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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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, 2, 4-7, 9, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakazawa et al. (US 20150091960 A1), hereinafter referred to as Nakazawa.
Regarding claims 1 and 6, Nakazawa discloses a liquid ejection apparatus (ink jet printer 1; at para. 0076) comprising:
a drive circuit configured to output a drive signal (driving signal generating section 33; at para. 0114);
a print head (head unit 35; at para. 0103) comprising:
a pressure chamber (cavity 245; at para. 0111) whose volume changes according to a drive signal (driving voltage waveform; at para. 0119; driving signal COM; at para. 0138);
a nozzle (nozzle 241; at para. 0111) communicating with the pressure chamber and configured to allow a liquid to be discharged;
a piezoelectric element (piezoelectric element 200; at para. 0111) configured to output a residual vibration signal corresponding to a residual vibration caused by a change in the volume of the pressure chamber (first output signal OUT1; at para. 0148; from electromotive force of piezoelectric element 200 that goes through first high-pass filter HPF1; at para. 0144; electromotive force is related to residual vibration; at para. 0138);
a residual vibration detection circuit (residual vibration detecting section 356A, 356B; at para. 0144, 0259) configured to receive the residual vibration signal and output a residual vibration detection signal corresponding to the residual vibration signal (detection signal Vd; at para. 0140; OUT3; at para. 0259);
a first switch circuit (second switch SW2; at para. 0144; with second n channel transistor-n2; at para. 0219) configured to switch whether to supply the residual vibration signal to the residual vibration detection circuit (second n channel transistor-n2 is in on state in detection period; at para. 0225);
wherein the first switch circuit is an N-channel type transistor (has an N channel transistor [and P channel transistor], but may be configured by one channel transistor; at para. 0142; second n channel transistor-n2; at para. 0219); and
a processor (control section 6 with CPU 61 and memory section 62; at par. 0106) configured to determine a discharge state of the liquid from the nozzle (discharge abnormality detecting process; at para. 0106; Fig. 3) based on the residual vibration detection signal (at para. 0140).
Regarding claims 2 and 7, Nakazawa further discloses wherein the piezoelectric element displaces according to the drive signal, and the volume of the pressure chamber changes according to the displacement of the piezoelectric element (applied drive voltage waveform causes vibration and changing shape of piezoelectric elements, thus causing volume change of cavity 245; at para. 0114)
Regarding claims 4 and 9, Nakazawa further discloses the liquid discharging apparatus’ print head as further comprising: a second switch circuit configured to switch whether to supply the drive signal to the residual vibration detection circuit (as understood by the examiner from Fig. 37, the driving signal COMa, COMb may be supplied via switch SW5, SW6 to the residual vibration detection section 356B as signal OUT2), wherein the second switch circuit is an N-channel type transistor (as understood by the examiner from at least Fig. 37, switches thus far (SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4) were all disclosed as having N channel transistors, and because the same symbols are used for SW5, SW6 as used for the other switches, the switches SW5, SW6 should also have N channel transistors).
Regarding claims 5 and 10, Nakazawa further discloses wherein the residual vibration detection circuit outputs the residual vibration detection signal corresponding to a difference between the residual vibration signal received via the first switch circuit and the drive signal received via the second switch circuit (OUT3 is related to a difference between OUT1 and OUT2 from different piezoelectric elements; at para. 0232-0233; Fig. 33).
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) 3 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakazawa as applied to claims 1 and 6 above, and further in view of Stiles (pp. 4, 6-21 of “Current Voltage Characteristic”).
Regarding claims 3 and 8, Nakazawa teaches the print head and liquid ejection apparatus according to claims 1 and 6, however Nakazawa does not explicitly teach wherein a voltage value of the residual vibration signal during a period when the first switch circuit supplies the residual vibration signal to the residual vibration detection circuit is smaller than a value obtained by subtracting, from a voltage value of a signal received by a control terminal of the first switch circuit, a voltage value of a threshold voltage for switching whether the first switch circuit supplies the residual vibration signal to the residual vibration detection circuit.
As understood by the examiner, these claims are directed to characteristics of voltages to the first switch that is an N-channel type transistor. Specifically, the claims are understood that the N-channel type transistor works (a period when the first switch circuit supplies the residual vibration signal to the residual vibration detection circuit) when a voltage going through the switch (voltage of the residual vibration signal; also known as the drain/source voltage) is less than the difference between a voltage going to the control terminal (voltage of a signal received by a control terminal; also known as the gate voltage) and the threshold voltage to turn on the switch (threshold voltage for switching whether the first switch circuit supplies the residual vibration signal).
Stiles teaches that for an N-channel type transistor (NMOS), when a voltage going through the transistor (VDS) is less than the difference between a voltage going to the control terminal (VGS) and the threshold voltage to turn on the switch (Vt) will current flow such that it increases proportionally (linearly) to the difference between the control terminal voltage and threshold voltage (in triode; pp. 9, 11). When the voltage going through the transistor (VDS) is greater than the difference (VGS – Vt), the current flow becomes a constant (in saturation; pp. 10, 11). Further, when the voltage going through the transistor (VDS) is small, the channel resistance (rds) decreases with an increase in the difference (VGS – Vt) (pp. 18-21).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Nakazawa by specifying the voltages going to and through the switch that is an N-channel type transistor such that the voltage going through the transistor is smaller than the difference between the voltage going to the control terminal of the transistor and the threshold voltage for the purpose of having a channel resistance that changes proportionally to the difference in voltage going to the control terminal of the transistor and the threshold voltage, as taught in Stiles.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nakazawa et al. (US 20150054876 A1 and JP 2015039856 A, from IDS) teaches a print head and a liquid ejection apparatus relevant to at least claims 1 and 6 (Fig. 1-3, 5, 16, 17; N channel transistor at para. [0015]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYRA M VAN KREUNINGEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9423. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thur 9:00am-6:00pm and Fri 9:00am-1:00pm.
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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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31 July 2026
/KYRA MELOR VAN KREUNINGEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/SHELBY L FIDLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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