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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding the limitation of claim 1, “which is connected to a first ink storage part being a part below an ink liquid surface in the first reservoir tank”, it is not clear if it is the ink storage chamber, the connection, or the ink storage part is being referred to as the “being a part below”. Further, the term “first ink storage part” is not clearly defined whether it is a separate structure/part or merely a portion of the first reservoir tank.
Regarding claim 5, the term “abnormal time pressure” is ambiguous and does not have a clear definition. It is suggested adding the subject matter of claim 6 into claim 5 as the abnormal time pressure is defined.
Claims 7-8 are also rejected for the same reasons above since they are dependent from claim 5.
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) 1-3, 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suyama (JP2023047203) [translation provided by Applicant in IDS 7/15/2025] in view of Sakurai (JP2007160773) [translation provided by Applicant in IDS 2/6/2025]
Regarding claim 1, a printing apparatus (9) comprising: a first reservoir tank (91) which stores an ink (Figure 4; Paragraph 0036)
A recording head (H) which includes an ink storage chamber (Hc), which is connected to a first ink storage part being a part below an ink liquid surface in the first reservoir tank (91) and communicates with the first ink storage part (connection of tube 91b with the reservoir tank 91; Figure 4), and discharges the ink stored in the ink storage chamber from a nozzle (Hn) (Figure 4; Paragraphs 0035-0036)
A first pressure generator (93) which generates a first pressure (Paragraphs 0036-0037; Figure 4)
A first air pipe (933, 934) which applies the first pressure generated by the first pressure generator to a first space, which is above the ink liquid surface in the first reservoir tank, by connecting the first space and the first pressure generator (Figure 4; Paragraphs 0037-0039)
A first air filter (F1) which is provided in the first air pip (934) between the first reservoir tank (91) and the first pressure generator (93) and removes foreign matters from air in the first air pipe (Figure 4; Paragraph 0040)
Sakurai discloses a sensor (506) which detects the ink or air bubbles in the pipe between a tank and an air filter (502) (Figure 5; Paragraphs 0036-0037)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sakurai into the device of Suyama, for the purpose of removing air from inside the recording head and improving the reliability of image function (Abstract; Paragraph 0018)
Regarding claim 2, Sakurai discloses an air buffer (504) mounted in the air pipe between the sensor (506) and air filter (502) (Figure 5; Paragraph 0036)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sakurai into the device of Suyama, for the purpose of removing air from inside the recording head and improving the reliability of image function (Abstract; Paragraph 0018)
Regarding claim 3, Sakurai discloses a volume of the air buffer is smaller than that of the first reservoir tank (Figures 3, 5; Paragraphs 0036, 46)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sakurai into the device of Suyama, for the purpose of removing air from inside the recording head and improving the reliability of image function (Abstract; Paragraph 0018)
Regarding claim 9, a print control method, comprising: applying a first pressure to a first space via a first air pipe (933, 944), the first pressure being generated by a first pressure generator (93) for generating the first pressure, the first space being above an ink liquid surface in a first reservoir tank (91) for storing an ink, the first air pipe connecting the first space and the first pressure generator (Figure 4; Paragraphs 0035-0036)
Discharging the ink stored in an ink storage chamber form a nozzle (Hn) by a recording head (H) including the ink storage chamber, which is connected to the first ink storage part to communicate with a first ink storage part, the first ink storage part being a part below the ink liquid surface in the first reservoir tank (Figure 4; Paragraphs 0035-0036)
A first air filter (F1) being provided in the first air pipe (934) between the first reservoir tank (91) and the first pressure generator (93) to remove foreign matters from air in the first air pipe (Figure 4; Paragraphs 0037-0040)
Sakurai discloses a sensor (506) which detects the ink or air bubbles in the pipe between a tank and an air filter (502) (Figure 5; Paragraphs 0036-0037)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Sakurai into the device of Suyama, for the purpose of removing air from inside the recording head and improving the reliability of image function (Abstract; Paragraph 0018)
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suyama (JP2023047203) as modified by Sakurai (JP2007160773) and further in view of Koase et al (U.S. 2018/0345678)
Regarding claim 4, Koase discloses notifying a user if the sensor detects the ink or air bubbles (Paragraph 0130)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Koase into the device of Suyama as modified by Sakurai, for the purpose of efficiently supplying the liquid to the liquid ejection head
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON S UHLENHAKE whose telephone number is (571)272-5916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X. Rodriguez 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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/JASON S UHLENHAKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 July 9, 2026
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