to discharge the second amount of the liquid. It is these limitation(s) found in the claims, as they are claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Applicants’ amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/RICARDO I MAGALLANES/Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/TRACEY M MCMILLION/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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