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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed on 2/25/25, the requirements 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d) are met.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited on a Form PTO 1449 have been considered.
Specification
The specification has been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. However, the applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takahashi et al. (U.S. 2020/0108622 A1).
Takahashi et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding independent Claim 1, a printer (1, §0026 and Fig. 1), comprising:
an ink container (151, §0048 and Fig. 5) to accommodate ink;
an ink head (151, §§0026, 0048 and Fig. 5) to eject the ink;
an ink flow path (§0049 and Fig. 5) including a first flow path (C2, C3, C5, §§0049, 0055, 0059 and Fig. 5) and a second flow path (C4, §0049 and Fig. 5), the ink flow path connecting the ink container and the ink head to each other;
a liquid feeding pump (P1, §0049 and Fig. 5) provided in the first flow path to feed the ink in a direction from the ink container toward the ink head; and
a depressurizing pump (P2, §§0055, 0060 and Fig. 5) provided in the second flow path to feed the ink in a direction from the ink head toward the ink container.
Regarding Claim 2, a controller (100, 200, 209, 210, §§0035-0040 and Fig. 2) configured or programmed to control the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to include:
a first pressurization controller configured or programmed to close the depressurizing pump and to drive the liquid feeding pump to pressurize an inside of the ink flow path to a pressure at which the ink leaks out from the ink head (§§0040, 0071 and Fig. 9); and
a first depressurization controller configured or programmed to close the liquid feeding pump and to drive the depressurizing pump to depressurize the inside of the ink flowpath (§§0040, 0072-0073 and Fig. 10).
Regarding Claim 3, an intermediate container (e.g. 83, §0060 and Fig. 5) capable of storing the ink, the intermediate container being in communication with the ink head; wherein:
the ink flow path includes:
a first branching portion (the flowpath inside the printhead 8, Fig. 5) connected with one of two ends of the first flow path and one of two ends of the second flow path, and in communication with the ink container;
a first common flow path (e.g. C5, Fig. 5) having one of two ends thereof connected with the intermediate container; and
a second branching portion (the sub tank 151, Fig. 5) connected with the other end of the first flow path, the other end of the second flow path and the other end of the first common flow path.
Regarding Claim 4, further comprising a controller (100, 200, 209, 210, §§0035-0040 and Fig. 2) configured or programmed to control the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to include:
a second depressurization controller configured or programmed to close the liquid feeding pump and to drive the depressurizing pump to depressurize an inside of the ink flow path to a pressure at which the ink is not pulled into the ink head (§§0040, 0068 and Fig. 7); and
a second pressurization controller configured or programmed to close the depressurizing pump and to drive the liquid feeding pump to pressurize the inside of the ink flow path to a pressure at which the ink does not leak out from the ink head (§§0040, 0070 and Fig. 8).
Regarding Claim 9, further comprising an intermediate container (e.g. 83, §0060 and Fig. 5) capable of storing the ink, the intermediate container being in communication with the ink head;
wherein the ink flow path includes a branching portion (the flowpath inside the printhead 8, Fig. 5) connected with one of two ends of the first flow path and one of two ends of the second flow path, and in communication with the ink container; and
the other end of the first flow path and the other end of the second flow path are connected with the intermediate container (Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 10, further comprising a controller (100, 200, 209, 210, §§0035-0040 and Fig. 2) configured or programmed to control the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to include:
a fourth depressurization controller configured or programmed to close the liquid feeding pump and to drive the depressurizing pump to depressurize an inside of the ink flow path to a pressure at which the ink is not pulled into the ink head (§§0040, 0068 and Fig. 7); and
a fourth pressurization controller configured or programmed to close the depressurizing pump and to drive the liquid feeding pump to pressurize the inside of the ink flow path to a pressure at which the ink does not leak out from the ink head (§§0040, 0070 and Fig. 8).
Regarding Claim 11, wherein: the ink flow path includes a common flow path (e.g. C5, Fig. 5) having one of two ends thereof connected with the ink container and having the other end thereof connected with the branching portion; the printer further includes:
a valve (V5, §0053 and Fig. 5) provided in the common flow path; and
a controller (100, 200, 209, 210, §§0035-0040 and Fig. 2) configured or programmed to control the liquid feeding pump, the depressurizing pump and the valve; and
the controller is configured or programmed to include:
a fifth pressurization controller configured or programmed to open the valve, to close the depressurizing pump, and to drive the liquid feeding pump to pressurize an inside of the intermediate container (§§0059, 0066, 0070 and Figs. 8-9); and
a fifth circulation controller configured or programmed to close the valve in a state where the inside of the intermediate container is pressurized as being controlled by the fifth pressurization controller (§§0059, 0066 and Figs. 8-9), and further to drive the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump (§0060), or to drive one of the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump and to open the other of the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump.
Regarding Claim 12, wherein the ink flow path includes a common flow path (e.g. C5, Fig. 5) having one of two ends thereof connected with the ink container and having the other end thereof connected with the branching portion; the printer further includes:
a valve (V5, §0053 and Fig. 5) in the common flow path; and
a controller configured or programmed to control the liquid feeding pump, the depressurizing pump and the valve; and
the controller is configured or programmed to include:
a fifth depressurization controller configured or programmed to open the valve, to close the liquid feeding pump, and to drive the depressurizing pump to depressurize an inside of the intermediate container (§0060); and
a sixth circulation controller configured or programmed to close the valve in a state where the inside of the intermediate container is depressurized as being controlled by the fifth depressurization controller (§§0059, 0066 and Figs. 8-9), and to further drive the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump (§0060), or to drive one of the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump and to open the other of the liquid feeding pump and the depressurizing pump.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 5-8 is the inclusion of the limitations of a printer including a second common flow path having one of two ends thereof connected with the ink container and having the other end thereof connected with the first branching portion; and a third flow path having one of two ends thereof connected with the first branching portion and having the other end thereof connected with the intermediate container; and the printer further includes: a first valve in the second common flow path; and a second valve in the third flow path. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kawase (U.S. 2008/0084463 A1) discloses a relationship between a circulation pressurization pump, a circulation suction pump, and an air suction pump. Karita et al. (U.S. 2017/0239956 A1) disclose a liquid supply unit comprising first and second circulation pumps and a depressurization pump. Ueda (U.S. 2019/0275804 A1) discloses an ink supply system comprising a main flow path including a first end that is connected to an ink container and a second end that is connected to an ink head, a pump that is provided in the main flow path and delivers, when driven, liquid toward a side of the ink head, and a bypass flow path including a first connection portion that is connected to a portion of the main flow path.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER D SHENDEROV whose telephone number is (571)270-7049. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodrigues can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEXANDER D SHENDEROV/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/JASON S UHLENHAKE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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