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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wanikawa (2021/0031519) (hereinafter Wanikawa) in view of Yazaki (2017/0008288) (hereinafter Yazaki).
Regarding Claim 1, Wanikawa teaches a liquid ejecting head (26, Fig. 3) [Paragraphs 0030-0032], comprising: a pressure compartment substrate (32, Fig. 2) in which a plurality of pressure compartments (C1, Fig. 2) including a first pressure compartment (C1u, Figs. 2-3) extending in a first direction is provided [Paragraph 0035]; a first piezoelectric element (34u, Figs. 2-3) disposed over the pressure compartment substrate (32) in such a way as to correspond to the first pressure compartment (C1u) and including a piezoelectric body (343, Fig. 4), an upper electrode (342, Fig. 4), and a lower electrode (341, Fig. 4) [Paragraphs 0037-0038, 0040, 0045]; and a sealing plate (35, Figs. 2, 4-5) in which a first recess (350 Fig. 4), housing the first piezoelectric element (34) is provided and which is disposed over the first piezoelectric element (34) [Paragraphs 0051-0052], wherein when the liquid ejecting head (26) is viewed in plan in a vertical direction, the piezoelectric body (343) includes a first region (see Fig. 3 reproduced below and Fig. 4) extending from a position of overlapping with the first pressure compartment (C1u) to a position of overlapping with one of two walls (see Fig. 3 reproduced below and Fig. 4) that the first recess (350) includes in the first direction [see Figs. 3-4], a second region 9 see Fig. 3 reproduced below and Fig. 4) overlapping with an other of the two walls (see Fig. 3 reproduced below and Fig. 4) that the first recess (350) includes in the first direction [see Figs. 3-4].
Wanikawa fails to teach a fifth region overlapping with the other of the two walls, and in the first direction, the fifth region is located between the first region and the second region and is provided away from the first region and the second region.
Yazaki teaches a fifth region overlapping with the other of the two walls, and in the first direction, the fifth region is located between the first region and the second region and is provided away from the first region and the second region [Paragraphs 0036, 0049-0050, 0095, see also Figs. 3A and Fig. 11].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a fifth region overlapping with the other of the two walls, and in the first direction, the fifth region is located between the first region and the second region and is provided away from the first region and the second region as taught by Wanikawa as modified by Yazaki for the purposes of providing reliable and excellent displacement properties [Yazaki, Paragraph 0095].
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Regarding Claim 4, Wanikawa as modified by Yazaki teaches the liquid ejecting head (26) [Wanikawa, Paragraphs 0035, 0037-0038, 0040, 0045, 0051-0052 and Yazaki, Paragraphs 0036, 0049-0050, 0095].
Wanikawa further teaches wherein an auxiliary layer containing NiCr is formed over at least a part of the second region [Paragraph 0049].
Yazaki fails to teach wherein an auxiliary layer containing NiCr is formed over at least a part of the second region.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein an auxiliary layer containing NiCr is formed over at least a part of the second region as taught by Wanikawa as modified by Yazaki for the purposes of generating energy that changes the pressure in the pressure chamber to cause a discharge of ink [Wanikawa, Paragraph 0050].
Regarding Claim 8, Wanikawa as modified by Yazaki teaches the liquid ejecting head (26) according to claim 1 [Wanikawa, Paragraphs 0035, 0037-0038, 0040, 0045, 0051-0052 and Yazaki, Paragraphs 0036, 0049-0050, 0095].
Wanikawa further teaches a liquid ejecting apparatus (100) [Paragraph 0025].
Yazaki is not relied upon to teach a liquid ejecting apparatus.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus as taught by Wanikawa as modified by for the purposes of discharging ink to a medium [Wanikawa, Paragraph 0026].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 and 5-7 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 the allowance of claim(s) 2 is the inclusion of the limitation of a liquid ejecting head that includes a fifth region overlapping an end region that is a region of, of ends of an other of two walls, the one of the two walls closest to a first recess when the liquid ejecting head is a plan view. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 3 is the inclusion of the limitation of a liquid ejecting head that includes a second conductive layer containing Au is over at least a part of a fifth region of a piezoelectric body. It is this limitation found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 5 is the inclusion of the limitation a liquid ejecting head that includes a first region greater in width in a first direction than a width of a second region in the first direction, and the width of the second region greater than a width of the fifth region in the first direction. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 6 is the inclusion of the limitation a liquid ejecting head that includes a fifth region of a piezoelectric body surrounds a plurality of first pressure compartments in the liquid ejecting head. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
The primary reason for the allowance of claim(s) 7 is the inclusion of the limitation a liquid ejecting head that includes pressure compartment substrate having a narrow portion defining a wall surface of a communication neck with a sectional area smaller than a sectional area of a supply compartment and a first pressure compartment, the supply compartment is in communication with the first pressure compartment via the communication neck, and a fifth region overlaps the narrow portion when viewing the liquid ejecting head is in a plan view. It is these limitations found in the claims, as it is claimed in the combination, that has not been found, taught, or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LISA SOLOMON whose telephone number is (571)272-1701. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:30am -6pm, EST.
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/LISA SOLOMON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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