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 3/31/25, 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 § 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 4-12 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.
Specifically, Claim 4 recites, and its dependent Claims 5-10 incorporate, inter alia, the limitation "the porous print medium". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Furthermore, it is not clear if "the porous print medium" and "the print medium" from Claim 1 is the same medium or not.
Similarly, Claim 11 recites, and its dependent Claim 12 incorporates, inter alia, the limitation “a porous print medium” "the print medium". There is insufficient antecedent basis for the latter limitation in the claim. Furthermore, it is not clear if "the porous print medium" and "a print medium" is the same medium or not.
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, 3-5, 7 and 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kadomatsu et al. (U.S. 2006/0170752 A1).
Kadomatsu et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding independent Claim 1, a printer (10, §§0050, 0083 and Figs. 1, 8) comprising:
a printing assembly (10, §§0050, 0083 and Figs. 1, 8) configured to print an image on a print medium;
a suction chamber (34, §0056 and Fig. 1) arranged under the printing assembly during use and configured to suck the print medium;
a transport belt (33, §§0055-0056 and Fig. 1) having holes through which the print medium is sucked by the suction chamber and configured to transport the print medium while facing the printing assembly; and
a sealing member (15, §§0050, 0075-0076 and Figs. 1, 8) configured to cover a portion of the print medium over the suction chamber and extending over at least a majority of a width of the print medium and/or the transport belt, so that the print medium is held onto the transport belt.
Regarding Claim 3, wherein the sealing member is arranged to be drawn against the print medium by means of a negative pressure applied to the suction chamber (§§0055-0056 and Fig. 1; please note that a negative pressure applied to the suction chamber, and through the holes in the belt to the print medium, inherently draws the sealing member against the print medium as long as the latter has a nonzero porosity), thereby securing the portion of the print medium between the sealing member and the transport belt (§0077).
Regarding Claim 4, wherein sealing member is configured to be: movable into a sealing state in which the sealing member covers a portion of the porous print medium over the suction chamber, preventing or reducing gas flow through the portion of the porous print medium covered by the sealing member (§0077);
movable with the print medium over the suction chamber in a transport direction defined by the transport belt while in the sealing state (§§0143-0144 and Fig. 8); and
releasable from the portion of the print medium, so the portion is movable further into the transport direction uncovered (§§0143-0144 and Fig. 8).
Regarding Claim 5, wherein the sealing member defines: a contact position where the sealing member first contacts the print medium (§§0143-0144 and Fig. 8);
a release position downstream of the contact position in the transport direction where the sealing member is released from the print medium (§§0143-0144 and Fig. 8); and
a hold-down region extending between the contact position and the release position in the transport direction, the hold-down region being where the sealing member is sucked towards the suction chamber (§§0143-0144 and Fig. 8).
Regarding Claim 7, wherein the sealing member comprises an endless sealing belt (15A, §0075 and Figs. 1, 8).
Regarding Claim 10, a fluid collection channel (bottom of the suction chamber 34, §0056 and Fig. 1) mounted opposite the printing assembly and configured to collect marking material passing through the print medium during printing.
Regarding independent Claim 11, a method for transporting a porous print medium in a printer (10, §§0050, 0083 and Figs. 1, 8) having an endless transport belt (33, §§0055-0056 and Fig. 1) with holes therein, the method comprising:
applying a negative pressure to a first side of the print medium in a hold-down region (34, §0056 and Fig. 1);
covering a portion of the print medium in the hold-down region with a sealing member (15, §§0050, 0075-0077 and Figs. 1, 8) extending over at least a majority of a width of the print medium, so that the sealing member is sucked onto the print medium; and
driving the transport belt, thereby moving the print medium that is being held between the transport belt and the sealing member by the negative pressure (§0057).
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.
Claim(s) 2, 6 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kadomatsu et al. (U.S. 2006/0170752 A1).
Kadomatsu et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding Claim 2, all limitations of Claim 1 (from which this Claim depends).
Regarding Claim 6, all limitations of Claim 1 (from which this Claim depends);
(in a different embodiment) wherein the release position (of the treatment application roller 311, rather than solvent absorbing roller 15, §§0163-0167 and Fig. 11) is upstream of the printing assembly having at least one inkjet printhead, and wherein the contact position is downstream of and adjacent to an upstream support roller (31, §§0055-0056, 0147, 0163 and Fig. 11) configured to support the transport belt. Although it is a different embodiment, the treatment application roller 311 meets all limitations of Claim 1; furthermore, the treatment application roller 311 is analogous in function to the treatment liquid head 11, and would be positioned over the suction chamber 34 in a manner similar to the treatment liquid head 11, as shown in Fig. 1.
Regarding Claim 12, all limitations of Claim 11 (from which this Claim depends);
(in a different embodiment) releasing the sealing member (of the treatment application roller 311, rather than solvent absorbing roller 15, §§0163-0167 and Fig. 11) from the print medium; and printing an image on the released print medium (§§0163-0167 and Fig. 11). Although it is a different embodiment, the treatment application roller 311 meets all limitations of Claim 1; furthermore, the treatment application roller 311 is analogous in function to the treatment liquid head 11, and would be positioned over the suction chamber 34 in a manner similar to the treatment liquid head 11, as shown in Fig. 1.
Kadomatsu et al. do not disclose the following claimed limitations:
Regarding Claim 2, wherein the sealing member has a lower air permeability than the print medium. However, Kadomatsu et al. disclose the sealing member 15 to comprise the rotational axle 15A (§0075 and Figs. 1, 8). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to make the rotational axle 15A of solid metal to provide mechanical rigidity to the assembly. Solid metal inherently has a lower air permeability than the print media such as paper or fabric.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9 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 8-9 is the inclusion of the limitations of a printer including an assembly of sealing members positioned besides one another in a width direction of the transport belt, the width direction being perpendicular to the transport direction, wherein each sealing member is independently rotatable or pivotable with respect to the other sealing members around a respective axis extending in a height direction perpendicular to a print medium support plane defined by the transport belt. 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
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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