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)(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.
(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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamagishi et al. (# US 2021/0016564).
Yamagishi et al. discloses:
1. A nozzle unit control method (see figure: 5, 6) for controlling a nozzle unit including a plurality of nozzles (see Abstract; element: 30, figure:3-6) capable of ejecting ink ([0047]-[0053]) and a plurality of piezoelectric elements ([0052]; [0058]; element: 322C, figure: 4) for pressurizing the ink supplied to the plurality of nozzles, the nozzle unit control method selectively switching the nozzle unit between a capped state in which the plurality of nozzles are covered by a cap (element: 51; figure: 1; [0025]-[0089]) and an open state in which the plurality of nozzles are opened by removing the cap ([0025]);
the nozzle unit control method (figure: 5; [0047]-[0128]) comprising:
a processor timing a capped time that is a duration time of the capped state of the nozzle unit when the ink is not being ejected, and an open time that is a duration time of the open state of the nozzle unit when the ink is not being ejected ([0025]);
the processor setting a number of times parameter relating to a number of times that a meniscus of the ink in the plurality of nozzles is oscillated according to the capped time and the open time ([0056]; [0128]); and
the processor vibrating the plurality of piezoelectric elements to generate a meniscus oscillation of the ink a number of times corresponding to the number of times parameter during a period from when a request for image formation by ejecting the ink is received until when the image formation is started ([0041]-[0042]).
2. The nozzle unit control method according to claim 1, wherein the processor sets the number of times parameter according to: a first capped time that is the capped time in a state in which an inner portion of the cap covering the plurality of nozzles is not humidified by a humidification device; a second capped time that is the capped time when the inner portion of the cap covering the plurality of nozzles is humidified by the humidification device; and the open time ([0025]-[0056]; see Abstract).
3. The nozzle unit control method according to claim 1, wherein the processor corrects the number of times parameter according to a temperature detected by a temperature detection portion (temperature sensor; S1, figure: 1) that detects the temperature of the nozzle unit or the temperature around the nozzle unit ([0019]-[0047]).
4. The nozzle unit control method according to claim 3, wherein the nozzle unit comprises a heater; and in a case in which the temperature detection portion is arranged in the nozzle unit, the processor divides the plurality of piezoelectric elements into a plurality of element groups, and executes correction of the number of times parameter based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection portion for each of the plurality of element groups (figure: 2-6).
5. The nozzle unit control method according to claim 1, wherein the processor corrects the number of times parameter according to humidity detected by a humidity detection portion that detects the humidity around the nozzle unit ([0026]-[0043]).
6. The nozzle unit control method according to claim 1 further comprising: the processor recording update status data including an update result of the capped time or the open time, or an update result of the number of times parameter, and update time data in a non-volatile storage device; and the processor, when started from a paused state, setting an initial value of the capped time or the open time based on the update status data recorded in the non-volatile storage device, a start time, and a state of the nozzle unit at the time of starting ([0048]-[0075]).
7. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: one or more nozzle units including a plurality of nozzles capable of ejecting ink (element: 30, figure: 3; [0034]) and a plurality of piezoelectric elements that pressurize the ink supplied to the plurality of nozzles ([0042]), and configured to selectively switch between a capped state in which the plurality of nozzles are covered by a cap and an open state in which the plurality of nozzles are opened by removing the cap; and a processor configured to implement a nozzle unit control method according to claim 1 ([0034]-[0063]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(1) Arima et al. (# US 2022/0250377) discloses an inkjet marking apparatus (see Abstract; figure: 1-20) comprising: a print head (element: 2, figure: 4) including a nozzle which spouts out supplied ink while the ink turns into particles (element: 21, figure: 4), a charging electrode which gives charge to ink particles spouted out from the nozzle (element: 23, figure: 4) , a deflecting electrode which deflects the ink particles charged by the charging electrode (element: 24, figure: 4), and a gutter which collects non-used ink not used for printing (element: 25, figure: 4).
(2) Takahashi et al. (# US 2011/0122192) discloses a cap mode where a cap member covers a nozzle surface, a controller controls a second movement mechanism so that the cap member is disposed opposite to the nozzle surface. In an ejection recovery mode where ink is ejected from a plurality of nozzles and the ink adhered to the nozzle surface is wiped off by a wiping member, the controller controls a first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism so that the nozzle surface, a wiping tray and the cap member are arranged downward in this order (see Abstract).
(3) Nagashima (# US 2008/0079759) discloses an inkjet recording apparatus includes a circulation flow channel connected to nozzle flow channels and via which ink from pressure chambers is circulated; actuators which changes pressure in the pressure chambers to eject the ink from the nozzles; and a circulating flow generation device which generates a circulating ink flow from an ink supply port side to a circulation flow channel side. A control apparatus applies ink ejection signals to the actuators for the pressure chambers in which the ink is ejected, the control apparatus also applies, to the actuators for the pressure chambers in which the ink is not ejected, continuous meniscus shaking signals causing the ink in the nozzles to shake to an extent which does not lead the ink to be ejected, wherein the control apparatus thins out the meniscus shaking signals at a plurality of different cycles (see Abstract).
(4) Ogawa (# US 2014/0247303) discloses a liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head having a plurality of nozzle units, a plurality of capping devices, a movement mechanism, a plurality of suctioning tubes, a suctioning mechanism, a connection device, and a control device. The control device controls the suctioning mechanism to suction fluid in the capping device corresponding to one of the nozzle units and the capping device corresponding to a different one of the nozzle units. In response to expiration of a predetermined time period, which is a predetermined amount of time that the suctioning mechanism generates a suctioning force, the control device controls to disconnect the capping device corresponding to the one of the nozzle units from the suctioning mechanism (see Abstract).
(5) Nakano (# US 2009/0174740) discloses an inkjet printer includes a printing head having nozzle units, a main scanning control unit, a sub scanning control unit, and a printing pass setting unit. Each nozzle unit includes a nozzle array where the nozzles are arranged in a nozzle array direction. The main scanning control unit makes the printing head to scan in a main scanning direction while the nozzle units discharge ink drops. The sub scanning control unit relatively moves the printing head with respect to the medium in a sub scanning direction. The printing pass setting unit correlates each of the nozzles with each of multiple printing passes to be printed at once by a scanning of the printing head in the main scanning direction, and sets discharging nozzles among the nozzles to discharge ink drops to the printing passes not to overlap boundaries of the printing passes with boundaries of the nozzle units (see Abstract).
(6) Nakano et al. (# US 2020/0376834) discloses an ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a wiper member, a cleaning liquid supply device, and a controller. The recording head includes an ink ejection surface having an ink ejection port from which ink is ejected. The cleaning liquid supply device includes a cleaning liquid supply surface having a cleaning liquid supply port from which cleaning liquid for wiping the ink ejection surface with the wiper member is supplied, and is located upstream of the ink ejection surface in a wiping direction. The controller controls a cleaning operation including squeezing out the cleaning liquid containing bubbles from the cleaning liquid supply port, and moving the wiper member carrying the cleaning liquid containing bubbles, in the wiping direction from a movement start position to an end position ahead of the ink ejection surface (see Abstract).
(7) Inui (# US 2021/0070053) discloses an ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a wiper element, and a controller. The recording head includes a cleaning solution supplier, an ink ejecting surface, and an abutment member. To perform a cleaning operation, the controller causes a cleaning solution to be squeezed from a cleaning solution outlet, moves the wiper element over the ink ejecting surface in a wiping direction, from a travel start position where the wiper element contacts with the cleaning solution supplier, to an end position corresponding to the abutment member, moves the wiper element away from the end position in a vertical descending direction, and performs, a predetermined number of times, an operation including: bringing the wiper element into contact with the abutment member by moving the wiper element in a vertical ascending direction; and moving the wiper element in the vertical descending direction to separate from the abutment member (see Abstract).
(8) Taneda et al. (# JP 2021-091171A) discloses an inkjet recording system comprises a cleaning placement part 200 on which a printing head 1 is placed when cleaning the printing head 1 using cleaning liquid, and a placement detection part that detects that the printing head 1 is placed on a normal position with respect to the cleaning placement part 200 (see Abstract).
(9) Yoshida (# JP H0958014A) discloses an ink jet printer comprises printer diver, and flush timing detecting part (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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MANISH S. SHAH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2853
/Manish S Shah/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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