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 received.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statements (IDS’s) submitted on 10 January 2025 and 11 July 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the Information Disclosure Statements have been considered by the Examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 4, & 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by YAMASHITA et al. (US 2021/0155001 A1).
As related to independent claim 1, YAMASHITA et al. teaches an inkjet control method for controlling an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a belt conveyor device (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 2, Paragraphs 25-32 and Figure 3, Reference #5 & #8, shown below) including an endless conveying belt in which a plurality of opening portions (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 2, Paragraphs 25-32 and Figure 8, Reference #82 & #80, shown below), each including one or more through holes, are formed at intervals in a circumferential direction and configured to convey a sheet (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 2, Paragraphs 25-32 and Figure 8, Reference #80 & #P, shown below) on the conveying belt by rotating the conveying belt; and a nozzle unit (YAMASHITA et al. – Figure 2, Reference #17 & #17a-17c) including a plurality of nozzles (YAMASHITA et al. – Figure 2, Reference #18) disposed to face an upper surface of the conveying belt and a plurality of piezoelectric elements (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 9, Paragraph 97) configured to cause the plurality of nozzles to eject ink by pressurizing ink supplied to the plurality of nozzles, and capable of executing a printing process of forming an image on the sheet by ejecting ink onto the sheet conveyed on the conveying belt, the inkjet control method comprising: a processor (YAMASHITA et al. – Figure 1, Reference #110, shown below) acquiring sheet length information (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 5, Paragraph 63) [i.e. the sheet length is required in order to perform the flushing] representing a length in a conveying direction of a target sheet to be conveyed by the belt conveyor device; and the processor selecting, as a target flushing process, one or both of a first flushing process in which ink is ejected toward each of the plurality of opening portions in an area of the conveying belt where the sheet does not exist (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 8 – 9, Paragraph 93) and a second flushing process in which ink is ejected toward a non-drawing area of the target sheet in parallel with the printing process on the target sheet (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 9, Paragraphs 100 - 105), in accordance with the sheet length information, and causing the nozzle unit to execute the target flushing process (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 4, Paragraphs 47-48).
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As related to dependent claim 5, YAMASHITA et al. continues to teach an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a belt conveyor device including an endless conveying belt in which a plurality of opening portions (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 2, Paragraphs 25-32 and Figure 3, Reference #5 & #8, shown above), each including one or more through holes, are formed at intervals in a circumferential direction and configured to convey a sheet on the conveying belt by rotating the conveying belt (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 2, Paragraphs 25-32 and Figures 8-9, Reference #80 & #P, shown above); a nozzle unit including a plurality of nozzles disposed to face an upper surface of the conveying belt and a plurality of piezoelectric elements configured to cause the plurality of nozzles to eject ink by pressurizing ink supplied to the plurality of nozzles, and capable of executing a printing process of forming an image on the sheet by ejecting ink onto the sheet conveyed on the conveying belt (YAMASHITA et al. – Figure 2, Reference #17 & #17a-17c & #18, shown above); and a processor configured to implement the inkjet control method (YAMASHITA et al. – Figure 1, Reference #110, shown above).
As related to dependent claim 4, YAMASHITA et al. continues to teach when selecting the target flushing process including the second flushing process, the processor sets a target area to be subject to the second flushing process among all areas of the target sheet in the conveying direction in accordance with the sheet length information (YAMASHITA et al. – Page 9, Paragraphs 100 – 105).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YAMASHITA et al. (US 2021/0155001 A1) in view of IMOTO (US 2020/0086643 A1).
As related to dependent claim 2, YAMASHITA et al. does not specifically teach a temperature or humidity sensor. However, IMOTO teaches an inkjet control method for controlling an inkjet recording apparatus comprising a belt conveyor device (IMOTO – Page 5, Paragraph 73 and Figure 1, shown below)and specifically teaches the inkjet recording apparatus includes one or both of an internal temperature sensor configured to detect an internal temperature and an internal humidity sensor configured to detect an internal humidity, the processor corrects a reference length in accordance with a detection result of one or both of the internal temperature sensor and the internal humidity sensor, and selects the target flushing process by comparing the length represented by the sheet length information with the corrected reference length (IMOTO – Page 1, Paragraph 5; Page 4, Paragraphs 59-62 and Figures 1 & 4A, shown below). It would have been obvious ton one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the inkjet control method of YAMASHITA et al. with the sensors of IMOTO in an effort to provide an inkjet control method which ensures the system maintains the appropriate temperature and humidity as needed (IMOTO – Page 1, Paragraphs 3-5).
As related to further dependent claim 3, the combination of YAMASHITA and IMOTO remains as applied above and continues to teach the inkjet recording apparatus includes a heater configured to heat the nozzle unit and a unit temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the nozzle unit, the processor corrects the reference length using the temperature detected by the unit temperature sensor as the temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor (IMOTO – Page 4, Paragraphs 59-67 and Page 5, Paragraph 77).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yokoi (US 5,040,000 A) teaches an inkjet control method for an apparatus having a belt conveyor with a jetting area. Inoue (US 2005/0078145 A1) teaches a droplet discharging apparatus with a conveyor belt and a jetting area and temperature sensors. Ito (US 2010/0053254 A1) teaches a recording apparatus with a suction conveyor belt and cleaning portions. Miyagi (US 8,303,104 B2) teaches a recording apparatus with a conveyor belt having a jetting area. MARUTA (US 2021/0107284 A1) teaches an inkjet recording apparatus having a vacuum suction conveyor belt and multiple sensors including multiple temperature sensors.
Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular Figures & Reference Numbers, Columns, Paragraphs and Line Numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to JOHN P ZIMMERMANN whose telephone number is (571)270-3049. The Examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 0700-1730 EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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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/John P Zimmermann/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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