DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-4, 6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being [ 3 ] anticipated by Yoshigai (2022/0274396).
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Yoshigai teaches a recording apparatus and method comprising:
a holder (fig. 5, items 101/180) including a plurality of tanks (fig. 1, items 180) configured to contain liquid;
a recording head ([0007]) configured to eject the liquid supplied from the plurality of tanks ([0007]); and
a control unit (fig. 3, item 1) configured to provide a notification about an instruction for agitating the liquid in two or more tanks of the plurality of tanks ([0092]-[0093], see figs. 10-22, Note that the notification with both W1 and W2 is being taken to read on the claimed notification).
Regarding claim 2, Yoshigai teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 1, the control unit further configured to: calculate a stirring timing for each of the plurality of tanks, provide, in a case where a difference between a first stirring timing for a first tank of the plurality of tanks and a second stirring timing for a second tank of the plurality of tanks is a first time, the notification about an instruction for agitating the liquid in the first tank and an instruction for agitating the liquid in the second tank, and in a case where the difference between the first stirring timing and the second stirring timing is a second time greater than the first time, not provide the notification about the instruction for agitating the liquid in the first tank and notification about the instruction for agitating the liquid in the second tank ([0092]-[0093], see figs. 10-22, Note that the notification with both W1 and W2 is being taken to read on the claimed notification. Thus, if only a single cartridge requires stirring because all other cartridges have already been stirred, a notification about only one cartridge would appear on the display, a notification that is being taken to be distinct from the previously claimed “the notification.” In this case, the countdown timers of three of the cartridges would be at their maximums, and the countdown timer for the one cartridge requiring stirring would have reached zero. So if the difference in the countdown times, i.e., stirring timings, of two cartridges is small and close to zero, the notification for two cartridges is given, and if the countdown times for two cartridges is large and only one requires stirring, a notification for the stirring of one cartridge distinct from the claimed two-cartridge notification will be given).
Regarding claim 3, Yoshigai teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 2, the control unit further configured to, in a case where the difference is the first time and the first stirring timing is smaller than the second stirring timing, provide the notification about the instruction for agitating the liquid in the first tank and the instruction for agitating the liquid in the second tank at the first stirring timing (Note that if the first stirring timing is 0, i.e., the countdown timer is at 0, and the second stirring timing is 1 second, the first time is one second, and the notification is given).
Regarding claim 4, Yoshigai teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of tanks includes a third tank and a fourth tank (see fig. 4) each configured to contain a first liquid (see fig. 4), and the control unit is further configured to, in a case where a fourth stirring timing for the fourth tank is smaller than a third stirring timing for the third tank, supply the first liquid from the fourth tank to the recording head (Note that, assuming the fourth countdown timer, i.e., the fourth stirring timing, has not reached zero, the fourth tank provides liquid to the recording head).
Regarding claim 6, Yoshigai teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit (fig. 10, item 6) configured to display the instruction.
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) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshigai in view of Koganehira et al. (2019/0111697).
Regarding claim 5, Yoshigai teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to supply, in a case where a third remaining quantity in the third tank is less than a fourth remaining quantity in the fourth tank and the fourth stirring timing is a third time, the liquid from the fourth tank to the recording head, and supply, in a case where the third remaining quantity is less than the fourth remaining quantity and the fourth stirring timing is a fourth time greater than the third time, the liquid from the third tank to the recording head (Note that, for purposes of rejection, Yoshigai’s device is being considered to supply all inks from all cartridges to the recording head unless the cartridges are disconnected and in the stirring process. That said, under this interpretation, both limitations above are met because the timings have not been defined with any specificity, and it is being assumed that both of the third and fourth tanks have at least some liquid left to supply to the recording head).
Yoshigai does not teach wherein the control unit further configured to: acquire a remaining quantity of the liquid in each of the plurality of tanks. Koganehira teaches this (Koganehira, [0164], fig. 14). It would have been obvious to one of skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to applying the remaining ink amount approach disclosed by Koganehira to the device of Yoshigai because doing so would allow for more precise calculations about when exactly agitation for each cartridge should be executed.
Claim(s) 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshigai in view of Murayama et al. (2023/0016614).
Regarding claim 7, Yoshigai teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 1. Yoshiggai does not teach wherein the control unit is further configured to provide the notification by controlling the lighting status of a lamp. Murayama teaches wherein a display, a lamp and a sound are obvious variants (Murayama, [0074]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ any or all of a display, a sound and a lamp, as disclosed by Murayama to notify a user of the need to stir with the device of Yoshigai because doing so would amount to an obvious variant to the display of Yoshigai.
Regarding claim 8, Yoshigai teaches the recording apparatus according to claim 1. Yoshiggai does not teach wherein the control unit is further configured to provide the notification by outputting sound. Murayama teaches wherein a display, a lamp and a sound are obvious variants (Murayama, [0074]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ any or all of a display, a sound and a lamp, as disclosed by Murayama to notify a user of the need to stir with the device of Yoshigai because doing so would amount to an obvious variant to the display of Yoshigai.
Conclusion
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/ALEJANDRO VALENCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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