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 .
This Office Action responses to the Application filed on 02/27/2025.
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 in parent Application No. JP 2022-150528, filed on 09/21/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) filed on 02/27/2025, and 06/13/2025 were considered.
Claims 1-6 are pending for examination.
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) 1-2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SUNAGAWA (US 20140143562 A1), hereinafter SUNAGAWA.
Regarding claim 1, SUNAGAWA discloses an electrical device (Fig. 1, 100) comprising:
a controlling unit (4) configured to control the electrical device (Fig. 1, 100);
a power supplying unit (2) configured to supply power to the controlling unit [0029]; and
a power controlling unit (3) configured to control supply and interruption of power with regard to the controlling unit by the power supplying unit [0030]- [001],
wherein the controlling unit and the power controlling unit are configured to perform command-based communication (RSTA_N RSTB_N are command-based), and
the power controlling unit instructs the power supplying unit to interrupt the supply of power to the controlling unit based on a shutdown command received from the controlling unit [0064].
Regarding claim 2, SUNAGAWA discloses the electrical device according to claim 1 above, SUNAGAWA also discloses
when a power-on occurs [0031], the power controlling unit instructs the power supplying unit to supply power to the controlling unit [0064], and
the controlling unit transmits the shutdown command to the power controlling unit based on a power-off instruction from a user [0036].
Regarding claim 4, SUNAGAWA discloses the electrical device according to claim 1 above, SUNAGAWA also discloses the power supplying unit includes:
a first power output unit (28a) configured to output power to be supplied to the controlling unit [0046], and
a second power output unit (28b) configured to output power to be supplied to the power controlling unit [0035].
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUNAGAWA.
Regarding claim 3, SUNAGAWA discloses the electrical device according to claim 1 above, SUNAGAWA also discloses
in a case where a power voltage of the power supplying unit falls to a first voltage or lower ([0062] power “When the voltage of the second power supply 28b is lower than the RSTB detection level”), the power supplying unit interrupts the supply of power to the controlling unit [0062].
SUNAGAWA does not explicitly disclose in a case where the power voltage of the power controlling unit falls to a second voltage or lower which lower than an operating voltage of the power controlling unit, the power controlling unit stops operating, and the first voltage is higher than the second voltage.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that when the power voltage of the power controlling unit falls below a second voltage which lower than an operating voltage of the power controlling unit wherein the first voltage is higher than the second voltage, it is inherent that the power controlling unit stops operating,
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUNAGAWA in view of Itoh (US 20040179053 A1), hereinafter Itoh.
Regarding claim 5, SUNAGAWA discloses the electrical device according to claim 1 above, SUNAGAWA discloses the electrical device is an image forming device. SUNAGAWA does not explicitly disclose the electrical device is a printing apparatus configured to perform printing by ejecting a liquid onto a printing medium to perform printing. Itoh discloses an electrical device is an image forming device; and is a printing apparatus configured to perform printing by ejecting a liquid onto a printing medium to perform printing [0011]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified SUNAGAWA to incorporate the teaching of Itoh and implement the image forming device as a printing apparatus configured to perform printing by ejecting a liquid onto a printing medium to perform printing. Doing so would allow to apply the power controlling circuit to a printing device as an intended use.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUNAGAWA in view of Lum et al. (US 5,287,525), hereinafter Lum.
Regarding claim 3, SUNAGAWA discloses the electrical device according to claim 1 above, SUNAGAWA does not explicitly disclose the shutdown command is constituted by a multi-bit signal. Lum discloses an electrical device using a multi-bit signal for a shutdown command (Column 2 line 66 to column 3 line 9). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified SUNAGAWA to incorporate the teaching of Lum and implement the shutdown command is constituted by a multi-bit signal. Doing so would eliminate the need of a dedicated pin and obviates the need of external hardware.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI H TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-0668. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 8:30 - 5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barney can be reached at 571-272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THAI H TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2836 /REXFORD N BARNIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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