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
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)(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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Fernando et al. (# US 2016/0193842).
Fernando et al. discloses:
1. A printer (see figure: 1-2) comprising:
a printhead (element: 220, figure: 3;
a drive roller (element: 304, 306, figure; 3); and
a platen belt (element: 302, figure: 3) configured to be driven by the drive roller to rotate relative to the printhead, the platen belt having a media-facing surface that includes a cleaning element (element: 310, figure: 3) , the cleaning element configured to contact at least a portion of the printhead as the platen belt rotates, the portion of the printhead being cleaned by the cleaning element (figure: 3).
2. The printer of claim 1, further comprising:
a media path configured to guide media from a media supply to the platen belt and the platen is configured to advance the media in a feed direction between the platen belt and the printhead in response to rotation of the platen belt such that when media is present between the printhead and the platen belt, the cleaning element ceases to clean the printhead (see figure: 1-3).
3. The printer of claim 2, wherein the cleaning element comes in contact with the media as the platen belt rotates and the media cleans the cleaning element (see figure: 3).
4. The printer of claim 1, wherein the cleaning element (element: 310, figure: 3) is integrated with the media-facing surface and is flush with the media-facing surface (figure: 3).
5. The printer of claim 1, wherein the cleaning element protrudes from the media-facing surface (see figure: 3).
6. The printer of claim 1, wherein the cleaning element cleans pixels of the printhead ([0019]-[0031]).
7. The printer of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of cleaning elements (element: 310, figure: 3) dispersed along the media-facing surface, the plurality of cleaning elements includes the cleaning element (figure: 3).
8. The printer of claim 7, wherein the platen belt includes a first edge and a second edge and the media-facing surface has a width that extends from the first edge to the second edge, a length of the plurality of cleaning elements extends across the portion of the width between the first edge and the second edge (figure: 3; [0019]-[0031]).
9. The printer of claim 8, wherein the plurality of cleaning elements extend between the first and second edges at an angle relative to an axis extending, perpendicularly to at least one of first edge or the second edge, along the media-facing surface (figure: 3).
10. The printer of claim 9, wherein the angle is greater than zero degrees and less than ninety degrees (see figure: 3).
11. The printer of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of cleaning elements have lengths that that are greater than the width of the media-facing surface (figure: 2-3).
12. The printer of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of cleaning elements form a V-shape having an internal angle that is greater than zero degrees and less than one hundred eighty degrees ([0030]; figure: 3).
13. The printer of claim 7, wherein the plurality of cleaning elements cover between one percent and thirty-five percent of a surface area of the media-facing surface (see figure: 3, [0019]-[0031]).
14. The printer of claim 1, wherein the cleaning element comprises microfiber cloth or ultra microfiber cloth composed of at least one of polyester, polyamide, acrylic, viscose, or polypropylene (wipers 310 may be comprised of an elastic material e.g., rubber, an elastic polymer, etc.; [0019]).
15. A method of cleaning a printhead ([0019]-[0031]) comprising:
driving a drive roller via a motor operatively coupled to the drive roller (figure: 1-4);
rotating a platen belt in response to the drive roller being driven via the motor, the platen belt (element: 302, figure: 3) including a media-facing surface having a cleaning element (element: 310, figure: 3) ; and
cleaning at least a portion of the printhead with the cleaning element, the cleaning element coming in contact with the portion of the printhead as the platen belt rotates (figure: 3).
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
guiding media from a media supply along a media path (figure: 2-3);
advancing the media in a feed direction between the platen belt and the printhead in response to rotation of the platen belt (element: 302, figure: 3); and
cleaning the cleaning element with the media as the media advanced passed the printhead based on rotation of the platen belt (figure: 3).
17. The method of claim 16, wherein cleaning the cleaning element with the media comprises: contacting an adhesive layer of the media with the cleaning element as the platen belt rotates (figure: 3).
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the cleaning element is integrated with the media-facing surface and is flush with the media-facing surface ([0030]; see figure: 3) .
19. The method of claim 15, wherein cleaning the portion of the printhead comprises: cleaning pixels of the printhead ([0019]-[0031]).
20. A platen belt (element: 302, figure: 3), comprising:
an endless belt (element: 302, figure: 3) having a first edge and a second edge;
a media-facing surface defining a first surface of the endless belt, the media-facing surface extending from the first edge to the second edge, the media-facing surface comprises a first type of material having a first property that grips media to advance the media along a media path (see figure: 1-3);
an inner surface is disposed opposite the media-facing surface and extends from the first edge to the second edge (figure: 3); and
a cleaning element (element: 310, figure: 3) disposed on, or integrated with, the media-facing surface, the cleaning element comprises a second type of material different from the first type of material, the second type of material having a second property that cleans at least a portion of a printhead (element: 220, figure: 3).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Love et al. (# US 2011/0279537) discloses a maintenance system for a printhead, the system having a sled; a wiper module supported by the sled, the wiper module comprising a rotatable shaft and a porous material about the shaft; a lift mechanism for lifting the wiper module from the sled to position the porous material against the printhead; a rotation mechanism for rotating the shaft so that the porous material rotates against the printhead, the porous material being configured to absorb fluid from the printhead during the rotation; and a sliding mechanism for sliding the sled relative to the printhead so that the rotating porous material is wiped across the printhead (see Abstract).
(2) Love et al. (# US 2011/0279520) discloses a printer having a media width printhead a sled slidably arranged with respect to the printhead a media platen module supported by the sled a capper module supported by the sled a wiper module supported by the sled and a selection mechanism for selectively sliding the sled to align one of the platen, capper and wiper modules with the printhead, and for moving the aligned module to a position in proximity of the printhead (see Abstract).
(3) Hibbard et al. (# US 2009/0179952) discloses a maintenance facility for an inkjet printer that has a printhead with an array of nozzles defined in a nozzle face. The printhead maintenance facility has a wiper member having an array of contact pads mounted for movement independent of each other and a maintenance drive for moving the wiper member over the printhead in the media feed direction such that the array of contact pads wipe all the nozzles defined in the nozzle face (see Abstract).
(4) Cohen et al. (# US 2021/0129522) discloses a method includes rotating a print apparatus component to be cleaned about a first rotational axis. A cleaning element having a cleaning surface in contact with the print apparatus component may be driven such that the cleaning surface has a component of motion which is parallel to the first rotational axis in a contact region. A relative velocity of the cleaning element and the print apparatus component may be varied during a cleaning operation (see Abstract).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANISH S SHAH whose telephone number is (571)272-2152. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo 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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MANISH S. SHAH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Manish S Shah/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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