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 3, 8, 10, 19 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 claim 3, examiner is unsure as to how the digital-analog converter sets a voltage when an it only converts a signal that has been input. A converter converts signals it does not set signals.
Regarding claim 8, examiner is unsure as to how the generation unit generates different voltages for upper electrodes parts and generates a same volage for counter electrodes parts. How does the generation unit know the difference between supplying different voltages to the upper electrodes parts and supplying same voltages to counter electrodes when generating voltages?
Regarding claim 10, Examiner is unsure if “the configuration” is the same configuration as “a different configuration”.
The remaining claims are also rejected under USC 112 second paragraph due to its dependency on the rejected claims.
4. Claim 10 recites the limitation "the configuration" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Claim(s) 1-7, 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kato et al. (US 2015/0336385).
Kato et al. disclose the following claimed limitations:
* Re clms 1, 18 & 19, a liquid ejection head substrate/100/ (Abst., para 0041, figs 5);
* electrothermal conversion elements/103/ that apply heat to a liquid (paras 0005-0011,
0030, figs 1-7);
* an upper electrode/131/ part in which a plurality of upper electrodes/electrode pair,
141A, 141B/ that protect the electrothermal conversion elements/103/ are formed at positions/to
the left & right of the upper electrode/ where the upper electrodes/131/ come into contact with
the liquid (figs 1-5);
* a counter electrode/132/ part which is provided to correspond to the upper
electrode/131/ part and in which a plurality of counter electrodes are formed to be electrically
connectable to the upper electrodes via the liquid (para 0034, see clm 15);
* a generation unit/power supply, 142/ that generates a voltage to be applied to at least
one of the upper electrode/131/ part and the counter electrode/132/ part (para 0031, fig 1).
* Re clm 2, wherein a plurality of the upper electrode parts/131/ and a plurality of the counter electrode parts/132/ are provided, and the generation unit generates a same voltage for the plurality of upper electrode parts and is capable of generating different voltages for the plurality of counter electrode parts (para 0040, figs 1-10).
* Re clm 3, wherein a plurality of the upper electrode parts and a plurality of the counter electrode parts are provided, and the generation unit is capable of generating different voltages for the plurality of upper electrode parts and generates a same voltage for the plurality of counter electrode parts (para 0040, figs 1-10).
* Re clm 4, whereina plurality of the upper electrode parts and a plurality of the counter electrode parts are provided, and the generation unit is capable of generating different voltages for the plurality of upper electrode parts and the plurality of counter electrode parts. (para 0040) , figs 1-10).
* Re clm 5, wherein the generation unit is provided individually for each of the upper electrode part and the counter electrode part (para 0031, fig 1).
* Re clm 6, wherein a plurality of the upper electrode parts are provided, and one or more generation units that generate a voltage or voltages to the upper electrode parts are provided. (paras 0031-0034, fig 1).
* Re clm 7, wherein a plurality of the counter electrode parts are provided, and one or more generation units that generate a voltage or voltages to the counter electrode parts are provided (paras 0031-0034, fig 1).
Re clm 14., wherein the generation unit is connected to the upper electrode part and the counter electrode part via through-hole technologies, and the through-hole technologies are formed near an electrode connectable to an external configuration (para 0031, figs 1-10).
* Re clm 15. wherein the counter electrode part is provided on at least one side of the upper electrode part in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the upper electrode part extends and extends parallel to the upper electrode part with a predetermined gap interposed therebetween (figs 1-5).
* Re clm 16, wherein the upper electrodes contain a material capable of being eluted into the liquid through an electrochemical reaction (paras 0009, 0031, 0040, 0043, figs 1-10);
* Re clm 17, wherein the upper electrodes and the counter electrodes contain iridium (para 0008, 0071, figs 10).
* Re clm 18, a liquid ejection head/1/ * wherein the liquid ejection head/1/ boils/heats/ the liquid with heat energy exerted by the electrothermal conversion elements/103/, and ejects the liquid from ejection ports/121/ with force of bubbles/foaming of liquid/ generated by the boiling/heating, exposure to high temperatures/ (paras 0004, 0006, figs 1-5).
* Re clm 19, a liquid ejection apparatus/recording apparatus, 500/ (Tittle, Abst., 0002, 0011, 0049-0051, fig 1-7); * wherein the liquid ejection apparatus/500/ performs predetermined processing by boiling/heating, exposure to high temperatures/ the liquid with heat energy exerted by the electrothermal conversion elements/103/, and using the liquid ejected with force of bubbles/foaming of liquid/ generated by the boiling/heating, exposure to high temperatures/ from
a liquid ejection head/1/ that ejects the liquid from ejection ports/121/(paras 0004, 0006, fig 1-5).
* Re clm 20, wherein the liquid is ink, and the liquid ejection head/1/ records information by ejecting the ink to a recording medium/paper sheet, P/ (para 0002, 0004, 0051, 0053, fig 1-5).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. 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.
9. Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato et al. (US 2015/0336385) in view of Yamamoto et al. (US CN 107110716)
Kato et al. disclose all the claimed limitations except for the following:
* Re clm 10, wherein the configuration is a temperature detection part/143/.
Yamamoto et al. (US CN 107110716)
* Re clm 10, wherein the configuration is a temperature detection part/21/.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to utilize wherein the configuration is a temperature detection part, taught by Yamamoto et al. into Kato et al. for the purpose of detecting the temperature.
Allowable Subject Matter
10. Claims 11-13 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 primary reason for indicating allowable subject matter of claims 11-12 is the inclusion of the limitations of a liquid ejection head substrate that includes wherein the
generation unit generates, by resistance voltage division, a voltage to be applied to at least one of
the upper electrode part and the counter electrode part. It is this limitation found in each of the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of 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 indicating allowable subject matter of claim 13 is the inclusion of the limitations of a liquid ejection head substrate that includes wherein the generation unit is formed by a digital-analog converter that sets a voltage to output based on an input signal, the digital-analog converter is capable of generating a voltage selectively for the upper electrode part and the counter electrode part corresponding to the upper electrode part via a switch unit. It is this limitation found in each of the claims, as it is claimed in the combination of that has not been found, taught or suggested by the prior art of record, which makes these claims allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRISTAL FEGGINS whose telephone number is (571)272-2254. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 930-530pm.
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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/KRISTAL FEGGINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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