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 Invention I in the reply filed on 7/27/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 5-12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/27/26.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mori (JP 2017154473 A).
Regarding claim 1, Mori discloses A liquid ejection head comprising:
a channel member (20, fig. 5, Abstract) having a liquid channel including a nozzle (see fig. 5, Abstract);
an actuator member (21, fig. 5, Abstract) disposed on an upper surface of the channel member (see fig. 5), the actuator member having an upper surface on which a first contact (inherent in last para on pg. 4 of translation) is disposed (see fig. 5), the actuator member being configured to cause the nozzle to eject liquid (see Abstract);
a wiring member (23+34a+34b, fig. 5, see highlighted portion of pg. 4 of translation) including:
a connection portion (34a, fig. 5, see highlighted portion of pg. 4 of translation) disposed on the upper surface of the actuator member (see fig. 5), the connection portion including a second contact (34a) electrically connected to the first contact (inherent in highlighted portion of pg. 4 of translation); and
a folded portion (see fig. 4) folded upward from an end of the connection portion (see fig. 4); and
a spring (27, fig. 4,5, Abstract) disposed above the connection portion (see fig. 4,5), the spring including a first urging portion (54, fig. 5) configured to urge the connection portion toward the actuator member (Inherent in fig. 4,5. If 51 is pushing up, then 50 must inherently push down.).
Regarding claim 2, Mori further discloses The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, further comprising: a driver circuit (35, fig. 5, Abstract) disposed above the spring (see fig. 5); and a heat sink (26, fig. 5, Abstract) disposed above the driver circuit (see fig. 5), wherein the spring further includes a second urging portion configured to urge the driver circuit toward the heat sink (53, fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3, Mori further discloses The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the second urging portion includes two second urging portions that are arranged to urge one driver circuit toward the heat sink (see fig. 5).
Regarding claim 13, please note the rejection as set forth above with respect to claim 1. Claim 13 is rejected for similar reasons as claim 1; detailed discussion is omitted for brevity. Note that fig. 1 of Mori discloses claim 13’s “a conveyor configured to convey a sheet; and
a liquid ejection head configured to eject liquid onto the sheet conveyed by the conveyor.”
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 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 reference(s) is/are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and is/are cited for disclosing related limitations to the applicant’s claimed and disclosed invention.
US 20030210300 A1
An inkjet drop ejection apparatus with a chamber, an actuator, and a nozzle, where drops of ink are ejected through the nozzle, and where the chamber comprises a hollow structure formed on a semiconductor substrate. The chamber is partly formed of the same material as the actuator, simplifying the fabrication process.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN SEO whose telephone number is (571)270-1327. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo I 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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/JUSTIN SEO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
September 30, 2026
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